When the pandemic hit and travel halted, hotels across the world largely sat empty. Hotel brands were paying for access to in-room entertainment for no guests. Recognizing an opportunity for change, the team at Edison Interactive got to work.
Under the leadership of Chief Revenue Officer and co-founder Nick Stanitz Harper, the company developed Edison TV. The product empowers the hospitality industry to control the experience on their in-room entertainment and generate revenue from their screen networks.
The product acts as a virtual concierge that provides guests with hotel information and allows them to buy tickets, make reservations and more. And it allowed hospitality brands to cut out expensive in-room entertainment services that lacked the personalization of Edison TV. In seven months, the Edison team built and deployed the product for the largest casino/hotel operator in the world and integrated partnerships for live TV, movies and sportsbook content.
“We were able to accomplish this incredible feat through intense collaboration with our team and partners, resilience and sheer grit to hit our lofty goals as a group,” Stanitz-Harper said. “This product is one of the highlights of my professional career, simply due to the fact that it required our entire company to bond together in pursuit of something great.”
Stanitz-Harper said the success of Edison TV is an example of how a small, focused group has the ability to affect change on a grand scale. He credited the company’s guiding values (integrity, respect, teamwork, innovation, results) for keeping the team on task and achieving success.
“Small organizations have the power to drive immense change in long-standing, large industries,” he said. “Just because certain players have long dominated a market doesn’t mean they have it figured out or it’s the right way of doing things.”
The plan for the next five years is for Edison to continue to pave the path for digital transformation, break down barriers and drive change for businesses that rely on outdated technologies, just as it did for hospitality/hotel brands. “Emerging technologies do not have to be out of reach, and it is my vision to continue to empower businesses and organizations to think and do things differently by harnessing technology,” Stanitz-Harper said.
Stanitz-Harper is one of 12 leaders named a Titan Hall of Famer, and he offered some advice to the new class in the Titan 100. “Push the boundaries. Push the limits. Demand attention and encourage businesses to think and act differently,” he said. “Do not underestimate your ability to drive change. Most importantly, surround yourself with strong leaders and never give up.”
