Archive for November, 2008
November 24th, 2008
We just returned from the annual Echoing Green Conference. This year’s conference was held in Philadelphia from Thursday to Sunday. As always, it was packed with information, opportunities, and, most of all, great people!
It’s an absolute honor to be a part of this tremendous group of people. When you listen to the different missions of the organizations my colleagues represent and how far they have come in such a short time, it truly humbles and inspires. We’re talking about A+ people who have committed themselves to achieving impact where it is most needed — all over the world. This years class includes 19 more social ventures, led by 27 fellows. The group is as diverse and talented as the work they have set out to do.
The new class includes at least a few other for-profit social ventures. Of course, I’m a big believer in the possibilities of doing good through a for-profit structure and think that social enterprise will continue to move in this direction while not-for-profit ventures likewise continue to affect sea change. In Skill-Life’s case, our corporate structure has been essential to how far we’ve come and to our plans for traveling the road ahead.
And it looks like the mighty class of 2007 will again plan our own retreat for next June! These opportunities to spend time with other fellows is invaluable. We’re all out here facing challenges and making strides. Sharing experiences, resources, contacts, and the like makes this social entrepreneurship journey that much less daunting and all the more possible.
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November 20th, 2008 | Tags: 360KID, Game Development, Metaversal Studos
Yesterday, Todd Waits and I took a one-day trip to Boston to meet with two game developers — 360KID and Metaversal Studios. It was a very productive trip during which we were able to set the foundation for work ahead.
360KID has significant experience creating products that educate and entertain youth. We were initially introduced to this company during our search for an executive producer to join the Skill-Life management team. The folks there have great insight into the youth market and can potentially support our efforts at enhancing Skill-Life’s game design and additional efforts to build our Beta.
Todd helped set up the meeting with Metaversal on short notice. The team there has created a number of great games and has already done some work on financial education for a Boston-based nonprofit with which Skill-Life has some connections.
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November 18th, 2008 | Tags: Game Development, Jobs, Social Impact, Todd Waits
The search for an executive producer to lead development of our Beta has been a long one. Over the last few weeks, we have had the opportunity to interview some excellent candidates. And it looks like we’re heading in the right direction with one particularly talented individual — Todd Waits.
Todd is no stranger to Skill-Life. As CEO of Semiotic Technologies, he led the team that produced our current prototype. It’s been a year since I first met with Todd at a Starbucks on East Carson (a day on which I distinctly remember getting caught in the rain and ending up drenched by the time I arrived). Over that time, we have had the opportunity to work closely together, sharing successes and overcoming challenges. Todd is intimately familiar with Skill-Life, from our program code to our mission for social impact. There is perhaps no better partner at this stage to help take our product from prototype to Beta and beyond.
Over the next month, Todd is working with Skill-Life on an interim basis. We intend to use the days ahead to hone in on our product development plans and to strengthen the Skill-Life business model. We’re spending this week meeting with developers in Boston and in Philadelphia while attending the upcoming Echoing Green conference. By next month, we’ll have an even stronger sense of where to take this company and how best to bring Todd on at a high level.
Todd Waits graduated from Brigham Young University with a degree in Film. While an undergraduate, he directed a crew of over twenty students and studied cinematic techniques as they relate to video game theory. As a graduate student at Carnegie Mellon’s Entertainment & Technology Center, Todd implemented a project to more closely examine the emerging technology of small-screen media such as video iPods, Sony PSPs and cell phones. He worked with ETC Media Services to help further hone the image of the ETC and its focus on creating high quality internal productions. During his final year, he worked with CERT, also located at Carnegie Mellon University, to develop a training simulation prototype to teach supervisors and managers how to detect and mitigate insider computer sabotage. As CEO of Semiotic Technologies, he has partnered with Stephen Calender and Evan Miller to build virtual environments for the White House Historical Society, SimTime, Skill-Life, and others — contracting over $120,000 in sales.
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November 12th, 2008 | Tags: AlphaLab, Jobs, Tech Collaborative
Our time at the AlphaLab officially ends at the end of the month as the IW team here prepares to bring in a new group of six tech start-ups It’s been a great five months going on six. This office space, and the community it has fostered, has been terrific.
Today, I had the opportunity to check out our new digs in Oakland (the part of Pittsburgh where Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Pittsburgh are located). It’s a great office space right in the heart of Craig St (311 Craig Street; Suite 303). And it’s already too big for me alone, which is absolutely critical as we step up our efforts to bring on an executive producer, game engineer, marketing executive, and other critical team members.
The office space is being provided free of charge to Skill Life through the Tech Collaborative — http://www.techcollaborative.org/ — an economic development, not-for-profit organization. Another shining example of Pittsburgh supporting local tech initiatives and entrepreneurship!
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