Rise and Play Podcast

Carol Miu is the CEO of PeopleFun known for the casual hit game Wordscapes. The company has seen tremendous growth from $100MM in annual revenue in 2018 to over $300MM currently. Carol shares her whole journey from joining the company in 2018 as the product leader on Wordscapes to becoming the CEO. Learn how Carol approached scaling an organization of 17 people to a mature organization of 100+ employees, and how to grow the team leaders in a sustainable way. After all, the leaders of an organization are the most influential people to steer the culture and company results.How do you give the best chances of success and training for your new leaders in the company? Use the EDGE Technique to lead: Explain, Demonstrate, Guide, Enable. How do you ensure that leaders have a manageable number of reports? For a new leader, it should be one report. For an experienced leader, it should be six-seven reports maximum. How are you following those principles?Thank you to our sponsor! Identify your ideal audience with today's sponsor Solsten to streamline development decisions and get to market faster. Visit solsten.io/contact-us and mention Rise x Play for a demo and receive 30% off your first Solsten engagement crafted to your studio’s needs.Don't forget to subscribe to Rise and Play: https://www.riseandplay.io This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit riseandplay.substack.com

For the occasion of International Women's Day, I want to celebrate with you all the virtue of Courage. The courage to be ourselves, the courage to change our lives when something is not right, the courage to listen to ourselves and to respect our needs, first. A month ago, I did something I was really afraid to do: tell a personal story on stage. The story you are about to hear is a performance I gave on stage at The Bear, a Berlin storytelling event with up to 100 people in the audience. You get up onstage, no notes, and tell a story that is related to a theme (on this evening, it was 'Work'). The more vulnerable you are, the more powerful the story ends up becoming. I really wanted to do it because I felt I had something to tell. I was afraid because I thought I was not capable of doing it. I thought I would panic on stage and fail. But what I usually do when I face a fearful situation, I dive into it. Because I know I will grow from this, I will learn, even if it is scary. I hope you will enjoy this special story, that will inspire you to do something daring and fun today, too. For yourself.Happy International Women's Day! If you've enjoyed this episode, don't forget to subscribe to Rise and Play: https://www.riseandplay.ioVideo of the show: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dP850uh36g0Thanks to The Bear for giving me the space on stage! The piano song is played and composed by James Harper. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit riseandplay.substack.com

A proven way to build a strong company culture starts from the top, with the leadership. Is this the only way? Today, we discuss with Jussi Tähtinen, CEO and co-founder of Nitro Games, a Finnish mobile mid-core games studio, on how to build a culture bottom-up. How do you start the process when you want to involve your people in reevaluating your culture? How do you define company values bottom-up, and at which stage of the company should you do it? How often should you update you values and culture? Values are not just pretty words on the wall, so how do you turn them into everyday habits of the company life?Identify your ideal audience with today's sponsor Solsten to streamline development decisions and get to market faster. Visit solsten.io/contact-us and mention Rise x Play for a demo and receive 30% off your first Solsten engagement crafted to your studio’s needs. Don't forget to subscribe to Rise and Play: https://www.riseandplay.io This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit riseandplay.substack.com

What is managing up? While there are plenty of books about how to be a good Leader, there are few to none about how to be a good follower. Why is that?Wherever you are in this world, you will always report to someone, your boss, a stakeholder, or an investor. Making those relationships work is as important as the relationships you build in your team. How can you apply your empathetic superpowers to your manager? Managing up is good for you, good for your boss, and good for the organization as a whole.In this episode, we cover how to "Manage Up" with Michail Katkoff (Managing Director at Savage Games Studios and Founder of Deconstructor of Fun) - How to be a good subordinate?- How do you identify the "type" of your manager, and how do you adapt your leadership style for each?- What are the upsides of managing up well?Full video of the episode here: https://youtu.be/jlXkU0N2UKcCheck out the book Manage UpMore resources from HBR: https://hbr.org/2015/01/what-everyone-should-know-about-managing-upIf you've enjoyed this episode, don't forget to subscribe to Rise and Play: https://www.riseandplay.io This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit riseandplay.substack.com

In this episode, we cover the journey of Celine Pasula, Managing Director at Ubisoft RedLynx, on the evolution of the studio after the acquisition from Ubisoft. Being a game studio acquired by a big company is no longer a single story these days. So how do you manage this transition to preserve the DNA of your studio, people, and culture? Is this a realistic outcome to expect?We will cover in the discussion how to tackle strategic communication when you are onboarded as the new General Manager/Managing Director/COO/CEO, post-acquisition. It might be tempting to execute core changes fast, but this will have a cost on the people and culture. You need to go slow, to go fast. Sit down, talk and listen to everyone in the company to understand the history, where is the company now, and where it needs to be.Celine Pasula has over a decade of leadership experience in top mobile gaming companies including startups and bigger companies. She has been working with experiences on all platforms, mobile and HD. Celine is an expert in leadership, finance, legal and business development and also in building a great company culture.If you've enjoyed this episode, don't forget to subscribe to Rise and Play: https://www.riseandplay.io This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit riseandplay.substack.com

