Albert Mayer, Jr. - Electrical Engineer
Meet Albert Mayer Jr.! Mr. Mayer Jr. has a background in project management, technical marketing, electrical and mechanical engineering. Cultivating an interest in engineering from a young age, Mr. Mayer Jr. enjoyed tinkering with things and building items from scratch as a child. He entered the field of engineering because his father, also an engineer, inspired him to do so.
In high school, Mr. Mayer Jr. began to work after school hours for the motion picture movie camera company Panavision, where his father worked as Vice President of Research and Development. Mr.Mayer Jr. continued to work at Panavision after receiving his engineering degree, where he worked with his father and other engineers to design and develop motion picture camera systems for television and movie productions. Mr. Mayer Jr. worked at Panavision for 26 years.
Highlights of this time included the opportunity to travel to movie sets to answer any questions and advise camera operators on the use of the Panavision cameras that he had helped to develop, such as the Panaflex Millennium XL Camera where he acted as project engineer and chief designer. He was also responsible for the ergonomics and mechanical design of the Genesis camera system which was the first digital camera designed specifically for the motion picture industry.
He appreciated being able to observe the cameras in action. One of the notable projects he worked on was helping to develop the camera system that was used to film the deep-sea scene of the Titanic movie. Shifting to more corporate work and project management later in his time at Panavision acting as Vice President of Technical Marketing, he nonetheless enjoyed being able to still design products at Panavision headquarters. The engineering and managerial skills Mr. Mayer Jr. learned while working there were invaluable to him later in his professional career.
Following his time at Panavision, Mr. Mayer Jr. went on to found Excelsis Engineering (private/professional sector) & Tortuga Engineering Solutions (focused on government contracting), both of which he still runs today. Using computers and computer-aided design (CAD), his team can build products to simulate real-life conditions and can then manufacture these products. These products are far-ranging and include products using Artificial Intelligence, drone systems, lighting, and satellite and radar technology. Mr. Mayer Jr. oversees the companies and instructs his employees regarding the types, details, and functions of products that will be designed. While Mr. Mayer Jr. does enjoy this managerial position, he believes that creating a company on your own involves all types of risk, as you must sometimes pivot quickly, but the rewards are worth it. Furthermore, as an owner and manager, you are the one who is ultimately responsible for the projects, and you are the one who reaps many of the rewards but also the one who takes the blame if something goes wrong. You must also be the one to fix larger problems that may arise during a project.
Advice Mr. Mayer Jr. would give to someone interested in engineering is to never be afraid of trying something out of the norm, ask questions and to always maintain high quality work. He believes that experience is extremely important but imagination is invaluable. Above all, he stresses that you must know what you love and do what you love in order to follow your dreams. As a side note, here are a few leadership books he mentioned which may be of interest.
Learning to Lead: Ron Williams
Extreme Ownership: Jocko Willink and Leif Babin
Excellence Wins: Horst Schulze
Mr. Mayer Jr. sees Artificial Intelligence as a tool that can be used to both build things and destroy things. Therefore, he stresses the importance of using AI responsibly, as one would use any other tool. He believes that AI can be a valuable tool for checking designs and appreciates its ability to draw upon past information.