About Us
Casual Connect is produced by the Casual Games Association and is the premiere event for the casual games industry with over 3,500 professionals attending Casual Connect each year. Casual Connect brings together the most talented and knowledgeable experts in the casual gaming field to further the casual games industry with the best of networking and learning.
To learn more about the people behind the scenes, visit our website at: casualgamesassociation.org.
Contact Us
To inquire about advertising or sponsorship email us at info@casualconnect.org. To submit a session proposal or magazine article proposal use the online submission form if you have any additional questions about the submission process email us at submissions@casualconnect.org.
ADVISORS
Juan GRIL
Studio Director & Founder Joju Games
Program Advisor, Games for Gamers
USA
Juan heads the production at Joju Games. Joju produces online, social and multiplayer games for clients such as Atari, Shockwave.com, MTV Networks, Comedy Central, Mochimedia and Nickelodeon. Juan has more than 12 years of experience developing online games. Previously, and as one of the first members of the Yahoo! Games team, Juan was the lead producer for the downloadable games area and community manager of multi player games. In the last year of his tenure at Yahoo!, Juan was the head of Yahoo! Games Studios.
Juan is a frequent speaker at industry events, and holds a BFA in Electronic Media from the University of Illinois.
Alla KHRAMTSOVA
V.P. of Business Development INTENIUM GmbH
Germany
Alla has been in the casual games industry since 2003 working on the managerial positions in business development, sales and marketing in Absolutist, the biggest casual games company in Ukraine. In 2007 she left the company after a year of being its CEO and continued her career as VP of Business Development with Germany-based INTENIUM, the leading European casual games distributor, publisher and developer. In this position she is responsible for several strategic directions of the game holding, cooperation with developers and distributors, as well as game development/producing. She holds an MA in English and Literature, and a BA in Marketing.
Neal SINNO
V.P. Business Development Arkadium
USA
Neal Sinno is the VP of Business Development at Arkadium, bringing over ten years of experience in market opportunity assessment, product development and sales management. Prior to joining Arkadium, Neal was VP of Business Development at Game Trust. There he managed key relationships and partners to develop network channel, search and advertising opportunities, and was a member of the executive team responsible for the company's acquisition by RealNetworks. Prior to his role at Game Trust, Neal worked at Mellon Financial Corp, where he was the Director of E-Commerce Product Development. Within his role there, he led a global team of developers, designers and actuaries to create state of the art web based financial applications.
A seasoned sales and e-business specialist, Neal also held key roles at The New York Times and Lucent Technologies. Neal sits on the board of advisors for the Casual Games Association and frequently speaks at key industry events.
David NIXON
President & Founding Partner Creara USA, Inc.
Program Advisor, Community & Social
USA
After ten years working on "hard core games", in 1999 David dedicated himself to developing "casual" game experiences and pioneering new ways for these games to reach new audiences. In 1999, with RealArcade, he was one of the first to see the potential of digital distribution and "try before you buy". In 2000 he was one of the first to attempt "2nd Party" casual game publishing. In 2001 he looked to Eastern Europe as a source of commercially viable PC games, inspiring game developers around the world to participate in the amazing opportunities this category offered. In 2004 he helped catapult Oberon Media onto the casual games world stage. 2005 found David evangelizing "console casual" games with his central role in the launch of Xbox LIVE Arcade. In 2007 he began to think deeply about how online games would change the nature of our business (though he admits, he didn't see Facebook coming). Now, in 2011 he works to extend the role of "web games" more and more deeply into the casual games arena, expanding the role of online communities and social features in the future of our industry. He is the President and Founding Partner of Creara USA, Inc. and the Content Director for the Casual Games Association.
