THR's 2010 Digital Power 50

Now five years into its controversial existence, YouTube is all about monetization. And that’s where Yen comes in. He oversees relationships with key content constituents, including homegrown stars like Ryan Higa and SxePhil; next-generation content shops like Next New Networks and Machinima.com, and more recently, the digital-minded arms of establishment players from Sony to Endemol. Yen swears he’s more focused on improving revenue for content partners than his own employer. “YouTube is finding its footing financially, but our partners aren’t quite there yet,” he says. But content partners reaped three times more revenue in 2009 than the previous year.