Meet Qynn Nguyen, Manager, Video on Demand - YouTube TV, Primetime Channels, FAST, NFL Sunday Ticket
Can you share your journey from Shidler College of Business to your role as Manager, Video on Demand - YouTube TV, Primetime Channels, FAST, NFL Sunday Ticket?
I graduated with my MBA from UH in the summer of 2012 and joined Google a few months later, to grow and lead a team of account managers for our small & medium business AdWords advertisers. After two years, I joined the Google Play Movies & TV team to launch our transactional video (TVOD) business internationally, expanding our global footprint from 16 countries to 117 territories globally. Play Movies and TV eventually expanded and rebranded to Google TV, to include 3rd party content services and providers like Amazon Prime, Netflix, Hulu, etc. We successfully transitioned from a mobile first to a living room centric viewing experience as a product and I am very proud of these achievements as a product and team.
I recently joined YouTube in spring of 2023 to lead our subscriptions and ad-supported video on demand (SVOD and AVOD) operations across YouTube, YouTube TV, and NFL Sunday Ticket. My domain knowledge of the digital video distribution helps me more deeply understand the operational and technical challenges within the ecosystem. I am looking forward to growing our video on demand products across YouTube and leverage the inbuilt reach of our user base.
What does a typical day look like for you?
There really is no typical day except lots of meetings, emails, anc chat pings.
Are there any challenges you’ve faced, and how have you overcome them?
Since joining Google, I have had to learn two new industries: digital advertising and digital video. What has helped me ramp up and become effective in my roles in both of these differing product areas are core operational characteristics, curiosity, and willingness to deeply understand problems in the space. Underpinning that all is the ability to think critically and do things the best way from first principles.
What are some successes you’ve had at this role (or at your past one at Google) that you’re proud of?
Launching Play Movies and TV to 117 territories globally while reducing our operational team from 30 to 4 Googlers is an accomplishment I am very proud of and therefore allowed me to move on to a similar product team at YouTube to drive a similar mission for our users.
What do you enjoy most about working at YouTube? Are there any unique aspects of the company culture that resonate with you?
I love working with people who want to continually learn, have a really high work ethic, are ambitious, and committed to keeping the bar high. We focus on mission first across our many products that touch billions of users.
How has your role at YouTube evolved since you joined, and what have you learned about yourself in the process?
I’ve learned that I could learn new businesses using the core business and operational skills I have, many of which I developed and honed during my time with UH, especially thanks to my professors and fellow alumni classmates.
What advice would you give to current Shidler students who aspire to work at tech companies like Google or YouTube?
Focus on developing core skills and behavior patterns that could be transferred across businesses, industries, and even geographies. Be curious and willing to go deep to understand core problems. Challenge yourself to also go broad and take risks, especially in your early career.
Are there any resources or tools that were particularly helpful in advancing your career?
Get an MBA at UH 😊
What does success mean to you, and how do you measure it in your career?
For career: Getting to do what you enjoy and getting paid for it at the same time. For life: Having a healthy and happy family and self.
Looking back, what advice would you give your younger self when you were starting your journey at Shidler?
Don’t get so hung up on what other people think but ask a lot of questions and get a lot of advice and perspectives.
Is there anything else you’d like to share about your journey or your time at Shidler?
I always look back at my time in business school very fondly and admire the successes of my fellow classmates and alumni. We still stay in contact and visit each other across the globe, including our professors.