The Here's Waldo Podcast

David Fox is the Co-founder and Director of Electric Eggplant, specializing in new media and interactive design. In addition to his responsibilities at Eggplant, David decided to adapt his 2013  Rube Works: The Official Rube Goldberg Invention Game to XR. He is also a founding member of Lucasfilm Games as employee number two. During his 10-year tenure at Lucasfilm, he worked on Maniac Mansion , Za...

Ben Kvalo is the Founder and CEO of Midwest Games, a regionally-focused video game publisher dedicated to championing disenfranchised developers in underrepresented regions, starting in the Midwest. He possesses over 12 years in the industry, including contributions to over 100 game titles and 50-plus films encompassing several of the entertainment industry's most illustrious franchises. Ben is a...

Sonia Michaels is a career coach and consultant for gaming professionals in Greater Seattle. Additionally, she serves as the Department Chair of Humanities and Social Sciences at DigiPen Institute of Technology, where she's taught communications, public speaking, and English for over 30 years. As a sought-after speaker, Sonia has presented at various conferences, including the GDC Number One Caree...

Carl Kwoh is the Co-founder and CEO of Jam & Tea Studios, a new multiplayer game startup focused on building player connections. He's experienced in tabletop, web, mobile, PC, and console games. Before Jam & Tea, Carl developed the product management discipline at Phoenix Lab as the VP of Products. In 2017, he founded Ghostly Bear Games after spending six years as Riot Games' Head of Talent Operat...

Jess Mulligan is a consultant and troubleshooter for senior executives of online games operating in the US and Europe. Jess is a veteran in the industry with over 35 years of experience working in producer and leadership roles. Before offering their expertise as a consultant, Jess spent over five years at Travian Games in Munich, Germany, before exiting their dual role as Executive Producer and Ga...

Patrick Ascolese is the Founder of Dark Arts Software, a Seattle-based independent virtual reality, gaming, and technology studio. Before his current venture, he lent his expertise as an AR/VR Design Consultant at Meta for nearly a year, where he contributed to the development of its upcoming AR headsets. Patrick began his career at Microsoft over 20 years ago, where he worked as a software develo...

Irena Pereira is the Founder and CEO of Unleashed Games, a video game startup developing games that unite players through cooperative gameplay. Irena is also the Owner of Digital Experiments, a company that specializes in helping gaming teams elevate user participation, putting the player first. A pioneer in user experience, Irena is a seasoned veteran in game development with a focus on connectin...

Linda Shad is the Co-founder of Voidpet, a thoughtful multiplayer game where mental health meets Pokemon. Linda conceived the idea during the pandemic when she began using art as therapy — drawing monsters based on emotion. The concept quickly went viral, leading to a fanbase of over 100,000 members on Discord. Linda earned her BA in computer science from Boston College, where she worked as a lab...

Joanie Kraut is the CEO at Women In Gaming International, a platform dedicated to cultivating resources for advancing economic equality and diversity in the global games industry. She has offered her talents in various tech and gaming verticals, including consulting studios, startups, and nonprofits. Joanie is a thought leader in finance, DEI, and the advancement of women in leadership. In 2019, C...

Gina Jaio is the Director of Recruiting at Dreamhaven, an Irvine, California-based video game developer and publisher. Gina is an 18-year veteran in the talent and acquisitions industry, lending her talents at Fortune 500 companies like Sony, Warner Bros., Disney, and Blizzard. In addition to leading the recruitment team at Dreamhaven, Gina provides TA support and strategies for various partner st...

Andy Tsen is the Co-founder and CEO of Ramen VR, builders of the VR MMO Zenith: The Last City. Andy has held product and engineering roles at various top-grossing social and mobile free-to-play gaming studios, including Metamoki, GREE, Mobee, and Jana. Before Ramen, he was the CEO at TribeVR, a builder of multiplayer games that he helped co-found. From 2014-2016, Andy was a co-organizer for Boston...

Deniz Gezgin is the Founder and CEO of 5X5 Gaming, a San Francisco-based, mobile-first cross-platform video game studio. Deniz is a 15-year veteran in the gaming and digital collectibles industries. Before founding 5X5 Gaming, Deniz led Topps Company's — one of the world's largest and oldest collectibles companies — digital division as its General Manager. As an expert in product growth, he's held...

Kelly Wallick is a Partner and Community Builder at 1Up Ventures, a venture capital fund supporting a diverse and inclusive community of independent game developers. She is also the Founder and CEO of Indie MEGABOOTH, a platform dedicated to promoting independent game developers at gaming expositions. Kelly has over 10 years of experience in the tech and video game industries. As a self-professed...

Eve Crevoshay is the Executive Director at Take This, a mental health research, advocacy, and training nonprofit serving the game community. She's a 20-year veteran in the nonprofit sector with experience in education, social services, and the arts. Eve sits on the advisory boards for the Fair Play Alliance, the Game Developers Conference (GDC), and The International Game Summit on Mental Health....

Paxton Galvanek is the CEO of Studio Hermitage, a transmedia company that develops original IP for production across various formats. He has over 20 years of leadership experience as a serial entrepreneur, having founded and managed several companies, including The Chatham Group, a recruiting and talent acquisition firm; G&W Advertising Agency, a full-service creative and advertising agency; and F...

Adam Lieb is the CEO of Gamesight, a technology platform driving revenue for games. As a seasoned entrepreneur in the gaming industry — building and selling his first website at the age of 11 — he's developed products, services, and companies that reach billions of gamers. Before Gamesight, Adam was the Founder and CEO of Duxter, a social network for gamers that offered virtual currency for comple...

Tim Cullings is a video games industry veteran and the Executive Director of Global Game Jam, the world's largest game creation event empowering individuals worldwide to learn, experiment, and create. Tim is also the Executive Director and Board President at Seattle Indies, a nonprofit organization championing independent gamers who wish to pursue game development as a hobby or profession. Before...

Bernard Yee is the Founder of Windup Minds, an unannounced game startup dedicated to building games that make players feel joy and surprise. He was an executive producer at Oculus VR and a TPM at Meta, where he created seminal virtual reality experiences. He's a gaming industry veteran, serving in development and publishing roles at Sony Online Entertainment, ESPN, Atari, Harmonix (Rock Band), and...

Ed Fries is the General Partner at 1Up Ventures, a venture capital fund supporting a diverse and inclusive community of independent game developers. An industry pioneer, he created his first video games for the Atari 800 in the early 1980s. Ed spent over 17 years at Microsoft as one of the early developers of Excel and Word. Before retiring as the company's Vice President, he transferred from the...