Will Be Recognized at Oregon Technology Awards on Tuesday, May 3
March 15, 2022 09:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time
VANCOUVER, Wash.--( BUSINESS WIRE )-- ZoomInfo (NASDAQ: ZI), a global leader in modern go-to-market software, data, and intelligence, today announced that Founder and CEO Henry Schuck has been selected by Technology Association of Oregon (TAO) as the 2022 Sam Blackman Award Winner. Schuck will be recognized as part of the 38th annual Oregon Technology Awards ceremony, celebrating excellence and achievement in the region’s technology industry, on Tuesday, May 3 at the Oregon Convention Center in Portland, Ore.
“It’s an honor to be recognized by Technology Association of Oregon, especially with an award named for such a well-respected technology leader and inspiration to me – Sam Blackman,” said Schuck. “I’m incredibly proud of what our talented ZoomInfo team has built over the last 15 years and the world-class products we provide to our customers around the world.”
Schuck has served as Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of ZoomInfo (formerly DiscoverOrg) since founding it in 2007. He led ZoomInfo as it became the first U.S. technology company to go public during the COVID-19 pandemic. Including the company’s acquisition of Zoom Information in 2019, Schuck has overseen 11 acquisitions in total, and has grown the company to more than 2,700 employees globally. Prior to founding ZoomInfo, Schuck was Vice President of Research and Marketing at iProfile, a sales intelligence firm focused on the information technology market. He is a cum laude with honors graduate of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas with a B.S. in Business Administration and a second B.S. in Hospitality Administration and holds a J.D., cum laude, from The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law. Schuck was named to Fortune’s “40 Under 40” Class of 2020 list. Schuck is also the driving force behind ZoomInfo’s annual employee donation drive, helping raise nearly $3.5 million to-date for youth- and family-focused charities close to his heart in the communities where ZoomInfo employees live and work. “The Sam Blackman Award recognizes executives of Oregon and Southwest Washington-based technology companies for excellence in industry leadership, as well as an individual’s positive impact in the greater community.” said Skip Newberry, TAO President and CEO. “Under Henry's leadership, ZoomInfo has grown into one of the largest and most successful tech companies headquartered in the region. Throughout the company's growth, Henry has gone above and beyond to ensure that employees of ZoomInfo would be able to share in the company’s success. And with recent investments in a new office building and area public schools, ZoomInfo's positive impact on the community is only increasing.”
Sam Blackman co-founded Elemental Technologies in 2006, creating software that performs encoding, decoding, and transcoding to enhance video streaming. He led the company from a tiny start-up to one of Portland’s major employers before being acquired by Amazon in 2015. He stayed on as CEO of AWS Elemental and was awarded TAO’s Technology Executive of the Year Award in 2015. Blackman passed away suddenly at age 41 in 2017, and the Technology Executive of the Year Award was renamed in his honor. For more information about the 2022 Oregon Technology Awards, including registration, please visit the event page . About Technology Association of Oregon (TAO)
TAO is a local nonprofit working to build opportunities, better our economy and unify a voice for innovation in Oregon and beyond. A recognized leader in shaping and growing technology and business communities, TAO empowers businesses and entrepreneurs through networks, events, advocacy, resources and more. With over 500 member-companies, TAO’s network brings together some of the largest companies in the world, small startups, and tech-enabled companies that are using technology to drive growth and innovation. For more information please visit www.techoregon.org . About ZoomInfo
ZoomInfo (NASDAQ: ZI) is a leader in modern go-to-market software, data, and intelligence for more than 25,000 companies worldwide. ZoomInfo’s revenue operating system, RevOS, empowers business-to-business sales, marketing, operations, and recruiting professionals to hit their number by pairing best-in-class technology with unrivaled data coverage , accuracy, and depth of company and contact information. With integrations embedded into workflows and technology stacks, including the leading CRM, Sales Engagement , Marketing Automation, and Talent Management applications, ZoomInfo drives more predictable, accelerated, and sustainable growth for its customers. ZoomInfo emphasizes GDPR and CCPA compliance . In addition to creating the industry’s first proactive notice program, the company is a registered data broker with the states of California and Vermont. Read about ZoomInfo’s commitment to compliance, privacy, and security . For more information about ZoomInfo’s leading go-to-market software, data, and intelligence, and how they help sales, marketing, operations, and recruiting professionals, please visit www.zoominfo.com . Contacts

ZoomInfo Founder and CEO Henry Schuck Wins 2022 Sam Blackman Award from Technology Association of Oregon

Seven years ago, the Portland Business Journal hired reporter Malia Spencer to cover technology. 