View David's sessions in the archives.
email David
Eric LAMENDOLA
General Manager Slingo
Program Advisor, Production & Design
USA
Eric Lamendola is a specialist in digital interactive entertainment. With almost 10 years of experience with one of the most successful brands in online games, Eric has been integral in brand development, deployment and licensing for every digital interactive media. Whether it is social networks, interactive communities, social games or bridging television and interactive games, Eric has had repeated success in executing distribution across multiple verticals. He has been integral in the design and development of the entertainment destination (Slingo.com), one of the most successful online communities in casual games. He also has extensive knowledge pertaining to licensing game brands to the online game space, download game space, casino slot machines and table games, lottery, mobile games, interactive television and television game shows. Being with one of the first online game portals to integrate rich media and video advertising, Eric has developed comprehensive strategies to effectively integrate and maximize online advertising. He also has experience in the design and production of over 35 web and downloadable titles including the award winning Slingo Quest™.
email Eric
Sean ELLIOT
VP Business Development Playrix Entertainment
Program Advisor, Production & Design
Russia
Yuri Labintsev (aka Sean Elliot) is VP of Business Development at Playrix, a premium casual games developer and publisher with a track record of only top-quality hits like Fishdom, 4 Elements, etc. in the downloadable space and a number of up-and-coming projects on the social nets.
Sean has been with the company since its inception in 2004 and helped grow a startup into what is now a top-tier casual games developer and publisher with a diverse and extensive network of distribution partners on multiple platforms, an experienced 100+ strong in-house dev team and a number of talented external studio partners. His responsibilities include identifying new business opportunities as well as building key partnerships in publishing and distribution across multiple platforms.
He has a degree with honors in English and German languages and also completed coursework at Michigan State University where he picked up the name Sean Elliot that has been his work alias ever since.
email Sean
Tim CHANG
Partner Norwest Venture Partners
Program Advisor, Emerging Trends
USA
Tim brings a combination of operational, technical and international business experience to Norwest Venture Partners. Tim focuses on investments in mobile, gaming, digital media, and also leads NVP's investment practice in China and Asia-Pacific. Tim led NVP's investments in and joined the boards of directors of ngmoco, Lumos Labs, Brite Semiconductor and 3jam. He also led NVP's investment in Playdom, a leader in social gaming, and PCH International, a turnkey global supply chain services firm based in Shenzhen. Tim is a board observer working closely with Borqs, deCarta, Double Fusion and Veveo.
Prior to joining NVP in 2006, Tim was a principal at Gabriel Venture Partners where he was actively involved in over a dozen wireless-related deals and led Gabriel's investments in Iridigm Display Corporation (acquired by Qualcomm), Sequoia Communications, Sandbridge, and Kajeet. He also contributed to the boards of Placeware (acquired by Microsoft) and Arula Systems (acquired by Raritan), TestQuest, NextG Networks, and IPWireless. Tim built Gabriel's wireless sector practice and helped establish business development capabilities through strong, strategic relationships across the wireless value chain, particularly in Asia-Pacific.
email Tim
Owais FAROOQUI
GM of North America King.com
Program Advisor, Industry Business
USA
Owais is the GM of North America for King.com, where he manages initiatives surrounding the leading provider of social games’ marketing, strategy and partnerships in the region. He works with the company to maintain its proven track record of delivering successful social, competitive and pastime gaming experiences to millions of people across the globe. Owais has more than a decade of experience in business development and marketing and is responsible for King.com’s groundbreaking partnerships with NBC, CBS, Yahoo!, Real Networks, and Lifetime, enabling the major media networks to extend interactivity and entertainment to consumers.
Prior to King.com, Owais was Senior Director of Marketing at Knowledge Adventure, the leader in adventure-based 3D virtual worlds for kids, and Senior Director of Marketing at Academy123, which was acquired by Discovery Communications. He has spoken at leading trade and consumer conferences including SXSW Interactive, Casual Connect, NY Games Conference and Digital Media Summit. Owais is also a regular contributor and advisor to the Casual Games Association and can be seen doing a stand-up comedy routine at famous venues like the Laugh Factory.
Owais received his Bachelors of Applied Sciences in Computer Engineering at the University of Toronto.
email Owais
Laralyn McWILLIAMS
Creative Director Loot Drop
Program Advisor, Production & Design
USA
Laralyn McWilliams chose game development over practicing law in the mid-1990′s, and she’s never looked back. Although she started in PC game development, creating an adventure game which she sold to Microprose, she’s covered a wide range of genres and platforms. She’s designed and helped build award-winning social, strategy, simulation, platform, brawler, FPS, and massively multiplayer online games.
