14 August
2024
Blackbird plc
(the "Company")
Director Change: Blackbird appoints
Youri Hazanov to the Board
14 August, London - Blackbird plc (AIM: BIRD),
the developer and seller of the market leading cloud video
platform, Blackbird, and developer of the multiplayer video editor
in a browser, elevate.io, is pleased to announce that
Youri Hazanov will join the Company's Board on 15 August 2024 as a
Non-Executive Director.
Youri Hazanov, a highly experienced executive in
technology and in the video space, brings a wealth of expertise in
developing and scaling international businesses, with a proven
track record of revenue growth and extensive knowledge and skill in
partnerships across both B2C and B2B sectors.
In his current role as General Manager and Chief
Partnerships Officer and member of the executive team at
JellySmack, Youri is leading the company's global expansion
strategy. JellySmack, a SoftBank backed unicorn, is recognised as a
pioneer in the Creator economy, using a suite of tech tools and
proprietary AI to edit, optimise and distribute content on behalf
of creators. The JellySmack Creator Program is known for supporting
some of the world's most talented creators such as PewDiePie and Mr
Beast.
Prior to this role Youri spent 10 years at
Google launching, developing and managing YouTube across markets in
EMEA, CEE, Russia, Israel and the Middle East and leading the
partnerships business & strategy with traditional media. The
experience at both Google and JellySmack equip Youri with a
comprehensive understanding of the diverse business models that
underpin success in the creator economy. At Google, he gained
insight into how creators monetise their content through various
streams, including ad revenue, sponsorships, and branded
partnerships. His work provided him with a detailed perspective on
content monetisation and revenue generation. At Jellysmack, he has
applied a strong understanding of data analytics to optimize
content distribution and drive growth, effectively bridging
traditional media and new digital platforms.
Youri is a recognised leader and thinker at the
boundary of online and traditional media worlds, with strong
operational experience combined with a robust management
track-record, a deep understanding of advanced analytics and keen
strategic expertise.
Fluent in five languages,
Youri holds a Master's degree in International
Relations, as well as an MBA at the University of Geneva, and an
executive certificate from Harvard Business School in the Business
of Entertainment, Media and Sports (BEMS). A Swiss citizen, Youri
also teaches Digital Marketing at the International University of
Monaco.
Blackbird Chair, Anne de Kerckhove said: "We are
delighted to welcome Youri to the board. Youri's deep knowledge of
our space and his strategic expertise in partnerships and
international expansion will enable him to profoundly impact
elevate.io's growth and monetisation strategy. We will continue to
strengthen the board with industry experts in the coming
months."
Blackbird CEO, Ian McDonough
commented:
"We are incredibly excited for Youri to join our
team. Youri's knowledge of the Creator Economy, his deep
understanding of digital marketing, partnerships and content
strategy combined with his strategic experience, make him an
invaluable asset to the Board. His contribution will be
instrumental as we look to accelerate growth and achieving our
vision of making elevate.io the go to online video co-creation
platform in this large and fast growing marketplace."
Youri Hazanov said: "I am thrilled to join the
board of Blackbird at such an exciting time for the Company. With
elevate.io, we have a powerful opportunity to revolutionise content
creation for professional teams and the rapidly expanding Creator
Economy. I look forward to helping the Company scale
internationally, leveraging our core technology to drive growth and
innovation across new markets."
Youri Hazanov is 42 years old. There is no
further information on Youri Hazanov required to be disclosed under
Schedule Two, paragraph (g) of the AIM Rules for
Companies.
Contacts:
Blackbird
plc.
Tel: +44 (0)20 8879 7245
Ian McDonough, Chief Executive
Officer
Stephen White, Chief Operating and Financial
Officer
Allenby Capital
Limited (Nominated Advisor and
Broker)
Tel: +44 (0)20 3328 5656
Nick Naylor / Piers Shimwell (Corporate
Finance)
Amrit Nahal / Guy McDougall (Equity Sales and
Corporate Broking)
About Blackbird
plc
Blackbird plc operates in the fast-growing SaaS,
Media and Entertainment and content creation markets.
Blackbird plc's patented technology allows for frame accurate
navigation, playback, viewing and editing in the cloud and it has
two products.
BlackbirdⓇ a market leading suite of cloud-native
computing applications, is used by rights holders, broadcasters,
sports and news video specialists, live events and content owners,
post production houses, other mass market digital video channels
and corporations.
elevate.io is the company's new browser-based
collaborative content creation platform currently in general
release. elevate.io is built
using Blackbird's core technology and is aimed at professional
teams and the fast growing Creator Economy.
Blackbird plc also licences its core video
technology, under its 'Powered by Blackbird' licensing model,
enabling video companies to accelerate their path to true cloud
business models.
www.blackbird.video
www.linkedin.com/company/blackbird-cloud
www.twitter.com/blackbirdcloud
www.facebook.com/blackbirdplc
www.youtube.com/c/blackbirdcloud