Andrew Christen

Andrew Christen serves as the AMVID Contracts Chief at the Headquarters Defense Media Activity (HQ DMA), where he leads the acquisition strategy for multimedia production and distribution systems critical to U.S. military morale and strategic communications. In this role, he oversees the full lifecycle of contracts supporting broadcast infrastructure, digital content delivery, and entertainment platforms used by service members and global audiences. His portfolio centers on mission-critical media solutions, ensuring secure, scalable, and modernized content ecosystems aligned with DoD information superiority goals. Christen manages complex procurements requiring technical expertise in video encoding, streaming protocols, and secure media workflows, often coordinating with technical specialists and cybersecurity teams to ensure compliance with DoD Information Assurance standards. While specific contractor names are not publicly disclosed, Christen consistently engages with a network of specialized media production vendors, post-production houses, and digital platform integrators with proven experience in military-grade content delivery. His contracting approach emphasizes performance-based outcomes, rigorous technical evaluations, and long-term vendor partnerships capable of sustaining mission-critical operations across deployed and domestic environments. He prioritizes vendors with experience in classified and unclassified media environments, ensuring seamless integration with DoD networks and compliance with DoD 5220.22-M data sanitization and NIST 800-53 controls. Christen maintains a 100% Small Business Set-Aside preference under FAR 19.5, reflecting a steadfast commitment to socioeconomic contracting goals. All acquisitions under his purview are reserved exclusively for small businesses, fostering robust participation from minority-owned, women-owned, and veteran-owned firms with niche capabilities in media production and distribution. This approach strengthens the defense industrial base while ensuring agile, innovative solutions from firms uniquely positioned to respond to HQ DMA’s dynamic operational needs. His procurement focus is entirely aligned with NAICS 512110 (Motion Picture and Video Production), encompassing end-to-end content creation, editing, animation, and broadcast distribution services. He procures high-definition video capture systems, nonlinear editing suites, streaming encoders, and content management platforms tailored for military audiences, demonstrating deep expertise in the technical and operational demands of defense media operations.