Hello David, please tell the community something about yourself.
How did you get your job at EA?
I’ve been with EA for a little over six and a half years now. I first started back in April of 2003 as a contractor and got the job through sheer persistence and not giving up. I would call or email the Director of Marketing every other day for 6-weeks until finally I got the call with the job. EA is an incredible place to work and if there is any lesson to be learned through my experience it is to never give up on your dreams. If you want something bad enough, don’t stop at the first „No“ you hear. You need to be hungry, you need to have the ‚Eye of the Tigre‘ to quote Rocky III.
What happened that you made BattleCast Primetime. How did the idea arise?
BCPT and C&CTV came out of a discussion with the C&C 3 team about how we could turn RTS into a competitive sport. We were looking at all of the things going on in Korea and were brainstorming ways we could help facilitate those sorts of activities. Things like telestrator, play-by-play commentary, and what not were all being discussed, so I figured we should take it one step further and create the equivalent of Monday Night Football or SportsCenter.
What was EAs reaction? How did your concept look like exactly?
The basic concept was to try to create SportsCenter for Command & Conquer. To create a network/show that was created for Command & Conquer fans by Command & Conquer fans. We wanted to showcase the best of the online matches happening at that moment, highlight some of the key members of the community, answer burning questions, and provide some insider news that you couldn’t get anywhere else. EA was incredibly supportive of this idea, I was actually surprised at how much corporate support we got for it.
What where the criteria which information will be provided in BCPT and which will not?
We wanted to make sure that we were the one-stop source of all Command & Conquer news. If it had to do with Command & Conquer, it was fair game.
Which were your roles at EALA and BCPT?
I was the Product Manager and Global Marketing Lead for the Command & Conquer franchise when I worked at EALA. For BCPT, I filled a lot of roles, but primarily I was the creator, executive producer, and host of the show.
We heard abour your exit a long time ago: Please tell us what your thoughts were.
Leaving C&CTV was the hardest thing I had to do in my career. I can’t believe how much fun I had interacting with all of the fans and working on the show. I still get sad thinking about it, but sometimes we need to make the difficult decisions in order to open up new and more exciting opportunities. You haven’t seen the last of me!!!
What is your profession after EA?
While, I was very sad to leave EALA, I still work for EA. I actually moved back to the main head quarters in Redwood City, CA where I started my career at EA. Today, I am a Sr Product Manager in the BioWare Studio Group. The most recent product I launched was Dragon Age: Origins. Dragon Age was a truly epic launch and I was honored to be a part of it. The team at Bioware are incredibly passionate and dedicated to their fans. They remind me a lot of the C&C development team in that way.
May we ask your daily routines after CNC?
I’ve been very fortunate in my career at EA. It has allowed me to work with some of the best development teams on the planet including Visceral Games (they were just called „EA Redwood Shores“ when I worked there), Criterion Games, and of course the C&C development team. Now, I am honored to be working with the RPG development powerhouse, BioWare. I can’t begin to say how lucky I’ve been to work with such great studio partners and getting the privilege to work on some of the greatest gaming franchises including Lord of the Rings, Burnout, Command & Conquer, and now Dragon Age. In terms of the day to day activities, it is my job to work with my studio partners to try to provide guidance and prospective to help make the games even better and then to come up with interesting and fresh ways to get all of you excited and interested!
What did you like most about BCTP/ EA, where did you have the greatest fun?
There were so many amazing things about BCPT, that it’s impossible to pick the one I liked most. I will say that getting to go to the various gaming shows such as Games Com, GamesConvention, and Igromir and seeing the reactions from the fans and interacting with them first-hand are some of the best memories I have at EA.
Which was /is your favourite C&C? And why?
While I absolutely loved C&C 3, I’d say that my favorite was the original C&C back in 1995. That was the first PC game I ever owned and I couldn’t believe how blown away I was–even with just how it installed. I felt like I was transported into another world and very few games have done that for me. Then there’s also the fond memories I have of spending 4 hours to try to get the serial cable to work so I could play my friend, Billy, in Red Alert. All you gamers these days are completely spoiled with the Internet!!!
What do you think about your future, what are your aims?
EA has given me so much in a relatively short amount of time and I hope that I can continue to give back and come up with more ‚crazy ideas‘ that are able to bring together gamers and allow them a place to shine. It’s the strength and support of the community that keeps the studio and marketing teams going during those difficult times in development. As much as BCPT was ‚for the fans‘, I can easily say that we as EA got more out of it in terms of seeing and being uplifted by the positive encouragement and support from all of you. I’d love to be able to come up with more ideas like that and create bigger initiatives that can foster an even larger community.
Would you like to say somthing general to our community?
I love you guys! Seeing all of your passion and enthusiasm is truly contagious and it definitely keeps us going on those long days. Thanks for watching BattleCast Primetime and giving us a chance. I can’t begin to tell you how scared I was when we first released our debut episode. I thought everyone would flame it.
Is there a reason, that „eye of the tiger“ is your favourite song and motto?
This is going to sound lame, but I like the message that it sends. I don’t pretend to be ‚all knowing‘ or profound, but I will say that in my short experience both professionally and in life, I’ve seen first-hand the power of persistence and never giving up. If you want something, then don’t let someone tell you, „you can’t“ or „you never will“. The world is full of stories of people for all walks of life who have ‚defied the odds‘ and accomplished some incredible things. I don’t presume to put myself in that category, but I’m pretty sure nobody ever accomplished greatness by quitting. It’s all about passion and drive and that’s what „Eye of the Tiger“ encompasses to me. Be sure to watch Rocky III to get Apollo Creed’s take on it.
What do you do in your spare time? Do you have some other hobbies?
Lately, I’ve been really getting into Photography. It’s a great hobby to have with all of the traveling that I get to do for EA and with today’s technology and advancements, it’s a lot easier and you can get some great results!
Note: The interview was done when CnCSaga.de and CnCHQ.de/HQBoard.net were separate pages, each with their own forums. The interview was conducted by CnCSaga.de at the time.
