Emergent’s reputation as a forward-thinking leader in the game development industry is only made possible by the strength of its leadership. Read below to learn more about the people directing Emergent Game Technologies.
Geoffrey Selzer
Chief Executive Officer & Chairman of the Board
Prior to accepting the leadership role at Emergent, Geoff consulted to video game and other media companies, specifically on the development and exploitation of cross-media intellectual property, fund raising and production for video game and other media companies. From 1995 through 1998, Geoff served as VP, Creative Development and Production for Disney Interactive, where he built, managed, and created the vision for a group of over 100 professionals responsible for the design, development and production of the interactive software titles at Disney Interactive. In addition to his work at Disney, Geoff enjoyed successful careers in publishing and investment banking with an emphasis on mergers and acquisitions.
Geoff completed his MBA (with a concentration in finance/international business) at Northwestern University’s Kellogg Graduate School of Business. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy awarded by Beloit College in Wisconsin.
Scott M. Johnson
President
Before joining Emergent, Scott was co-founder and CEO of Mobility Entertainment (MENT), a successful mobile entertainment developer that delivered more than 20 video game titles to market, including an IGN "Game of the Year." Prior to that, he was Vice President and Chief Financial Officer for Universal Interactive, which he helped transform into one of the fastest-growing video game publishers - releasing multiple hit titles and managing core franchises like Crash Bandicoot and Spyro the Dragon - and reaching revenues in excess of $300 million. As Vice President of Vivendi Universal Games, he oversaw strategic and financial planning, acquisitions, and administration. He also helped launch Vivendi's Black Label Games. Scott began his career at Deloitte & Touche LLP as a Certified Public Accountant.
He is an alumnus of the Harvard Business School and holds a BS/BA in Accounting from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
John Austin
Vice President, Technical and Academic Partnerships
John, who served as CEO of NDL prior to the merger, is a veteran of the games middleware market, having been around since shortly after NDL announced the NetImmerse product in 1998. He has more than 20 years of experience in the computer graphics industry, encompassing management and engineering positions at Hewlett-Packard, Inc., Sun Microsystems, and the Computer Sciences Department at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.
John earned a M.S in Computer Science from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. He holds a Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering awarded by Valparaiso University in Indiana.
Doug Kubel
Vice President of Product Development
Doug, who served as NDL's VP of Engineering, is a 20-year veteran of the graphics and games markets. He has held management positions at Interactive Magic and Sun Microsystems, as well as management stints at Open Site Technologies and Siebel Systems. Doug is active in the local technology community, serving on the board of the Triangle Technology Executive Council and as Director of their Leadership Forum.
He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering, awarded by North Carolina State University.
Katie Morgan
Vice President of Sales and Marketing
Katie is a veteran of the video games industry bringing over 16 years of valuable experience from the publishing world. Before joining Emergent, Katie worked at SouthPeak Interactive as Executive Vice President of Business and Product Development. Katie brings diverse experience with over 7 years at Procter and Gamble in production management as well as experience at Apple Computer Inc in sales strategy; SoftKat, a division of W.R. Grace & Co. where she managed the educational software business; and Time Warner, where she managed sales and marketing in the content provider’s entrance into the multimedia market. In 1997, she started with SouthPeak as a consultant to the President, while owned by SAS Institute and was instrumental in the sale of the company to its new owners in 2000. SouthPeak Interactive went public in May 2008.
Katie holds a Bachelor of Science in Operations Research and Industrial Engineering from Cornell University and a Master of Business Administration from Stanford University.
Karina Speicher
Vice President of Operations & Finance
Karina has several years experience in finance and accounting, strategic planning, and mergers and acquisitions. She was most recently at Technicolor Entertainment Services where she served as Senior Director of Business Development and was responsible for creating the strategic and operational financial plan to launch Technicolor Interactive Services. In 2006, she initiated the investment in India-based Paprikaas Animation Studios (announced 2007) as part of the overall Interactive Services business plan. She also completed several other international acquisitions including the acquisition of The Moving Picture Company (2004), an industry-leading provider of visual effects and post-production services for the feature motion picture and commercial advertising industries, from British broadcaster ITV.
Prior to this, Karina worked at JPMorgan H&Q in San Francisco focusing on technology M&A, and separately, at Deloitte and Touche LLP as a public accountant. Karina earned her undergraduate degree from UCLA, an MBA from Columbia Business School and is a Certified Public Accountant.