Keynotes and Sessions Announced for GDC’s Game Career Seminar at Inaugural Entertainment for All(TM) Expo

David Perry, Ru Weerasuriya, and Dave Kosak to Judge “Pitch Your Game Idea”

IDG World Expo today announced the complete session line up for the Game Career Seminar, programmed by CMP Technology’s Game Developers Conference and scheduled to take place October 19-20 during the Entertainment for All(TM) Expo (E for All(TM)) video game expo.

Day one of the Game Career Seminar, geared towards teaching attendees how to break in to the game industry, will begin with a keynote session from Marc Mencher of GameRecruiter.com. Marc will explain the basics of the video game industry and what jobs are available. Day two, focused on career development for entry-level game developers, will include a keynote from Tommy Tallarico, founder of Video Games Live Concert series. Tommy will focus on how his career started and how he was able to maintain his independence as a creative industry professional while at the same time growing his skills, reputation, and business.

Sessions: Day 1 - October 19, 2007

– Keynote: It Takes a Team: Careers in the Games Industry
(9:00-10:00am) Panelists include:
— Marc Mencher, GameRecruiter.com

– “I Made It!”: Stories About Breaking In (10:30-11:30am)
— James Portnow, Activision
— Jolex Del Pilar, Point of View Games
— David Rodriguez, Packom Interactive

– “Pitch Your Game Idea”: Round 1 (11:45am-12:45pm)
— David Perry, founder and CEO, GameConsultants.com
— Ru Weerasuriya, co-founder and VP of Creative Development,
Ready At Dawn Studios
— Dave Kosak, executive editor, Gamespy

– Stepping Stones: Applying to Your First Job (1:30-2:30pm)
— Fiona Cherbak, GameRecruiter.com

– A Matter of Degree: Options in Game Education (3:00-4:00pm)
— Peter E. Raad, The Guildhall at SMU
— Bruce Naylor, DeVry
— Tracy Fullerton, University of Southern California
— Eric Elder, Art Institute of Los Angeles

– More Stepping Stones: Landing Your First Job (4:30-5:30pm)
— Darius Kazemi - President, Orbus Gameworks

Sessions: Day 2 - October 20, 2007

– Keynote: Self-Made: Making a Successful Independent Career
(9:00-10:00am)
— Tommy Tallarico, founder of Video Games Live Concert series

– Winning Attention: Maximizing Advantages from Contests
(10:30-11:30am)
— John Jensen, DigiPen Institute of Technology
— Zach Peterson, DigiPen Institute of Technology
— Brad Rasmussen, DigiPen Institute of Technology
— Ben Smith, DigiPen Institute of Technology

– “Pitch Your Game Idea”: Round 2 (12:00 -1:00pm on Gamer Stage)
— David Perry, founder and CEO, GameConsultants.com
— Ru Weerasuriya, co-founder and VP of Creative Development,
Ready At Dawn Studios
— Dave Kosak, executive editor, Gamespy

– Portfolio Presence: Preparing for the Next Job (1:30-2:30pm)
— Joe Linhoff, DePaul University

– Switching It Up: Changing Career Paths (3:00-4:00pm)
— Tom Sloper, Game Development Consultant

– Do It Yourself: Starting as an Independent Developer (4:30-5:30pm)
— Anthony Jacobson, Spicy Horsem
— Justin Lloyd, Infinite Monkey Factory

A special feature of the Game Career Seminar schedule line up is the fast-paced “Pitch Your Game Idea” contest, open to pre-registered Game Career Seminar pass holders. Contestants will need to bring creative game ideas to the table as an all-star panel of judges including legendary game developer David Perry, founder and CEO of GameConsultants.com; Ru Weerasuriya, co-founder and vice president, Creative Development of Ready At Dawn Studios; and Dave Kosak, executive editor, Gamespy, will be searching for the next great game developer.

“I’m used to being the one pitching video game concepts, so it’ll be nice sitting on the other side of the table,” said twenty-year veteran of the video game business, David Perry. “Seriously though, E for All and Game Career Seminar have teamed up to create a fun contest that will hopefully inspire gamers to take their passion for gaming and make it a career.”

After the initial pitch round, five lucky finalists will be chosen to battle it out on the main Gamer Stage in front of the E for All audience. The “Pitch Your Game Idea” winner will bring home an All-Access Pass to CMP Game Group’s Game Developers Conference 2008.

“We created the Game Career Seminar series and the Pitch Your Game Idea contest for the express purpose of empowering creative people to get a foot in the door of game development,” said Jamil Moledina, Executive Director, Game Developers Conference. “Since the seminar is taught by developers, who were all once passionate gamers themselves, the opportunity is there for creative and enterprising E for All attendees to make meaningful connections that can influence their careers.”

“We are thrilled to host Game Career Seminar’s career development sessions and ‘Pitch Your Game Idea’ event,” said Mary Dolaher, CEO, IDG World Expo. “E for All is all about games and those who love playing them. These in-depth sessions will demonstrate how that love of gaming can be turned into a successful career. Whether you’re a casual gamer or seasoned pro, participating in the Game Career Seminar at E for All will provide you with unique insights and practical information about the business of game development.”

For more information about Game Career Seminar content visit http://www.gamecareerseminar.com.

About E for All(TM) http://www.EforAllExpo.com