Shahrzad Rafati

Shahrzad Rafati
Born Tehran, Iran
Nationality Iranian, Canadian
Alma mater University of British Columbia (B.Sc. Computer Science)
Occupation Founder & CEO of BroadbandTV Corp

Shahrzad Rafati is the founder and CEO of BroadbandTV Corp, a digital media and technology company that operates the largest multi-platform network in the world.[1] Recognized by Fast Company as one of the 100 Most Creative People in Business, Shahrzad is accredited with pioneering both the technology and business model that made peace between big entertainment entities like the NBA and their fans who were uploading premium content to video sites like YouTube.[2]

Early life

Rafati was born 1980 in Tehran, Iran and immigrated to Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada as a teenager.[3] In 2005, she completed her BSc in computer science at the University of British Columbia.[4] Rafati also studied French at Université Paris Sorbonne (Paris IV).[5]

Career

Rafati founded BroadbandTV in 2005 and has led it since then. She has driven deals with NBA,[6] Warner Bros.,[7] The Huffington Post,[8] Univision[9] and other video production and distribution companies.

Rafati also leads BroadbandTV’s R&D efforts which promise to better connect and monetize online consumers and the content they are seeking on various platforms. This includes technologies like VISO Catalyst for Chrome, which was launched in September, 2016.[10]

In 2016, Rafati was named one of The Hollywood Reporter’s 20 Most Powerful Women in Global Television,[11] awarded Person of the Year by the British Columbia Technology Association,[12] and named to TheWrap’s Innovators List.[13] In 2015, Shahrzad was awarded Woman of the Year by the Business Intelligence Group,[14] named a Young Influential by Adweek,[15] and Variety Magazine included Shahrzad in its Power of Women list.[16] Shahrzad is also a graduate of YGL Oxford Module: Transformational Leadership at Saïd Business School, University of Oxford and their List of Young Global Leaders, and is actively involved with Founders Forum.[17]

Public speaking and thought leadership

Rafati is a very active public speaker who has spoken at events such as TEDx Vancouver,[18] and Dreamforce(27) alongside Marc Benioff, Mark Cuban, Chris Sacca, will.i.am, and Brian Moynihan. In September of 2018, it was announced that Shahrzad was appointed by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to represent Canada on the Business Women Leaders task force as part of the G20 Summit in Buenos Aires, Argentina[19].

She has also spoken at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos, VidCon,[20] Web Summit,[21] CES,[22] Newfronts,[23] Financial Times Digital Media,[24] DMEXCO,[25] Business Insider’s IGNITION,[26] and Collision.[27]

Shahrzad is also a known thought leader in the entrepreneurship and media & technology space, having regularly contributed to Fortune Magazine,[28] The Wall Street Journal[29] and Wired.[30]

Awards

  • 2018: Ernst & Young, Entrepreneur of the Year, Pacific, Technology Category[31]
  • 2018: Canadian Innovation Awards Winner - Entrepreneur[32]
  • 2017: Canada’s Most Powerful Women: Top 100 Award Winner - Hall of Fame[33]
  • 2017: Canada’s Top 40 under 40[34]
  • 2017: RBC Canadian Immigrant Awards[35]
  • 2016: Hollywood Reporter's 20 Most Powerful Women in Global Television,[36] Person of the Year by BC Technology Association,[37] TheWrap's Innovator List[38]
  • 2015: Variety's Power of Women list,[39] Business Intelligence Group Woman of the Year[40]
  • 2014: Digital Life Design (DLD), Munich, Germany, panelist: Digital Storytelling: Surfing the Video Explosion (January 2014)[41]
  • 2013: Digi Awards, Executive of The Year (December 2013)[42]
  • 2013: Canada’s Most Powerful Women: Top 100™ Award Winner in the Sun Life Financial Arts & Communications category (December 2013)[43]
  • 2013: Ernst & Young, Pacific Emerging Entrepreneur of the Year (October 2013)[44]
  • 2013: Business In Vancouver, CEO of The Year (October 2013)[45]
  • 2012: 40 Under 40 Business in Vancouver (December 2012)[46]
  • 2011: Fast Company's 100 Most Creative People in Business (2011)[47]

