In the last few years, Nokia (NYSE: NOK) has been steadily repositioning itself from hardware manufacturer to “a next-generation entertainment company.” The NYT has an interview with Tero Ojanpera, the Nokia EVP of entertainment and communities heading the Finnish giants efforts. It hasn’t been the easiest of jobs convincing Hollywood or the music industry of Nokia’s vision. As the NYT describes his reception, the “unlikely media entrepreneur” was greeted by “technology-wary studio executives… as coolly as a producer pitching a sequel to “Ishtar.”

There’s the usual patter about the handset maker, which began life as a paper maker in the mid-1800’s, having to change, and be “willing to play by new rules.” What’s interesting is that in an industry that worships charismatic guru types, Ojanpera, who holds an electrical engineering Ph.D. and doesn’t actually have experience in the media world, is apparently not the sort of guy to throw a wobbly if he doesn’t get his way. He’s described as “deliberate in conversation,” one who “weighs his words carefully,” and who lacks the “outsized personality” of Apple CEO Steve Jobs. He also apparently is a modest guy, whose skill is finding the “middle ground” in negotiations.

He seems to be making way, and was behind the negotiations with Universal Music Group to put its music behind Nokia’s forthcoming Comes With Music plan—(though rumors have flown over how much Nokia is paying for this pleasure). He’s also brought on Eighties pop-star and Eurythmics member David Stewart and Spike Lee to advise the company on how to move forward.

Meawhile, Ojanpera has at least two advantages on his side compared with Apple, which is increasingly being spoken of as a competitor. First, as the article points out, who needs Jobs’s charisma when you have the muscle of Nokia? With a 39 percent market share that equates to 14 Nokia handsets sold a second, giving it a penetration that content executives can’t ignore. Moreover, as Apple’s power in the mobile space grows, the entertainment industry is quite happy to have Nokia as a rival to Apple (NSDQ: AAPL).