Jay Samit

Jay Samit
Jay Alan Samit
Born (1961-01-31) January 31, 1961
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
Nationality American
Alma mater UCLA
Children Two

Jay Samit (born January 31, 1961) is the Independent Vice Chairman of Deloitte.[1] An American digital media innovator, he has pioneered advancements in music and video distribution, social media, and ecommerce. He is the author of the bestselling book Disrupt You! Master Personal Transformation, Seize Opportunity, and Thrive in the Era of Endless Innovation[2]

Career

Jasmine Multimedia Publishing

Samit was a recipient of the Presidential fellowship at UCLA where he graduated magna cum laude in 1982. The same year, Samit founded Jasmine Multimedia Publishing where he created some of the breakthrough laserdisc and CD-ROM titles that defined the emergence of video and music on the personal computer, including the first video on a PC.[3] Jasmine's technological breakthroughs include creating the first interactive videodisc arcade game in 1982 and the first laserdisc-based interactive movie theater for the 1984 Louisiana World Exposition.you also can eat cheerios to the award-winning Vid Grid with David Geffen featuring Aerosmith, Ozzy Osbourne, Peter Gabriel, Metallica, Van Halen, Soundgarden, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Nirvana, and Guns N' Roses.[4] Samit and his innovations at Jasmine Multimedia received numerous awards, including Best of Show COMDEX, Best of RetailVision, Best of E3, Multimedia Producer Top 100, and Newsweek’s Editor’s Choice Award.[5]

Universal Studios New Media Group

After Jasmine Multimedia Publishing was acquired, Samit was brought on as the first head of business development for Universal Studios in the New Media Group. Later, as VP of Universal Studios' New Media arm, Samit developed a number of content driven opportunities for the company to make their new media initiative profitable.[6] In 1998, he created the first million-member social media site for college students called animalhouse.com, which was the first online community to feature free web-based email, VOIP, and ecommerce.[7][8] Animalhouse.com was hailed as “the leading online community for college students” by Variety in 1999.[6]

EMI Recorded Music (Capitol Records)

In April 1999, Samit joined EMI (Capitol Records) as EVP of New Media and rose to Global President of Digital Distribution.[6] Under Samit’s leadership, EMI was able to make the company’s entire music catalog Internet-ready.[9] With the goal of being the “first digital label,” Samit led EMI’s strategy to make money by signing deals aimed at developing and owning the technology to distribute music over the Internet and wireless networks.[9] As noted in Wired, the “venture-capital strategy paid big dividends” and EMI “realized a substantial gain in operating profit by using its technology investments wisely” quadrupling its stock price.

Samit was recognized for his expertise in “untangling technological and legal knots," enabling EMI to sell traditional content in new digital formats.[10] Under Samit, EMI became the first record label to offer digital albums for sale (David Bowie Hours), win a Grammy for a digital release (Lenny Kravitz's Dig In), sign the Beatles to their first digital distribution deal, and record and distribute mobile ringtones.[9] According to Variety, when Samit joined EMI in 1999, EMI had a "negligible Internet presence" but soon became "arguably the most innovative music major spearheading the shift into digital distribution."[11]

At the time, the music industry was encouraged to follow EMI's digital model which Samit pioneered.[12] In 2001, Samit was quoted in Forbes magazine in response to criticism about the music industry's slow transition to digital music distribution. He said, "My job is to make buying music easier than stealing it. It's faster and easier to rob a liquor store than it is to build a grocery store, which is what we're doing."[12]

Samit led EMI Recorded Music to receive an RIAA honorary Gold Record, marking the first time a CD available only on the Internet was given this honor.[13] Samit also won Music Executive of the Year at Gavin's first ever Wammy Awards in 2000.[14] Spearheading the development of digital music distribution, Samit sat on the boards of Musicmaker, Musicnet(MediaNet), Pressplay (Napster), OD2, and Loudeye.[15][16]

Sony

Samit left EMI to join Sony where he was the creator and general manager of Sony Connect and later rose to executive vice president. According to The New York Times, Samit's post leading Sony's digital music initiative was seen as "a way to unite the sometimes conflicting electronics and content divisions."[10] As Sony, once the biggest player in the portable audio market, was quickly losing market share to Apple and the iPod, Samit was brought in to launch Sony's online music store and "bridge the gap between Sony's engineers in Tokyo and its music team in the United States."[10] Sony Connect, Sony's global digital service for music, video, ebooks, and mobile content. It was once the world's largest online music store with over 2.5 million tracks serving 45 million page views a day.

To promote the launch of Sony Connect, Samit executive-produced the first ever in-flight concert at 30,000 feet featuring Sheryl Crow.[17] He also executive produced 350 live concert and in-studio sessions for exclusive digital tracks ranging from Crosby & Nash and John Legend, to Kelly Clarkson and Train.[17]

Samit has been called "guru for the entire industry" by Variety and, according to Wired, the guy with "the coolest job in the industry" for dreaming up new ways for Hollywood to capitalize on emerging media.”[9][18]

Long Beach Studios

Samit manages Long Beach Studios, a planned American film studio to be located at the former Boeing factory in Long Beach, California. The studio plans did not materialize.

