Wowza Hires Microsoft Streaming Media Veteran Chris Knowlton to Lead Product Management
EVERGREEN, Colo. — Dec. 1, 2011 — Wowza Media Systems, Inc., the “Any Screen Done Right™” media server software company, today announced the appointment of Chris Knowlton as vice president of product management. Named “2011 Streaming Media All-Star” by Streaming Media Magazine, Knowlton is a recognized expert who recently served as senior technical product manager for the Microsoft® Media Platform. Knowlton will drive Wowza's product roadmap, focused on the continued creation of technologies that advance streaming media for customers worldwide.
“We're thrilled to have Chris join Wowza,” said Dave Stubenvoll, CEO and co-founder of Wowza Media Systems. “This is an exciting time for us. Our Wowza Media Server 3 platform already offers a strong lineup of features and is widely recognized for its market leadership. We also see endless opportunities for continued innovation to make streaming simpler, better, and more profitable for our customers. Chris's strong industry experience, coupled with his deep engineering background and customer passion, will be an invaluable asset as we continue to drive our 'Any Screen Done Right' vision ahead.”
“In just a few years, Wowza has become a leading media server brand delivering an ever-evolving disruptive product that redefined multi-format streaming across all screens. The company's measured 99 percent customer satisfaction speaks volumes about Wowza's product quality and support,” Knowlton said. “There are tremendous opportunities for Wowza to continue delighting customers, especially as adaptive streaming and cloud-based technologies become the de facto media delivery standards. I am excited about the chance to help define and drive the roadmap for those products.”
At Microsoft, Knowlton spent many years planning and executing the company's media server product roadmaps and founded the IIS Media team that is best known for productizing IIS Smooth Streaming. Knowlton has also led partner and cross-divisional efforts to build a broader Microsoft Media Platform ecosystem. In recognition of his customer passion and contributions to advancing the streaming media industry, Knowlton was named a “2011 Streaming Media All-Star” by Streaming Media Magazine. Knowlton is a frequent speaker at industry events and is a recognized authority on streaming media topics.
Before joining Microsoft in 2002, Knowlton held management positions at NetApp and software engineering roles at several Tier 1 U.S. automotive suppliers.
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About Wowza Media Systems
Wowza® Media Systems is the “Any Screen Done Right™” media server software company delivering an industrial-strength infrastructure for live video, video-on-demand, live recording, and video chat. Wowza has a singular focus on delivering high-performance media server software to service providers, media properties, enterprises, and other organizations serious about delivering video to any digital screen — computer, mobile phone, or home TV. More than 85,000 global licensees in entertainment, social media, advertising, enterprise, education, government, and Internet commerce have deployed Wowza's media server software to date. Wowza Media Systems is privately held with headquarters in Evergreen, Colo. More information is available at www.wowza.com.
Wowza and related marks are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Wowza Media Systems Inc. Third-party product names and related marks are either registered trademarks or trademarks of such third parties.