Interview with Ivan Wong, Flixya Co-Founder
Friday, February 01, 2008
Ivan Wong: USC Electrical Engineering Student, Web Entrepreneur and Innovator
Ivan Wong is a masters student in the Ming Hsieh Department of Electrical Engineering at the University of Southern California. He has passion in multimedia and Internet technologies. After graduating from the University of California, San Diego with a BS in Electrical Engineering, Ivan worked on multi-level flash memory and on the side co-produced an action sports television show. Having created several sites previously, Ivan worked on creating an online action sports portal to expand the reach of the show.
"Although the site did not take off as expected, it made me open my eyes to the many aspects that are required to make a website successful," Ivan explains. Spending his nights reading webmaster forums and blogs, Ivan slowly learned the dynamics behind popular websites and built several more prototypes. In July 2006, Flixya.com was launched and gained traction quickly with a world wide audience.
In 2007, Ivan and his partners founded Hybrid Media Labs. The company has developed a network of innovative media driven websites and established strategic partnerships with companies such as Google and Amazon.
Hybrid Media Labs created Flixya.com, a social network website which distributes ad revenues to site participants. Read below for more information about this project.
Help us understand what you are up to:
I have been developing website properties that enable the consumption, distribution and monetization of digital media. The parent company which I co-founded is Hybrid Media Labs.
What drives you to continue pursuing this area of study?
My motivation comes from the satisfaction of creating highly trafficked websites that serve a niche market.
Describe how your work might impact people’s lives, now and in the future.
Flixya.com is a social network that pays its users ad revenue (100% ad revenue passed to the contributing member) to share media. We have created a profitable and unconventional business model, and a tool for Internet users to monetize their media. We also have a collection of other sites which offer online tools and services which are built around different business models.
How did you come up with the idea?
We created several prototypes in the video sharing space and later felt there was a niche in the revenue sharing arena. After a month of rapid development, we launched Flixya version 1 which incorporated ideas of our initial prototypes with a revenue sharing model.
Has anyone ever doubted that your idea could work?
Definitely, ideas after all are a dime a dozen. However, after many past failures it’s become more apparent on which ones will succeed. Every doubter becomes a motivator as I enjoy defying odds.
What is the next step in the innovation process for you (and how might people help)?
Everyday is part of the innovation process and it repeats with the launch of each new project. The innovation process for me usually involves brainstorming, market research, feasibility studies, site architecture planning, design UI, project specifications, marketing analysis, SEO, etc. Those are just a few steps that all occur during the innovation process for these web properties. Living and breathing in the so-called ‘trenches’ has been an interesting and rewarding experience.
What mistake taught you the most?
I don’t treat mistakes as ‘mistakes’, but rather experiences that help shape me into a better innovator and entrepreneur.
What is the one innovation you can’t live without?
The Internet.
What would people be surprised to learn about you?
On the side, I am a photographer and enjoy video production. I am also a downhill mountain biker and enjoy extreme sports.
What do you wish you would have invented?
The Zip-tie – simple, but high impact ideas.
Any tips for aspiring innovators?
‘Just do it’ – be aware that risk and failure are always inherent, but don’t have that stop you.
Email or phone?
Gmail
What is the most fun you’ve ever had?
Downhill mountain biking in Lake Tahoe. Being one with nature is one of the best things man can enjoy.
Three favorite things about LA:
Food, USC beating UCLA, warm weather
The full write up is on USC Stevens:
Ivan Wong: USC Electrical Engineering Student, Web Entrepreneur and Innovator
Labels: Flixya, Hybrid Media Labs, USC Electrical Engineering, USC Innovator Showcase, Viterbi, Web Entrepreneur
posted by Flixya @ 2:06 AM,
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