Experience

Nintendo of America

• United States
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Sr. Director, Corporate Communications

  • Mar 2008 - Present

  • Responsible for NOA’s profile, reputation and brand positioning via traditional and social media. • Lead Nintendo during E3, CES, and other trade show campaigns. Drive planning and execution of media/analyst pre-briefings, presentations, and post event relations. Manage overall messaging and publicity on numerous HW and SW announcements. Make strategic decisions real time during shows and events as media coverage and public perception unfolds. • Lead Crisis Communications team on all lawsuits, product recalls, IP infringement cases, and numerous other topics that threaten the brand. Under my direction the company has avoided damage to our reputation as we have moved quickly to pre-empt crises before they can grow. • Manage Internal Communications team that produces executive speeches, stages company events, produces employee website, and drives employee product education. • Oversee Government Relations program and work with Entertainment Software Association team and lobbyists, as well as NOA lobbyists, to champion our agenda with federal, state and local governments. Nintendo values/positions are often held up as an example about what is good about the industry in terms of our contributions to health, family, and inclusiveness. • Lead Analyst Relations program for NOA as we build advocacy among influencers and opinion leaders who are often quoted in the media. Identified and established ongoing “inner circle” campaign with top analysts who are most critical to our momentum. • Coordinate worldwide efforts to synchronize company messaging so that Nintendo speaks with one voice. • Articulate corporate positioning regarding sales results with media and analysts. Work with Business Planning, Retail, and executives to position our data in the most favorable light. • Serve as primary Corporate Affairs liaison and build vital partnerships with numerous groups internally Show less



Sega

• Tanzania
• Non-profit Organization Management
• 1 - 100 Employee

• PR Director

  • Oct 2006 - Feb 2008

  • Led all internal and external corporate and product PR efforts in North and South America. • Partnered with 1st party manufacturers on joint PR campaigns. Led Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games announcement with NOA which generated 192 million impressions. • Directed corporate PR agency (Access PR) on campaigns and outreach to educate consumer and business media, as well as financial and industry analysts. Created presentations for SEGA executives, including myself, to use during editor and analyst meetings. • Directed product PR agencies (One PR and Foghorn Communications) on PR campaigns for 10 of our highest profile games including Sonic, Virtua Fighter, Golden Axe and Condemned. • Managed six internal publicists who drove PR campaigns for SEGA’s remaining 30+ titles. • Shaped media outreach and strategic positioning on licensed Hollywood intellectual property such as Fox’s Aliens, Marvel’s Iron Man, Hulk and Captain America, and New Line’s The Golden Compass. Worked closely with those companies on coordinated media outreach. Show less



Microsoft

• United States
• Software Development
• 200 - 300 Employee

• Sr. Global PR Manager, Xbox

  • Nov 2000 - Sep 2006

  • Drove PR strategy, planning and execution for multiple Microsoft Game Studios titles worldwide, such as Gears of War. • Drove platform PR for console and helped launch it as third-party PR manager. Created synergistic programs to help third-party game publishers increase coverage for their titles, which benefited Xbox and made it a more appealing platform choice. Wrote and presented pre- and post-launch media plans and style guides to publishers. • Created “Best on Xbox” tour to showcase the most impressive games available in the Xbox portfolio. Devised “taste test” for media to demonstrate Xbox superiority over competition. • Oversaw press release approval process for all third-party publishers, as well as hardware and manufacturing partners such as NVIDIA, Intel, Flextronics, Wistron, Samsung, and Dolby. • Created plans for media outreach around game/console retail bundles and the Xbox controller. • Managed Crisis Communication activities, including media spokesperson duties when Microsoft moved console manufacturing out of Hungary and Mexico, and into China. Show less



Electronic Arts

• Brazil
• Software Development

• PR Manager, EA Sports

  • Jun 1996 - Oct 2000

  • Generated print, TV and radio publicity for PC and console video games under the EA SPORTS brand. Primary focus was to promote the company flagship product, John Madden Football. Madden is a perennial top-ten selling game. Also managed, with no agency help, PR for the NASCAR, Knockout Kings boxing, NHL hockey, NCAA Football, SSX Snowboarding, Hunting/Fishing, Mario Andretti and F1 Racing franchises. • Pitched and secured 17 cover stories for my products in video game and sports specialty magazines. Obtained positive product coverage in mainstream print media such as Time, Newsweek and Rolling Stone. Landed TV hits on hundreds of national/local news broadcasts including NBC’s Today Show and ABC’s Good Morning America. Show less



Burson-Marsteller and Hi-Tech Communications

• Account Executive, Client - Sun Microsystems

  • Oct 1991 - May 1996

  One Client (Sun) that I stayed with across two agencies. When the first agency lost the account, Sun asked a small group of us to move to the new agency so we could continue our service. Account Executive, Burson-Marsteller, Feb. 1995 – May 1996 • Educated and influenced editorial/analyst communities to publicize Sun’s advanced graphics market and multiprocessing workstations. Planned and staffed multiple product launches. Account Executive, Hi-Tech Communications, Oct. 1991 – Dec. 1994 • Promoted Sun workstations in the retail and financial markets. Responsibilities included placing Sun executives as speakers at trade shows, including a keynote address for the CEO. Show less