The city's startup scene, built on the backs of hardware giants such as Tektronix, Intel and ESI, was gaining steam. Young companies — think Puppet Labs (now Puppet), Elemental Technologies (Now AWS Elemental), Act-On Software — were only just turning promising ideas sprung from a vibrant culture of innovation into products. 

Malia dove in with abandon, embracing the energy and potential of this…

Welcome to Portland Inno, the new home for PBJ coverage of startups, entrepreneurs and DEI

Topline
Amazon is preparing to make a $9 billion investment in the company’s film and television offerings by purchasing vaunted Hollywood studio MGM , the Wall Street Journal reported Monday, the latest in a string of major acquisitions the company has made to boost its standing in even more areas of people’s lives—here are the most notable:
An Amazon Prime deal sign at a Whole Foods Market grocery store in San Ramon, California. Getty Images
Key Facts
Amazon’s largest acquisition to date was when it purchased Whole Foods in 2017 for $13.7 billion. The company has also spent more than a billion dollars on shoe ecommerce giant Zappos ($1.2 billion in 2009) and autonomous vehicle company Zoox , which is developing a self-driving rideshare service ($1.2 billion in 2020). Other pricey acquisitions include smart doorbell maker Ring ($839 million in 2018), online pharmacist PillPack ($753 million in 2018), video game streaming platform Twitch ($970 million in 2014), robotics company Kiva Systems ($775 million in 2012) and Quidsi , the parent company of Diapers.com and other ecommerce sites ($545 million in 2010). Amazon has invested in its cloud computing arm Amazon Web Services—which now makes up the majority of the company’s operating income—by purchasing more than a dozen companies in that sector, including $500 million for mobile video service Elemental Technologies in 2018 and $20 million for cyber security startup harvest.ai in 2017. In addition to its expected MGM purchase, Amazon has also invested in the film industry by acquiring IMDB (purchased in 1998 as part of a $55 million acquisition with two other companies), DVD rental service Lovefilm (for £200 million or approximately $317 million in 2011) and film grosses website Box Office Mojo (in 2008 for an undisclosed amount). Amazon has strengthened its foothold in the book industry where it got its start by acquiring companies like audiobook seller Audible ($300 million in 2008), social network Goodreads (in 2013 for an undisclosed amount), book publisher Avalon Books (in 2012 for an undisclosed amount) and used bookseller AbeBooks (in 2008 for an undisclosed amount). Big Number
$37 billion. That’s the approximate value of Amazon’s acquisitions, as estimated by tech industry acquisition database AcquiredBy . Chief Critic
Amazon and other tech giants’ acquisition practices have been criticized by lawmakers, who have accused the companies of practicing anti-competitive behavior by buying up smaller rivals. “As gatekeepers to the digital economy, these platforms enjoy the power to pick winners and losers, shake down small businesses, and enrich themselves while choking off competitors,” Rep. David Cicilline (D-R.I.), who chairs the House Antitrust Subcommittee, said in his opening statement for a hearing concerning Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Google. “Their ability to dictate terms, call the shots, upend entire sectors, and inspire fear represent the powers of a private government.” Amazon has denied the antitrust allegations against it and maintains that it does compete with other platforms like eBay, Etsy, Walmart and Target. Key Background
Sources cited by the Journal say a deal between Amazon and MGM could be finalized as early as this week, though nothing has yet been finalized and “there are no guarantees they will ultimately reach an agreement.” Should the deal go through, MGM’s library would substantially bolster Amazon’s streaming platform by giving it access to thousands of additional film and television titles, helping Amazon Prime better compete with other streaming powerhouses like Netflix. MGM’s century-long history dates back to the silent era, giving Amazon access to films like the James Bond franchise and Rocky films and newer properties like The Handmaid’s Tale television series. (Golden Age classics made at the studio before 1948 like The Wizard of Oz and Gone with the Wind have already been sold to Warner Bros, however, the Journal notes.) The reported $9 billion deal comes after MGM was most recently valued at $5.5 billion in December, the Journal reports, though its stock price has soared in response to news of the expected deal. Further Reading

