"Be flexible and research the full workflow."
Ray Meadham Tweet
Meet Ray Meadham, Co-Founder/ CEO of Multiview Media, a technology company that makes single angle video into multi angle with a new content delivery streaming technology.
A classically trained musician who studied at the Trinity College of Music London. Played trombone for National Youth Brass Band of Great Britain and European Community Youth Big Band ( Eurojazz). Recorded and performed with major artists. Set up A n R Music Management and represented artists signed to major labels.publishers, tour agents and helped artists perform at Madison Sq. Gardens, Las Vegas, LA, Arena tours.
Worked with Grammy writers and producers in UK Europe and USA. Lectured & was Head of Music in Schools, Colleges and Universities in music production, music industry and performance. Taught students who are now well known signed artists incl Temples, Slowthai, Flux pavilion, V V Brown, producers, songwriters, session musicians, education leaders and more.
Was an examiner for many vocational qualifications and assessed students at the likes of The Brit School London. Is a Consultant to TIME Technology in music education. Assisted with breaking a Guinness world record by recording Smokey the Loudest Purring Cat. Featured at CES, SXSW, Music Week, Pollstar , Indie 101 and many more.
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Table of Contents
We are thrilled to have you join us today, welcome to ValiantCEO Magazine’s exclusive interview! Let’s start off with a little introduction. Tell our readers a bit about yourself and your company.
Ray Meadham: I am Ray Meadham CEO & co-founder of Multiview Media a Uk based technology company that takes single-angle video platforms and make them multi-angle allowing fans to be the director. If you have ever been frustrated when the director cuts away from the action at a critical moment, we have the solution. We work across music, sports, esports & education. Working with the major video platform providers and broadcasters.
I started as a classically trained musician and, alas strived to be the best and represented my country and Europe musically before becoming a professional musician. As a music manager, I had acts signed to major labels, and publishers and they appeared at Madison sq garden, Las Vegas,& major festivals. As a lecturer in music, I taught students who are now in the music industry, such as Temples, Slowthai, V V Brown & many more.
With Multiview Media, we are aiming to be the multi-angle YouTube and have attracted the likes of the ex-Director of Apple, ex-CTO of Universal Music & ex COO of Barclays to the advisory team. We have a VOD platform for historical content, a Livestream version “the Jumbotron in your hand,” and patenting a user-generated content version.
2020 and 2021 threw a lot of curve balls into business on a global scale. Based on the experience gleaned in the past couple years, how can businesses thrive in 2022? What lessons have you learned?
Ray Meadham: The biggest thing we learned over the past few years is to be able to pivot. As a business, if we had stayed on the busies plan we had in 2019, we would have failed. We reviewed the technology we had and how best to adapt to a nonexistent Livestream market. We pivoted to historical content and started to convert that into multi-angle.
This kept the lights on whilst we developed the latest technology that allows us to take any angle video platform and adapt it to multi-angle. This means it is as easy for clients to use as their current single-angle workflow, but no need for new apps or logins for their customers /fans/ subscribers.
Another big takeaway is to have two of everything. We have developed a modular package and have multiple options regarding players, cloud solutions, and formats of content, all able to use our unique technology as the engine driving them. This means we can work with wider markets and clients and be safe that if one option is not suitable, we can switch quickly to plan B.
Finally, stick to the vision. Although we have pivoted, we have not lost site of the vision to provide an accessible, affordable, and interactive alternative to current digital content providers. We have expanded the range and the technology and created a new ecosystem alongside single angle, metaverse /Web3, etc and multi angel will achieve that initial visa we had when w set up Multiview Media.
The pandemic seems to keep on disrupting the economy, what should businesses focus on in 2022? What advice would you share?
Ray Meadham: Be Flexible and research the full workflow.
We are a hybrid firm as the team all work from remote locations; although we have an HQ in London & facility in Silverstone circuit UK the teamwork where they need to work as we have some in the USA and across the UK.
They are more productive working where they need to than spending hours each day commuting. They have flexible work hours to fit their individual commitments. eg school runs, meetings. We schedule regular weekly contact to dig into the areas of focus, and material is provided in advance of meetings so no “death by powerpoint.” We start every meeting with positive news ( can be personal or business-related but sets a good start to the meeting). The meetings often last only an hour and result in clearly focused objectives.
Secondly, we started as a technology company focused on the player side, and seven years ago, Alex Gibbins (co-founder of Multiview Media ) and myself had a multi-angle app in the apps store, but the world was not ready, and technology was not as developed. We reviewed camera technology, cloud systems, encoding, 5G, AR / AI, payment systems, and much more to offer our clients a modular end-to-end solution.
We can deal with the CEO, CMO, CTO & CFO and answer all the questions to provide a one-stop shop; that’s why we attract major broadcasters, content creators, rights holders, venues, popstars, etc. Make sure you understand the nuts and bolts of your industry and not just the nut you are making.
How has the pandemic changed your industry and how have you adapted?
Ray Meadham: The pandemic saw a major rise in digital streaming but a distinct lack of live events. We pivoted from live streams to accessing historical content and delivering for our clients in multi-angle to expand their reach, reaction and revenue.
This saw a 20% longer viewer engagement than a single angle. The pandemic allowed companies to review what they add been doing for years and explore new possibilities. Also, the pandemic opened people to zoom etc and they are now accepting multiple angles at the same time. We harassed that and gave the viewer the option to switch between the angles.
Data has always been key in our industry, and as we offer more angles and more real estate to sponsors, we also can derive more data from each angle. This allows us to be data rich and attracting major brands who are looking for a better ROI after the pandemic.
Finally, we can embed our technology within the metaverse and Web3 so we can sit within the virtual ecosystem and offer a multi-angle experience. This has expanded our offering within certain markets such as music, esports & education.
