DIGITAL DEVELOPMENT MANAGEMENT - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Senior Business Development Manager
Ada Chao first worked as a Director for Capital Operations at a game research and development company owned by Tencent where she helped to solve financial problems. She also owned a small team of international games and published several independent games on Steam. Then, Ada was a pioneer in the age of online games in China and worked for two years in the overseas commerce department at Shanda Games, one of the top three Chinese game companies. She was involved in internal communications and external discussions with Bethesda, Square Enix, Warner Bros and Disney amongst other Western AAA game/movie companies. Leading Shanda's entire platform area of overseas business to combine it with the company's long-term development direction, Ada set a clearer goal of importing overseas product importing, introducing western excellent game products and publishing and authorizing self-developed products around the world.
During Ada Chao's tenure, she supported and maintained Fallout, the hand tour, and she signed excellent products such as Lara Croft Go and The Elder Scrolls Blades.
Ada Chao is a crazy game enthusiast who has played games for nearly 15 years, including representing China in eSports on Left Dead 2. She also is keen on shooting games. There are more than 4,000 games in her Steam library. Having lived in Spain for eight years, Ada Chao has a deep understanding of both Western and Eastern cultures, which is why she is a competent business development professional who understands how to communicate with Western and Eastern companies. She has a good sense of how to assist in ensuring that the project and business development discussions move forward.
Ada Chao is based at DDM's office in Shanghai, China.
Job Titles:
- Business Development Coordinator
Aimee Fujie is a Business Development Coordinator based in our Osaka office in Japan. She brings her experience as a wedding planner, customer service representative and administrative support specialist from different industries to our team. Her strength is handling multiple tasks in parallel from a wide scope of fields, and she has rich experience in building connections with people from a diverse range of backgrounds and cultures. She believes the role of Business Development Coordinator at DDM employs a compilation of her skills and experiences.
After completing an associate's degree in Liberal Arts at Kapiʻolani Community College in Hawaii in 2009, Aimee returned to Japan. She is now earning a bachelor's degree in Business Administration from the University of Massachusetts.
Aimee has a rank of 4-dan in Kendo (Japanese Martial Arts) and enjoys teaching children when she goes back to her hometown. She also loves singing karaoke, and as a member of the gospel choir in Osaka, she attends their concerts twice a year.
Job Titles:
- VP, Business Development & Licensing
Bill's primary focus is providing licensing information and deal expertise to the developers DDM represents. Before working with DDM, Bill was VP of Licensing and Business Development at D3 Publisher of America where he was responsible for all license acquisition and developer sourcing. Some of the deals for which Bill is responsible include Magic: Puzzle Quest, Marvel Puzzle Quest, various Adventure Time and Despicable Me games, a 4 movie slate deal with Dreamworks and more. Before working at D3, Bill was VP of Acquisitions at Activision. There, he was responsible for sourcing external development from 1996-2005. Bill began his career in the video game business in 1985 as a telemarketing rep for SoftKat, a pioneer in the sales and distribution of educational, entertainment and home oriented software.
Job Titles:
- Business Development Coordinator
A lifelong gaming enthusiast who balances his time between watching esports and the various Boston sports teams, Brendan obtained his bachelor's degree from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where he studied Political Science. With experience in business development and data research, Brendan can uniquely discover business opportunities and ways to assist the Investment Services team. Brendan also maintains a strong knowledge about the power of interactive streaming channels, esports leagues & competitions, and how to leverage new media outlets as a means of growing an audience.
Job Titles:
- Finance
- Human Resources Director
A former staff accountant at one of the region's largest advertising agencies, Carly has a background in finance and economics. Additionally, she is an accomplished softball player, previously a two-year college varsity team captain as well as a Division I All-American. With her transition to the gaming industry, Carly applies her team leadership and finance skills to help manage DDM's accounting and contracts in addition to assisting DDM's President, Joe Minton.
