My primary interest in the Internet, back in 1991-1994, was around its application in media and communications, and so the opportunity to work on a broader platform that could revolutionize our experience of media on the Internet was incredibly exciting.
In 2004 you founded Brightcove - how would you compare it to your background with Allaire and Macromedia?
Brightcove has been tremendous, it has been a rocket-ship, we've grown incredibly fast and I'm having a fantastic time. We've grown at about the same rate as Allaire. This time, I'm a lot more seasoned and prepared for startup and growth mode, and have enjoyed being the company's CEO, leading the team and strategy and overall execution. It's also very different, in that Brightcove is both a development platform for video applications, and a suite of end-user and producer applications that are browser-based. It's allowed me to get closer to business issues in the media and marketing industries, which is a deep personal passion, and be less focused on pure infrastructure technology issues.
What's next for you and Brightcove?
Well, we are in the middle of a major transformation of the Web. Video is becoming pervasive, and nearly every professional website is looking to publish video. So we see an enormous global opportunity to establish Brightcove as the dominant platform for professional video publishing online. That means making our technology accessible to all by making it work really well in the environments that web designers and developers prefer. An OVP (Online Video Platform) is really a collection of web services and toolkits for developers to flexibly integrate video into their sites and applications. So a big focus, growing out of my historical passion and involvement with web development, is this next phase of Brightcove's maturation as a platform.
Do you have any advice for up-and-coming programmers?
Focus on projects and ideas that you are passionate about; business, social, economic or organization problems that really excite and motivate you. I think it's the output that matters most, not the technology, and that's the best way to channel your skills and energy.
Oh yeah, also, learn how to program and integrate video into your sites and applications! http://developer.brightcove.com
Finally, is there anything else you'd like to add?
Nope. Thanks for the opportunity to chat.
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