For everyone involved in the Media and Entertainment Industry, there is one inescapable truth -- Everything is always changing. While the dynamic nature of the industry keeps life interesting for those involved in creating content, developing audiences, managing distribution relationships, building experiences and making it all make financial sense, it also means that media leaders must be ever-vigilant in order to ensure their organization’s success... and survival.
Perhaps the most significant force driving change in the media world today is technology and, within that domain, online video is certainly the most complex. From video codecs and metadata management to digital rights management and device-specific formats to workflow simplification and video ad viewability, the sheer number of requirements both technical and business leaders must regularly address is dizzying.
At Brightcove, we have been co-travelers with media organizations over the last twelve years, as video consumption over the Internet has evolved into the fastest growing way to watch content of almost any type, anytime, anywhere on a multitude of devices. Three years ago, we further amplified our focus on the Media & Entertainment Industry by forming the Media Business Unit and dedicating the attention of approximately half the company on innovating solutions to address the most pressing challenges faced by our media customers.
Core to this focus -- and the most important factor in our success in media -- has been assembling an incredible team comprised of people who are among the best and brightest minds in video technology and media. We seek to serve as trusted advisors to our media customers, truly partnering with them to help them navigate the turbulent waters of the industry’s constant changes.
It is with that aspiration in mind that I am very happy to announce that Matt Smith -- a true veteran of digital and Internet video -- has joined our team as Vice President and Principal Media Evangelist. Matt is a recognized thought leader in the video space and is a frequent speaker at NAB, IBC and Streaming Media conferences, and was a member of the 2012 class of Streaming Media All Stars.
Matt joins us at the perfect time, too. We’ve been ‘heads down’ and innovating on next generation media technologies at Brightcove. Over the next several months, we will be introducing a number of exciting technologies, products and solutions that are specifically aimed at helping our media customers drive revenue, simplify workflows and reduce costs. As part of the Media Business Unit team, Matt will play a key role in helping media executives understand the value and inventive nature that we are bringing to market. We’re excited at the bench strength and experience Matt brings to Brightcove, too. He’s joining us from a leadership role at Anvato, following that company’s acquisition by Google. Prior to Anvato, Matt has had stops at a variety of recognizable industry brands like Envivio, Cisco, Inlet Technologies and Yahoo!.
We are committed to supporting broadcasters, publishers and “born digital” media organizations in these dynamic times with our focus on innovation, world-class service, ecosystem of partners, and our experienced team of media experts. Some of those team members, including Matt, are speaking at Streaming Media West this week. If you’re there, please come by and say hello. We look forward to working with you!