Why I Chose to Join Zype

By Andrew Leighton on August 25, 2020

What a long strange trip it’s been…

I’m not going to lie. I love the spirit of a growing company. I’ve been fortunate in my career to work for several of them.  There was Globix, the computer reseller that morphed into an early internet and streaming giant in the days of dial-up, thePlatform whose vision was that one day everyone would be watching video on the internet well before everyone watched video everywhere, and You who is revolutionizing the way broadcasters develop their apps. The thing that all of these companies have in common is that they led fearlessly, embraced change, and most importantly listened to the market, their customers and their employees to drive innovation. In an industry that is in many ways is still in its infancy; risk-taking, openness to change and willingness to listen cannot be underestimated.

 

The Long and Winding Road

Around 2006 my wife Nancy asked “when is this streaming industry going to take off?” At the time I was 6 years into a frustrating career choice but one where I knew that the opportunity was in front of me. The question was just how far.  Without even thinking I replied, “the day our parents can seamlessly watch video the same way they browse a website; without the need to download anything.” To say we have come a long way since then is an understatement. At the time it was hard to envision just how much streaming would change our world, how disruptive it would become to linear television, how it would transform how people communicate and how it would birth new business opportunities. This doesn’t even take into account the effects that a global pandemic would have on video consumption habits.

 

Young, Scrappy and Hungry

Let’s face it, the OTT revolution is still in the first inning. While many companies are making huge bets on its future, there is still a ton to figure out. This is where Zype fits in perfectly. We are a nimble company with an outstanding API-first technology stack that provides product teams with the foundational tools to build and run a successful OTT business with the openness and flexibility needed as the market continues to evolve. As a later entrant into the Video CMS space (first customer launched in 2014) our platform is built with both today’s and future challenges in mind, architectured for scale, tuned for performance and is modular to allow customers to leverage the offerings that fit best with their overall video stack. 

 

Culture Club

With the streaming industry on a rapid accent, why did I choose to join Zype? Actually the choice was not a difficult one. Having spent over 11 years working for thePlatform/CTS, there were certain traits that I was looking for. First I wanted to join a company that put the customer first and understood that the journey that begins with the initial call -- the beginning of the long term vendor/client partnership. Secondly I was looking for an organization with a high streaming I.Q. that was not afraid to “lean in” and ride at the crest of the technology wave. And lastly, the guiding principles of Zype are summed up in a single acronym: C.H.A.R.T. This stands for Courage, Hard work, Awesomeness, Resourcefulness and Thoughtfulness. The culture guided by CHART is evident to anyone that has come in contact with this team. I have heard it from my industry colleagues, Zype partners, customers and most importantly have seen it for myself. When people row a boat in the same direction with conviction, you succeed in reaching your destination and do so efficiently. People notice. 

I am happy to be on the boat, along for the ride and am proud to call myself a Zypester!

Interested in joining our family of Zypesters? We're hiring! Check out our open roles here

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