Tom Söderlund's CV

Game Producer/Designer/Executive (contractor)

Working with video games on a contractor basis, including:

• Game production and project management.
• Game design & user interface design.
• Product management, product strategy & business modeling.
• Marketing.
• Business and partner development.

Projects have included: designing and producing the mobile GPS game "Geo" for Useful Networks, producing several PC titles for Paradox Interactive.

Founder and CEO, Zyked (www.zyked.com)

Zyked aims to make sports and exercising more fun by adding gameplay and community features. The first Zyked product is an innovative internet- and mobile service available at www.zyked.com.

Mobile Business Development & Publishing at Oberon Media, Europe (www.oberon-media.com)

In November, Blaze was acquired by Oberon Media - the leading global provider of casual games solutions. Oberon distributes games to all the top online gaming sites including sites for MSN Games, Pogo.com, France Telecom, and AOL ICQ. I worked with business development with European carriers (e.g. Telefónica Spain, Orange Spain, O2 UK), while still managing some publishing activities.

Head of Games Publishing, Blaze (www.blaze.com)

Mobile games publisher (formerly Kayak/Synergenix) with offices in US and Europe. I was part of the European management team, working with publishing strategy, product portfolio, licensing issues, and 3rd-party development. Also working hands-on as producer on selected projects, including (see also my games portfolio):

• The Da Vinci Code (www.blaze.com/dvc/) licensed from Sony Pictures. Overseeing all the DVC products outside the US, and producing two of the titles hands-on (Da Vinci Code 3D and Light Puzzle).
• Lock 'n Load 2 (www.blazeentertainment.se/locknload2), a genre-defining mobile first-person shooter, taking 3D mobile gaming to the next level.

Executive Game Producer, Daydream (www.daydream.se)

Mobile games publisher, results of the merger of Carbello, It's Alive, and Rezet. I was part of the management team, shaping Daydream's publishing strategy and product portfolio, acting as product manager and project manager for several game titles, including (see also my games portfolio):

• BotFighters 2 (www.botfighters.com): the world's first location-based game (read more under "It's Alive" below).
• IPerG research project (www.pervasive-gaming.org): a four-year EU-funded research project on pervasive gaming, involving Daydream, Sony, Nokia, Blast Theory, Fraunhofer Institute, SICS, Interactive Institute, Gotland University, University of Nottingham, and University of Tampere.
• A music adventure game for a major phone manufacturer.

Executive Game Producer and Game Designer, It's Alive (www.itsalive.com)

Games studio focusing on pervasive gaming. I was part of the management team, responsible for game design of new games, and product management for the game during its complete life cycle.

Executive producer of the following games (see also my games portfolio):

• BotFighters (www.botfighters.com): the world's first location-based game, a location-based mobile massively multiplayer game, with SMS/J2ME/Web interfaces. The game has so far been launched in five countries, and received the Prix Ars Electronica "Award of Distinction" in 2002.
• Supafly: a location-based mobile MMORPG with a "soap opera" theme, aimed at casual gamers.
• Spaceport: a wireless multiplayer game demonstrating "proximity gaming" on the Symbian platform.
• Vampires: a 3G location-based mobile MMORPG with J2ME interface, for operator 3.
• X-Fire: mobile action game tied to TV format, for Channel 4 UK.
• Special Forces: action game with TV component, for TV producer Endemol.
• Matrix game platform: The game engine that was It's Alive's underlying technology for all games.

Co-founder and CEO, It's Alive (www.itsalive.com)

I co-founded the games start-up It's Alive together with three partners, and managed the company as CEO for the first year of operations. Played an important role in acquiring finance, hiring personnel and getting the first customers. Developed and launched the world's first location-based game, "BotFighters".

Assisting Project Manager, Channell Communications (New York City)

Worked with project management, graphic design and web application development. Clients included Chase Manhattan Bank and Merrill Lynch.

Competitive analysis for startup, eDesk

Analyzed competitors and business environment factors for web startup eDesk.

Brand analysis and valuation, Brand Management (www.bmn.se)

Working with brand related issues, especially regarding the financial value of a brand and developing models for brand valuation.

IT Manager, Modern Times Group (MTG) (www.mtg.se)

Operational IT management for Airtime, the TV channels TV3, TV6, ZTV, and radio channels Radio Rix and Power Hit Radio. Responsible for purchases, budgeting and managing the IT support staff. One of the major tasks was to lead a project of upgrading the entire IT platform and implementing a new sales support system in Airtime, TV3, TV6, and ZTV in Sweden, Norway, and Denmark.

My First Startup

Started own consulting company, Tom Söderlund Kommunikation, with IT and design consulting as specialty.

Stockholm School of Economics ("Handelshögskolan")

Master of Science in Business Administration.

Major in Entrepreneurship, published master thesis "Improved Decision-Making in Start-ups".

Interactive Narratives Master Class

Graduate course at DSV, Royal Institute of Technology.

Vendator Institutet

Basic management training.

A Different Game

Founder and editor of A Different Game (www.differentgame.org), a website on alternative game design in computer games.

Svenska Datorspelinstitutet (SDSI)

Co-founder of "Swedish Computer Games Institute" (Svenska Datorspelinstitutet, www.sdsi.se), working to promote games as culture and mass medium.

bin·aire

Founder and main editor of bin·aire, an online art gallery and forum (www.binaire.org, now closed).