Steve Jackson joined Smashing Ideas in February 2005 having been active in the new media industry for over 12 years. Prior to joining Smashing Ideas, was President and CEO of Applied Semantics, a Santa Monica, CA-based producer of software applications (AdSense) for the online advertising, domain name and enterprise information management markets. The company realized a half billion unique impressions a month across its domain-name network, with a click-through rate of 50 percent on many of the listings. Applied Semantics was acquired by Google in 2003.

Before joining Applied Semantics, Jackson served as senior vice president and general manager of iXL, Inc. during which time he created the global Media & Entertainment division, which produced innovative consumer-focused Internet sites and revenue-generating business-to-business online initiatives. Under Jackson’s direction, the division grew annual revenues from $2.5M to over $15M in under 18 months. iXL went public in 1999 and reached a market capitalization of $3.5 billion with 38 offices globally. An entrepreneur and early Internet provider, Jackson was founder and CEO of Spin Cycle Entertainment which he sold to iXL. While overseeing the implementation of numerous Web sites for Spin Cycle clients, Jackson directed and produced six TV shows for Universal Studios as well as the Microsoft television special on the launch of Windows ’95. Jackson’s company (a Smashing Ideas client in 1998) was credited with creating Universal’s first Java-enabled online game with Jurassic Park, as well as the first utilization of streaming audio for a Waterworld online game over nine years ago.

Brian Burke joined Smashing in 2005 and currently serves as Executive Director and General Manager for Smashing Ideas Mobile and Devices division. Burke and his team focus on design, development, interactive strategy and content distribution for mobile phones including Smartphones, iPhones as well as tablet devices including the iPad. Burke has also been instrumental in business development for the company and is currently building out the e-Publishing division.

Prior to Smashing Ideas, he held leadership positions at several pioneering digital companies, including Zango Inc, where he served as Senior Director, creating the company’s online content business. Additionally, Burke was with Atom Entertainment (now an MTV Networks company) as Vice President of Syndication, where he built the company’s multi-screen, content syndication business. Burke also held senior roles at Vendaria Media Inc, and Imation Publishing Software (formerly a division of Adobe). He received his M.A. in European Studies from K.U. Leuven, Belgium and earned his B.A. in Communications Studies at Seattle University.

Barbara Pritchard thought nothing could tear her away from her career in the music industry as a record label promoter and band manager. Leaving tour schedules and record releases behind, she spent the dotcom heyday at AtomFilms.com, then a couple years at Xbox working on the first ever Xbox Live! titles. Since becoming a producer at Smashing Ideas in 2003, Barbara has led the development of most early-childhood work including projects for NickJr, Out of the Blue and Noggin. She produces some of the studio’s largest and most complicated projects, from large-scale downloadable games and real-time multiplayer games to portal websites. Now as Executive Producer, Barbara leads a team of 7-10 producers and manages all resources for the studio.

As a founding member of Smashing Ideas, Evan Clarrissimeaux comes with over 14 years experience in digital production managing major brand and entertainment property companies such as Disney, Nickelodeon, Ford, and Kraft among others. Having been involved with Macromedia Flash since its inception, he has built fun, interactive rich media for the web, TV and mobile devices working on such projects as Postopia.com and the Madonna “Music” video for Shockwave.com. Clarrissimeaux began as an educator at the Ethical Culture Schools in New York and later at the University Child Development School in Seattle focused on teaching art and technology to children. He has spoken at numerous conferences both in the US and abroad.

Chad Otis serves as Smashing Ideas’ executive creative director and brings more than fifteen years experience in the Internet and CD-Rom industry to the company. Having been an art director, designer, illustrator, animator and game designer Otis brings his extensive knowledge of graphic design, animation, illustration, interface design and character design to the company and manages a team of sixteen people. Prior to joining Smashing Ideas in 2005, Otis was art director for Cricket Moon Media. Otis played an instrumental role in building out an interactive story designed to showcase the company’s ability to create engaging online content for the nascent Internet. The result eventually became some of the first games and stories for Disney Online. Prior to that Otis served as lead designer and art director for Edmark. Otis lead a group of more than thirty artists and illustrators during a time when the company shifted its focus from producing printed educational material to creating educational CD-Rom edutainment for pre-readers and early learners. Otis has won numerous awards including Communication Arts Illustration Annual- Outstanding Illustration Award; MacWorld Magazine’s Annual Editor’s Choice Award; Newsweek’s Editor’s Choice Award; and PC Magazine’s Top 100 CD-ROM for his designs. He received his BFA in Visual Communications from the University of Washington. He lives in Seattle’s Ballard neighborhood.

