One of my favorite media technology companies is BrightTalk, based in San Francisco and London.

Co-founded in 2002 by Paul Heald and Charlie Blackburn, this privately-held company offers an easy platform to create and distribute live audio and video broadcasts/podcasts. It also helps deliver the audience, with a stellar in-house lead generation team under James Miller. This is BrightTalk's secret sauce because it helps boost potential audience numbers way beyond a company's own networks of contacts, and increases the quality of customer leads.

I'm proud to say that I helped kickstart BrightTalk's online summit business a couple of years ago, which is now a thriving multi-million dollar business group.

I recently met with CEO Paul Heald (above) in San Francisco. Here are some notes from our conversation:

- Our customers are large companies presenting on key topics. They can start a broadcast from their desk, and with our platform they have all the tools they need to promote and share their event, gather questions, and target the best leads.

- We work with customers to deliver highly targeted audiences that have shown they are interested in key topics, and help them convert them into customer leads.

- The platform is designed to encourage audience engagement,  during the broadcast events, and in the forums. Plus the content is archived so that people can use the archive as a knowledge resource.

- Our online summits are doing very well, they provide an easy way for people to take part in day-long conferences without having to travel beyond their desk.

- We've made some major upgrades to the platform over the past year to make it even easier to use. And also to make it more into a destination site.

- We are building up an impressive collection of content around key topics especially in the enterprise computing space. People can revisit videos and presentations and take part in communities based around  their interest.

- We have very good relations with large professional associations, which are also a great source of audiences.

- We employ many community managers so that there is always new, interesting things to see, and to discuss.

- Our customers love the platform because they manage to get high-quality leads, which saves them money compared with their other marketing programs. 

- Our users are becoming much more comfortable doing live videos, they aren't as self-conscious as some people were a few years ago.

- There's lots more features coming this year, such as better integration with LinkedIn. 

- We also are increasingly producing original content with long video interviews with key thought-leaders that we edit down to just two minutes.

- - -

Here is a recent video interview with me produced by BrightTalk's talented young team, on my favorite topic: EC=MC - Every company is a media company - the transformative business equation.

2 Minutes on BrightTALK: Every Company Is a Media Company 

- - -

Additional info:

At BrightTALK, we believe that people learn the most when they hear directly from those who know the subject best. We also believe that this experience is enhanced through a dialog between speakers and the audience. Our online event tools offer a dynamic environment for everyone involved. It is the interactions we witness and the advancement of knowledge in our online communities that excites us the most.

You can join BrightTALK's vibrant exchange of ideas as either a viewer or a presenter. We offer viewers live, interactive access to businesses' top thought leaders. You identify the topics most relevant to you by searching communities, channels, summits or individual webcasts and are introduced to new experts via their timely and relevant presentations. Your comments, your ideas, and your voice will not only influence how others think, but can shape future events available for your viewing and participation on BrightTALK. In addition, webcasts are available on-demand for future viewing and for sharing with your peers and colleagues.