Matt Wasserlauf, CEO and Founder of Blockboard

Matt Wasserlauf, one of the original disruptors of the TV business, is known as the visionary who revolutionized advertising by enticing television advertisers to invest their marketing dollars online. In 2020, iMedia recognized Matt with the “Conviction Award” for his unwavering belief and conviction in the future of video beyond TV. In 2004, he founded Broadband Enterprises (BBE), the industry’s first online video company and co-founded the mobile video platform Torrential in 2013. He recently sold Torrential to the television company ITN, the leading unwired broadcast network. In May of 2019, Matt Wasserlauf launched his newest, and arguably most exciting venture yet, BLOCKBOARD; a new digital distribution platform service that utilizes Blockchain technology to distribute videos. As advertisers continue to shift their attention towards OTT and non-linear television, Matt Wasserlauf created BLOCKBOARD to ensure trust, full transparency and verification in the shifting advertising landscape.

PVM: You are one of the original disruptors of the TV business and known as a visionary. Share your background.

This all began when I left Warner Bros. to join CBS.com and built Internet advertising for the TV Network. All our advertisers wanted digital video ads so when CBS said they couldn’t do it, I left to build the Digital Video Industry. Matt Timothy, the VP of Sales at newly founded Blockboard was my boss at CBS who told me I needed to leave CBS to do it.

Matt Timothy later joined me at my Video Network BBE and ran VINDICO, our ad serving tech platform. Matt built VINDICO into the Video Ad Serving standard for the Industry.

PVM: Tell us about Blockboard.

Blockboard was built during the Pandemic. Blockboard is essentially the entire Video ecosystem rebuilt on top of Blockchain. What Blockchain allows us to do is provide 100% transparency to our Advertisers. That transparency is providing our customers excellent results. Those results are multiples of industry benchmarks (Sales, registrations, conversions, click throughout, engagement, etc.) Blockboard is a DSP, SSP, Video Ad-serving, and verification all built on top of Ethereum.

PVM: What is Blockhain and how important is it to Blockboard?

Blockchain is essentially a Public Ledger. By distributing our Advertisers on the Blockchain, we can provide our customers with full transparency, in real-time, with all their ads. This is reporting unavailable anywhere! Blockboard is providing the Video Industry a level of accountability that the marketplace has never had and desperately needs.

Blockboard distributes the ad/content we produce for you or your own creative across our powerful CTV/OTT network. Cookie-less tracking allows us to verify impressions and manage frequency across all devices and all publishers. Our clients have generated multiple success stories by re-targeting CTV users ( Tell) with call to action ads (Sell). One client, a toy distributor, sold out of all its advertised inventory with 5 days left in the campaign by using Blockboard’s Tell & Sell Re-targeting program.

PVM: How has the pandemic created new media consumption habits?

The pandemic has made streaming video the predominant means for watching Video. Entire Hollywood studios are transforming their businesses into steaming apps and digital video destinations. Video content and Advertising will never be the same.

PVM: How is Blockboard the next generation of brand engagement and digital storytelling? Please share examples.

The Blockboard team has been developing video content for over 15 years and was the first to do an Upfront Presentation for the market (2007). Now with Apps across OTT providing Video content at levels never seen before, Blockboard stands as the one place that’s making Video Content and Ads really work for Advertisers. Our first few shows , At Home with Jennifer, Friars Side Chats and Be Your Own Barista have proven this out for their sponsors. KPIs such as Engagement rates, CTR and email registrations have been achieved at multiples of industry benchmarks.

Friars Side Chats for Englewood Health is a perfect example of how we’ve tailored Social Media for a client: https://m.facebook.com/FriarsSideChats/

For the hospital, we provided laughs during a pandemic when their customers most needed them. Additionally, our comedians cut PSAs compelling patients to come back to the hospital during the pandemic. Blockboard delivered 10%+ Engagement rates over 2020 for Englewood Health and we’ve renewed them in 2021.

PVM: What excites you the most about Blockboard?

What excites me the most about Blockboard is the feedback and responses from our customers. Our customers are selling product, generating excitement, earning promotions and enjoying the success that comes with doing great work on streaming video. With streaming video driving the media marketplace, Blockboard will set the standard in the future of Video ad delivery and distribution. We couldn’t be more excited about the next few years ahead.

Blockboard.co