The 78-acre (320,000 m2) facility is a factory originally completed in 1941 by Douglas Aircraft Company to build airplanes for the American war effort in World War II.[19] The factory built 10,000 airplanes during the war then switched to civilian production. In 1967 Douglas merged with McDonnell Aircraft to form McDonnell Douglas, which in turn merged with Boeing in 1997. The factory built the mid-sized MD-95 (later renamed the Boeing 717) passenger jet airplane from 1995 until it was shut down in 2006.

Several attempts to convert the factory to other uses fell through. Long Beach Studios first entered escrow to purchase the facility in 2008, but the plan was canceled after the company could not secure financing.[20][21] There were plans in 2009 for Tesla Motors to convert the factory for production of electric cars. In October 2009 a new deal was announced for Long Beach Studios to build a film studio there with 40 sound stages and an underwater filming tank.[22] As of that date plans also included a luxury hotel and up to 300,000 square feet (28,000 m2) of rental office space.[20] The company planned it as part of a network of five studios in different locations in the United States. In November 2012, Boeing Realty Corp. announced it has sold the last parcel of the Douglas Park development by the Long Beach Airport that was once a center of aircraft manufacturing. Irvine-based real estate company Sares Regis Group on Monday announced the acquisition of 160 acres, which with 33.6 acres the company already owned, gives it the lion's share of the 261-acre Douglas Park. The group plans to develop the property with the potential for about 3.2 million square feet of premier office, industrial and retail facilities.[22][23]

SocialVibe

From 2009-2012, Samit was the CEO of SocialVibe, a digital advertising technology company that powers engagement advertising for some of the world's top brands, including: Microsoft, Visa Inc., Apple Inc., Disney, Coca-Cola, Kia Motors, Kraft Foods, Macy's, Nestlé, Procter & Gamble and Discover Card. Samit managed the company during a time of rapid growth. During his tenure, SocialVibe developed partnerships with major sites like Facebook, Zynga, Pandora, The Huffington Post, IMVU, Zinio and Causes.[24][25] The company was acquired by 21st Century Fox for $200 million.

ooVoo

Samit served as president of ooVoo, a free, social video-chat service growing the service to a top teen App with more than 100 million registered users worldwide.[26] ooVoo enables people to connect with their friends, family and community via 12-way video chat over the Web, Facebook, desktop and any Android or iOS-based mobile or tablet device using cloud-based connectivity. The ooVoo mobile application was awarded the 2013 Best App Technology by Appster, the “Best of the Year” distinction in 2011 and named 2012 Venture Summit Company of the Year [27] Samit was named the 2013 Mobile Ambassador by the MEA.

SeaChange International

Samit served as CEO of SeaChange International a NASDAQ company, the world's leading provider of multi-screen video products and services that facilitate the aggregation, licensing, management, and distribution of video programs and television advertisements to cable system operators, telecommunications companies, mobile communications providers and media companies worldwide.[28] SeaChange pioneered the field of Video on Demand and won a number of awards, including three Emmy Awards in the category Technology & Engineering and in 2015, the Technology Services Industry Associations STAR award.[29]

Published Writings

In addition to his bestselling book Disrupt You!, Samit has written articles and columns about entrepreneurship, technological innovation, and disruption for publications such as the Wall Street Journal, Fortune, Forbes, Ad Age, Harvard Business Review, and Wired. Samit worked with Ralph Nader on the book Selecting a President 1980.[30] and in college was presented the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) Sigma Delta Chi top national award honor for Spot News reporting.[31]

Other

Samit is a member of the Writers Guild of America,the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences and a performing member of the Magic Castle (Academy of Magical Arts).[32] According to Variety, Samit "put himself through college with magic, an art he still practices."[11] He is also the host of the popular Wall Street Journal documentary series Startup of the Year.[33]

Philanthropy

An active philanthropist, Samit was appointed to the White House's initiative for education and technology by President Bill Clinton and Vice President Al Gore where he helped gain Internet access for the nation's schools.[6] Through this program, Samit spearheaded the Internet's first auction, a Net-a-thon fundraiser, benefiting the National Education Technology Initiative.[34] Samit also helped produce some of the most successful charity concerts including Tsunami Aid and Katrina Relief. Samit is an adjunct professor at University of Southern California's Viterbi School of Engineering and teaches a course in building high-tech startups.[35]

