The Here's Waldo Podcast

Kieran Donovan is the CEO and co-founder of k-ID, the first-of-its-kind global compliance engine designed to make online safety and privacy seamless for kids, teens, game developers, and parents alike. With a decade of experience at the forefront of data protection and online safety, Kieran has advised major online platforms and been named Privacy Lawyer of the Year multiple times. In this episode...

Asaf Gazit is the co-founder and CEO of Ludeo, a groundbreaking platform that's reshaping the way players engage with video games. Founded alongside his brother, Ludeo was built with a bold vision: to remove the friction in gaming and make discovering and jumping into new games as seamless as scrolling through TikTok. Drawing on their lifelong passion for gaming and a deep understanding of industr...

Zoe Curnoe is the founder and executive coach at Lumina Leadership, a boutique executive coaching and training firm. With over 20 years of leadership experience at companies like Electronic Arts, Riot Games, The Coalition (an Xbox studio), and co-founding Timbre Games, Zoe specializes in helping leaders navigate complex challenges and drive meaningful change. In this episode, Zoe shares lessons le...

Vishal Punwani is the CEO and co-founder of SoWork, the world's first generative AI-enhanced virtual workplace platform. Founded at Harvard's Innovation Labs, SoWork transforms team productivity and collaboration by seamlessly integrating work tools, social spaces, and gamification. As businesses adapt to hybrid and remote-first environments, Vishal discusses how SoWork bridges the gap between tra...

David Vogelpohl is the Chief Marketing Officer at FastSpring, a platform enabling direct-to-consumer (D2C) monetization for video games and digital products. With over two decades of experience in digital strategy and e-commerce, David offers valuable insights into creating meaningful player relationships, navigating platform regulations, and building sustainable revenue models in the gaming indus...

Nicola Mizon is the co-founder of VIZTA DGTL, a Berlin-based game studio on a mission to reshape the intersection of gaming, fashion, and commerce. She is passionate about creating engaging, inclusive experiences that redefine industry norms. In this episode, she discusses the evolution of fashion gaming, opportunities for brand collaborations, and the impact of user-generated content. She also sh...

Rich Vogel is an award-winning executive producer with over 25 years of experience in the gaming industry. Today, he is the founder and studio head of T-Minus Zero. Before this, Rich built and led three major studios—Sony Online Entertainment Austin, Bioware Austin, and Bethesda Game Studio Battle Cry—together generating an impressive $3 billion in revenue. He's also been a key player in running l...

Daryl Ogden is the co-founder of Valued Cultures, a startup dedicated to building healthy, sustainable, and innovative cultures in the gaming industry. With over a decade of experience advising leaders from top Fortune 500 companies and iconic game studios, Daryl is an expert in aligning leadership, investing in talent, and navigating critical transitions—all while safeguarding a studio's unique i...

Peter Nagy is a prominent figure in the video game industry and a pioneer in Central Europe and Slovakia's game development ecosystem. As the co-founder of Slovakia's oldest game development studio, Games Farm, Nagy brings over 20 years of experience in creating engaging, story-driven RPG games. He is also the founder of Grindstone, the country's first publishing company focused on business develo...

In this episode, Lizzie Mintus interviews Kevin Johnson, Director of Development at Double Fine Productions (now part of Xbox Games Studios), about his journey through the game industry and his role in fostering the studio's collaborative and innovative culture. Kevin takes us behind the scenes of the making of Psychonauts 2 , sharing how the team brought their vision to life while prioritizing me...

Jen MacLean, co-founder and CEO of a new studio, Dragon Snacks Games, is building social role-playing experiences that resonate with younger audiences. Formerly Xbox's General Manager of Creator Partnerships, she managed top partner relationships and co-led content strategies. With a passion for gaming, she also held senior roles in game development, driving worldwide business development at AWS a...

Nancy MacIntyre is a seasoned executive with over 25 years of leadership in the gaming and digital entertainment industry. She has an outstanding track record, having launched over 100 games, including 11 No. 1 titles, collectively generating more than $2 billion in revenue. Nancy has held pivotal roles at top companies such as LeapFrog, LucasArts, Atari, and Hasbro. She also co-founded and served...

Robin Lavallée is the CEO and Co-Founder of Implicit Conversions, a company dedicated to bringing nostalgic games back to life by porting beloved classics to modern consoles using cutting-edge emulation technology. Their innovative software ensures that timeless games run seamlessly on today's platforms like the PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch, preserving gaming history for future generatio...

