Emmy-winning pioneer in video streaming
In the past decade, Deepali Sharma traversed from India to the US, pioneered the live video streaming space while at Amazon, and won an Emmy for her work during Thursday Night Football. Today, as an Engineering Manager responsible for video algorithms systems at Netflix, she continues to empower the global video streaming experience from her seat of power in the San Francisco Bay Area, California (USA).
Speaking about the growth in the television industry, she says, “Live streaming is a niche field and many of the challenges we solved were the first of their kind. After contributing to Prime Video’s maturation, I joined Netflix’s Video Algorithms team to further my passion. My journey deepened my appreciation for the video industry’s power to reach and influence the masses at scale. I am passionate about making a large-scale impact and believe there is immense untapped potential at the intersection of human psychology and video streaming technology.”
Inspired by an incredible teacher, Deepali’s journey in the world of computers began while in high school. After earning her bachelor’s degree in computer engineering, she joined Amazon, where she transitioned from advertising to video streaming and moved from India to the US. She realized she enjoyed seeing the real world impact of her work beyond just numbers. Prime Video was the perfect place for this as they were venturing into live streaming, a new industry with little precedent.
Once there, Deepali found her mettle and played a key role, eventually leading a core team in Prime Video Live Streaming from its early days to successful events like exclusive Thursday Night Football. The team’s achievements were recognized in multiple leading media outlets and more notably, Deepali was a named recipient of an Emmy Statuette for their work during TNF.
To further develop her leadership skills, Deepali simultaneously pursued a master’s degree in Industrial Organizational Psychology from Harvard Extension School, focusing on people-centric leadership. This was a transformative moment for her, shaping her understanding of leadership and the profound impact it can have on empowering individuals and driving innovation.
Most recently, Deepali transitioned to Netflix, which has been one of the key organisations in this space. She now leads a core video encoding and algorithm systems team working closely with research scientists, and is responsible for Netflix VoD, Live, Ads and Cloud Gaming.
“Transitioning into a management role while studying organizational psychology has been a pivotal step. This has enabled me to influence organizations, try to work towards helping individuals reach their potential, and combat mental health issues and burnout which has been an unfortunate reality in recent times. I am continuously thinking of ways to help people achieve their potential and leverage technology to make a meaningful difference.”
Few factors that have contributed immensely to Deepali’s growth are diligence in understanding her surroundings and assessing people, culture and intentions. As she stepped into a leadership role, she quickly realized the importance of understanding what truly matters to her team — whether it’s the freedom to spend time with their families, opportunities to travel, flexible hours that align with their productivity zones, or celebrating achievements outside of work. By providing this flexibility while ensuring that work gets done, Deepali strives to foster a positive and engaged team.
“If I had to choose one leadership style, it would undoubtedly be adaptive leadership. It’s essential to be able to read the room, understand the culture, and continuously adapt to evolving situations. You can’t approach leadership with a one-size-fits-all mentality.”
Deepali’s drive for excellence has seen her come a long way. Winning an Emmy in 2024 for her work on Prime Video stands as her crowning professional achievement. It was an incredible honor and validation of her dedication to the industry. In addition, she holds voting and judging rights with the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences; has several innovation patents pending in the video streaming industry; and is a recipient of the Extraordinary Skills Visa, an honor reserved for top professionals. However, the accomplishment she is most proud of is completing her master’s degree from Harvard Extension School with distinction on the Dean’s List, all while working full-time.
While Deepali makes it look like a piece of cake, is it truly so, we ask her. “It’s important to establish your security first. You need to have your basic psychological and safety needs met — health, monetary security, environmental safety — in order to reach self-actualization. Once you feel comfortable with the basics, the risks seem more palatable. That’s how I approached it. I spent a few years investing in my tech skills, trying to learn as much as possible and build financial security before starting to experiment. Another thing I learnt is, if you feel like you’re the smartest person in the room, you’re probably not in the right room. Be genuinely interested in people and remain humble in your successes. Building a strong, authentic network can go a long way.”
