Building the Best Pitch - Panel
Join this panel of experienced industry veterans as they discuss what goes into building the best pitch for your game, whether it be for grant applications, publishers or funding bodies.
Jens Schroeder:
Jens works as IGEA's Director of Industry and Member Relations.
He joined IGEA in 2019 after working as a lecturer for game design, manager of the SAE Sydney campus, Head of Academic Studies for Digital Media at Laureate Australia as well as Associate Dean (Design Vertical) for Torrens University.
Combining his experience in games, business, academia, management and leadership, Jens is responsible for representing and growing the IGEA’s development members by providing them a voice to government and industry, act as the interface between the Australian video game development industry and IGEA and work close with state, territory and commonwealth departments and agencies to the benefit of the industry.
Jens is also active in the development space; he is involved in a gamification project that aims to engage students of low socioeconomic status with tertiary education.
Liam Routt:
Liam Routt is the Manager of the Games programs at Film Victoria. He came to the agency after working in technical, design and production roles at large and small games companies in Victoria both before and after the GFC. At the funding agency, and in all things, Liam is driven to help others to achieve their goals.
While he is proud of the games which have been created in the state during his time at Film Victoria, it is the conversations they have with prospective applicants, whether experienced or new to the industry, that motivate him from week to week.
Meredith Hall:
Currently working at Film Victoria, Meredith supports the games industry locally and internationally, working on strategy, forward-planning, research, growth areas and more through programs and direct engagement with the sector.
She is an experienced marketer, producer and business developer. Meredith is the cofounder of Accessibility Unlocked, Communications Director & Lead Producer on HoloVista and a frequent public speaker and advocate. She was named one of 50 under 50 in InGames 2019 Gender Equality in Games list.
Jon Cartwright:
Jon Cartwright started making games back in the UK in the 80’s, getting titles published while he was still at school.
He’s worked for Big Red Software, Eidos plc and Blitz Games making titles for MGM, Fox Studios, Warner Bros., Nickelodeon, THQ, and SCi.
Jon moved to Brisbane in 2004 and joined THQ Studio Australia as Director of Production, managing IP and titles with Dreamworks, Games Workshop, Nickelodeon, and M Night Shymalan.
He has run R&D for technology outside the games industry and worked KIXEYE Australia in the free to play space, making MMORTS VEGA Conflict.
More recently Jon worked as Commercial Director at Prideful Sloth, helping them launch Yonder: The Cloud Catcher Chronicles initially on PS4 and PC, and followed by Switch and Xbox, and negotiated publishing deals in Japan, Korea, and China, along with full retail releases for PS4 and Switch in the US, Europe, and ANZ regions.
After securing a new publishing deal for Prideful Sloth at the beginning of 2019 Jon has been working independently, consulting with a number of clients helping them budget, schedule, pitch and close publishing and distribution for their indie games.
Liam Esler:
Liam Esler is an experienced games entrepreneur, writer, and producer from Melbourne Australia. He has worked as a producer and writer with some of the biggest brands in gaming, including Beamdog, Obsidian Entertainment, PikPok, Surprise Attack Games, and many others.
In addition to game development, Liam worked at the Game Developers’ Association of Australia for 3 years running Australia’s premiere games conference, GCAP, and was co-founder of GX Australia, a diversity-focused gaming convention that ran 2016 and 2017. He is currently the Managing Director of Summerfall Studios.