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Creative children's media executive with 20+ years experience at Amazon, DreamWorks, and Disney delivering content that delights, engages, and inspires large audiences. Produced 80+ games with a focus on edutainment and play with purpose. Built and led strategic partnerships with global external developers and top content licensors. Entrepreneur who founded and grew 3 companies, raised venture funds 11 times, and led cross-functional teams of up to 75.I do my best work leading and collaborating in cross-functional teams, and I have extensive experience partnering with Design/Animation, Business Development, Engineering, Marketing, Finance, and Legal. I've often held business development roles (BD informs product management and vice versa), and worked closely with BD at Glow to secure and manage licenses with media companies including Disney, Nickelodeon, Hasbro, Mattel, and Sesame Workshop, as well as partnering with 10 external games studios in the US, Canada, and Europe. I thrive in passionate, kind, ambitious organizations that deliver innovative experiences, with company cultures that are smart, transparent, mission-driven, and have a sense of humor.FUN FACT:I began my career in Evolutionary Biology mentored by the late-great E.O. Wilson. My research in Papua New Guinea led to a thesis in bowerbird evolution funded by National Geographic that won Harvard's Bowdoin Prize. To this day, I find evolution a useful framework for analyzing system dynamics.
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Co-Founder, PresidentHello WonderSan Francisco, Ca, Us -
Co-FounderHello Wonder Mar 2023 - PresentHello Wonder is fixing the internet for kids and families with AI. We block dangerous interactions and curate the best of educational and entertainment content from across the internet. We give parents effortless oversight and peace of mind, and kids the freedom to explore. -
AdvisorAdvisor.Ai Sep 2023 - PresentSan Francisco, Ca, Us -
Executive Game ProducerAmazon Jul 2020 - Jan 2023Seattle, Wa, UsLed games on Amazon Glow, a console-to-mobile platform for game play and video calling. Owned portfolio and partner programs, and managed up to 11 Producers for both external and internal development. Directed interdisciplinary team across Design, Engineering, QA, Business Development, Marketing, Finance, and Legal. • Produced and live operated 53 exclusive casual games in 2 years with the mission to engage a broad audience across genres, ages, and skills. Delivered 70% of all time spent on Glow. • Scaled production by building a studio organization with 7 cross-functional pods to accelerate releases. • Drove partnerships with 10 global game studios to develop a broad portfolio of casual games from action and puzzle to strategy, simulation and educational, shifting Glow’s model from internal to external production. • Partnered with Business Development team to pitch, secure and implement licensing deals with Disney, Hasbro, Mattel, Spin Master, Nickelodeon, and Sesame Workshop. • Developed metrics for Kibana / Redshift to drive portfolio allocation, inform Live Ops, and assess brand licenses. -
Senior Producer, Games And Digital PlatformsNbcuniversal Media, Llc Mar 2018 - Oct 2019New York City, Ny, UsProduced casual mobile games for NBCU and DreamWorks Animation. Managed global external game studio relationships to deliver on-time and budget. Partnered with design, engineering, business, and legal teams to deliver art, tech stack, marketing, and finance milestones. • Produced "Rotten Tomatoes Trivia," a fast-paced PvP mobile game with clips from classic and current movies and TV shows, in collaboration with Fandango and Amber Studio. Subscription, IAP, and ad monetization.• Developed mobile interactive video network for kids with DreamWorks and SuperAwesome. Coordinated with movie and TV show stakeholders for "How to Train Your Dragon," "Trolls," and other properties to ensure IP integrity. COPPA and GDPR compliant. • Collaborated with DreamWorks and Fingerprint Digital to develop mobile games for app stores and private children's game network. -
Director, PartnershipsNextdoor 2016 - 2017San Francisco, California, UsLed partnership team to secure city governments, Police, and Fire agencies across the U.S. Created local news product and launched with 50 top city newspapers and TV channels. Developed and monitored KPIs to drive customer acquisition, engagement and retention. • Developed geofencing tool (internal) for targeted posts to neighborhoods, to enable partnerships.• Secured 1,008 new partnerships including FEMA and Red Cross, and live-operated 2,800 accounts.• Connected 22M new households to safety agencies and news organizations. -
Business ConsultantThe Nature Conservancy Feb 2016 - Sep 2016Arlington, Va, UsWrote the Prospectus for the Technology Catalyst Fund, which became the Sustainability Accelerator in partnership with TechStars. Selected for the role following pro-bono consulting work with HBS Community Partners. -
Vice President, Business DevelopmentFarfaria 2014 - 2015San Francisco, Ca, Us"Mobile subscription service for children's animated picture books." Led partnerships, licensing and distribution. Built B2B channels. Created YouTube promotional show Storytime TV.• Licensed 500+ animated storybook titles to Apple, Samsung, Cox and schools to add 20% to recurring revenue in year 1. Built Google and Amazon App store presences. Secured marketing partnership with Walmart. -
Principal ConsultantBackus Media 2013 - 2014Strategic Advisor to CEOs of entertainment, education and technology startups. 16 clients included streaming subscription bundler, location-based entertainment park, iTV studio, transmedia publisher, homework app, and smartwatch for kids.• Served in interim executive functions in Production, Business Development and Marketing to hit client funding, product development and sales milestones.
