Media CEO Takes Home EoY Award

John Trautman, chief executive of Visual Data Media Services, was named Entrepreneur of the Year for the greater Los Angeles area by Ernst & Young LLP.Trautman is the founder of Visual Data, a Burbank provider of end-to-end media supply chain services for the entertainment industry.

He started the company 26 years ago with the goal of building an industry-leading global digital media services company, Trautman said.

“Along with my exceptional team, we have managed to do just that,” Trautman added in a statement. “I am grateful to the clients, employees and trusted advisors who have helped me on this path, and I am honored to be in a position to do the same for others.”Trautman was selected as entrepreneur of the year by a panel of independent judges. The award was announced during the program’s virtual awards gala on July 29 and is given to recognize entrepreneurs and leaders of high-growth companies.

Among the criteria the winner is chosen for are talent management; financial performance; societal impact and building a values-based company; and originality, innovation and future plans.“It is a tremendous honor to be recognized as Entrepreneur of the Year by Ernst & Young,” Trautman said in the statement. “This recognition is incredibly gratifying and greatly appreciated.”As a Greater Los Angeles award winner, Trautman is now eligible for consideration for the Entrepreneur of the Year 2021 National Awards, which will be announced in November.

Visual Data has grown into a company with offices in the San Fernando Valley, London and Bangalore by delivering media solutions, including restoration, remastering, dubbing, translation, digitization and content management. Its clients include Walt Disney Co., Netflix Inc., Amazon.com Inc. and Apple Inc.