38. Jim’s Cabin Fever

Jim Chiddix
Title: Chmn/CEO, OpenTV (transitioning to vice chairman)
Age: “Young enough to appreciate my video iPod; old enough to remember converters with wired remotes.”
Years in Industry: “30+ never-dull years.”
Years Left in Industry: “I’m hoping St Peter will eventually need a good cable tech.”

Why Him? Over the last year, Jim Chiddix has led OpenTV back from the interactive brink, signing deal after deal (including a big one with Time Warner Cable and several significant international deals in India and Latin America). In October, the company’s momentum prompted Swiss firm Kudelski Group to pay $132 million (a then 26% premium) to buy out Liberty’s controlling stake in OpenTV. As a result, Chiddix will become vice chairman and cede CEO control to Alan Guggenheim, CEO of NagraStar (a jv between Kudelski and EchoStar). Yes, you could argue Chiddix’s power is waning. But we suspect he’ll be lurking behind the curtain to help Guggenheim keep a good thing going. And we can’t bet against a guy who over the course of several summers personally built his own one-room cabin in Evergreen, CO, where he goes to collect his thoughts and hone that “vision thing.” Maybe that’s why he’s so effective. - MG

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Person I most admire in the cable industry: “Larry the Cable Guy for his 'Git 'er done' philosophy.”
Top professional achievement in 2006: “Securing OpenTV’s first U.S. cable deal with Time Warner Cable. This vendor stuff is harder than it looks!”
Favorite city: “Our new home city of San Francisco. Where else can you go biking, swimming, skiing, and visit the wine country all in one day?”
I knew the cable industry was for me when: "Becoming a cable tech was the only way to stay in Hawaii."
In my free time, I like to: “Read in the one-room log cabin I built with the help of friends at our home base in Evergreen, Colorado. If my wife Trudy had her way, I’d spend my free time fixing her pottery kilns.”
Favorite restaurant: “A tiny back-street tempura joint in Tokyo with no name: Six seats at a bar in front of a wok of hot oil. The asparagus melts in your mouth!”
I wish cable would: “Move quickly to capitalize on the huge potential of targeted and interactive ads.”
Favorite piece of tech: “My 12-inch G4 Mac Powerbook."
Person (other than my current boss) who I’d most like to work for: “Stewart Brand, founder of Whole Earth Catalog and the Whole Earth ‘Lectronic Link (WELL), whose ideas were arguably forerunners of the Internet.”
Favorite city: “Our new home city of San Francisco.  Where else can you go biking, swimming, skiing, and visit the wine country all in one day?”
Three things I would take with me to a deserted island: “The same things I took with me when I moved to Hawaii many years ago: A backpack, a knowledge of sailing, and an eclectic set of interests which included technology. Today, I’d add Trudy!”
Favorite song: “Our trade show anthem: ‘What U See is What U Get’ by Xzibit.”
Favorite piece of tech:  “My 12-inch G4 Mac Powerbook. Apple has shown what an elegant, intuitive hardware/software solution can do. There’s no reason set-top boxes can’t provide an even better experience.”
Least favorite piece of tech:  “The old Jerrold converter with the tethered remote control.”

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