Hudson Piehl Email & Phone Number

Chicago, Illinois, United States

Helping restaurants with menu pricing, menu monetization and staff training.

Greater Chicago Area

EMERGING optimizes restaurant and entertainment concepts for sustainable growth and profitability. emerging.com

Greater Chicago Area

Acutely brings data-driven site selection to growing restaurant chains. We use smart data science along with fundamental industry knowledge to help our clients discover the best new locations with confidence.

Greater Chicago Area

RTI powers diverse products that deliver high-quality, low-cost 360º video. A patented combination of advanced optical technology and processing software enables live 360º video to be streamed from a single camera, eliminating the expense and complexity of stitching video from multiple cameras.RTI licenses its 360º video technology to partners in select markets. Protected by seven granted patents, the technology evolved from systems developed for DARPA and the US military to provide “360º situational awareness” for manned and unmanned vehicles, surface ships, and submarines. With military DNA, the cameras are rugged, lightweight, portable, and even wearable, making them ideal for a range of applications and markets.The RTI team is led by veteran entrepreneurs and technologists. The company is based in Boston, MA.

Greater Chicago Area

Greater New York City Area

I manage the Mobile Gaming Group, consisting of twenty developers located in Bangalore, India. As the US representative, I am responsible for client management and overall direction of several apps in parallel. We work with a diverse set of companies from major corporations like Dannon and Scholastic to startups. I am particularly skilled at product vision, client coordination and project management for games, educational apps and consumer branded mobile apps. When I started, I inherited a team that was struggling to deliver quality products and correspondingly losing money. In a few short months, I successfully completed three troubled projects, signed several new titles and turned the group to profitability. Since then, we have released four additional apps with several more on the way for release this summer and fall.https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/rocket-runner/id630590568?mt=8https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/skinz-golf/id526583205?mt=8https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/scholastic-leader-dashboard/id624061827?mt=8https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/get-burstified!/id605864190?mt=8

Stamford, Ct

At FreePlay, a startup dedicated to mobile and tablet apps, I managed the development and operations of the company while periodically doing hands-on programming. We launched Cowboys & Aliens – Silver City Defense for iOS to coincide with the movie release. The game was completed in 90 days from funding with a subsequent port to Android for the DVD launch. Later in the year, we released SAT Word Slam which has been featured by Apple and won the Common Sense Media's 2013 ON For Learning Award.https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/sat-word-slam/id488332641?mt=8

I established a new office in Stamford, CT and managed the company’s game development and R&D groups. We created a unique Kinect/Move/Wii title concept based on a major, international star with an overall estimated budget of $20M. I produced a detailed financial analysis and extensive development plans to satisfy intense scrutiny from investors and distributors.

In late 2007 was promoted to Worldwide VP of Production with responsibility over producers and production services (QA, Localization, Engineering, 1st Party Relations) in multiple countries, total staff of 50+. In the subsequent eighteen months, my production group shipped 40+ skus on all major platforms including iPhone. After a management change, started development on several new initiatives in the online space, including MMOs. Investigated new online business models and worked closely with the rest of the organization to plan the transition for the company. In parallel, inherited large, complex productions through acquisitions from Vivendi and successfully launched significantly improved versions on time and on budget. Major Titles:Ghostbusters: The Video Game (360, PS3, Wii, DS, PC, PS2) – Sold 2.5+ million unitsChronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena (360, PS3, PC) Test Drive Unlimited 2 for PC, 360, PS3

Responsible for numerous titles produced out of North America with a production team of fifteen. Extensive, direct involvement on Neverwinter Nights 2 which needed significant intervention to ship successfully. Maintained positive momentum in the department during chaotic times at the company when many studios were closed. Consulted on several of our internally developed titles and a key member of the green light committee. When confidence in the development of Alone in the Dark (360, PS3) fell dramatically, volunteered to spend ten months in France with the developer onsite to instill new production management techniques and get the product back on track. Shipped the game within a year, which many observers at the time did not feel was possible with the hurdles the product was facing. Major Titles:Alone in the Dark (360, PS3, PC) Neverwinter Nights 2 + expansion packs (PC)

Inherited many projects in various stages of development and shipped 20+ skus during a two-year period. Made significant changes on several titles to improve reliability and overall quality within the remaining schedule. Rebuilt confidence in the rest of the organization in the professionalism of the product development group. Executed due diligence on many external developers. Worked closely with marketing and new business development on new product evaluations. Teen/Mature Products: Timeshift (360, PC) Indigo Prophecy/Fahrenheit (PS2, Xbox, PC) Dragon Ball Z Titles (PS2, Xbox, GBA) Test Drive: Eve of Destruction (PS2, Xbox) Family/Kid Brands:Hasbro Game Pack (DS)Trivial Pursuit (PS2, Xbox, PC)Scrabble Online (PC)Duel Masters (PS2, GBA)

Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (PS2, Xbox): Directed the project from inception to completion, supervising a 55+ person team at the height of production. Managed a $10+M budget and successfully transitioned the project when it doubled in size half way through development. Shipped two weeks early with sales of over three and a half million units. Pool of Radiance 2 (PC): Inherited the project halfway through development and negotiated improved financial terms with the publisher. Shipped the game after overcoming many development obstacles including loss of critical staff and publisher transition. Tiger Woods 2001 (PSX) and LEGO Inventures (PC): Shipped both titles on time and profitably for the company. Received positive reviews and praise from educational institutions for the LEGO Inventures products. NASCAR 2000 (PSX, N64, PC): Quickly gained the respect of a large, established team and improved morale. Built strong relationships with publisher counterparts. Shipped all versions on schedule and profitably for the company. The products received significantly improved reviews from the prior year.Madden Football ’98 (PC) and Tony La Russa Baseball 4 (PC): Directed both titles simultaneously and managed 25+ development staff. Member of Executive Management Team: Reviewed and made recommendations monthly on every project in the company. Developed new management techniques to successfully address increases in project complexity. Central role in analyzing the financial status of each project and the company. Primary advisor on all development contracts and credited with instituting engine ownership for the company. Involved in all HR issues including recruiting, compensation decisions and reviews.

Managed two technical teams simultaneously with a total staff of 10 engineers. Successfully re-introduced Madden Football to the PC market. Responsible for final QA for Stormfront’s self-published titles.Products:Madden Football ’97 (PC) Multiple La Russa Baseball products (PC)