Laralyn was Creative Director for the ground-breaking MMO Free Realms, which the New York Times called “a triumph of the company’s own reinvention.” She was also lead designer for the critically acclaimed Full Spectrum Warrior, which was the most nominated game of E3 2003. She shared the top spot in Massive Online Gaming’s 2010 list of the Top 20 Most Influential People in MMOs. She was also on Beckett’s list of the top women in MMOs for 2010, and one of Gamasutra’s 20 most influential women in games in 2008. She’s a frequent speaker on casual game progression and the use of metrics in the design and operation of live game services. She’s also an outspoken advocate for casual players and the need for game developers to look beyond themselves and make great games for broader audiences.
email Laralyn
Margaret WALLACE
CEO Playmatics
Program Advisor, Gamification
USA
Margaret Wallace is an entrepreneur,
gaming and media executive, with
experience in creating both original IP and leveraging big brands in
new ways. A recognized expert in the growing field gamification, she
is CEO of Playmatics, a company dedicated to bringing rich user
experiences to the Internet, in social media networks, and on a
variety of connected platforms and products. She is also CEO of Shadow
Government, Inc. -- a social mobile start-up which recently raised a
$1 million angel investment round to create an entirely new form of
social gaming based on the gamification of real countries, systems,
and worldwide events. Prior to these companies, Margaret was also CEO
of venture-backed Rebel Monkey and of Skunk Studios, one of the
first-ever casual game companies and gaming portals.
email Margaret
Joel BRODIE
Founder & President Gamezebo.com
Program Advisor, Production & Design
USA
Joel Brodie is the founder of Gamezebo, a leading editorial and discovery site for casual (and not-so-casual) games on the PC, Mac, iPhone, iPad, Facebook, and Android. Gamezebo attracts millions of gamers monthly who come to Gamezebo to read reviews, get tips, discover new games, and find the best game deals across the most popular platforms. Previously, Joel was head of business development for Yahoo! Games, where he was responsible for building numerous products, including Yahoo! Games Downloads, Games on Demand, and Video Games. Joel graduated from University of Maryland with degrees in economics and political science.
email Joel
Aaron WALZ
Co-Founder & Partner Game Audio Alliance
Program Advisor, Audio & Voice in Games
USA
Aaron Walz, composer and sound designer primarily for casual, social and mobile games, earned his BA in music from Sonoma State University. He recently scored the top-ranking Facebook adventure, Ravenwood Fair, which enjoys 25 million plays per month. He has received several awards for his audio work including “Best Game” at GDC’s Independent Game Festival and Game Tunnel’s “Best Sound.” Aaron sings and records with several projects and performs with the Golden Gate Men’s Chorus. He has trained with Grammy award winner, Joseph Jennings, Chris Fritzsche of Chanticleer and Clerestory, Magen Solomon of SFCA, Will Johnson and Robert Worth, among others. Aaron strives to create music for media that stands alone as a worthy contribution to art. Aaron is a co-founder and partner of the Game Audio Alliance.
email Aaron
Michael BRESLIN
VP Marketing Glu Mobile
Program Advisor, Mobile: iPhone & Android
USA
For more than 15 years, Breslin has successfully led the development, marketing and global communications programs for some of the video game industry’s most prolific and best selling PC, console, mobile and iPhone titles. As Glu Mobile VP of Marketing, Breslin was responsible for developing and delivering digital strategy, product management, licensing, marketing communications and digital sales.
email Michael
John SZEDER
Director of Developer Relations and Mobile hi5 Networks, Inc
Program Advisor, Mobile: iPhone & Android
USA
John Szeder is the Director of Developer Relations and Mobile at hi5 Networks, Inc, a leading social network for games. Prior to that, he served as Director of New Media for FaceCake Marketing Technologies, and formerly was the cofounder and CEO of Mofactor; a small boutique mobile publisher with many internally developed titles and very efficient porting technology. Mofactor developed and published Duckshot, an AIAS nominated title for game of the year, and many other original and branded mobile titles. He started his engineering career at Research in Motion in 1995, developing software for what eventually became the Blackberry. John formed his own studio, Seismic Studios, in 2001, which was a JAMDAT launch partner and one of the first few mobile development and porting companies in North America. During 2003, John was part of the launch team at Digital Chocolate, where he served as Director of Development. He has a degree in Mathematics from the University of Waterloo.
email John
Peter FARAGO
VP Marketing Flurry
Program Advisor, Mobile: iPhone & Android
USA
Peter is head of marketing at Flurry, which offers analytics and marketing services that help the creators of over 70,000 mobile applications increase the size and value of their audiences on iOS, Android, Blackberry, and Windows Phone 7.