Conor supports DDM's Industry Guidance games industry consulting practice while managing DDM's roster of Production Services clients, which support developers across a multitude of technical and creative disciplines throughout the entirety of the production process. Additional services, including game marketing and IP expansion provide additional capabilities when developers are ready to bring their games to market.
Based in sunny Los Angeles, Conor brings with him over two decades of professional experience in the entertainment industry, not only in video games (where he has spent nearly a decade engaging in everything from producing mobile games to creating tie-in merchandise and crafting brand strategy), but also in television, digital and new media, comic books and publishing. His extensive backgrounds in IP management and technical production bring a 360° view of the entertainment industry to the video game space.
Job Titles:
- Business Development Director
David draws on his 15 years of video game industry experience to help DDM's clients bring their products to market and reach the widest audience possible. Having resided in Japan for a decade, he is fully bilingual and uses his communication skills and cultural knowledge to create a bridge between Eastern and Western parties to ensure success. After a brief period of freelance script translation, he began his career full time in 2004 as the first hire in the then newly created localization department at Capcom's Osaka R&D office, then moved on to production work with Capcom, eventually relocating to California to join their US office. In 2014, he joined Sony Interactive Entertainment America, where he worked as a Senior Account Manager in Third Party Relations, managing the business of the bulk of the Japanese publisher portfolio in North America during a record-breaking PlayStation hardware cycle.
Deeply inspired by arcade and home games as a child, David fantasized about learning Japanese, eventually moving to Japan, and somehow finding work in the game industry. Though he will admit that his hard work was a factor, he also acknowledges the role that luck has played in his career and exists in a perpetual state of wide-eyed astonishment that he is living the proverbial dream. He is currently once again based in Osaka where, when not spending quality time with his wife and two daughters, he devotes his energy almost exclusively to games. Whether playing the latest releases, cataloging and curating his treasured library of thousands of retro titles, or simply reading up on the latest trends and developments, very little of his personal time is spent engaging in pursuits outside of his beloved hobby.
Job Titles:
- Investment Services Director
- SVP & CFO for the Spanish Unit of Bank of America Card Services
Guillermo's primary role is to support the growth of DDM's Investment Services division, such as by advising DDM's clientele on valuations, investment structures & M&A deals. He brings a unique combination of skills acquired during his extensive international finance career at prestigious corporations, including Philips Electronics, American Express, MBNA and Bank of America.
In 2012, after six years as SVP & CFO for the Spanish unit of Bank of America Card Services, Guillermo decided to start his own entrepreneurial and business advisory activities. During this time, he was involved in a large number of M&A transactions, both from the seller and the buyer's side, as well as advising clients from a wide range of industries, including the videogame business.
Guillermo, a Spanish national, holds a BBA from Boise State University (1993) and a PADE (Senior Management Development Program) from IESE Business School - Universidad de Navarra (2012). In his free time, he enjoys playing video games, sports, entertaining friends around the BBQ/smoker and spending time with his family & dog.
Job Titles:
- Business Development Coordinator
Holly has been a lifelong gamer across all consoles and genres; the only thing stronger than their passion for video games is their desire to make a positive impact in the gaming culture. They acquired their bachelor's from the University of Minnesota with a degree in Political Science, focusing on research and analysis. With work experience in the financial sector and nonprofit experience in communication, they are looking forward to connecting developers and publishers in their role as Business Development Coordinator. When not gaming, they spend their time watching anime with their partner and collecting too many action figures.
Job Titles:
- Senior Administrative Assistant
After 19 years in the publishing industry, Jean transitioned to the video game world and joined DDM in the fall of 2015. As Senior Administrative Assistant, she supports the DDM team from managing travel arrangements and aiding with event logistics to maintaining financial databases and attending to the daily needs of the HQ office.
