Wochit: cloud-based video creation platform enables any storyteller to produce studio-quality videos
Please introduce yourself and your startup wochit to our readers!
My name is Dror Ginzberg and I am the CEO and co-founder of Wochit.
Wochit is a video creation platform empowering newsrooms, editorial teams, and social media editors to capture and expand audience attention through the power of video. Founded in 2012, Wochit makes video accessible for professionals to produce and share at scale across all social and digital platforms. Today, Wochit partners with brands such as Die Welt, Der Spiegel, ProSieben as well as Gannett, Time, Inc., Huffington Post and The Week.
How did you get the idea for wochit?
It started with a conversation with a friend working on Internet Protocol TV (IPTV). Watching the information being presented at the end of an episode or a movie, we thought there had to be a way to take something already published in text and easily make a video out of it. We quickly realised there was a bigger opportunity to help businesses create video at scale.
How fast has Wochit grown?
In the last year we’ve experienced incredible growth, as publishers of all sizes recognise that video is the absolute best way to reach and engage audiences at incredible scale, regardless of device or subject matter. We’re just getting started. Some highlights so far include:
- 300% revenue increase from 2014
- 100% growth in the number of countries working with Wochit
- United States grew 200% in 2015 with at least the same rate expected in 2016
- Europe grew 450% in 2015 with at least the same rate expected in 2016
How does it work?
Wochit is a fast and simple, cloud-based video creation solution. There are just four easy steps to create fully branded HD videos that are ready to share throughout the web:
- The platform discovers the best and most relevant licensed media assets for any story
- A user builds their story in a few clicks with smart editing tools
- They can then tailor the video with background music, text and voice over features
- The branded video is then ready to be produced and published whenever and wherever you need it
How difficult was the start and what challenges you had to overcome?
We had to prove that an idea which sounded crazy could actually be implemented. We invested personal money and took first-round funding from a firm who knew us and trusted us to be able to deliver – and obviously we did. It took us roughly nine months to build the first working product. Looking back, it was very basic compared with where we are now. With the success we have had to date, we clearly proved that it can be done and done well.
Who is the target audience of your product?
Publishers of all sizes – from iconic and established media brands to new media publishers with a social focus. Wochit empowers these businesses to create quality videos as the story unfolds and share them across multiple channels and platforms to keep up with audience demand.
What’s the USP of your Startup?
With Wochit, you have a ready-to-publish, high-quality licensed asset video for web, social and mobile within minutes.
A typical workday of you?
When people ask where I’m based, I often say “United Airlines”, because I split my time between Tel Aviv and NYC. Around 10 percent of my year is spent traveling. I’ve become more efficient – and open – as a result. Days are spent balancing my must-do list – essential items to complete – and the pop-up to-dos – the unknowns. The secret to being productive within that balance is what I call ‘speed learning’. The faster one is at learning, the faster one can identify – and introduce – what a customer finds truly valuable… that’s powerful.
Where do you see yourself in five years?
Either in my still growing and successful company or doing it all over again with a new idea.
What tips would you give other startup founders on the way?
I’d recommend getting into it if it really burns you to build something of your own. The totality that is required cannot be easily explained. The personal price can be enormous. I liken it to trying to explain the impact of what having children is like to someone who has no kids.
For those who have already started on the start-up journey, I’d remind them that it’s a rollercoaster. You wake up one day and feel like nothing can stop you, and another day, you feel like it’s the end of the world. Once you understand the “low” moments are temporary, you start ignoring them, you know they will be over. So just keep pushing – never give up.
Thank you Dror Ginzberg for the Interview
Statements of the author and the interviewee do not necessarily represent the editors and the publisher opinion again.
