Fergus Dyer-Smith founded Wooshii in 2009 and has overseen its rise to become the internet’s leading video production company. He’s also co-founder of the Hartest Brewing Company.
- Who is your digital hero?
Dharmesh Shah
- What has he / she done to win hero status in your eyes?
I’m a sucker for the rise of the underdog story and Dharmesh’s personal story is a classic. An immigrant from very humble beginnings, Dhamesh co-founded Hubspot and grew it into a multi-billion dollar business
- How has her / his heroism helped drive digital?
Hubspot’s insight was that consumers were no longer tolerating interruptive marketing. Seems obvious now but at the time it was a new way of thinking. He really pioneered and advocated the idea of “inbound” or content marketing.
- What are the biggest challenges in digital we need another hero to solve?
Trust!
The last 15 years have been a rocket ship of progress and this rate of change only continues to accelerate. However, with this advance has come an erosion of trust both in individuals and the corporations that control the internet.
Emerging platforms, blockchain, AI and a generation that have grown up with social media all present opportunities to win trust back. I remain very optimistic.
- What is your most heroic personal achievement so far in digital?
When the pandemic hit the video production industry essentially shut down, sales took a nosedive and there was huge uncertainty in the market. It was a scary time.
But I knew that we had some of the smartest people in video working at Wooshii. So rather than holding back we accelerated our efforts. That faith in our team’s ability to innovate was rewarded quickly with new products like our “Remote Director” service that went from an idea to an offering in a few weeks and ultimately resulted in a record year for sales.