Peter has extensive experience in casual gaming on traditional and emerging platforms. Prior to Flurry, Peter led worldwide marketing at mobile game maker, Digital Chocolate, helping establish the company as a top 10 publisher. He joined Digital Chocolate from Electronic Arts, where he managed The Sims franchise, the #1 PC game of all-time. Peter spent the first seven years of his career in consumer packaged goods marketing. He holds a BS from UC Berkeley and an MBA from the Wharton School.
email Peter
David ROHRL
Creative Director Playdom
Program Advisor, Community & Social
USA
David Rohrl is a Creative Director at Playdom where he develops the creative vision and manages the design process for many current and upcoming Playdom games. Rohrl has over 15 years of game development experience and previously occupied senior production and game design roles at Zynga, PopCap, EA/Pogo and The Learning Company. He has produced more than two-dozen published titles—most notably, Word Whomp and Tumble Bees —and has served as managing producer on a dozen more. A respected industry thought leader, Rohrl was a long time organizer of the annual Casual Games Summit, he chairs the IGDA Casual Games SIG, and and speaks regularly at major industry events.
email Dave
Robert TERCEK
President General Creativity
Program Advisor, Community & Social, Mobile
USA
Rob Tercek is one of Hollywood's most prolific creators of interactive entertainment. For 22 years, he has supervised the launch of new television channels, computer and console games, mobile video services, interactive TV shows, and mobile games. He co-founded five companies, including game publisher 7th Level, and served in executive management at MTV, Sony Pictures, Mforma/Hands-On Mobile and OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network. Today he serves on the board of directors of several digital media startups and the Creative Visions Foundation.
email Robert
Jens BEGEMANN
Founder wooga
Program Advisor, Community & Social
Germany
In 2009 Jens founded wooga (world of gaming). With 30 million Monthly Active Users wooga is the 3rd largest social games company on Facebook and the leading developer from Europe. The 5 games wooga has lauched so far (Brain Buddies, Bubble Island, Monster World, Happy Hospital and Diamond Dash) are all hits on Facebook. wooga employs a team of 80 people from 20 nations in the heart of Berlin.
Before wooga Jens was Chief Product Officer at Jamba (Jamster, Fox Mobile Entertainment), helping the company to become the world‘s leading provider of mobile entertainment products.
Tatiana CHERNOVA
VP of Strategy Development Alawar Entertainment
Program Advisor
Russia
Tatiana joined Alawar Entertainment, the leading international publisher and distributor of casual games, in 2004. In July 2010, she became VP of strategy development, responsible for the development of Alawar's strategy, analytics, market research and the flow of information between the company divisions. Prior to the appointment, she was acting as the director of marketing communications and PR, in charge of public relations, events and market analysis to promote Alawar Entertainment on the international stage. Tatiana is an advisor to the Casual Games Association (CGA). In this role, she helps to organize Casual Connect Kyiv and supports other events the association hosts. Before joining Alawar, Tatiana worked as a journalist and a TV show host. She graduated from Novosibirsk State Pedagogical University with a degree in linguistics and Novosibirsk State University with a degree in economics.
email Tatiana
Christopher NATSUUME
Co-Founder Boomzap Entertainment
Japan
Christopher Natsuume has been developing games for over 15 years. He has been working in the Southeast Asian region since 2004, including founding Singapore-based Boomzap Entertainment, one of the leading independent developers in the region. Boomzap has shipped 8 casual game titles, including the top ranked Jewels of Cleopatra series, using developers in the Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, and Japan.
Content Advisor, Casual Connect Magazine