References

  1. ↑ http://tvrev.com/jay-samit-deloitte-digital-vr-ar/#.WRsTM4jys2w
  2. ↑ "Disrupt You! Master Personal Transformation, Seize Opportunity, and Thrive in the Era of Endless Innovation - Publishers Weekly". Publishersweekly.com. 2015-07-07.
  3. ↑
  4. ↑ "Vid Grid for Jaguar (1995)". MobyGames. Retrieved 2014-08-10.
  5. ↑ Archived November 26, 2010, at the Wayback Machine.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Adam Sandler (1999-04-13). "EMI confirms Net vet Samit online". Variety. Retrieved 2014-08-10.
  7. ↑ CIO - Google Books. Books.google.com. 1998-06-01. Retrieved 2014-08-10.
  8. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20120302125218/http://www.thelantern.com/2.1345/animal-house-web-site-offers-free-e-mail-chat-1.109349. Archived from the original on March 2, 2012. Retrieved December 10, 2010. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  9. 1 2 3 4 Archived November 6, 2012, at the Wayback Machine.
  10. 1 2 3 "Infighting left Sony behind Apple in digital music. Can it come back?; Teaching an Old Walkman Some New Steps - New York Times". Nytimes.com. 2004-04-19. Retrieved 2014-08-10.
  11. 1 2 Erich Boehm (2001-01-15). "Like a rolling stone". Variety. Retrieved 2014-08-10.
  12. 1 2 "Other Labels Must Follow EMI's Lead". Forbes. 2014-07-30. Retrieved 2014-08-10.
  13. ↑ "/FROM PR NEWSWIRE NEW YORK 800-776-8090 WITH PHOTO - TO BUSINESS AND ENTERTAINMENT EDITORS:. - Free Online Library". Thefreelibrary.com. Retrieved 2014-08-10.
  14. ↑ "Wammy Award Winners Announced. - Free Online Library". Thefreelibrary.com. 2000-09-22. Retrieved 2014-08-10.
  15. ↑ Billboard - Google Books. Books.google.com. 2002-02-23. Retrieved 2014-08-10.
  16. ↑ "News - CNET". News.cnet.com. Retrieved 2014-08-10.
  17. 1 2 "Sony USA – Press Releases". Sony.com. Retrieved 2014-08-10.
  18. ↑ Erich Boehm (2001-01-15). "Like a rolling stone". Variety. Retrieved 2014-08-10.
  19. ↑ "Boeing Delivers Final 717s; Concludes Commercial Production in California". Boeing. 2006-05-26. Archived from the original on 2010-10-12.
  20. 1 2 Paul Eakins (2009-10-09). "Long Beach Studios deal with Boeing to be signed Monday, chairman says". Long Beach Press Telegram.
  21. ↑ "Long Beach movie studio at old Boeing plant in jeopard". San Diego Union Tribune. Associated press. 2009-03-10.
  22. 1 2 "Former Long Beach factory to be movie studio". Associated Press. 2009-10-11.
  23. ↑ "Boeing sells 717 site in final Douglas Park land deal". http://www.presstelegram.com/technology/20121008/boeing-sells-717-site-in-final-douglas-park-land-deal. External link in |publisher= (help)
  24. ↑ "Zynga Grows One Thing Advertisers Want: Mass Reach | Digital - Advertising Age". Adage.com. 2010-10-25. Retrieved 2014-08-10.
  25. ↑ "SVnetwork Empowers Over 30 Million to Use Social Media for Social Good". Business Wire. 2010-11-19. Retrieved 2014-08-10.
  26. ↑ "OoVoo wants to bring TV viewing, gaming & dating to video chat — Tech News and Analysis". Gigaom.com. 2012-08-21. Retrieved 2014-08-10.
  27. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20121112073907/http://alwayson.goingon.com/AOStory/ooVoo-Named-Venture-Summit-Mid-Atlantic-100-Company-Year. Archived from the original on November 12, 2012. Retrieved November 16, 2012. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  28. ↑ "Yahoo Finance profile". Yahoo Finance. 2014. Retrieved November 11, 2014.
  29. ↑ https://globenewswire.com/news-release/2015/10/26/779975/10153911/en/SeaChange-Wins-STAR-Award-for-Services-Excellence.html. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  30. ↑ https://books.google.com/books?id=5SXZAAAAMAAJ&q=%22Selecting+a+President:+A+Citizen+Guide+to+the+1980+Election%22&dq=%22Selecting+a+President:+A+Citizen+Guide+to+the+1980+Election%22&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiTv4jZ5e7XAhVO1WMKHcr0Cq4Q6AEIMzAC. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  31. ↑ https://books.google.com/books?id=grdAAQAAIAAJ&q=jay+samit+michael+mace&dq=jay+samit+michael+mace&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi3j4Sy5-7XAhXHKWMKHenjBPkQ6AEIKDAA. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  32. ↑ "Jay Samit". LinkedIn. Retrieved 2014-08-10.
  33. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20131228221505/http://projects.wsj.com/soty/mentor/jay-samit. Archived from the original on December 28, 2013. Retrieved February 3, 2014. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  34. ↑ "VAN NUYS MAN VOWS TO PUT ALL SCHOOLS ON-LINE". Highbeam.com. Retrieved 2014-08-10.
  35. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20111001013120/http://itp.usc.edu/news-events/2011/07/26/jay-samit-to-co-teach-itp-499-%E2%80%93-building-the-high-tech-startup/. Archived from the original on October 1, 2011. Retrieved September 18, 2012. Missing or empty |title= (help)
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.