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Director of Licensing at Shockwave.com - Shockwave / MTV Networks
California

Vincent Carrella is the Director of Licensing for Shockwave.com - part of the Nickelodeon Kids & Family Games Group. Vincent has been involved in software and game design for over 20 years. He wrote and directed Bad Mojo, the 2004 Adventure Game of the Year and has written and designed award-winning games such as Iron Helix and Space Bunnies Must Die! He is also the author of the novel, Serpent Box (Harper/Perennial).

General Manager - Slingo
New Jersey

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™.

VP Business Development - Playrix Entertainment
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.

Studio Director & Founder Joju Games
California

Juan heads the production at Joju Games. Joju produces Casual Games for web, PC downloads, consoles and mobile platforms, and for clients such as MTV Networks, Comedy Central, PlayFirst, and Nickelodeon. 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 one of the editors of the IGDA Casual Games White Paper, an advisor at the Casual Games Association, and is a frequent speaker at industry events. Juan holds a BFA in Electronic Media from the University of Illinois.




Principal - Norwest Venture Partners
California

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.

Senior Producer - Sony Online Entertainment
California

Laralyn McWilliams is the senior producer of an upcoming, unannounced title at Sony Online Entertainment in San Diego. Previously, McWilliams was lead designer for the hit teen/tween title Free Realms™. McWilliams has experience with a broad spectrum of genres including the role as lead designer for varied titles such as the critically acclaimed Full Spectrum Warrior™ and two film-license games for boys. In the early 1990’s, she began her career in game design by creating an adventure game, selling it to Microprose, then transitioning her multimedia company to game development as its core focus. Her design experience includes adventures, strategy/sims, platformers and shooters.

McWilliams earned a Bachelors of Arts in Psychology at Vassar College and continued her education at St. Louis University of Law, where she received a Juris Doctor degree.

Executive Producer - Oberon Media
Washington

Since 1999 David Nixon has dedicated himself to pioneering new ways for our "casual" games to reach new audiences.

In 1999, with RealArcade, he was one of the first to see the potential of "try before you buy". In 2000 he was one of the first to attempt "2nd Party" publishing. In 2001 he was looking 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 2008 he saw opportunity in the declining role of “web games” in the casual games sector, and began to work to revitalize online game communities as a source of qualified traffic and advertising revenue.

In 2010 – in the midst of the “perfect storm” of online communities, virtual economies, and Social Network distribution David wants casual games developers and publishers to clearly understand all the opportunities and challenges that “Social Games” offer. He currently works as Executive Producer at Oberon Media.




Arcade Producer -

Terri Hardie, formerly was the Arcade Producer at Reflexive Entertainment and was responsible for evaluating and accepting all of the games launched in Reflexive’s online game distribution portal. Hired to help manage and grow the Reflexive Arcade, Terri has seen the industry, as well as the Arcade, take off like a rocket with more game submissions than are even feasible to launch. Her passion for games is exceeded only by her desire to bring the best games to the people who matter most, the gamers! Prior to working for Reflexive Entertainment, Terri received her Bachelor of Arts Degree in English from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. She spent too many years in a boring law firm, playing any game she could get her hands on in her free time, until she landed her dream job at Reflexive Entertainment. Now, she plays games for a living and couldn’t be happier!

V.P. Business Development - Arkadium
NYC

Neal Sinno has been in the casual game industry since 2005 when he joined Game Trust.

Neal Sinno has over 10+ years experience in Business Development, Product Development, and Sales. He has extensive knowledge in web-based applications, platforms and technology services. A seasoned sales and e-business product specialist, Neal has also held key leadership roles at LivePerson, Mellon Financial, The New York Times and Lucent Technologies. Neal graduated from Castleton College and is pursuing his MBA at Fordham University.

Founder & President - Gamezebo.com
California

Joel Brodie is the Founder and President of Gamezebo.com, a leading editorial and community web site for casual games across all platforms (Downloads, Facebook, iPhone, online and just about everything else). Previously, Mr. Brodie was head of business development for Yahoo! Games, where he was responsible for building out its games download, games on demand, and video games businesses. Before that, Mr. Brodie handled business development at Simutronics, a games company that was doing massively multilayer games before they were “cool.” Mr. Brodie graduated University of Maryland with degrees in economics and political science.

President - bcg
Dallas, TX

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 MumboJumbo’s General Manager, Breslin was responsible for developing and delivering digital strategy, product management, licensing, marketing communications and digital sales.