Andreas Heim is Director of Technology at Smashing Ideas and a Adobe Advisory Board member. He specializes in projects that challenge his Flash expertise and prefers projects that include Flash-server interaction or lead to building reusable components. His insights and expertise in this area have led to numerous contributions to books as well as earned him invitations to speak at several Flashforward conferences. In his time off, Heim enjoys playing soccer, which he has enjoyed since he left his hometown of Hattenhofen in Germany.

Dimitri Sevenster joined Smashing Ideas in June of 2005 as Manager of Operations and Finance. Before joining Smashing Ideas, Sevenster’s finance experience encompassed multiple industries such as freight forwarding, trash removal, and banking for large companies including WaMu and UPS. Then he realized small business is where he wanted to be. Sevenster proudly hails from Rotterdam, Netherlands and claims to be the first person in his high-school to beat Mike Tyson’s Punch Out, Legend of Zelda and Metroid.

Walt Brown oversees business development for Smashing Ideas and brings more than fifteen years experience in marketing, interactive media and technology markets. Brown focuses on the agency’s strategic partnerships across multiple channels. Prior to joining Smashing Ideas, Brown served as vice president client development and marketing for Vendaria Media, Inc. where he was responsible for the company’s strategic vision and tactical planning for the sales and marketing of rich-media content and syndication services to e-Retailers and product manufacturers throughout North America. Brown also served as business development manager at Ascentium as well as director of client development at Hornall Anderson Design Works. Additionally, Brown’s professional background includes president/founder of computer graphics & 3D animation studio, Visual Dynamics; business development strategist for interactive studio, POP. His past clients include Apple, Bosch, Microsoft, The Home Depot, Tommy Bahama, United Airlines, William’s Sonoma and Whistler Blackcomb. Brown graduated from University of Idaho and currently resides in Seattle’s West Seattle neighborhood.

Carrie Peters drives the public relations and marketing strategy for Smashing Ideas. Peters’ brings more than thirteen years experience to the company with an expertise in technology, entertainment/games, consumer products and crisis communications. Prior to joining Smashing Ideas’ Peters ran her own consultancy and previously served as the director of public relations for Screenlife’s revolutionary DVD board game, Scene It?. Peters’ was instrumental in driving Scene It? The DVD Game’s worldwide marketing and PR strategy for initial product launch. Prior to Screenlife, Peters was a public relations manager with Amazon.com during the company’s unprecedented growth period beginning in 2000. During her tenure at Amazon, Peters’ served as company spokesperson and managed corporate communications for the senior executive management team as well as played a key role in managing third party partnerships for the company’s initiatives with Target, Toys R Us, Borders, Expedia and more. Peters’ managed the initial product launch of the Segway Human Transporter to the mass consumer market as well oversaw all communications for Amazon.com’s music, video and DVD stores and the company’s five fulfillment centers located throughout the country. Peters graduated with a bachelor of arts in English from the University of Washington and currently lives in Seattle’s Mount Baker neighborhood with her husband and two young daughters.

Ben Yenter’s roots are in advertising and marketing and doing good things for good companies. In 1996 he co-founded Smashing Ideas Inc. and over the next 14 years built and managed relationships with a long list of fortune 500/1000 companies. In addition to a working in the private sector, Yenter has managed a variety of projects with non-profits and foundations including The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, The Nelson Mandela Foundation, The Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition, The Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunizations and AMIE, the American Moroccan International Exchange. In 2006 Yenter opened the Smashing Ideas Portland office to leverage the Portland talent pool. In an effort to develop relationships in adjacent markets and to establish new service offerings, he focused his efforts on the growing energy efficiency market, landing a three year contract to run the marketing of the Northwest ENERGY STAR Homes and Products Program. Yenter also serves on the Board of Directors of ITB, a Seattle based textile design and manufacturing company and on the Advisory Boards of Zotes Products LLC, a Salt Lake City, Utah based consumer products company, and Fluid Market Strategies Inc., a Portland, OR based environmental and energy efficiency program management consultancy.