Microsoft VP Speaks on Hollywood and Technology

Will Poole, vice president of the Windows Digital Media Division at Microsoft Corp., spoke on the impact emerging technology is having on the entertainment industry to a group of Webster university students, faculty, alumni and donors Nov. 11.

"The entertainment industry for the last couple of years has really seen technology as a threat to their livelihood, and they were right," Poole said. "They just had the wrong action."

Poole said that the music industry and later the film industry made some fundamental mistakes by not capitalizing on consumer excitement over digital access to content through file-sharing networks like KaZaA and the now-defunct Napster. Rather, he said, the two industries tried to fight it. "It's a tidal wave," Poole said. "You can't fight it. You have to embrace it and ride it and figure out how to make it work."

Poole said that the industries have now advanced past the point of resistance and are attempting to capture the demand of the digital marketplace. "They're looking at new business models and new products to recognize the fact that technology has really changed the way that business interacts with their customers on a global basis," Poole said.

Poole joined Microsoft in 1996 with the acquisition of eShop Inc., which he co-founded in 1991 and where he served as President and Chief Operating Officer. Under Poole’s leadership at Microsoft, the Windows Digital Media Division delivers core multimedia audio and video technologies for Windows, Windows CE and various portable devices including audio players and cell phones. Over the past three years, Poole has been instrumental in developing Microsoft’s platform strategy for rich media, web browsing and digital rights management. He has also spearheaded the company’s strategic relationships with leading content providers and the music industry.

Despite his vast expertise, Poole said he's still surprised by the turn his career has taken into the digital media field. "If you'd have asked me five years ago if this was going to become my specialty, I'd say, I don't think so," Poole said.