EFWSOT with Kelly Zmak

EFWSOT with Kelly Zmak

From One Step Above Dirt to 300+ Shipped Titles: 40 Years of Gaming Wisdom with Kelly Zmak What does it take to survive and thrive through four decades of video game history? In this episode, hosts Gary Gettys and Ric Neil sit down with industry legend Kelly Zmak—a veteran executive, consultant, and the man who famously turned the cowboy hat into a gaming industry trademark. Kelly shares his incredible "rung-by-rung" journey, starting as a part-time game tester at Activision in 1986 (where QA techs were jokingly called "one step above dirt") and climbing all the way to Studio President of Radical Entertainment and founder of Infinite Game Publishing. Whether you are a casual gamer who loves a good behind-the-scenes story, a developer trying to build the next big thing, or an investor navigating today's market, Kelly breaks down the raw realities of game development, funding, and the massive industry resets happening right now. 🎧 What We Unpack In This Episode: * The Wild West of the '80s & '90s: What game testing looked like in 1986 on the Atari 2600 and Amiga, and how Kelly accidentally stumbled into a lifelong career. * The Bobby Kotick Era: What it was like being one of only five employees to move to LA when Activision was acquired, and the time Infocom’s entire legendary history was saved from being sold for just $25,000. * Original IP vs. Licensing (Prototype): Why creating an original intellectual property is "the hardest thing to do in our industry" and the immense pressure of hitting Call of Duty numbers. * The AI Revolution & The "Vibe Coding" Era: How AI is actively changing venture capital expectations, stripping away entry-level talent pipelines, and how to use it ethically to preserve human creativity rather than reduce it. * The Hard Truths of Funding & Failure: Why 7 out of 10 dev teams fail before reaching the market, how bots are ruining Steam Wishlists, and the exact mindset shift needed to move from "creative founder" to "company builder". The Global Gaming Scene: Kelly’s recent work in Saudi Arabia as a Fractional COO and Executive Coach for the Exel by Merak accelerator program.

EFWSOT with Kelly Zmak

From One Step Above Dirt to 300+ Shipped Titles: 40 Years of Gaming Wisdom with Kelly Zmak What does it take to survive and thrive through four decades of video game history? In this episode, hosts Gary Gettys and Ric Neil sit down with industry legend Kelly Zmak—a veteran executive, consultant, and the man who famously turned the cowboy hat into a gaming industry trademark. Kelly shares his incredible "rung-by-rung" journey, starting as a part-time game tester at Activision in 1986 (where QA techs were jokingly called "one step above dirt") and climbing all the way to Studio President of Radical Entertainment and founder of Infinite Game Publishing. Whether you are a casual gamer who loves a good behind-the-scenes story, a developer trying to build the next big thing, or an investor navigating today's market, Kelly breaks down the raw realities of game development, funding, and the massive industry resets happening right now. 🎧 What We Unpack In This Episode: * The Wild West of the '80s & '90s: What game testing looked like in 1986 on the Atari 2600 and Amiga, and how Kelly accidentally stumbled into a lifelong career. * The Bobby Kotick Era: What it was like being one of only five employees to move to LA when Activision was acquired, and the time Infocom’s entire legendary history was saved from being sold for just $25,000. * Original IP vs. Licensing (Prototype): Why creating an original intellectual property is "the hardest thing to do in our industry" and the immense pressure of hitting Call of Duty numbers. * The AI Revolution & The "Vibe Coding" Era: How AI is actively changing venture capital expectations, stripping away entry-level talent pipelines, and how to use it ethically to preserve human creativity rather than reduce it. * The Hard Truths of Funding & Failure: Why 7 out of 10 dev teams fail before reaching the market, how bots are ruining Steam Wishlists, and the exact mindset shift needed to move from "creative founder" to "company builder". * The Global Gaming Scene: Kelly’s recent work in Saudi Arabia as a Fractional COO and Executive Coach for the Exel by Merak accelerator program.

EFWSOT with Mark Day

Join us for this joyous and wide-ranging conversation with Mark Day, veteran video game producer and studio executive with over three decades of experience spanning AAA entertainment, government simulation, and live-service ecosystems.🚀 Key Career Milestones:The EA & Wing Commander Era (1994–1999): As a pivotal producer during Electronic Arts' 1990s cinematic boom, Day managed the EA Media Lab and shipped iconic sci-fi titles, including Wing Commander III, IV, and Prophecy. He also produced games featuring icons like Tiger Woods and Michael Jordan.Studio Leadership (1999–2002): Co-founded Daylight Productions to capitalize on the DVD-ROM evolution, expanding it to 45+ employees and securing major multi-platform IPs like SpongeBob SquarePants before negotiating its multimillion-dollar sale to Kalisto Entertainment.Serious Games & DARPA (2007–2021): Transitioned into defense simulation as EVP at Intific, overseeing high-fidelity military training tools. He later co-founded voidALPHA, generating millions in revenue by building gamified software puzzles for DARPA (StormBound) and designing planet environments for Cloud Imperium Games’ Star Citizen.Modern Live Services (2022–2024): Served as Senior Producer at Heavy Iron Studios, optimizing Agile processes to deliver features for massive live-service ecosystems like Fortnite, Rocket League, and Meta Horizon Worlds.🏛️ Legacy: Day’s foundational impact on 1990s gaming history is preserved in the permanent "Mark Day papers" collection at The Strong National Museum of Play.

EFWSOT with Mark Day

Join us for this joyous and wide-ranging conversation with Mark Day, veteran video game producer and studio executive with over three decades of experience spanning AAA entertainment, government simulation, and live-service ecosystems.🚀 Key Career Milestones:The EA & Wing Commander Era (1994–1999): As a pivotal producer during Electronic Arts' 1990s cinematic boom, Day managed the EA Media Lab and shipped iconic sci-fi titles, including Wing Commander III, IV, and Prophecy. He also produced games featuring icons like Tiger Woods and Michael Jordan.Studio Leadership (1999–2002): Co-founded Daylight Productions to capitalize on the DVD-ROM evolution, expanding it to 45+ employees and securing major multi-platform IPs like SpongeBob SquarePants before negotiating its multimillion-dollar sale to Kalisto Entertainment.Serious Games & DARPA (2007–2021): Transitioned into defense simulation as EVP at Intific, overseeing high-fidelity military training tools. He later co-founded voidALPHA, generating millions in revenue by building gamified software puzzles for DARPA (StormBound) and designing planet environments for Cloud Imperium Games’ Star Citizen.Modern Live Services (2022–2024): Served as Senior Producer at Heavy Iron Studios, optimizing Agile processes to deliver features for massive live-service ecosystems like Fortnite, Rocket League, and Meta Horizon Worlds.🏛️ Legacy: Day’s foundational impact on 1990s gaming history is preserved in the permanent "Mark Day papers" collection at The Strong National Museum of Play.

EFWSOT with Andrew Walker

Andrew is a storied Business Development leader in the gaming industry. From the early game publishing days to his current role at Gameye, Andrew combines deep technical expertise with an eye for what's fun to play. He's also embracing AI, building agents to streamline his workflow in the office and at home. Join us for our wide ranging discussion from just after GDC 2026.