Since joining Twitter last year from BET, Madati has sought to engage media and content providers by offering partners new ways to reach customers via Twitter through VOD, in-stream ads and live content. He says, “The content landscape is evolving at an unprecedented pace, and new business paradigms that continually bend the traditional view of content and distribution are being propagated almost daily.”
A February 2018 UCLA study revealed that of the 45 new scripted shows approved for 2017-18 across broadcast, cable and digital platforms, only four were from creators of color, all of whom were black. What is your reaction to this report?
The industry still has a lot of work to do on providing opportunities for people of color and beyond. There are so many capable diverse voices that can tell compelling stories about the lives we all lead from a variety of perspectives. The success of Black Panther and Crazy Rich Asians comes from a hunger for people to see themselves reflected on screen. The ability to do so has huge returns, financial and otherwise, for everyone. It makes dollars and sense.
What’s your best advice to someone just entering the video content/distribution industry?
Be a student of your own craft/business. The content landscape is evolving at an unprecedented pace, and new business paradigms that continually bend the traditional view of content and distribution are being propagated almost daily. Pay attention, understand the mechanics of the change, and apply that to how it can/will affect your job today, tomorrow, and into the future.
What’s been the most dramatic change in your sector of the business today vs. three years ago?
The evolution of creative content and distribution strategies in an evolving multi-device -platform world. The ability for content publishers to create best-in-class narrative storytelling that engages audiences/users in a mobile-first multi-platform distribution landscape. This is a new muscle that content creators have had to train and flex, and it will continue to push the envelope on the bounds of creativity and content business models.
