The Fierce Video editorial team is proud to present its third annual Emerging Leaders Awards, recognizing the brightest young professionals rising up the ranks of the streaming TV industry. Throughout the month of May we’ll be featuring these profiles with each of our finalists. We will announce the winners during our StreamTV Show with a live awards ceremony in Denver on June 6 at 7:30 p.m. MT. Not yet registered for the StreamTV Show, running June 6-8? Be sure to register now!
Annie O'Brien/Samsung:
Annie O'Brien leads content acquisition for Samsung's owned and operated channels on Samsung TV Plus. Since joining in 2021, she has overseen the launch of an owned and operated channel portfolio in the U.S. and Canada. Prior to Samsung, Annie negotiated content acquisition deals for Dish Network and Sling TV's satellite and OTT video platforms. Annie earned a Bachelor of Science in Systems Engineering from the University of Virginia.
What her colleagues are saying:
"Annie is a detailed and strategic deal maker and has been instrumental in building our owned and operated channel business for Samsung TV Plus. She has been with the team for less than 18 months, but her vision, attitude and drive has been transformative. As FAST is still in its infancy, Annie challenges the status quo and pushes the business in new directions. I am proud of how Annie manages her business with balance, care and professionalism. Congratulations on this well-deserved recognition!" - Takashi Nakano, senior director of content acquisitions and business development at Samsung TV Plus
"Annie's drive, compassion and intellectual curiosity make her a valued leader at any organization she joins. In our time together at Dish Network/Sling TV, she was sought out for her strategic vision, ability to execute deals with major media conglomerates and mentorship. Annie tackles challenges head-on and is regularly trusted to lead key strategic initiatives.“ - Dana McLeod, CFO and head of content at Evoca TV
Streaming Industry Q&A:
What streaming services do you subscribe to?
Amazon Prime, Apple TV+, Disney+, ESPN+, HBO Max, Hulu, Netflix, and Peacock. But more importantly, I have two Samsung TVs to watch Samsung TV Plus - no subscription needed!
Describe your biggest career highlight so far.
I've been in the media business my entire career and have worked on a lot of innovative deals, but my work on Samsung TV Plus has been the most rewarding so far. You rarely get the opportunity to join something on the ground floor, but I was lucky to find that with Samsung and am proud to have grown our owned and operated channel business to over 20 channels in less than 18 months. Our team has built an extremely successful content portfolio through constant collaboration, challenging the status quo, and grit. It's incredibly gratifying to create channels from scratch and then see the playbook we've built in North America used across Samsung TV Plus worldwide.
What has been your biggest career learning experience?
One of the hardest parts of being a people leader is building the right team. When you have the right team chemistry and create a culture of empowerment, you can achieve otherwise unattainable goals. Personal and team development is a constant focus of mine because I've seen the power of cultivating a team of passionate employees aligned under a shared vision.
What's next for you in terms of new challenges in streaming TV?
Changing consumer perception that streaming TV is only for subscription services. The paradigm is shifting back to where this business began with free, ad-supported television. Dynamic delivery and addressable advertising allows platforms to offer premium content to consumers without a fee, which previously wasn't economically viable. Our challenge with Samsung TV Plus is educating consumers that they can have a "traditional" linear TV experience without a subscription.