Born and raised in the Hilltowns of Massachusetts, Jean spends her time away from work on her mini-farm with too many critters. She enjoys camping, kayaking and skiing with her family and riding on the back of her partner's Harley-Davidson motorcycle. She also plays video games with her step-daughter, who just so happens to kick butt at them.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Partner Team
- President
As President of DDM from its earliest days in 2006, Joe has overseen its transition from a handful of clients into an international company with eight offices around the world. Under his leadership, DDM has firmly established itself as the leading experts in the business of video games including maintaining the industry's premiere developer representation and consulting practices. Since DDM's inception, the representation practice has secured hundreds of deals of all sizes and genres on all major platforms, while retaining its personal touch. Joe initiated and grew DDM's consulting practice into one that has provided strategy and execution for scores of companies, including leading entertainment corporations, publishing firms, investment funds and licensors. Joe maintains hands-on client work while laying the groundwork for new services designed to provide even greater benefits to DDM's clients. Joe is particularly proud of the DDM team, a diverse and talented group that is professional, honorable and dedicated to improving the business of games.
Prior to DDM, Joe was president of Cyberlore Studios, a game development studio in business for over 13 years. Joe was honored as one of Variety's Dealmakers of 2011 and has been profiled in The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times among other publications. He is a lover of board games and a graduate of Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts.
Job Titles:
- Executive
- EVP New Business Development
John Sutyak has been an executive in the video game industry for over 20 years and has been involved in gaming for over 25. He has designed, sourced and acquired games, licenses, brands and businesses throughout some of the most dynamic periods in the digital game business.
Since joining DDM in 2009, John has been responsible for sourcing and creating relationships between companies, exceptional talent, and brands in the game and entertainment industry. His ability to identify and bring together parties with corresponding creative and business goals is the core of his strength. He leads his clients in creating unique business and finance strategy with a focus on investment and funding, informed by his experience and spirit of entrepreneurship.
John was one of the founding members of Hasbro Interactive (HI), the interactive gaming arm of Hasbro Corporation serving as Chief Creative Officer, establishing vision and new product direction. He forged company-wide acquisitions and managed relationships with major licensors in the entertainment industry as he led the division to more than $250 million in annual sales. He led HI in the acquisition of Atari and was involved in the purchase of Microprose as well as other publishers, brands and development studios.
John has served on the board of the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences (AIAS) and collaborated in the creation of the D.I.C.E. Summit, a preeminent gaming conference for executives.
Job Titles:
- Business Development Director
Based in San Francisco, Jordan oversees developer and publisher relationships across North and South America. He is a passionate advocate for clients globally, aiming to create new partnerships across all territories. His focus is primarily on original IP publishing, co-development opportunities, and licensing partnerships.
Jordan began his career in games over a decade ago working in AAA publishing at Activison on billion-dollar franchises such as Guitar Hero, Skylanders, and Call of duty. From there he led user research at 2K providing key insights and data to improve games in highly regarded franchises such as BioShock, Borderlands, Sid Meier's Civilization, and XCOM.
Working out of DDM's headquarters, Katie is a Research Assistant and a member of the Games Investment Review team. She researches and compiles information regarding investments, mergers, and acquisitions in the video game industry. Prior to DDM, she worked as a research assistant at UMass Amherst while pursuing her graduate studies in Polymer Science and Engineering.
Outside of work, Katie is a passionate boardgame player. She especially enjoys strategy games and games with a nature or animal-based theme. While new to video games, she enjoys playing digital adaptations of her favorite boardgames on Yucata and Board Game Arena! Some favorites include Grand Austria Hotel, Underwater Cities, Gaia Project and La Granja.
Kelly started as a QA tech for Activision in 1986 and has held nearly every management position in development over the past 30 years. Over this time, Kelly has held executive positions with Hasbro, Panasonic, Acclaim, Vivendi and Activision-Blizzard. Most recently, Kelly ran Radical Entertainment in Vancouver, BC (2005 - 2010). In 2011, he moved to Montreal to start Infinite Game Publishing, a Free-to-Play publishing startup. In 2015, he returned home to California with a focus on Consulting.
Over his career, Kelly has been involved in over 300 shipped titles generating billions in revenue and has managed and mentored some of the best talent in the industry.