In this episode of the Here's Waldo Podcast , Lizzie Mintus sits down with Anton Bernstein, the CEO and founder of Pocket Worlds, the fast-growing Y Combinator-backed company that has connected over 45 million users and 10,000 creators through shared virtual experiences. Pocket Worlds is the parent company behind two major platforms: High Rise and Everskies. High Rise is the leading virtual world...

In this episode of the Here's Waldo Podcast , Lizzie Mintus chats with William Schmitt, the Head of Studio at Proof of Play, a company on a mission to shepherd games into Web3's on-chain universe through uncompromisingly fun games. With over 32 years in the gaming industry, William has held key leadership roles at Disney Interactive, Scopely, THQ, Activision, and more. He has launched 60 titles ac...

Joe Schaeppi is the CEO and co-founder of Solsten and is on a mission to fundamentally change the way that humans connect. With a strong background in psychology, he leverages his expertise in human behavior and motivation—gained from leading UX strategy at McCann and his impactful work as an adventure-based psychotherapist—Joe is pioneering the use of video games for cognitive assessment, which o...

Garrett Young is a 25+ year game industry veteran who led development teams at major companies, including Microsoft, Activision, Disney, and Id Software, contributing to the creation of iconic franchises such as DOOM, Quake, and Rage. He also played a pivotal role in launching the Forza Motorsport and Project Gotham Racing franchises, along with delivering numerous other AAA titles. Today, Garrett...

Heidi Vogel is a seasoned entrepreneur with over five companies under her belt, and today she shares her incredible journey from tech pioneer to gaming innovator. As a mother of four, she faced challenges managing her children's digital playground, which inspired her to develop GuardianGamer's monitoring solution. Her latest venture, GuardianGamer AI, seeks to bridge the gap between parents and ki...

John Goodale was employee #60 at Unity in 2010, where he launched and rapidly expanded Unity Asia. Under his leadership, he transformed Unity into the preferred platform for game developers across the region, driving exceptional growth and establishing the company as a dominant force in the gaming industry. Having also held key positions at Sega and Activision, John now serves as the CEO of Jam.gg...

Chris Quaidoo is the Content Acquisition Lead at Carry1st, a leading African mobile games publisher backed by investors like Bitcraft and A16Z. He's also a Venture Partner at Griffin Gaming Partners and hosts Venture Games, a podcast where he interviews key players in gaming and venture capital. Tune in to this episode of the Here's Waldo Podcast to gain valuable insights into the African gaming m...

Sami Ramly, founder of Echo Chunk AI and creator of the viral game Echo Chess, takes us on a journey from his early days learning chess at just 3 years old to the development of Echo Chess—a viral puzzle game that combines chess mechanics with real-time AI-driven obstacles. Recently, he raised $1.4M pre-seed to take Echo Chess and his vision for the company to the next level. Tune in to dig into R...

Neel Upadhye is an award-winning writer, director, and transmedia storyteller with over 15 years of experience in the video game industry. After starting as an assistant editor, he rose to become the marketing creative director at Electronic Arts (EA), where he played pivotal roles in marketing and narrative development. His contributions included multiple internet-breaking shorts for Apex Legends...

We're entering a new era where games can be prescribed as part of medical treatment or used to train doctors more effectively than traditional lectures. In this episode, join host Lizzie Mintus and guest Noah Falstein, who was among the first 10 employees at Lucasfilm Games (later known as LucasArts), and has also worked with 3DO and DreamWorks Interactive. Noah served as the first elected chair o...

If you're a fan of Diablo I , Diablo II , and Battle.net, don't miss our latest episode featuring David Brevik, a 33-year gaming industry veteran behind these legendary titles and services. David takes us on a journey through his career, from co-founding Condor Inc., which later became Blizzard North, to the original  Diablo pitch and its iconic sequel—one of the most influential action RPGs in ga...

Fun fact: Mark Subotnick, aka "Bot," began as an SF club promoter in the '80s-'90s before starting his game industry career in 1993 as a QA tester at SEGA of America, earning $9/hr. A longtime gaming and technology executive, Mark is renowned for his key roles at Intel, Microsoft, and SEGA, spanning multiple generations of technological innovation. He has worked in nearly every category of gaming—...