The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity has named Salar Kamangar, CEO, YouTube, Media Person of the Year 2013.
Kamangar took on the role in 2009. He's credited with making YouTube into a global broadcast platform.
Philip Thomas, CEO, Cannes Lions, said, “YouTube has become a global phenomenon under Salar’s leadership. The statistics say it all: more than one billion unique users a month watch more than six billion hours of video. In 2011, YouTube had more than one trillion views - a simply staggering statistic. But YouTube is more than a formidable communications tool of everyday life. YouTube has become a key way for people throughout the world to share their cultures and stories, helping us understand and connect with one another. And for businesses, YouTube is enabling the next generation of great channels, similar to how cable systems enabled the emergence of modern TV programming and advertising. In the coming years, YouTube will surely become ever-more important to content-creators and advertisers the world over, and so Cannes Lions is delighted to recognise Salar’s achievements and present him with the Media Person of the Year award."
Kamangar said, “Content creators and advertisers alike are building successful YouTube channels that tap into a global community of fans, with more than one million of these channels now earning revenue. I’m delighted to accept this award not just on behalf of YouTube, but on behalf of the artists and producers across the world whose creativity has established YouTube as the global destination for video.”
Kamangar was Google's ninth employee. He was a part of the team that drafted Google's first business plan. Along with his engineering partner, he designed and launched AdWords, helping the program grow into a business generating billions of dollars a year. He also led product management teams for Google's web applications, including Gmail and Docs.
Kamangar will be presented with the Media Person of the Year honour on Wednesday 19 June in the Palais des Festivals, Cannes, France.
Previous recipients of the honour include Jack Dorsey, creator, co-founder and executive chairman, Twitter; Eric Schmidt, executive chairman, Google; Mark Zuckerberg, founder and CEO, Facebook; Steve Ballmer, CEO, Microsoft Corporation; Tsuneo Watanabe, chairman and editor-in-chief, The Yomiuri Shimbun Holdings; Sumner Redstone, chairman and CEO, Viacom; and Gerald Levin, CEO, AOL Time Warner.