Amazon’s Biggest Acquisitions Have Allowed It To Become A Marketplace For Nearly Everything

A growing number of businesses are shifting to serverless tech solutions, allowing them to remain completely focused on their platform by eliminating the need to manage server software and hardware. Serverless architecture, also known as serverless backend or serverless computing, is a software design concept in which all applications are hosted and managed by a third-party resource. The external service comprehensively maintains the server hardware and software, leaving the platform operators free to devote their resources to the platform itself. Typically, the related applications are divided into individual functions, allowing for exceptional flexibility and scalability, while centralized hardware and software management improves efficiency while reducing the hosting cost incurred by platform owners. The third-party service handles server provisioning and maintenance while being responsible for managing scaling, capacity planning, and execution. Is Serverless the Right Choice for Your Video Platform? Many digital businesses can derive extraordinary benefits by switching to a serverless computing model. Serverless deployment allows companies to execute and scale functions in immediate response to fluctuations in market demand. The greatly enhanced flexibility for expansion allows the developers and IT operations team to increase their focus on critical business tasks. The list of media & entertainment companies that are advantageously using serverless infrastructure is vast, including SoundCloud, Spotify, BBC, Newsweek, and many more. By allowing for scalability and fluctuations in traffic without the need for in-house resource allotment, combined with robust computing capabilities and third-party management of hardware and software, serverless architecture provides an efficient and affordable infrastructure with the flexibility to seamlessly expand as a platform’s demand grows. The typical use cases that most often call for a serverless environment include:
Event-triggered Computing: Platforms involving multiple devices requesting access to a range of file types benefit from the core algorithm library hosted by a third-party service. Multimedia Processing: The massive quantity of data involved in multimedia processing requires significant computing resources. Serverless architecture provides exceptional scalability and loads flexibility in these scenarios. Live Video Broadcasting: Serverless architecture provides the capability to collect audio and video streams from multiple sources, which are subsequently synthesized and presented to viewers in a single view. Fluctuating Demand: Many platforms experience significant fluctuations in demand. A serverless environment allows for massive shifts in traffic volume without the need for platform owners to invest in additional in-house computing resources to handle the load. Infrastructure Costs: Serverless infrastructure is typically billed on the pay-as-you-go basis: less content – lower the bill and vice versa. As seen from the above, the computing requirements in modern video applications are often well suited to a serverless infrastructure, especially if you’re managing an in-house video catalog or occasional content delivery, such as releasing educational or promotional videos or streaming intermittent meetings and events. However, if your platform is supporting an evenly distributed high volume of video content ingestion (e.g. user-generated content platforms such as YouTube), you may want to look at a hybrid approach where a server and serverless combination is used, depending on the platform's scale and goals. Making the Switch to Serverless Architecture
While serverless adoption expands, three vendors stand out to us as clear market leaders. AWS offers a massive range of products within its services, including advanced analytics, AR and VR, media functionality, robotics, customer engagement tools, and much more. Microsoft Azure is another serverless market leader known for its advanced AI and machine learning capabilities, allowing for the creation of bots that are connected across multiple channels, support for mixed reality using AI sensors, and sophisticated cognitive features that can be added to apps. Akamai is focused on expanding personalized engagement capabilities in a serverless environment. The service makes it possible for platform owners to apply their business logic at the point of customer interaction, helping to support innovations that improve the customer experience. The final choice of the vendor depends entirely on your project requirements. However, there’s little doubt that AWS is running point in the realm of video streaming, having secured partnerships with several market leaders. For example, Netflix benefits greatly from its use of serverless tools and technologies. The leading on-demand video streaming service saves an extraordinary amount of resources by using AWS Lambda to run tasks that require massive computing power to process. Hulu leverages AWS to operate its OTT platform, allowing the company to bring new services to market quickly while avoiding the need to build additional data centers as it expands. A Closer Look at the AWS Streaming Tech Stack
AWS provides an extensive suite of tools for video streaming platforms, from hosting and infrastructure to CND and transcoding. Founded as Elemental Technologies in 2006 by three engineers who formerly worked at Pixelworks, AWS Elemental offers several models of its software, including turnkey, cloud-based, and virtualized deployment. Now owned by Amazon Web Services, the company’s robust tools are excellent options to consider when building a video streaming platform. AWS Elemental Services for VOD and Live Streaming
S3: Amazon S3 (Simple Storage Service) provides comprehensive object storage and protection with advanced organizational features to meet a wide range of on-demand video platform requirements. MediaStore: Optimized for media, this AWS Elemental tool features high-performance capabilities, making it an ideal choice for both on-demand and live streaming video platforms. MediaConvert: With broadcast-level features and an easy-to-use interface, AWS Elemental’s file-based video transcoding service includes a pay-as-you-go pricing structure while providing multiscreen delivery capabilities. CloudFront: Amazon’s Content Delivery Network tool was designed and optimized for the massive workloads associated with the media & entertainment industry. CloudFront is capable of delivering immense quantities of on-demand content, along with enabling platforms to live stream to millions of viewers. AWS Lambda: Removing the need for server management, this serverless computing service allows platforms to run a vast range of software applications while Lambda allocates the necessary execution power to serve traffic at any scale. MediaLive: Designed specifically for live video streaming, MediaLive features broadcast-grade processing to create high-quality streams for delivery to television and multiscreen internet-connected devices. As a rising number of platforms move to a serverless infrastructure, the future of the video streaming market is extraordinarily bright. Without question, the pandemic has created challenges for all industries. However, it has also been a catalyst for technological innovation while bringing new entrants forward, as e-learning, virtual events, and other sectors join television and film in the rapidly expanding world of video streaming. Originally published on blog.dataart.com