Prior to joining the MumboJumbo team March 1, 2010, Breslin was Vice President, Marketing and Corporate Communications at Oberon Media and I-play. Breslin was I-play’s fifth hire and played an instrumental role in helping drive I-play’s acquisition and double digit, quarter-over-quarter growth from 2004 – 2008. While at I-play, Breslin developed and delivered some of the mobile and online industry’s most impactful and successful global marketing campaigns/promotions for award winning mobile and online games like Jewel Quest, Bubble Town and I-play Bowling, as well as for high profile Hollywood studio licenses such as Fox’s 24, Endemol’s Deal or No Deal, Joe Cartoon and Fear Factor, in addition to Universal’s WANTED and The Fast & Furious franchise- the #1 best selling racing franchise on mobile.

Creative Director - Playdom
California

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.

 

CEO - FreezeTag
California

In addition to serving as a Founding Advisor for the Casual Games Association, Mr. Holland is CEO and co-founder of casual games publisher Freeze Tag, where he leads all creative activities. Prior to Freeze Tag, he founded and sold two companies: Thumbworks, a mobile game publisher and Nine Dots, an interactive marketing firm. As CEO of Thumbworks, Mr. Holland drove the organization`s strategic direction, overseeing carrier relations, business development and licensing initiatives. He has established partnerships with some of the world`s leading brands including Etch A Sketch, Suzuki, NBCUniversal, Nickelodeon, and Paramount Pictures. He holds an MBA in Marketing from USC and BA in English Literature from UCLA.




Marketing Communications and PR Director - Alawar Entertainment, Inc.
Russia

Tatiana Chernova joined Alawar Entertainment in September 2004. In the beginning, she was responsible for game localizations and translations. Since 2006, she's served as public relations manager for the company. Today, she holds the position of Director of Marketing Communications and PR. Her responsibilities include soliciting coverage of the company's projects through the mass media and the strategic planning of PR campaigns. Additional duties include the planning and organization of Alawar’s participation in exhibitions, conferences and other events. Moreover, Ms. Chernova serves as PR Advisor of the Casual Games Association (CGA). She's also responsible for coverage of CGA activity in East European mass media and an adviser of Casual Connect Kyiv — the first specialized conference in Eastern Europe dedicated to the casual games industry. Tatiana holds a Master’s Degree in Linguistics from Novosibirsk State Pedagogical University and a second Master’s Degree in Economics and Management from Novosibirsk State University. Before coming to Alawar, she worked as a TV journalist and the host of a program featuring notable stories about city life in Russia.




Managing Director - Crossover Technologies
USA

Eric is a 30-year veteran of the game, consumer Internet, and wireless data industries, serving in capacities ranging from game designer to executive.

Since 2002, Eric is or has been a board member of, advisor or consultant to AOL, AT&T Wireless, Centerscore, Digital Chocolate, Electronic Arts, Exponential, FremantleMedia, Gaia Online, HipLogic, In-Fusio, Juice Wireless, Kayak (dba Blaze), Lifetime, LimeLife, Meredith, Mforma (dba Hands-On Mobile), Moloon, Openwave, PaymentOne, PickTeams (fka GoCrossCampus), Playdom (fka YouPlus), PlaySpan, Reaxion, rmbrME, RocketOn, Social Game Universe, Thumbplay, Unplugged, Vindigo, Warner Music, and three US venture capital firms.

Eric was most recently the President and Co-Founder of Unplugged, for which he secured distribution with four of the five largest North American carriers. Previously, he served as President and Founder of Crossover Technologies, one of the first consumer online companies, for which he secured AOL, BMG, Discovery Channel,Intel, Microsoft, Prodigy (IBM/Sears/CBS joint venture), Random House, Sony, Time Warner, and Viacom as clients and distribution partners; and, prior to that, as President of West End Games, the adventure game company for which he published, among 40+ titles, Star Wars, Ghostbusters, Star Trek, and Junta. His award-winning games include Paranoia, Tales of the Arabian Nights, The Tom Peters Business School in a Box, and MadMaze, the first online game to draw one million players. He is a three-time winner of the Origins Award for Best Role-Playing Game and a two-time winner of the Game Designers Guild Select Award.

Eric is a regular speaker at the major North American games, wireless and online conferences, including CTIA, MECCA, Internet World, The Conference Board, DMW, GDC, GDC Mobile, MES, AGC, MGC, Casual Connect, LA Games Conference, and E3, and has served as a programs advisor or advisory board member for the latter seven conferences. He was previously a board member for the New York New Media Association and New York University's Center for Advanced Digital Applications.