Click on the Video Below and Sample a Session from the last Digital Hollywood event. For Additional Video Sessions, Click Here CES 2007, Las Vegas Convention Center, North Hall Sunday, January 7th 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM Track II - GP2 Games, Creativity and Technology: How Next Generation in Home Networks, PCs, Broadband and Consoles Transform the future of Gaming The complexity and creativity behind the games industry has never been more profound. From the most cleaver casual game to the most robust and dynamic console game, the merger of brilliant mind with expanding technology has never been more apparent. And the rewards of this process are only first beginning to be felt. The vision and artistry of the game is what ultimately makes for the winning and rewarding experience, but it is the ever-expanding technology pallet that the game is designed for that gives the end product life. In this session we explore and applaud both sides, the creative and the technological in their joint venture into the future of entertainment. Don L. Daglow, President and CEO, Stormfront Studios Jean Marcel Nicolai, Senior Vice President, Worldwide Product development & Chief Technology Officer, Atari, Inc. Jason Henderson, Games Product Manager, Broadband, Verizon John Welch, President and Chief Executive Officer, PlayFirst, Inc. Laurant Weill, Président, Executive Chairman, VISIWARE Fred Swan, Director of Strategic Marketing, Interactive Entertainment Business Unit, Logitech, Inc. Mike Vorhaus, Managing Director, Frank N. Magid Associates, Moderator Jean-Marcel Nicolai was appointed Senior Vice President of Worldwide Product Development and Chief Technology Officer of Atari in December 2004. In this capacity, Nicolai is responsible for all development aspects of Atari’s product line-up, as well as the technology function of the company. Nicolai, who joined the Atari Group in February 2000, was previously Senior Vice President of the International Operations Division at Atari Europe, where he oversaw European product development, manufacturing and information systems activities and created an integrated value chain system. Prior to Atari, Nicolai worked with Hewlett-Packard as the European Center of Solution Expertise Manager and was previously a senior consultant for an information systems company managing teams which worked closely with global technology companies including Oracle, Sybase and Microsoft. Nicolai began his career with a Japanese company providing integrated information systems to key accounts in the retail space and served in various positions including programming, systems analysis and project management. Fred Swan, Director of Strategic Marketing, Interactive Entertainment Business Unit, Logitech, Inc.: Fred Swan, an industry veteran with more than 18 years of experience in peripherals marketing and sales, has lead Logitech’s worldwide marketing efforts within interactive gaming for more than seven years. He and his staff are responsible for the design and marketing of Logitech game controllers and the relationships with 3rd party game developers and console 1st parties. He has focused Logitech's gaming group on building a strong global position for the Company, providing great products that meet gamers’ stringent requirements, and working closely with 1st and 3rd parties to stimulate innovation in games. Under his guidance, Logitech has become the world’s most recognized brand for console and PC gaming accessories and has delivered ground-breaking products for the major platforms. Prior to joining Logitech, Mr. Swan held a range of positions at FWB, Inc. and Sony Electronics. Don L. Daglow has served as president and CEO of Stormfront Studios since founding the company in 1988. Stormfront's most recent best-seller is "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers" for PS2 and Xbox from EA Games, based on the film from New Line Cinema. Don's work has earned recognition in publications ranging from Computer Gaming World to Inc., Upside, The Red Herring and the San Francisco Business Times. Electronic Games called him "one of the best-known and respected producers in the history of the field." Prior to founding Stormfront, Don served as director of Intellivision game development for Mattel, as a producer at Electronic Arts, and as head of the Entertainment and Education division at Broderbund. He developed the first-ever computer baseball game in 1971 (now recorded in the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown), the first mainframe computer role-playing game (1976), the first sim game (Intellivision Utopia, 1982) and the first original play-by-email game (Quantum Space for AOL, 1989). Don co-designed Computer