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John Polson
Portfolio Director, Publishing at Humble Bundle
John Polson is a prominent figure in the gaming industry, currently serving as the Portfolio Director at Humble Bundle, a role he has held since December 2019. In this position, he is responsible for overseeing content scouting for both Humble Games and the Humble Black Game Developer Fund, which aims to support Black-led game studios by providing funding and resources to help them realize their creative visions.12
Career Overview
- Humble Bundle: Before becoming Portfolio Director, Polson worked in various roles at Humble Bundle, including Publishing Manager and Senior Business Developer. He played a crucial role in securing over 100 titles for publishing or investment and significantly contributed to Humble's success in Metacritic rankings during his tenure.12
- Tencent America: As of December 2021, he also serves as the Director of Business Development at Tencent America.1
- Previous Experience: Polson has a rich background in the gaming sector, having worked with companies such as Nintendo and Indie-Fund.com. His experience includes negotiating complex contracts and building strategic partnerships across multiple platforms.13
Education
Polson holds a degree in International Relations and Business from the University of South Florida and spent a year as an exchange student at Kansai Gaidai University in Japan, where he mastered the Japanese language.1
Contributions to the Industry
John Polson is recognized for his efforts to elevate diverse voices in gaming through initiatives like the Black Game Developer Fund. This fund has made significant investments to assist Black game developers in creating playable prototypes, thereby enhancing their chances of securing further funding.2
Overall, John Polson's career reflects a commitment to fostering innovation and diversity within the gaming industry.
Highlights
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Feels great when we at Tencent can help studios and have a large enough family to share those learnings with future devs! Excellent article with all around cool guy Juno Shin
