Recently appointed EVP Technology and General Manager of Matchpoint, industry executive Michele Edelman talks about her long, award-winning career in entertainment media. A career that, in many ways, has mirrored the evolution of the industry itself: well-established and successful but in many ways just getting started.
“One day we’ll be able to order movies from our remotes with the click of a button.”
Michele has never forgotten those words, spoken by her mentor at Warner Bros. in the early 90’s. A polarizing figure at Warner, Edward Bleier was considered by many to be the godfather of pay per view. Freshly graduated from the college with a job at Warner Bros. in New York, Michele witnessed the shift of media content from physical to digital firsthand.
She learned two important things during her 20-year tenure at Warner, which have defined her career: 1) good content brings people together, and 2) she thrives in the role of ‘Swiss army knife.’ “I love being involved in everything it takes to complete a project,” said Michele. “It’s very satisfying to see something move from start to finish. That’s one of the reasons I love distribution. It’s a chain of events. I want visibility into all of them, and I want to be able to give them a nudge or two along the way.”
A celebrated career
Over the years, Michele’s dedication to her industry has been richly rewarded. She’s earned numerous accolades, including recognition among the Top 40 in Streaming Media, Digital Drivers, the Women in Home Entertainment Award, and the entertainment industry’s Wonder Woman Award. She has been honored by OTT.X for her community and industry contributions, received the University of Rhode Island Dean’s List Distinguished Achievement Award, CTAM’s Rainmaker Award and Chairman’s Award, and was named to CableFax’s Top 100 Power List of Executives.
Q: As an industry veteran at the top of your game, you could have gone anywhere. Why Matchpoint?
When I arrived at Cineverse/Matchpoint as a consultant, I saw a demo of their solutions. My reaction was the same as everyone else’s – I was blown away.
Q: You hadn’t seen anything like it before?
Yes and no. I’ve seen prototypes, but nothing like this with 70,000 titles in a warehouse delivering thousands of titles in days not months. I’d worked with some of the most entrenched people in the industry, and none of them could imagine anything this seamless, this visible this simple. Honestly, neither could I. But I knew I was seeing the future, and I had to be part of it.
Q: It may be the future, but what about now? How ready are companies to fully automate?
It varies. There’s willingness, but also hesitation for many reasons. I said ‘entrenched’ earlier because entertainment companies have put themselves into a manual, complex, way of doing things. Partly because they either haven’t trusted automation or it did not exist—arguably until now, their needs have been too complex for a one-size-fits-all solution. But today, technology can be more reliable than humans in some cases. It can smooth out highly complex workflows completely—and it works, every time. Matchpoint is proof of that.
Bottom line is, we have some big barriers to overcome before full automation is industry standard, but it will happen.
Q: You sound confident about this. Can you tell us why?
Behind every good product, there has to be good people. What really impresses me about Matchpoint is the attitude and ethic of everyone here. Nothing is ‘too hard’ or ‘can’t be done.’ Everything is possible, and everyone here is laser-focused on shifting the paradigm.
Q: Shifting the paradigm to what?
To one-touch distribution.
Q: Sounds cool, but once you’ve solved the supply chain, will you miss babysitting it?
Not at all. But that’s a good analogy, babysitting. And in this case the temperamental child you’re babysitting is always trying to trip you up. For companies, moving files from place to place isn’t strategic, it’s a problem that needs to be solved. Once it is solved, the sky’s the limit.
Q: What does the sky look like in that world?
When content is as easy as it should be to distribute, new opportunities will open up—more partnerships, new business models, fresh ways to reach audiences and monetize. As technology advances, new platforms will emerge. Companies need to be thinking about that now.
Q: So, you see a bright future ahead for the industry?
Thinking back to when I was a kid, the industry is almost unrecognizable now. And people’s desire for content hasn’t diminished in any way. In fact, the more we put out there, the more insatiable audiences become. We’re truly at the dawn of something extraordinary, even if none of us can quite picture what it will look like. It’s an incredibly exciting time, not just for me, but for everyone in this industry, and for anyone who loves to be entertained.
