Culture-Fitting Content for Global Audiences -- Teresa Phillips (Co-Founder & CEO, Spherex)

All Things Video

Teresa Phillips is the Co-Founder & CEO of Spherex, a technology company that uses machine learning to adapt entertainment content for international audiences. Teresa started her career in the U.S. Army, serving tours of duty at the Pentagon and NATO’s Allied Command Operations. She later worked as a Group VP of Business Operations at Time Warner Cable and VP of Business Intelligence at Yahoo before launching her first company, an educational video marketplace called Graspr in 2006. She then served as SVP for V2 Solutions before co-founding Spherex in early 2018.

In this episode, Teresa and I discuss the challenge of localizing and cultural fitting content for international audiences. Entertainment companies must navigate complex regulatory, economic, and cultural environments in each new market, so it’s no surprise that cultural missteps are fairly common – from Netflix running afoul of the Singaporean government for hosting drug-related content to the infamous Cuties movie poster debacle here in the U.S. In response, Teresa shares how Spherex uses technology and human expertise to help media companies successfully localize and extend their content to foreign markets. Finally, we comment on Netflix’s recent foray into gaming, ARPU differences between AVOD and SVOD platforms, and future M&A targets as media consolidation continues.

Host: James Creech

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ABOUT THE SHOW

All Things Video is a podcast dedicated to uncovering the past and charting the future of the online video ecosystem. Listen to interviews with founders, executives, and thought leaders from the world’s leading media companies and engage in thought-provoking debates about the issues shaping the next generation of entertainment. From the short-form content revolution to the fragmentation of video viewership in an always-on world, All Things Video reveals the key trends and insights from the world of digital media.

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ABOUT THE HOST

James Creech is an entrepreneur focused on technology, online video, and digital media. He is the Co-Founder & CEO of Paladin, the essential influencer marketing platform for brand and agencies.