As gamers, it’s easy for us to be impressed by flashy pixels darting across our screens from corner to corner, new gameplay features to elevate our gaming experience, and be sucked into the Oscar-worthy story of the century. But it takes a true pioneer in the gaming industry to really dig deep into the coding of the game and find out what it good and what is great.
Once more in collaboration with the second season of the 2022 NYX Game Awards coming to an end, we are proud to introduce to you the gaming pioneers that have made themselves at home in the esteemed Grand Jury Panel.
You know the rules, and so do we. So let’s just jump right into it!
Believe it or not, before Ed Mills cemented his legacy in the mobile gaming scene, Ed was actually a business manager for General Motors! And after 31 successful years of drawing up sales plans to sell cars with extreme amounts of power to the masses, Ed left the automotive industry and made a level-up in his career with Hitcents as a Co-Founder at their newly-opened branch in Los Angeles.
From here, everything is history! He singlehandedly led the mobile gaming industry all by himself and refined his skills in managing the relationships of some of the best Hollywood talent agencies and intellectual property holders for major AAA titles as well as mobile games released. Because of that, his portfolio is an incredibly impressive one that is filled to the brim with success stories such as working together closely with Tom Hanks, Stan Lee, One Direction, Harlem Shake, Jeniffer Lopez, Patrick Kane and many more A-List names that we’re all too familiar with!
But by far his biggest and proudest success was the chart-topping mobile game across all devices, Drawastickman Epic. With not only propelled Hitcents to stardom and #1 App five times in a row, but also countless Webby Awards.
Today, Ed Mills remains with Hitcents as Co-Founder. Additionally, he founded Hero Digital Entertainment and took control of the reins as acting Chief Executive Officer as part of a joint venture with Hitcents and JetSynthesis (Pune) as a global leader in A-List celebrity and IP-branded mobile games. This gaming pioneer also made his presence known in the 2022 NYX Game Awards Grand Jury Panel, and we are honored to have him grace our round table of jurors!
Hearthstone. Destiny. Call of Duty. Guitar Hero. These are some of the names whose impact in gaming have not been unheard of and still draws in new players by the minute in droves. And it’s all thanks to Aland Failde’s marketing efforts for these distinguished IPs during his time with Blizzard and Activision. Through developing a stalwart reputation for these video games, so did Aland’s marketing skills throughout the entire industry.
For over 15 years and counting, Aland is a passionate gamer at heart and dipping his toes in every possible industry he could find. Including the gaming industry! Where it is from there that he continues to expand his marketing influence and skills to infinity and beyond for various publishers and companies releasing AAA titles year after year. He is also the proud board member of the Latinx in Gaming group, where video game developers of Hispanic descent receive the accolades they deserve in the gaming sphere.
Today, Aland Failde is the tip of the spear in the marketing side of things at Second Dinner Studios as Vice President and Marketing. Asides from that, this gaming pioneer is also part of the Grand Jury Panel. We are incredibly excited to have someone who made gaming history among us as a jury today!
Have you ever seen a really well done video game trailer and getting excited for it? Even going as far as to preorder it by the time it ended? Well, that’s all thanks to Gage Allen. The acting Founder, CEO and Creative Director at Player One Trailers. A creative that specializes in, you guessed it, creating trailers, cinematics, TV commercials and many more for indie and AAA titles to be released!
In fact, you may have seen some of his studio’s works at one point! He is involved with some high-profile indie and AAA games usch as Baldur’s Gate 3, Stellaris, The Long Dark, Divinity: Original Sin 2, Transient, and many more. With an impressive portfolio of great game releases of the past six years of operation, it is no wonder that it has won well over 100 awards to further bolster their standing in the gaming world.
It is with great reason and these accolades in the industry that has landed Gage Allen a seat in the Grand Jury Panel for Season 2 of the 2022 NYX Game Awards. To curate and look at the games that will become worthy of a historic win. Welcome aboard, Gage. We’re excited having you here with us!
These pioneers in gaming only make up an incredibly small fraction of the Grand Jury Panel’s full power in judging the next big release. If you would like to know what 100% of their gaming prowess and industry experience, visit the NYX Game Awards website and take a gander at the industry titans that rule the gaming sphere!
And if you have what it takes to be part of that council, submit your portfolio to us and nominate yourself to become part of the higher authority in gaming here!
Check out the masters of the visual arts that pose as the official jurors for the NY Photography Awards!