When I was 9 years old commercials started airing about a new TV channel for music videos. The commercials were clips of rock stars saying "I Want My MTV.” And so a music revolution was born.
Over the years, music videos would take on lives of their own and would bring about an unprecedented sentiment for music. Music became more visceral and cerebral at the same time. And for artists, music videos became a standard; a must-do in conjunction with any new release or live concert. It became a deeper means of expression and promotion at the same time.
By the mid 90s, while making music in my spare time, my day job focused on building out network elements that make up the Internet - focusing on Internet access devices, remote access servers, and routers that enabled high speed Internet service. Shifting gears, in the 2000s, I was building various communications services, most recently launching Cc:Betty/Threadbox, - which I sold to MySpace last year. As part of the sales transition, I stayed on at Threadbox as the company was converted over to a product called Myspace Threads and to work on other products, including Events and Artist Tools. It was really fun applying my work to an environment so focused on the artist/fan connection.
As my tenure was drawing to a close with MySpace I started thinking about what my next move would be. Most people who know me assumed I would start another company and I almost did, but something else was cooking that captured my attention and ultimately my focus…
I have always loved music videos and, while the world itself has evolved music videos are still here and being watched online by gazillions of people each day - on computers, phones, tablets, and other connected devices. The access layer is amazing! But, what the world of music video still needs is a service layer yielding a modern day version of that special sentiment MTV gave us in the early 80s. I'm extremely focused on establishing that service layer and sentiment, which is why I'm jumping out of my own skin to announce that I am joining VEVO!
At VEVO, I'll be heading up Product and plan to build more depth of functionality onto more platforms, ultimately providing the most delightful, compelling, automated, customized and social music video experience ever. It’s my goal not only to usher today's generation into the sentiment I felt in the early 80s, but also rekindle that sentiment among older generations. And I hope to do so in a very contextual way, per platform, per device, per video, per human.
I’m excited to join the VEVO team. Stay tuned for some great new products coming to you from VEVO soon.
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