AFI BLOG: Media and Technology

BBC hires Joost man in controversial new appointment - informativ

The BBC has hired the former chief technology officer of Joost as the chief technical architect of its future media and technology group. There are reports that his contract at the broadband video startup may have been prematurely terminated. At the BBC he will be responsible for the design and development of technology for online, interactive television and mobile services.

According to reports attributed to a Joost representative, Dirk-Willem van Gulik was “terminated” as chief technology officer at Joost. Apparently he will remain as a consultant and investor in the start-up company, which would seem to present something of a conflict of interest with his new role at the public service broadcaster. He is also a member of the Apache Software Foundation.

In a statement, Joost announced that it had hired Matt Zelesko as senior vice president of engineering, based in New York. He was previously in the same role at Comcast Interactive Media, where he was responsible for creating the platform for their online properties including Fancast.

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