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Chief Executive Officer And FounderKidlandia 2008 - 2012San Francisco, Ca, Us"Developer of casual mobile games, an online virtual world, and personalized home décor with licensed and original characters."Hired and led team of 14 design, technical and business professionals. Raised $4M from venture firms. Illustrated original "Kreechurs" characters and fantasy maps.• Built 24 mobile games and digital media apps based on licensed characters and original Kreechurs art.• Negotiated licenses with Disney, Nickelodeon, National Geographic, Marvel and VeggieTales, and secured distribution with Walmart, Walgreens, Toys “R” Us and Pottery Barn, Walgreens growing sales 400% in 2011. • Co-authored US Patent 8418068, to enable low resolution web interfaces to generate high-resolution personalized image files for large format on-demand printing. “Awesome site that lets you create your own personalized fantasy maps" - TechCrunch -
President And Co-FounderQi Spirits 2004 - 2008"Distiller of artisan liqueurs made with organic teas, citrus and spices."Led sales and secured U.S. and international distribution to achieve profitability in 18 months. Developed original spirits. • Secured placement at The French Laundry, BevMo!, and hundreds of global fine dining and retail venues.“Best Summer Spirit” – Food & Wine“Deliciously smoky and ethereal” – New York Times
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Founder And Chief Executive OfficerUbubu 1999 - 2004San Francisco, California, Us"Software to share digital content via personalized 3D spaces and interactive bookmarks."Hired and led cross-functional team of 75 engineers, designers, and business professionals. Raised $11M from top venture firms. Co-architected software, led UX design, and co-wrote four patents. • Secured partnerships with Amazon, Warner Bros, eBay, fifty+ others, with Patrick Stewart as spokesperson.• Achieved 500K weekly active users in year 3. “The iMac of desktop management” – ZDNet“Hottest New Product” – Jupiter Communications -
Summer Associate, Digital Media PracticeMckinsey & Company 1998 - 1998UsDeveloped customer segmentation plans for digital media companies, with focus on defining "personas" and marketing strategies. -
Creative Producer, Disney InteractiveThe Walt Disney Company 1996 - 1997Burbank, Ca, UsSupervised creative production of titles based on animated features. Led animation, script, asset engineering, game design and sound design. • Produced the top-selling US interactive title of the year, "Hercules Animated StoryBook," on time and $340K under budget. • Directed voice-over talent including Danny DeVito and James Woods. -
Senior ProducerThe Voyager Company 1993 - 1996"Pioneer in digital entertainment and interactive experiences." • Led content strategy, design, video direction, talent management, budget and IP acquisition for a portfolio of titles from concept through market release. • Produced "Treasures of the American Museum of Natural History" and "Invisible Universe," awarded “Editor’s Choice” by Newsweek and “Most Creative Application of Technology in Higher Education” by SIGCAT respectively.
Brian Backus Skills
Brian Backus Education Details
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Harvard Business SchoolBusiness Management -
University Of Southern CaliforniaFilm Production -
Harvard UniversityMagna Cum Laude; Minor In Film Production -
Uc Berkeley ExtensionCertificate In Visual Arts
Frequently Asked Questions about Brian Backus
What company does Brian Backus work for?
Brian Backus works for Hello Wonder
What is Brian Backus's role at the current company?
Brian Backus's current role is Co-Founder, President.
What is Brian Backus's email address?
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What is Brian Backus's direct phone number?
Brian Backus's direct phone number is +141542*****
What schools did Brian Backus attend?
Brian Backus attended Harvard Business School, University Of Southern California, Harvard University, Uc Berkeley Extension.
What are some of Brian Backus's interests?
Brian Backus has interest in Leadership, Mobile, Team Building, Distribution, Décor, Collector Of Curios, Solar Energy, Literacy, Retail, Digital Media.
What skills is Brian Backus known for?
Brian Backus has skills like Digital Media, Start Ups, Entrepreneurship, Strategy, Strategic Partnerships, Business Development, E Commerce, Creative Direction, Business Strategy, User Experience, Mobile Applications, Strategic Planning.
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