Category: Exited Founders

Nancy is a seasoned executive with over 25 years of leadership in the gaming and digital entertainment industry. She has…

In this episode of the Here’s Waldo Podcast, Lizzie Mintus sits down with Anton Bernstein, the CEO and founder of…

🎮 Heidi Vogel is a seasoned entrepreneur with over five companies under her belt, and today she shares her incredible…

If you’re a fan of Diablo I and Diablo II, and Battle.net, don’t miss our latest episode featuring David Brevik,…

Shawn Foust is the Co-founder and COO of Fortis Games, a global game studio with a mission to create worlds that matter – that challenge minds, build connections, and inspire communities. Before founding Fortis, Shawn was VP of Central Operations at WB Games after its acquisition of PlexChat, which he co-founded and led as CEO. Tune in to learn about his journey from a lawyer to an executive and founder of multiple studios. The episode also touches on Sean’s personal experiences with layoffs from both perspectives, scaling global remote teams, and navigating the ups and downs of startup life.

Jordan Weisman is a 40-year industry legend with four entrepreneurial company exits to Disney, Microsoft, Topps, and Paradox Interactive. Today, he is the CEO of Endless Adventures Inc., a no-code game creation platform designed to empower game designers, storytellers, authors, and artists to create their own narrative video games and drive innovation. Tune in to learn about Jordan’s journey and the key lessons he’s learned along the way.

🎮 Wondering what it takes to build successful game franchises or start your own game studio? Join host Lizzie Mintus on the latest episode as she chats with Bill Roper, a gaming industry veteran behind iconic franchises like Warcraft, Starcraft, and Diablo. Beginning as employee #17 at Blizzard Entertainment, Bill rapidly ascended from voice actor and writer to Vice President within nine years. His distinguished career features executive roles at Flagship Studios, Cryptic Studios, Disney Interactive Central Creative at the Walt Disney Company, and Improbable World.Now the CEO of Lunacy Games, Bill Roper shares invaluable advice on turning vision into reality. Learn about handling adversity, building strong teams, and creating a lasting impact in the gaming industry.

Join host Lizzie Mintus as she sits down with Charles ‘Chuck’ Tolman, a seasoned CTO with a rich history in the video game industry. Chuck’s career began at Atari in 1993, and he has since made significant contributions to over 30 games, including major franchises such as titles like Spider-Man, Call of Duty, and The Walking Dead. Discover Chuck’s insights on how his leadership propelled Skydance’s success in VR gaming, and explore valuable tips for VR game development, including navigating technical challenges, creating immersive experiences, and balancing gameplay mechanics.

Join Lizzie Mintus on today’s episode of the Here’s Waldo podcast as she interviews Russell Ovans, Board Member at East Side Games (ESG). Russell is a free-to-play games executive with a track record of strategic management and growing businesses through the creation of innovative products and proprietary software systems. He is a software engineer, educator, entrepreneur, author, angel investor, brewery founder, data scientist, and more. Tune in to explore key topics such as the importance of having a growth mindset, understanding data literacy across gaming roles, and navigating career paths both within and outside the gaming industry.

Join Lizzie Mintus on today’s episode of the Here’s Waldo podcast as she interviews Mitch Gitelman, a 30-year veteran of the game industry and former CEO of Harebrained Schemes, known for hits like the Shadowrun Returns and Battletech. Mitch shares wisdom on navigating layoffs with compassion, fostering meaningful industry connections, offering tips on maintaining culture through acquisitions and starting a studio, and more!