Game Hall of Fame title Earl Weaver Baseball (1987) and the first massively multiplayer online graphic adventure, Neverwinter Nights for AOL (1990). He holds a BA in Creative Writing from Pomona College and a M.Ed. from Claremont Graduate University. John Welch, President and Chief Executive Officer, PlayFirst: John Welch is a co-founder and the President and CEO of PlayFirst, the pioneering full-service publisher dedicated to bringing popular downloadable games to the mass market. One of the most visible figures in the popular games industry today, John is responsible for the strategic direction of the company. Prior to forming PlayFirst, John spent five years at AtomShockwave Corp. as the company's Vice President of Games and Product where he drove the product strategy and acquisitions for Shockwave.com. While at AtomShockwave, John helped build Shockwave.com in to one of the Internet's top games portals and discovered some of the top independent game developers in the world. John has been on the International Game Developers Association (IGDA) Online Games group steering committee since its inception, and served as Chairman of the group from 2003-2004. Prior to Shockwave.com, John was at SEGA from 1998-1999 where he led the specification effort for the Sega Dreamcast Network. John launched his career as a systems integration consultant at Andersen Consulting, then co-founded his own firm which specialized in enterprise solutions. He holds a Bachelor's degree in Mathematics with Computer Science from MIT and a Master's Degree in Computer Science from the University of Massachusetts. Laurant Weill is the Chairman & CEO of Visiware, one of the world's leading interactive TV company. After studying Biochemistry and Computer Science at Paris 6, this interactivity specialist was co founder of video game companies, and professional software house. Laurant is also the President of the AFDESI the French Interactive TV association. Visiware is one of the main players in the growing market of interactive television, with applications and channels broadcasted in 77 countries, on 33 networks. The group is one of the most experienced in the world with its interactive TV agency, and its own channels such as Playin’TV the N°1 worldwide interactive game channel, Playin’Star and MiniKids’TV. Visiware is a privately own fast growing and profitable company with offices in Paris, Philadelphia, Sidney, Madrid and London. Jason Henderson, Games Product Manager, Verizon: Jason Henderson joined Verizon in August 2005 as the company’s first games product manager. Henderson has played a critical role in Verizon’s recent foray into the games market. Henderson, a Texas attorney, has spent the last 10 years in the games industry. He was credited on games as early as 1997 and as recently as 2005. For Electronic Arts/ Westwood Studios, he served as screenwriter on number one-selling titles "Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2" and story designer on "Command & Conquer: Renegade." He was a screenwriter and voice for Microsoft’s ‘Freelancer," Ubisoft’s "Conquest: Frontier Wars," and Ion Storm’s "Deus Ex: Invisible War." Henderson is the creator of several comic book series including, "Sword of Dracula" and the author of five science fiction novels, including the Warner best-seller "Highlander: The Element of Fire," and "the Iron Thane." He has also penned novels for Marvel's Incredible Hulk, X-Men and Spider-Man. As a screenwriter and story consultant, Henderson has written scripts for Universal Studios, Microsoft Games, Electronic Arts, Digital Anvil, Human Code, Warner Multimedia, Kinesoft, and has written extensively on Japanese animation and pop art. Henderson earned his BA from University of Dallas in 1993 and his JD from Catholic University of America, Columbus School of Law in Washington, D.C., in 1996. Henderson lives in Texas with his wife and two daughters. Mathieu Nouzareth, Founder & President, Boonty: Mathieu Nouzareth co-founded Boonty, one of the world’s leading casual games platforms, in 2001. As Chairman, he currently oversees worldwide operations from the company’s headquarters in Paris, France. Prior to establishing Boonty, Mathieu founded WebConcept with his brother Romain, who currently serves as CEO of Boonty’s United States operations. WebConcept was one of the first e-business consulting companies in France and quickly became an industry leader. After selling WebConcept to Sweden’s IconMedialab (Euronext: icon) in 1999, Mathieu continued his active role in the company’s development, serving as President of IconMedialab in France until 2001. Mathieu is a graduate of the Management School of Grenoble, and holds an MBA from the Lubin School of Business in New York.