John Hegarty is Vice President of Business Development at Technicolor Games, a role it seems when speaking to Hegarty in depth about his seasoned career fits like a glove.
Hegarty’s experience, industry insight, longstanding studio relationships and genuine passion for games coupled with the global expansion of Technicolor Games, our rich legacy of innovation and suite of in-house full-service production across games IP make a perfect match.
We asked John to tell us more about his career and how it led him to Technicolor Games, helping to lead the business during our most exciting phase to date.
With our global expansion and most recently the news that our home; Technicolor Creative Studios became a public company trading on the Paris Euronext stock exchange, we are delighted to have John leading Biz Dev.
Tell us how it all started for you, John?
My path to working in the games industry has been interesting. Training as a programmer in college I began my career as an engineer servicing arcade machines during the 1990s. The technical experience I gained during that time led me into technical production and submission roles at SEGA Europe, working on iconic titles and franchises such as Yakuza, Sonic, Total War, Football Manager and several Marvel projects.
I joined Disney next, in a similar technical position, and took this opportunity to transition over to business development as 1st Party Relations Manager. I worked closely with Sony PlayStation, Microsoft and Nintendo and gained great insight and friends across the publishers. I happened to join Disney just as they acquired Marvel and then Lucasfilm, an incredibly exciting time working on some amazing projects with Disney, Pixar, Marvel and Star Wars. I was managing global partnerships and implementing new release strategies for major digital content and pretty much everything in between.
A few years passed and in 2017 I joined a small mobile developer in London. I secured various multiyear licensing deals with several brands including Marvel and Disney and had the invaluable opportunity to work closely with designers, coders, artists and the wider production team on some very interesting educational-focused titles. It was here I was able to lean into many of my established and longstanding relationships within the industry, I have always found, in my line of work it’s great to keep in touch ex-colleagues and acquaintances and luckily in this industry we have many opportunities to do so. It’s rewarding being able to help facilitate support for smaller companies finding their way in the industry with help from the bigger ones at the top.
What’s it been like at Technicolor Games so far?
Over the last 6 months since I joined Technicolor Games it’s been a whirlwind of onboarding clients, industry conferences and strategic development planning. We’ve been around for a long time, over a decade for Technicolor Games and 107 years to be precise for Technicolor. We are already working with a solid roster of partners and some incredible IPs. Many of our clients work with us across Technicolor Creative Studios, each of our four studios (MPC, The Mill, Mikros, and Technicolor Games) are powered by shared technologies, creative talent, R&D, and investment in future platforms. We have the power to provide our partners with solutions across their full IP journey, from film development to in-game assets and marketing materials and I’m really really enjoying bringing our services and the opportunities we can provide to the industry at large.
What’s most exciting for you about the industry overall at the moment?
Personally, I’m excited by the technical advances of VR/AR and the stunning high quality production values behind games today blows my mind. Games are far more cinematic these days to the point that players are quite literally entering a world immersed in their own unique film scenes. The lines between traditional linear worlds of gaming, film and television are now really blurred – in a great way.
Platforms like Twitch have become far more mainstream and have a far wider entertainment remit, popular culture is now much more inclusive of games and this is a testament to the incredible talent we have in the games industry and joining the games industry on a daily basis. I became a BAFTA member a few years ago and I think the fact that a world-respected arts and entertainment organisation such as BAFTA valuing and celebrating our industry alongside film and television shows just how far we have come.
Tell us about working with Technicolor Games partners and clients?
In my role at Technicolor Games, trust, honesty and integrity are key components in maintaining relationships with both partners and clients. Strong working relationships are the lifeblood of business development alongside the services we are providing, so clients need to have real confidence in your expertise and ability to deliver.
Demonstrating sound knowledge of the industry is a must, clients expect to see thought leadership and bigger-picture thinking when looking for effective business solutions. I’m always genuinely interested in my clients’ projects, so I think they appreciate that I’m equally invested in delivering the best results for them and Technicolor Games.
Regular communication with clients is obviously important, I check in with all of my clients with routine catch-ups and meetings in person where possible for a project health check. It is crucial to be accessible and to remain actively engaged to fully understand the needs of their business, which can change at anytime.
What is most exciting about your role?:
Identifying new business opportunities and fostering new relationships can take time but are incredibly rewarding. It’s very easy for me to be authentic, passionate and proud of the legacy and scale of Technicolor Creative Studios and this goes a long way.
I get a real buzz from the meetings I have at industry events such as Develop, Gamescom and XDS most recently. In one such meeting last month I sat and listened as someone I’d never met before reeled off a wide range of issues their business had been facing and I could really feel their frustration. As I talked them through the solutions Technicolor Creative Studios offer, they were genuinely relieved to discover we could provide exactly the kind of end-to-end service they needed and had been searching for – despite the fact that they thought they knew ‘Technicolor’.
Our business is expanding at an incredible scale, we’ve totally rebranded, and are adding new service lines and global locations, we have an amazing leadership team of industry vets and I’m excited to continue to spread the word of Technicolor Games, and Technicolor Creative Studios, we are a powerhouse and I’m proud to be a part of it.
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