# Dan Castles

> Dan Castles is Telestream’s co-founder and founding CEO, and its executive chair from July 1, 2026. A former Grass Valley Group president, he helped build a video processing and workflow business, returned to its CEO role in 2020 and 2024, and supports entrepreneurship education at Washington State University.

- **Role:** Co-founder and Executive Chair at Telestream
- **Organizations:** Telestream, Grass Valley Group, Tektronix, Washington State University Entrepreneurship Advisory Board
- **Education:** B.A. in Business, Washington State University, MBA, University of Portland
- **Known for:** Co-founded Telestream in 1998 and served as its founding CEO., Telestream grew from eleven initial team members to more than 400 employees by October 2017., Telestream completed five acquisitions during his 2020-2023 CEO tenure.

## Career timeline

- **1978** — Graduated from Washington State University.
- **1994** — Named president of Grass Valley Group after a sixteen-year Tektronix career that included controller and Television Division vice president roles.
- **1998** — Co-founded Telestream and became its founding CEO.
- **2012** — Continued as CEO following Telestream’s acquisition by Thoma Bravo.
- **2015** — Genstar Capital announced an agreement to acquire Telestream; Castles continued as CEO.
- **2017** — Retired as CEO in October; remained a board member and community ambassador.
- **2020** — Returned as CEO; transition publicly announced February 3.
- **2023** — Rhonda Bassett-Spiers became CEO in February; Castles remained through April to help with the transition.
- **2024** — Returned to Telestream as CEO; announcement issued December 16.
- **2026** — Became executive chair on July 1 as Benjamin Desbois became CEO.

## Achievements

- Co-founded Telestream in 1998 and served as its founding CEO.
- Telestream grew from eleven initial team members to more than 400 employees by October 2017.
- Telestream completed five acquisitions during his 2020-2023 CEO tenure.
- Received the Washington State University Alumni Association Alumni Achievement Award on September 6, 2025.
- Established the Castles Excellence Fund in Entrepreneurship with his wife Joanne.
- With Joanne, supported establishment of the WSU Student-Athlete Entrepreneurship Initiative in 2022.

## Latest updates

- **2026-07** — Moved from CEO to executive chair of the board; Benjamin Desbois became CEO effective July 1.
- **2025-09** — Received the WSU Alumni Association Alumni Achievement Award on September 6.
- **2025-06** — Participated in an executive interview at the DPP Media Supply Festival 2025.

## Links

- Website: https://www.telestream.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dan-castles-443417345/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/dan-castles
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-23