References

  1. ↑ Spangler, Todd."BroadbandTV Claims No. 1 MCN Spot, Topping Disney’s Maker Studios" Variety
  2. ↑ Shaw, Gillian. "BroadbandTV helps companies leverage YouTube branding potential" Vancouver Sun
  3. ↑ Blattberg, Eric. "From war zone to boardroom: The improbable rise of BroadbandTV's Shahrzad Rafati," Digiday
  4. ↑ "CS Alumna Turned Pirate into Profit | Computer Science at UBC". Cs.ubc.ca. Retrieved 2012-08-05.
  5. ↑ Rickwood, Lee. "Man or Woman, Tech Offers Opportunity for All, Says Canada’s Top Digi CEO" Diversity Now
  6. ↑ "Those illegal videogame gameplay clips on YouTube? A Vancouver company turns them into gold. - Kill Screen". News.killscreendaily.com. 2011-06-08. Retrieved 2012-08-05.
  7. ↑ http://www.itnewsonline.com/showprnstory.php?storyid=140670/
  8. ↑ Spangler, Todd. "Huffington Post Launches ‘Outspeak’ Digital Video Network with BroadbandTV" Variety
  9. ↑ Spangler, Todd. "Univision Signs Deal With BroadbandTV to Manage YouTube Channels" Variety
  10. ↑ Zubairi, Amira. "BROADBANDTV EXPANDS MIDDLE EAST AND ASIAN PRESENCE WITH LAUNCHES IN EIGHT NEW COUNTRIES" Betakit
  11. ↑ Roxborough, Scott. "The 20 Most Powerful Women in Global Television 2016" Hollywood Reporter
  12. ↑ Unknown. "BroadbandTV’s Shahrzad Rafati Named Person of the Year by the BCTIA" BC Technology
  13. ↑ Schwindt, Oriana. "TheWrap’s 2016 Innovators List: 11 Change Agents Who Are Disrupting Hollywood" The Wrap
  14. ↑ Unknown. Crunchbase
  15. ↑ Staff, Adweek. "These 27 Young Influentials Are Shaking Up Media, Marketing, Tech and Entertainment" Adweek
  16. ↑ Unknown. "Women’s Impact Report 2015" Variety
  17. ↑ Unknown. Founders Forum
  18. ↑ "Tedwomen.com". Retrieved 2016-08-07.
  19. ↑ Weiss, Geoff. "Prime Minister Justin Trudeau Taps BBTV Founder Shahrzad Rafati For Women’s Economic Initiative" Tubefilter
  20. ↑ RTL Staff. "Dynamic presence at VidCon" RTL Group
  21. ↑ Unknown. "Inspiring Stories in Online Video" Web Summit
  22. ↑ RTL Staff. "Expanding its global footprint" RTL Group
  23. ↑ Spangler, Todd. "Digital Video to Carve Into TV Budgets: Variety Summit Panel" Variety
  24. ↑ RTL Staff. "Talking about the future of media" RTL Group
  25. ↑ DMEXCO. "dmexco Conference 2015 Brings Together Outstanding Speakers From All Worlds of the Digiconomy" Market Wired
  26. ↑ Business Insider. "2015 Speakers" Business Insider
  27. ↑ Collision Conference. "Nominate a female entrepreneur + incredible speakers come together" Collision Conference
  28. ↑ Fortune. "Shahrzad Rafati" Fortune
  29. ↑ The Wall Street Journal. "Shahrzad Rafati" The Wall Street Journal
  30. ↑ Wired. "Shahrzad Rafati" Wired
  31. ↑ Unknown. "Entrepreneur Of The Year 2018: Technology" BC Business
  32. ↑ Greenwood, Max. "Announcing the Winners of the Seventh Annual Canadian Innovation Awards" Techvibes
  33. ↑ Unknown. "The B.C. achievers on WXN's 2017 Top 100 list of Canada's Most Powerful Women" BC Business
  34. ↑ Unknown. "2017 – Canada’s Top 40 Under 40" Canada’s Top 40 Under 40
  35. ↑ Unknown. "Video revolutionary" Canadian Immigrant
  36. ↑ Roxborough, Scott. "The 20 Most Powerful Women in Global Television 2016" Hollywood Reporter
  37. ↑ Unknown. "BroadbandTV’s Shahrzad Rafati Named Person of the Year by the BCTIA" BC Technology
  38. ↑ Schwindt, Oriana. "TheWrap’s 2016 Innovators List: 11 Change Agents Who Are Disrupting Hollywood" The Wrap
  39. ↑ Unknown. "Women’s Impact Report 2015" Variety
  40. ↑ Unknown. Crunchbase
  41. ↑ Digital Life Design. "Digital Storytelling: Surfing the Video Explosion" DLD Conference
  42. ↑ Thomas, Knowlton. "BroadbandTV's Shahrzad Rafati Named Executive of the Year at 2013 Digi Awards" Tech Vibes
  43. ↑ Crawford, Emma. "B.C. home to 19 of country’s top 100 most powerful women" Business in Vancouver
  44. ↑ Techvibes NewsDesk. "EY Names 2013 Pacific Entrepreneur of the Year Winners" Tech Vibes
  45. ↑ "BIV unveils 2013 BC CEO of the Year winners" Business in Vancouver
  46. ↑ "https://www.biv.com/article/2012/12/biv-announces-fresh-crop-of-forty-under-40-winners/" Business in Vancouver
  47. ↑ "MOST CREATIVE PEOPLE 2011 37. SHAHRZAD RAFATI" Fast Company
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