“I’ve been in the media business for 30 years,” says Charles Nooney, “and I’ve never seen the pace of change that has happened in the last three. A lot of it has been driven by people using mobile devices as their primary method of consuming video content and the increase in social networking.”
As chairman and CEO of MobiTV, an international “connected home and TV-everywhere solutions provider” based in the San Francisco Bay area, Nooney knows that keeping abreast of the latest trends and technological advances in the fast-paced, highly competitive media industry is key to survival. “I’m always learning,” says the 1980 UAB graduate.
It’s an attribute that has served him well throughout his career, which began with an interest in politics and a job making dog food.
“I always had a great love for politics and the political process,” Nooney says. “Part of my desire to get into politics was to have a better understanding of that.” He enrolled at UAB for his final two years of college with an urban studies major. “UAB allowed me to go to a world-class university in my hometown,” he says.
To help pay for school, Nooney worked at a downtown Birmingham slaughterhouse plant that produced dog food. For several hours a week, he helped operate one of the large grinders. “Those things are life experiences,” he says, “and they give you an appreciation of working for a living. I met a lot of people there who took pride in what they did, and I respected that a great deal.”
When he wasn’t at work, Nooney took classes with an eye toward a career in city government, he says. “The quality of the professors was high,” he says, “and I felt that people took an interest in me. It was just a good experience.”
As chairman and CEO of MobiTV, an international “connected home and TV-everywhere solutions provider” based in the San Francisco Bay area, Nooney knows that keeping abreast of the latest trends and technological advances in the fast-paced, highly competitive media industry is key to survival. “I’m always learning,” says the 1980 UAB graduate.
It’s an attribute that has served him well throughout his career, which began with an interest in politics and a job making dog food.
“I always had a great love for politics and the political process,” Nooney says. “Part of my desire to get into politics was to have a better understanding of that.” He enrolled at UAB for his final two years of college with an urban studies major. “UAB allowed me to go to a world-class university in my hometown,” he says.
To help pay for school, Nooney worked at a downtown Birmingham slaughterhouse plant that produced dog food. For several hours a week, he helped operate one of the large grinders. “Those things are life experiences,” he says, “and they give you an appreciation of working for a living. I met a lot of people there who took pride in what they did, and I respected that a great deal.”
When he wasn’t at work, Nooney took classes with an eye toward a career in city government, he says. “The quality of the professors was high,” he says, “and I felt that people took an interest in me. It was just a good experience.”
Telemarketer to CEO
After earning his bachelor’s degree in 1980, Nooney struggled to find employment at first but eventually landed a job as a telemarketer for a local cable company. When a representative from HBO visited to discuss strategies for promoting the network, Nooney decided to try television marketing. In 1983, he took a job at the Showtime movie network as an account manager for Mississippi.
Two years later, he moved to Disney/ABC Cable Networks, where he worked his way up to the position of executive vice president of affiliate sales and marketing. In 2000, he became chairman and CEO of Premier Retail Networks (PRN), which was the nation’s largest in-store broadcast and interactive media network. PRN provided customized programming to shoppers at retail stores like Walmart, Sam’s Club, and Best Buy.
“I took the job because I wanted to test my skills at running a company,” Nooney says. Seven years later, he became chairman and CEO of MobiTV, a privately held company with offices in California, the United Kingdom, and Sweden.
MobiTV’s end-to-end software-based platform brings live and on-demand TV and video across personal computers, mobile devices, tablets, and other Internet-enabled electronics, both in and outside the home. Channels have included ABC News Now, CBS, NBC Mobile, ESPN Mobile TV, Fox News Channel, The Weather Channel, MTV, and other networks.
For Nooney, the current trends in how consumers watch TV and video are exciting, especially with more people ditching traditional cable subscriptions in favor of streaming video online. He oversees a staff of 250 and says that curiosity has helped him to work successfully alongside company engineers and other staffers with technical backgrounds.
“It has kept me very enthusiastic about the job,” Nooney says, crediting his UAB education with giving him the tools to succeed as an executive. “A liberal arts education promotes curiosity. It shows us that the world is not black and white, and it encourages us to see all sides of a question.”
Two years later, he moved to Disney/ABC Cable Networks, where he worked his way up to the position of executive vice president of affiliate sales and marketing. In 2000, he became chairman and CEO of Premier Retail Networks (PRN), which was the nation’s largest in-store broadcast and interactive media network. PRN provided customized programming to shoppers at retail stores like Walmart, Sam’s Club, and Best Buy.
“I took the job because I wanted to test my skills at running a company,” Nooney says. Seven years later, he became chairman and CEO of MobiTV, a privately held company with offices in California, the United Kingdom, and Sweden.
MobiTV’s end-to-end software-based platform brings live and on-demand TV and video across personal computers, mobile devices, tablets, and other Internet-enabled electronics, both in and outside the home. Channels have included ABC News Now, CBS, NBC Mobile, ESPN Mobile TV, Fox News Channel, The Weather Channel, MTV, and other networks.
For Nooney, the current trends in how consumers watch TV and video are exciting, especially with more people ditching traditional cable subscriptions in favor of streaming video online. He oversees a staff of 250 and says that curiosity has helped him to work successfully alongside company engineers and other staffers with technical backgrounds.
“It has kept me very enthusiastic about the job,” Nooney says, crediting his UAB education with giving him the tools to succeed as an executive. “A liberal arts education promotes curiosity. It shows us that the world is not black and white, and it encourages us to see all sides of a question.”