Geoffrey Selzer
Chief Executive Officer & Chairman of the Board
Prior to accepting the leadership role at Emergent, Geoff consulted to video game and other media companies, specifically on the development and exploitation of cross-media intellectual property, fund raising and production. From 1995 through 1998, Geoff served as VP, Creative Development and Production for Disney Interactive, where he built, managed, and created the vision for a group of over 100 professionals responsible for the design, development and production of the interactive software titles at Disney Interactive. In addition to his work at Disney, Geoff enjoyed successful careers in publishing and investment banking with an emphasis on mergers and acquisitions. Geoff completed his MBA (with a concentration in finance/international business) at Northwestern University’s Kellogg Graduate School of Business. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy awarded by Beloit College in Wisconsin.
Scott M. Johnson
President
Before joining Emergent, Scott was co-founder and CEO of Mobility Entertainment (MENT), a successful mobile entertainment developer that delivered more than 20 titles, including an IGN "Game of the Year." Prior to that, he was Vice President and Chief Financial Officer for Universal Interactive, which he helped transform into one of the fastest-growing video game publishers - releasing multiple hit titles and managing core franchises like Crash Bandicoot and Spyro the Dragon - and reaching revenues in excess of $300 million. As Vice President of Vivendi Universal Games, he was responsible for strategic and financial planning, acquisitions, and administration and helped launch Vivendi's Black Label Games. Scott began his career at Deloitte & Touche LLP as a Certified Public Accountant. He is an alumnus of the Harvard Business School and holds a BS/BA in Accounting from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
John Austin
Vice President, Technical and Academic Partnerships
John, who served as CEO of NDL prior to the merger, is a veteran of the games middleware market, having been around since shortly after NDL announced the NetImmerse product in 1998. He has more than 20 years of experience in the computer graphics industry, encompassing management and engineering positions at Hewlett-Packard, Inc., Sun Microsystems, and the Computer Sciences Department at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. John earned a M.S in computer science from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. He holds a Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering awarded by Valparaiso University in Indiana.
David Gregory
Vice President of Technology & Systems Architect
David has been making games professionally since 1991. Before joining Emergent, he spent 11 years at Electronic Arts in various roles from Software Engineer to Director of Software Development. He was one of the key players in launching the expansion pack model for The Sims franchise, and led the engineering team for the critically acclaimed and multi-million selling title, The Sims 2. He also helped lead the Central Technology group at EA's Redwood Shores Studio. Prior to Electronic Arts, he was employed at Software Toolworks/Mindscape, and Bethesda Softworks. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering from Virginia Tech.
Doug Kubel
Vice President of Product Development
Doug, who served as NDL's VP of Engineering, is a 20-year veteran of the graphics and games markets. He has held management positions at Interactive Magic and Sun Microsystems, as well as management stints at Open Site Technologies and Siebel Systems. Doug is active in the local technology community, serving on the board of the Triangle Technology Executive Council and as Director of their Leadership Forum. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering, awarded by North Carolina State University.
Stephen Peacock
Head of Worldwide Sales
Stephen joined Emergent Game Technologies in early 2007, bringing nearly a decade of game industry sales experience with him. Prior to Emergent, Stephen spent eight years in sales, first as NXN Software's UK sales manager for games, then as NXN's Global Games Manager. When Avid acquired NXN in 2004, Stephen managed the sales transition and became responsible for Softimage | XSI game sales as well. Prior to getting into the games industry, Stephen spent over ten years as a CG visualization artist and programmer, giving him a critical understanding of CG and the needs of game developers.
Karina Speicher
Vice President of Operations & Finance
Karina has several years experience in finance and accounting, strategic planning, and mergers and acquisitions. She was most recently at Technicolor Entertainment Services where she served as Senior Director of Business Development and was responsible for creating the strategic and operational financial plan to launch Technicolor Interactive Services. In 2006, she initiated the investment in India-based Paprikaas Animation Studios (announced 2007) as part of the overall Interactive Services business plan. She also completed several other international acquisitions including the acquisition of The Moving Picture Company (2004), an industry-leading provider of visual effects and post-production services for the feature motion picture and commercial advertising industries, from British broadcaster ITV. Prior to this, Karina worked at JPMorgan H&Q in San Francisco focusing on technology M&A, and separately, at Deloitte and Touche LLP as a public accountant. Karina earned her undergraduate degree from UCLA, an MBA from Columbia Business School and is a Certified Public Accountant.
Linda Bonanno
Vice President of Product Management
Linda has worked at Emergent for two years, successfully managing Emergent’s Professional Services and Customer Support organizations. Prior to Emergent, Linda spent over 20 years in the software and computer networking industries, having worked in software development and architecture, marketing and management for companies such as Nortel Networks, Arris Interactive and Caspian Networks. Linda holds a Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Computer Science from Western Connecticut State University and a Master’s in Computer Science from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
John Goodale
Vice President, Marketing; General Manager, Asia Pacific Operations
A games industy veteran of 15 years, John most recently was co-founder and managing director of Ages Entertainment, a management consulting firm for the interactive entertainment industry. Throughout his career, John has consulted for companies such as Turner Broadcasting Systems, Fujitsu, NEC and others. He has held corporate management positions at Activision and Sega, has lived and worked in Japan, and is fluent in Japanese. Well-traveled throughout Asia, John possesses a deep understanding of international business practices, and has facilitated hundreds of intellectual property and corporate acquisitions spanning both sides of the Pacific. John has a deep understanding of game development, having acted as executive producer of several games developed in Japan. John held dual majors in Marketing and International Business, with a minor in Pacific Rim Studies at the California State University at Fullerton.