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Entertainment Gaming Leaders Class of 2022

Gaming Impact List Shane Rahmani Marie Sophie de Waubert Sarah Bond
Courtesy Images

Variety’s Entertainment Gaming Leaders report is an up-to-the-minute look at the key figures driving this dynamic intersection, where nothing less than a visual media revolution is taking place. Variety teams with Pixel United for first-ever Leaders in Gaming & Entertainment Breakfast Oct. 4. The in-person breakfast, held in Los Angeles, will bring together some of the biggest names in the gaming industry, and gathers the movers and shakers on the impact report as well as other leaders in this space.

Marc Merrill, co-founder and president of games for Riot Games, and Shauna Spenley, president of Riot Games Entertainment, will participate in a keynote conversation, moderated by Andrew Wallenstein, president and chief media analyst of Variety Intelligence Platform, about the successful screen crossovers of Riot’s video games, such as their Emmy-winning animated series “Arcane: League of Legends.”

Michael Lang, CEO of Pixel United, will be in conversation with Variety Co-Editor-in-Chief Cynthia Littleton about his vision for the mobile games industry, identifying opportunities for the wider entertainment industry to align with the passionate gaming community.

The breakfast will also feature the panel discussion Building a Franchise Through Gaming and Experiential Entertainment featuring Sean Shoptaw, senior VP at Walt Disney Games; Gio Hunt, VP of Oculus Studios for Meta; David Baronoff, founder and chief cross media officer for Bad Robot Games; and Helen Chiang, corporate VP of Minecraft Franchise. Moderated by Variety Intelligence Platform Correspondent and Media Analyst Heidi Chung, the panel will explore the intersection between gaming and film/TV, and address how the industries are collaborating to create an expanding universe for content.

“The video games industry is an incredibly important part of the fabric of the broader entertainment landscape and Pixel United is proud to help shine a spotlight on this powerful segment,” Lang said. “As a global mobile-first video games company engaging millions of players around the world every day, we understand the meaningful results that can be achieved when world-class gaming content and unrivaled fandom converge with other areas of the entertainment industry.”

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