Why I Am Leaving Prague For Madrid

Have you heard of MobuzzTV? If not, you are missing something big. If yes, well then you already know MobuzzTV is an award-winning online TV network. A kind of CNN 2.0. Every day, MobuzzTV produces and broadcasts 5 different shows in 3 languages for the web and any video-enabled mobile device out there (phone, iPod, PSP, etc).

As it happens, MobuzzTV is based in Madrid and its founder, Anil de Mello, recently invited me to visit his headquarter and offered me a job. I am now happy to officially announce I have moved from Prague to Madrid to become MobuzzTV’s new Chief Operations Officer.

For the past 12 years, I have been running Internet Start-Ups in Paris, London and Prague so I thought Madrid was not a bad location for my next career move. More seriously, I wanted to share in this blog post the top reasons why I have decided to join MobuzzTV.

1/ The team.
You know a company is healthy just by looking at the moral of its team. The first thing that stroke me when I entered their offices was the overall feeling of happiness. It was one of these “if you are having so much fun at work, you must be doing well” moment. I guess the fact they have cute and energetic female blond presenters walking around is good for the moral of the opposite sex. Recently we have been joined by GabeMac who, bless him, miserably fails in the blond female department.

2/ The space
Online videos is a fast growing space and with the global rollout of broadband and super broadband, the web needs more quality content (Would you like more Mentos with your Diet Coke?). This is how MobuzzTV is positioned: Professional Content. Each program is hosted by a talented presenter and targets a different audience. We shoot and edit our own programs in our TV studio in Madrid before it becomes available on the web, in iTunes and on your mobile video device.

3/ The Founder
I first met Anil de Mello 2 years ago at the Monaco Media Forum and we immediately realized we were on the same wave length. Like me, Anil is a serial entrepreneur and has been carrying MobuzzTV on his shoulders for the last 3 years. We complement each other very well (he’s chaotic and I’m maniac) so I’m very excited to help him build on his vision for the company. Amongst MobuzzTV shareholders we have Martin Varsavsky another succesfull serial entrepreneur and Enrique Dans, a professor in one of the top business school in the world and one of the leading Spanish blogger.

4/ The Company’s success so far
Like most internet start-ups, MobuzzTV was started in Anil’s spare bedroom. In 3 years, MobuzzTV shows have been viewed 500 million times. Currently, shows are viewed more than 6.5 million times per month. Recently, MobuzzTV has attracted top-tier brands (Levi’s, Microsoft, Coca-Cola, Honda, Adidas, Disney amongst others) as sponsors. In other words, we are talking here about a growing award winning start-up with existing revenues (how peculiar I know!).

5/ The potential
MobuzzTV has great potential both in term of audience and revenue growth. We are already planning to launch a few new shows before the end of the year and we are lining up a few renowned partners to work with us. In fact we have some really cool news coming which we will announce in the next few weeks.

6/ Do what I do best: build and be creative.
I can’t help it, I like building things (as long as it does not involve a drilling machine) and even though MobuzzTV has some solid foundations, there is a lot to do to take it to the next stage. MobuzzTV also offers me the opportunity to be creative by improving the existing shows and imagining new ones. Very little people know that on top of my degree in Artificial Intelligence, I also studied acting for 5 years so I’m thrilled to be able to work with the presenting team and hopefully give them some useful advices.

7/ Be a TV Presenter
As if the role of COO was not fulfilling enough, Anil has decided to launch a new show about MobuzzTV called UnBuzzed which will be hosted by him and I. Our initial camera test is online so if you want to have a laugh with us, you can watch it here. We certainly had a good time recording it. Hopefully for our 1st show we will find things to talk about

For these reasons above, added to Anil’s promise to feed me with free tapas everyday and margaritas once a week, I decided to leave Prague 4 years to the day after I landed there with my suitcase to sleep in Matt’s lounge and build AllPeers.

So now I just need to refresh my Spanish. Surely it will be easier than the Czech language! Claro.

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6 Comments »

1. During my next visit to Madrid I hope you’ll be able to guide me through the best tapas and Margarita places…
   Best of luck in your new venture. You deserve it!

   Comment by Mauro — 9/1/2008 @ 3:55 pm

2. The team and I are honored that you have joined us. I know we are going to take MobuzzTV to the next levels. Hmmm, I have to check our agreement as to the weekly Margaritas :-p

   Welcome to España!

   Comment by Anil — 9/1/2008 @ 4:17 pm

3. Sounds like a great opportunity! Good luck in Madrid,

   –Tristan

   Comment by Tristan — 9/1/2008 @ 5:25 pm

4. As part of that team, dear Cedric… wellcome to Madrid!!! I hope you already have that “feeling of happiness” working here… And Mauro, forget margaritas! Better taste the spanish wines (never sangria, spanish people doesn’t drink that)

   Comment by Eva — 9/1/2008 @ 6:33 pm

5. It’s great to have you hear Cedric! Things are gonna really start to fly now!

   Comment by Gabemac — 9/2/2008 @ 4:04 pm

6. Cedric, please contact me. I am the CEO of Zapr. info@zapr.com will get to me or call 44.20.8133 0000.

   Comment by Dai-Kyu Kim — 11/19/2008 @ 5:04 pm

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