The Co-Founder of Mobile Game Partners, the first mobile game consulting agency focused on driving profitable user growth, Kevin has helped the games he has consulted on become featured worldwide by every major platform and has helped drive millions of users while increasing metrics across the board.
Prior to starting Mobile Game Partners, Kevin headed the mobile publishing efforts at Z2Live, makers of his games such as Battle Nations and Metalstorm. Before joining Z2, Kevin was Senior Manager of Strategy and Business Development and helped spearhead the mobile publishing group at Kabam, whose hits include Kingdoms of Camelot and Dragons of Atlantis.
Before entering the mobile game industry, Kevin created one of the most famous internet animations of all time, Peanut Butter Jelly Time, which he utilized to launch and successfully sell a video sharing site in 2007. Kevin graduated with a BS in Finance from San Diego State in 2005. In his spare time, Kevin enjoys hiking with his wife and pugs, lifting weights, and enjoys auto racing. His proudest gaming achievement is beating Demon's Souls and Dark Souls I & II without breaking a single controller.
Job Titles:
- Executive Vice President
- Member of the Partner Team
With more than 15 years experience, Maarten de Koning is a highly respected executive, entrepreneur and advisor in the game industry. As Partner and Executive Vice President, Maarten has been with DDM since 2013 when he merged his own agency into the company.
He oversees the European and Asian markets, for which he is responsible for the expansion and servicing of clients, new business development and laying the groundwork for new services that are designed to provide even greater benefits to both the company and clients, such as DDM's Investment Services, which aids both developers and investors with equity investment and M&A.
With a background in investment management and game development, Maarten co-founded the Green Hill production house, which would subsequently be acquired by DDM. It was at Green Hill that Maarten established his principles for starting an agency, which were to provide business development, effective product management and consultation to video game developers.
Maarten began his career in the industry as a game producer and is a certified Scrum Product Owner and Scrum Master. He serves as an active board member and advisor for multiple startups, industry funds and game industry conferences. He is also still a shareholder in Mardelli, a family investment firm that invests and manages assets on a world-wide scale.
Job Titles:
- Business Development Director
Growing up with games, Martijn developed a strong interest in game development processes. With a background as a game producer, Martijn combines his knowledge of development processes with business development know-how, to service DDM's European clients. Based in Eindhoven, The Netherlands, Martijn has been with DDM since 2013 and works with both representation and investment services clients.
Job Titles:
- Senior Business Development Manager
is a self-confessed gaming addict and possesses an unnatural love of video games. The knowledge he has of games and developers is unreal and only equaled by his passion for the industry. Mat comes to DDM from Codemasters where he single-handedly headed the Acquisitions & Development Relations department. Within this role he forged a fine reputation for delivering concise, credible and constructive evaluations of the games that reached the department. He also worked tirelessly to find talented developers to collaborate with, adding value to the Codemasters brand and helping to further the perception of Codemasters' capabilities. As Business Development Coordinator based in Manchester, England, Mat works closely with Maarten de Koning to service DDM's European clients.
Job Titles:
- Senior Partnerships Director
Mike oversees DDM's thriving Industry Guidance consulting practice. From direct project management to maintaining the tremendous network of DDM Consulting Executives, Mike is key to helping companies build and execute upon their strategy in the video game business. His deep background in the arts and technology has come into play throughout his career, from product management in consumer security, to brand and business development in the video games industry. Mike has worked to drive a variety of companies and initiatives, including live events, filmed entertainment and publishing. He operates as DDM's direct link into the worlds of movies, television and graphic novels. Mike draws upon this history of collaboration as he drives DDM's Industry Guidance initiatives.
A storyteller by nature, Mike enjoys working with others to produce great experiences, whether they are on stage or screen - or, increasingly both! - and loves the partnerships that working in games inspires. His creative instincts are balanced out by his many years in QA and IT, which helps him manage efforts with a passionate, yet realistic, perspective.