According to studies in the US and Europe in 2021, 1 out of 5 of your employees are experiencing a diagnosable mental illness, 53% are saying that their work or work environment negatively impacts their mental health.While it is an uncomfortable topic for company leaders, we cannot ignore the fact that it is happening on a global scale. What can we do about it and where is the line to draw between an employer and employees? In this episode, we tackle with Songya Why mental health issues happen and creep into the workplace. Impactful and durable changes happen from the top, so we will provide in this episode tools for leaders to first understand what mental health is about and how they can reflect on their own mental health. We will provide directions on how they can support the mental health of employees through the company environment they create.Songya Kesler is an EXECUTIVE COACH who is PCC-accredited through the International Coaching Federation, Songya works with business leaders on (1) personal development, (2) leadership, and (3) business strategy. Contact her for coaching inquiries: https://www.songyakesler.com/Reports and data sources on mental health:https://www.mindsharepartners.org/mentalhealthatworkreport-2021https://www.kff.org/coronavirus-covid-19/issue-brief/the-implications-of-covid-19-for-mental-health-and-substance-use/who.int/europe/publications/i/item/WHO-EURO-2022-6108-45873-66068Thank you to our sponsor Game Refinery: https://info.gamerefinery.com/riseandplay to get a free product tour. Build better games + live events with leaner teams.Don't forget to subscribe to Rise and Play: https://www.riseandplay.io This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit riseandplay.substack.com

Netflix has been in the spotlight since it announced its game platform. How do you approach building a portfolio of games for an entertainment platform? What are the skills required as a Publisher vs a Developer? How do you select the game developers who will be the best partners from the point of view of a publisher?Leanne Loombe has extensive career developing and publishing games over the past 18 years, working on iconic franchises such as Magic the Gathering, Need for Speed, and League of Legends. She is currently heading up External Games at Netflix and helping to change how we play games through Netflix. In this episode, Leanne shares her learning on Publishing, coming from the lens of a game developer.Additionally, Leanne is a passionate ambassador for Women In Game and focuses on encouraging women to join the industry and creating diversity in teams through mentorship, panels, and events.Thank you to our sponsor Game Refinery: https://info.gamerefinery.com/riseandplay to get a free product tour. Build better games + live events with leaner teams.Don't forget to subscribe to Rise and Play: https://www.riseandplay.ioMore info on jobs at Netflix Games: https://jobs.netflix.com/team?slug=netflix-games-studio This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit riseandplay.substack.com

DEI has been a buzzword over the past few years. It has been overused as an employer branding strategy or an attempt to correct inequality in the workplace. But implementing a DEI department, DEI initiatives or training won't resolve the root of the inequality gap. Durable changes start at the company's core (and top): Why do you exist? What is your mission and why caring about DEI will support your mission and values? Only then, you can identify where DEI must be implemented as part of your processes, to reflect the culture and mission you support. We will cover in this episode with Laura the concrete steps to incorporate DEI in your company: to be part of your hiring process, career development process, and feedback culture.Laura is an organizational researcher and the former Head of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Bolt and the current founder of VALIDEI, a research agency specializing in assessments of DEI and scalability. Laura applies a data-informed approach to supporting viable businesses and ways of working.Thank you to our sponsor Game Refinery: https://info.gamerefinery.com/riseandplay to get a free product tour. Build better games + live events with leaner teams.Don't forget to subscribe to Rise and Play: https://www.riseandplay.io This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit riseandplay.substack.com

We meet again in this episode with Joakim Achrén, founder of Elite Game Developers, to break the myth of the stressful busy entrepreneur, and that it is actually not good for you. Why is this so hard to talk openly about mental burnout among entrepreneurs and leaders? Why are we holding on that image of control? What's happening under the surface, and what are the long-term consequences in the long run of suppressing negative emotions?  We'll address in this episode:- The definition of burnout. What are the signs? Joakim and I will share our personal experiences.- What can you do once you know you are in a burnout or depressive state? How can therapy help? - What are still the blockers for leaders to seek help and therapy?Thank you to our sponsor Game Refinery: https://info.gamerefinery.com/riseandplay to get a free product tour. Build better games + live events with leaner teams.Don't forget to subscribe to Rise and Play: https://www.riseandplay.io This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit riseandplay.substack.com

In this new segment of Rise and Play, I sit down with my business partner Miska Katkoff, CEO at Savage Games, and the founder of Deconstructor of Fun.  In those episodes, we will be sparring thoughts with Miska, reflecting on our leadership work at Savage. Full video of the talk: https://youtu.be/HwlPik-s8kkKicking off this segment, we tackle in this episode "How to plan your next career moves?"  How do I approach my career and nurture my Zone of Genius  How did I make the decision to join Savage (instead of building my own company? or continuing my former studio at Voodoo)? It. comes down to the question "How do I want to spend my time? Who do I want to spend time with?"  How does Rise and Play fit into my mission and career growth?  How did I ensure an effective integration at Savage, even before I officially started?  How do you develop your personal branding? And why does it matter? - Why developing your relationship capital is fundamental in growing to leadership roles?Thank you to our sponsors. Game Refinery: https://info.gamerefinery.com/riseandplay to get a free product tour. Build better games + live events with leaner teams. Appodeal: https://appodeal.com join the all-in-one growth platform for mobile app creators of any size.Don't forget to subscribe to Rise and Play: https://www.riseandplay.io This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit riseandplay.substack.com