What advice do you wish you received when the pandemic started and what do you intend on improving in 2022?
Ray Meadham: Raising funds is always a full-time occupation for any entrepreneur and the pandemic affected the risks associated with businesses so the data, substantiating figures and paving market fit have all become harder.
I was lucky to have some very clever C suite people on my team who have worked on the likes of iTunes, Gracenote metadata and we were able to review all aspects of the business and by adding a financial expert from Barclays is helping with the numbers side of the business.
My advice is to never think you know everything, research , seek advice from experts or bring them in to fill knowledge gaps. We are expanding or specialist in each f our target industries music, sport, esports & education, and expanding the developer team as this allows us to stay at the forefront of developments in each area and adopt the technology.
Online business surged higher than ever, B2B, B2C, online shopping, virtual meetings, remote work, Zoom medical consultations, what are your expectations for 2022?
Ray Meadham: This validates us as a business, and the expansion from single-angle to multi-angle is our goal. Our clients are looking at how to increase reach, reaction, and revenue in competitive spaces. Our technology creates a new lane for advertising, sponsorship, content delivery & monetization. A new ecosystem for users to create content in and our User-generated player will add drastically to that side of the way content is created and consumed.
We see the growth in 5G allowing faster and more access to digital content. We see major content providers such as Netflix, and Amazon exploring new business models, live streams, and as many ways to deliver the same piece of content but more creatively.
How many hours a day do you spend in front of a screen?
Ray Meadham: I have set timetables 9-10 and 4-5 each day to deal with emails and messages. I often spend a further 2 hours on meetings ( often virtual ) but am now planning days away from the computer to attend live in-person meetings, conferences, etc.
As a digital, hybrid company, the computer is our major link to everyone, but we are looking at how we structure the days to balance computer relive experiences.
The majority of executives use stories to persuade and communicate in the workplace. Can you share with our readers examples of how you implement that in your business to communicate effectively with your team?
Ray Meadham: We have a clear company culture that is front and centre on our website. Communicate, Create, Contribute, Listen & Lead.
COMMUNICATE clear vision & targets for the business and let the experts in the team CREATE.
Give them space & resources to CONTRIBUTE ideas & solutions. LISTEN to everyone as they are potential customers and digest the views expressed to feed into the business cycle.
Finally, LEAD by example. As CEO you are the benchmark for everyone else in the company. If you can’t manage everyone, then people will not contribute. If you are not clear things will go astray, and if you set bad examples others will see that as acceptable and the norm.
Business is all about overcoming obstacles and creating opportunities for growth. What do you see as the real challenge right now?
Ray Meadham: For us, it is about establishing multi-angle ecosystem to sit alongside single-angle, metaverse/ web 3. We are working with the biggest broadcasters and companies to create content and establish the acceptance of multi-angle.
Secondly, creating content from multi-angle is the need for a solid library to meet the insatiable needs of the public. we are working with film companies, venues, sports, rights holders, pop stars, etc, to build this library from historical content and new content being created.
In 2022, what are you most interested in learning about? Crypto, NFTs, online marketing, or any other skill sets? Please share your motivations.
Ray Meadham: We have already explored Crypto and NFTs and started developing a blockchain element and ability to deliver multi angle NFTs. Two of our advisory team are heavily involved in this area so we have used their knowledge to facilitate this side of the business. We have a music / tech marketing form who repent some of the biggest artists globally and a sports marketing form who represent major sport & e-sport clients lined up to work with us for 2023 as we look to expand the awareness.
We were featured at CES, London Tech Week , SXSW back in 2021 but need to regain some marketing exposure in 2023. We have the technology, marketing, and financials all covered with an expert team and the next steps are to deliver for some major projects end of 2022 into 2023 to eland the multi-angle ecosystem with the major clients we have.
We will never stop learning or researching, and being part of major trade organisations allows us to be involved in setting those areas of focus
A record 4.4 million Americans left their jobs in September in 2021, accelerating a trend that has become known as the Great Resignation. 47% of people plan to leave their job during 2022. Most are leaving because of their boss or their company culture. 82% of people feel unheard, undervalued and misunderstood in the workplace. Do you think leaders see the data and think “that’s not me – I’m not that boss they don’t want to work for? What changes do you think need to happen?
Ray Meadham: Many people felt left high and dry during the pandemic as companies shored up the top executives and left the key workers to fend for themselves. This highlighted those companies that value the entire team or are just profit driven.
Our culture supports all the team from top to bottom and is a bottom-up led company. Yes, I had the vision, but everyone else is making it happen for me. Senior management needs to work as a team, and when the going gets tough roll up your sleeves and get stuck in.
Lead by example, and not just send emails or memos – show you care. That’s why our culture allows the team to feel part of the organization and a valued member.
On a lighter note, if you had the ability to pick any business superpower, what would it be and how would you put it into practice?
Ray Meadham: The ability to adapt the education system to train young people life & business skills. Many young people are held back by the teaching system as teachers are afraid of new technology so don’t use it and they do not teach students how to work within an employment environment as they have not been outside a school system.
I taught for 25 years but had experience in the music industry to bring to the students. As companies we have to work with schools / college / universities to drive the curriculum and train young people to be match fit when they enter the real world.
What does “success” in 2022 mean to you? It could be on a personal or business level, please share your vision.
Ray Meadham: For us as a business to achieve our OKRs and the team to achieve their individual aims and objectives. To have a team who are proud to be part of MVM and what they are achieving within that. To continue to grow the multi-angle ecosystem.
Jerome Knyszewski, VIP Contributor to ValiantCEO and the host of this interview would like to thank Ray Meadham for taking the time to do this interview and share his knowledge and experience with our readers.
If you would like to get in touch with Ray Meadham or his company, you can do it through his – Instagram
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