Migrating To Serverless Video Streaming Platforms like AWS Elemental

Comcast Corporation (Nasdaq: CMCSA) is a global media and technology company with three primary businesses: Comcast Cable, NBCUniversal, and Sky. Comcast Cable is one of the United States' largest high-speed internet, video, and phone providers to residential customers under the Xfinity brand, and also provides these services to businesses. It also provides wireless and security and automation services to residential customers under the Xfinity brand. NBCUniversal is global and operates news, entertainment and sports cable networks, the NBC and Telemundo broadcast networks, television production operations, television station groups, Universal Pictures, and Universal Parks and Resorts. Sky is one of Europe's leading media and entertainment companies, connecting customers to a broad range of video content through its pay television services. It also provides communications services, including residential high-speed internet, phone, and wireless services. Sky operates the Sky News broadcast network and sports and entertainment networks, produces original content, and has exclusive content rights.

Comcast

Jeff Baumgartner of Light reports that Elemental Technologies has secured the pole position for Comcast Corp. online video transcoding needs after notching a key partnership with thePlatform Inc. , the Comcast-owned media publishing unit .

Light Reading | Elemental Eases Into Comcast OTT Role.
Multichannel News | Comcast Shifts 'TV Everywhere' To Elemental Transcoders.

In-Q-Tel identifies and partners with companies developing technologies to help deliver these solutions to the Central Intelligence Agency and the broader U.S. Intelligence Community (IC) to further their missions. Launched by the CIA as a private, independent, not-for-profit organization, IQT was created to bridge the gap between the technology needs of the Intelligence Community and new advances in commercial technology. Similar to a corporate strategic fund, IQT operates for strategic investments rather than financial investments benefits to its customers in the Intelligence Community.

In-Q-Tel

Fios

Acquired

Provider of video processing software that enables multi-screen content delivery. The company uses graphics processors for image processing and video conversion to support adaptive video streaming over IP networks. Its solutions aim to help content programmers, service providers, and broadcasters stream video to televisions, PCs, tablets, and mobile phones.

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