Job Titles:
- Business Information Research Manager
With a background in private equity and investment banking, Mitchell has been in the gaming space since 2018, helping game studios sell to major conglomerates. One of note is the sale of 5518 Studios to Pole to Win (PTW) back in February of 2021. Although Mitchell might be a finance guy, he's a gaming nerd at heart. Outside of working within DDM's investment review team, you can find him creating content for his YouTube & Twitch channels.
Job Titles:
- Business Development Manager
As a growth-focused marketer and product evangelist with experience in the sports, VR/AR/MR and blockchain verticals, Neranjan's time in the gaming industry has led to a multitude of opportunities. The career successes he takes pride in such as delivering a Super Bowl VR activation for Fox Sports are tied to collaborative fearlessness and a desire to learn.
Whether managing a social campaign or helping a dev team QA during a rough sprint, his ability to wear many hats has developed into a helmet dedicated to hard work. With an ability to see opportunities in the dark, Neranjan looks to make his time at DDM part of the adventure he seeks in life. His passions include cats, VR, collecting pop culture art, making videos with friends and going to Burning Man as a collaborator and performer.
Job Titles:
- Business Information Director
With a background in research and data management, Peggy has been in the games industry since 2007. She works closely with DDM's representation, investment, and consulting clients to produce actionable reports that support their strategic objectives on topics such as market sectors, game comparables, and gamer demographics. She oversees the DDM Games Investment Review, the only decade-plus data source on video game investments and M&As in AR/VR, blockchain, console, eSports, mobile, massive community games, PC, and tech.
Her team's work has been written up by video game news sites and Forbes and can be regularly accessed via the free DDM Games Investment Review quarterly report.
Job Titles:
- Senior Business Development Manager
Rebecca manages DDM's Indie game portfolio and has worked with the company since 2012. In her role as a Business Development Manager, Rebecca works with client studios on studio strategy, refining pitch materials, creating target lists, contract negotiation, market analysis, and creative feedback. She has been honored to act as a judge for several indie games competitions including Boston FIG, gamesweek digital: Dev Booster, Unreal Engine Developer Contest, and offering mentorship for contest winners at Nordic and Reboot. Her favorite ideas are challenging, unsettling, empowering, and subversive. In her spare time Rebecca watches a lot of streaming shows, neglects houseplants, and collects teeth.
A casual fan of video games from outside of the industry, Rob comes from an accounting background in academia and non-profits, with a touch of theater production. With this transition to the gaming industry, Rob hopes to apply his outsider persona to assist in the management of DDM's accounting and contracts. Rob is a big fan of all movies and enjoys hanging out with his wife, three cats, and one dog, while working on his camper van conversion.
Job Titles:
- Business Development Director
Ryosuke Jinno joined the game industry in 2005, getting his start by working primarily on mobile titles such as Street Fighters 4, Street Fighters vs. Tekken, Smurfs Village and the Double Dragon games series. Based in Tokyo now, Ryosuke actively engages local Japanese companies. Ever since graduating from university, Ryosuke has maintained his focus on global business intending to assemble the best talent across the world.
An expert on innovation, entrepreneurship, technology management and practices in emotional intelligence, Trip Hawkins played a key role in defining and building two major industries: personal computers and video games. He was an executive in three companies that had IPOs (including Apple's) and was the founder, CEO and leader of Electronic Arts and EA Sports for its first decade. He led production and design of many industry-changing games including Madden Football, founded and led 3DO and Digital Chocolate and spent three years working with world leading experts to design and publish an advanced EQ game for children that teaches the principles and practices of emotional intelligence. He and the products he created have won hundreds of awards, including his early enshrinement in the AIAS Hall of Fame for his work as a game designer.
Job Titles:
- Business Development Manager
Yoshi started working in the video game industry in 2017 at SEGA games. He was initially a member of the customer support team for Asia and Europe customers and subsequently transferred to the overseas subsidiary management team. He joined DDM as a Business Development Coordinator in 2019.
Yoshi graduated from Sydney School of Veterinary Science and worked as a veterinary intern for a year in Australia. Also a lover of music, Yoshi plays the guitar, piano and sings.
Yoshi works in DDM's Tokyo office assisting clients across Japan.