Thomas Bause Mason is the Director of Standards Development for the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE). At SMPTE he is responsible for maintaining the standards development process and the technical infrastructure for both the standards community and SMPTE HO. Bause Mason, formerly owner of Open Media Consulting, began his career in Cologne, Germany, as a computer programmer for automation software in the nuclear and automobile industries. Before his move to Los Angeles, Bause Mason worked at West German Television (WDR) and Cologne Broadcasting Center, where he led the quality control department. In Los Angeles, he became a postproduction consultant and then built and managed the encoding operations for Ascent Media. Joining NBCUniversal in 2005, he focused on emerging technology, spending two years in London to support the company's international business. Throughout his career, Bause Mason has assisted industry organizations in the development of standards, technical recommendations, and study group reports. He holds several patents and is a SMPTE Fellow.