Talk us through an average day in your role.
I’ve only very recently rejoined Yospace, having been with the company in its formative years, before it evolved into dynamic ad insertion (DAI). I was with Yospace previously during its first years in digital video, so it’s fascinating to return at a time when it’s considered the global leader in video monetisation.
While it may sound a little obvious, no two days are the same. My current priority is to understand how we’re working with customers, delving into specific situations where required, and building a precise picture of how they’re positioned and how we partner with them. Usually, I top and tail the week with internal meetings (forecasts, developmental one-to-ones) and try to keep the middle of the week dedicated to customer/prospect activity. On Tuesdays I really concentrate on speaking with prospects and customers, then Wednesday and Thursday are for in-person meetings or conferences.
How did you get started in the media industry?
My first stint at Yospace was actually my introduction to the media sector, where I focused on mobile media. I could immediately see how dynamic and rapidly growing the space was and that we were only at the tip of the iceberg when it came to future possibilities. It was also clear that the competition for eyeballs, in whatever media sector, would greatly intensify. I’d worked with the Yospace founders at a previous company and loved the vision they had for mobile video so came on board to help them realise that vision commercially. Since then, I’ve developed my understanding of digital video alongside my contact list. I’ve worked with Brightcove, first leading their sales efforts from London and then for the company’s media category in the US. This was followed by taking up the role of VP Americas with Vimeo. These positions have given me a very strong understanding of the challenges the streaming sector faces,
What training did you have before entering the industry?
Like many who entered the industry when I did, formal training was not a prerequisite so I learnt from those around me. Yospace version 1.0 was a startup, with a very dynamic and fast-moving approach, so it was an ideal environment in which to find my feet. The emphasis was on being entrepreneurial and figuring things out as we went along, which led to some challenging moments but it laid the foundations for real breakthroughs.
Why do you enjoy working in the industry?
It’s incredibly fast-moving and evolving constantly, and the services Yospace provides are mission-critical to our customers. Dynamic ad insertion, which we launched into the streaming sector 13 years ago, drives ad revenues via the insertion of personalised, targeted ads into streams. It’s now absolutely clear consumers are willing to accept ads in return for free streaming services, or at the least a hybrid model where subscription fees are reduced in return for seeing ads, so its importance has never been greater. With tier 1 sports now firmly established across major streaming outlets, the next industry challenge is to maximise the monetisation potential while delivering a premium-grade customer experience that separates tier 1 providers from other online video platforms. The monetisation imperative within this setting has never been greater.
Many solutions are “nice to have” with a business case that requires a bit of a leap of faith. But increasing ad fill rates is a pretty clear cut ROI and it’s motivating to be able to deliver this kind of business value to customers.
What piece of advice would you offer someone looking to explore a similar role to yours?
Don’t let perfection be the enemy of good. While of course it’s critical to have a 30/60/90-day plan when starting a new role, part of that should be to simply get stuck in; get to conferences, meet customers, identify and reach out to prospects. You can only really iterate once you have a base to iterate from, no matter how imperfect your starting point might be.
