Monday, September 27 9:00 AM - 10:15 AM Track IV: The Games Genius Roundtable: Merging The Consciousness Behind Games Development with the Hollywood Community While the natural inclination of the entertainment industry is to extend the success of the each entertainment brand into other sectors, in turning feature film or television franchises into games, it has become abundantly clear that there are singular characteristics and demands of the games industry which do not simply allow for the "simple creation" of a hit game. Games creation is very much a world to itself requiring its own set of realities and sensibilities. Like all creative fields, games creation has it own rules and parameters and understanding how that spectrum of creativity intersects with the traditional concepts of the entertainment industry is the critical step in creating and developing a successful collaboration and franchise. Merging the needs of the game creator with the demands of the marketplace, understanding why the characters and characteristics of certain films may not translate will into the gaming world and why certain games may actually find a home in the world of feature films and TV is what makes the industry ultimately challenging. Robert Walsh, CEO and founder, Krome Studios Don L. Daglow, President and CEO, Stormfront Studios JC Herz, Author, Joystick Nation Michael Isner, Character Animation Lead, Softimage Josh Resnick, President, Pandemic Studios Joshua B. Grode, Partner, Liner Yankelevitz Sunshine & Regenstreif, Moderator Additional speakers to be announced 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. Robert Walsh is the CEO and founder of Krome Studios. Mr. Walsh has successfully negotiated contracts with many of the leading major publishers including THQ, Disney Interactive, Vivendi Universal, Ubisoft, Konami, and Electronic Arts. Robert is a board member of the Game Developers Association of Australia and is on the advisory board for the Australian Game Developers Conference. Krome Studios, a leading independent developer that is known for creative excellence and technical innovation, is currently developing two titles for all console platforms, King Arthur (to be published by Konami Digital Entertainment – America, division of Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc., and Buena Vista Interactive, a publishing label of Buena Vista Games, Inc.) and Ty the Tasmanian Tiger 2 (to be published by Electronic Arts). In addition to creating these highly-anticipated titles, Krome is working on new intellectual properties and developing technology for next generation consoles. With more than 120 employees, Krome Studios is one of the leading independent developers in the world and the largest game development studio in Australia. Founded in 1999, the studio is best known for the development of their hit game Ty the Tasmanian Tiger, which has sold more than 1.3 million units and is the best selling game in Australia of all time. Krome has shipped more than a dozen titles, including Sunny Garcia Surfing, Championship Surfing, Extremely Goofy Skateboarding, Barbie Beach Vacation, Jimmy Neutron: Jet Fusion, and TY the Tasmanian Tiger. Michael Isner is the Character Animation Lead for Softimage. He works with high-end production clients from both the California film industry and Tokyo Gaming. He specializes in character setup, crowd and multi-character animation, and complex 3D problems. Michael's early background was in art and architecture, but was drawn into technology as one of the original founders of XSI and was behind its content and first production tests. He did the original proto-typing for many XSI tools such as web integration (Netview), UV texturing and pivot based animation mixing. He has implemented many features in XSI such as the character menu, the spine, motion deformation and envelope copying. Michael continues to be leading force in Softimage's research on embedded and interactive rigging. He has participated in character seminars and panels worldwide, from Montreal to Tokyo. More information can be found at www.isner.com. Joshua B. Grode, Partner, Liner Yankelevitz Sunshine & Regenstreif: Joshua B. Grode is a partner and co- head of the firm's Corporate Department and is spearheading its growing Technology and IP Practice. Mr. Grode's corporate practice focuses on mergers and acquisitions for public and private companies, securities matters, equity and debt financings, and day-to-day corporate governance and operational matters. His intellectual property practice is concentrated in the areas of licensing and intellectual property protection and exploitation. Having worked outside the law firm environment in an operational role, Mr. Grode brings a unique perspective to his practice of law infusing sound legal counsel with real world business experience. Previously, Mr. Grode was Senior Vice-President and group manager of Siegel & Gale, a communication, business and brand consultancy division of advertising agency Saatchi & Saatchi. Mr. Grode received his B.A. from U.C.L.A in 1988 and his J.D. from Loyola University in 1991 where he was a member of the Scott Moot Court Honors Board. He is a member of the Los Angeles and California Bar Associations (Corporate and Intellectual Property Law Sections). He was a Keynote Panelist at the 2001 CTIA Convention, and a Guest Lecturer at the UCLA Anderson School of Business. His publications include: m-Business February 2001 "From Marketing to Adoption - The Viability of Wireless Data Applications" and Digitrends - "The Future of the Wireless Web."