Overcast HQ appoints James Whitebread as Director of AI to power the next generation of video asset management

Overcast HQ has announced the appointment of James Whitebread as Director of AI to capitalise on increasing demand for cutting edge video asset management solutions from the world’s largest brands and broadcasters.

With almost a decade of experience in C-suite roles – and a 25-year career in the technology industry – Whitebread will manage the development and build of new AI capabilities within the Overcast HQ platform.

The company, founded by CEO Philippe Brodeur, works with brands including Diageo, Vodafone and Meditel to take control of their video content with a suite of cloud solutions. This appointment follows a $1.2 million bridging round led by angel investors to grow the team and continue product development, ahead of a Series A funding round to turbocharge growth.

The funds will be used to further grow the team and continue AI product development, as the company expands its client footprint across the globe, with Whitebread’s appointment a critical first step.

He commented: “I am really excited to be joining Overcast HQ at this critical stage in its development. Overcast HQ is leading the way in deploying advanced Gen AI workflows to support real business needs in our brand and media enterprise customers.”

“James has a wealth of experience that will be invaluable to our team at this exciting stage of our growth journey,” CEO Philippe Brodeur added.  “He has experience digitising legacy organisations as well as playing a leading role in leading startups through multiple funding rounds, which will prove invaluable in our own growth journey.”

In April, Overcast HQ announced the launch of revolutionary Generative AI capabilities for video asset managers working at the world’s largest brands to automate metadata tagging, find content with conversational search functionality and increase speed to market.

Whitebread continued: “Artificial intelligence is moving from simply a buzzword to a critical solution for optimising businesses in a time of rapid change and evolution. Across our client base of brands and broadcasters, we are witnessing a shift in demand as customers recognise the ability to manage hundreds of terabytes, if not petabytes, of video content.”