Picture of Vahag Karayan

Vahag Karayan

Vahag Karayan is the Co-Founder and CEO of BrandLens, where he leads strategy, product, technology, and go-to-market execution. Under his leadership, BrandLens has served companies, universities, and nonprofits, including Hershey’s, UNICEF, UCLA, and Dartmouth. He has guided the development of capabilities spanning guided mobile video capture, content rights management, moderation, intelligent tagging, AI-assisted discovery, content libraries, and scalable campaign workflows. His recent work focuses on applying AI to video and content operations without losing the human authenticity that makes stories meaningful. Before founding BrandLens, Vahag led product, technology, portfolio, and Professional Services organizations across entertainment, defense, space and regulated medical devices. At Entertainment Partners, he led enterprise PMO and Professional Services functions, managed P&L and distributed teams, and created a new B2B SaaS and API offering. At Boston Scientific, he managed the Deep Brain Stimulation portfolio spanning more than 20 programs and led large cross-functional teams through development, regulatory approval, and market launch. His technical background includes machine learning algorithms, optimization, pattern recognition, embedded systems, and real-time software. Earlier in his career, he served as Principal Investigator on DARPA-funded research at Techfinity and contributed to scientific and mission-critical systems at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and HRL Laboratories. Vahag likes to joke that he may be the only person whose career has included both “rocket science” through JPL, HRL, and Techfinity and “brain surgery” through his work in Deep Brain Stimulation at Boston Scientific. A triple UCLA Bruin, Vahag holds a BS in Electrical Engineering with Computer Science, an MS in Computer Science focused on embedded computing systems, and an MBA from UCLA Anderson. Outside of work, Vahag is a sports and off-roading enthusiast and a meticulous global road-trip planner. He also has a deep interest in the human brain and behavioral psychology, which shapes how he thinks about products, leadership, and human decision-making. Favorite quote: “The future is already here—it’s just not evenly distributed.”

Latest Articles

Woman recording a video at home beside an imagined opening onto a movie premiere red carpet.
Blog
Vahag Karayan

UGC Contests: How to Choose Prizes That Drive Participation

A huge prize can still produce a quiet campaign. UGC contests ask people to spend time, put themselves on camera, and sometimes publish to their own audiences. The reward has to make that effort feel worthwhile. For marketers and creative directors, the real question is what this community values enough

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Customer recording a portrait video on a vertical smartphone beside a laptop showing vertical customer videos.
Blog
Vahag Karayan

UGC Platforms for Customer Video Campaigns: A Practical Comparison

A folder full of customer videos can still leave a marketing team without a campaign. Some clips miss the brief. Others need editing, approval, or details nobody thought to collect. UGC platforms, or user-generated content platforms, should support the full journey. That starts with the first request and ends with

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Best B2B UGC platforms for testimonial videos, featuring vertical customer recordings, guided video prompts, and customizable templates.
Blog
Vahag Karayan

Best B2B UGC Platforms for Testimonial Videos in 2026

Collecting customer testimonials should be simple. Yet many B2B marketing teams still depend on scheduled interviews, email attachments, and manual video editing. A customer agrees to share their story. Someone sends recording instructions. The customer films a video, but the answer misses an important question. Now the marketing team needs

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Best UGC video software for agencies showing customer, influencer, community, and event video collection workflows.
Blog
Vahag Karayan

Best UGC Video Software for Agencies in 2026

Most agencies do not have a UGC shortage. They have a workflow problem. Finding people to create videos is only one part of running a successful campaign. A creator marketplace can help an agency source talent. It does not necessarily solve collecting usable content from customers, fans, attendees, or existing

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Leaders Week London 2026 sports marketing event highlighting fan identity, AI, sponsorship, women’s sport and immersive live experiences
Blog
Vahag Karayan

Leaders Week London 2026: 5 Questions Shaping Sports Marketing

Most event previews expire before the lanyards come off. Leaders Week London 2026 should be more useful than that. The event runs 7–8 October at Stamford Bridge, with the sports business world gathering around some unusually big questions. The Leaders Week London 2026 agenda covers AI, fan identity, sponsorship, storytelling,

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Questions marketers should ask before choosing a video platform about goals, guidance, scale, and the post recording workflow.
Blog
Vahag Karayan

VideoAsk vs Vocal Video: Which Is Better for Video Collection?

VideoAsk vs Vocal Video looks like a simple software comparison, but marketers are often comparing them for several different jobs. Some need interactive video conversations. Others want customer testimonials. Many need something broader: a repeatable way to help customers, employees, creators, or communities make useful video content at scale. That

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Image show show a girl in a video with text how to collect videos from customers
Blog
Vahag Karayan

How to Collect Videos From Customers: A Step-by-Step Guide

Collecting videos from customers is not just about giving people somewhere to upload a file. You need to decide what you want, reach the right audience, guide each recording, collect permission, and organize every submission. The process can support customer stories, product demonstrations, community videos, contests, fan participation, creative challenges,

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Visitors entering a modern entertainment venue beside a roller coaster, illustrating accessibility, immersive experiences, and attractions industry growth.
Blog
Vahag Karayan

IAAPA Expo Europe 2026: Six Attractions Industry Trends Shaping 2027

IAAPA Expo Europe 2026 arrives while the attractions industry is rethinking where growth will come from. New rides still matter, but attendance alone is no longer a dependable strategy in mature markets. Operators are dealing with cautious consumer spending, unpredictable weather, capital pressure, accessibility requirements, and changing discovery habits. At

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Marketing conference attendee preparing for UNBOUND 2026 with notes about customer participation, community-led growth, user-generated content, and AI strategy.
Blog
Vahag Karayan

UNBOUND 2026: Why Customer Participation Is the Growth Strategy to Watch

UNBOUND 2026 will offer marketers hundreds of ideas for generating more traffic, content, leads, and efficiency. The harder question is what will still create growth when everyone gains access to the same AI tools. The answer may be customer participation. As content production becomes faster and search traffic becomes less

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