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Lester Chen
Partner, Gaming Creators @ Andreessen Horowitz (a16z)
Lester Chen is an accomplished professional with a background in communication, journalism, and gaming content partnerships.
He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Communication, Journalism, and Related Programs from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Lester has held prominent roles in renowned organizations in the tech and entertainment industry.
He was previously the Partner and Head of Creators at Andreessen Horowitz, showcasing his expertise in working with content creators.
Lester also served in various leadership positions at YouTube, including Global Head of Gaming Creators, Head of Gaming Content Partnerships (Americas and globally), Global Head of Emerging Gaming Partnerships, and Global Head of Esports.
His experience at YouTube included roles like Strategic Partner Manager for Esports and Director for Live & Esports, highlighting his proficiency in gaming and esports content.
Prior to his time at YouTube, Lester Chen worked at Machinima as the Director of Live & Esports and Manager of Live Content.
He began his career as an Assistant Media Planner at Universal McCann and later moved to Starcom MediaVest Group as the Global Operations & Knowledge Management professional.
Highlights
My full interview with Jaeho Hwang, Game Director of Dave the Diver!
A few key takeaways: -Player feedback through playtesting/early-access was critical for key elements of the game design (was button-mashing a bug or a feature?) -The inspiration for the IP/Story was drawn from personal life experiences "The ocean is one big dungeon". -Many of the mechanics built into the game came from years of building Mobile/Social applications -- the Sushi Bar component of the game was originally a Mobile Game idea that was nearly scrapped! -It's hard to insert humor/charm into games "we try to make hilarious characters, an exaggerate it."
So many more great insights in this interview - any feedback is appreciated, have you been liking this series? I want to know the good/bad/ugly!
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How are Creators are turning their taste, authenticity, and distribution power into a new wave of studios and publishing companies?
We interviewed the people leading the charge: Nick Allen (CEO - offbrand) Mike Silbowitz, MBA (CEO - Mad Mushroom) Andre Rebelo (Creator/CEO - JOGO) Callum Underwood (CEO - Uwu Biz)
"You don't need 10 years of experience to be able to ship stuff on platforms... you just need to hustle a bit, and try hard, and learn, and that's very much what the BIGMODE team did." -Callum Underwood
"A lot of companies’ main problem is marketing... There are lots of people who have released maps that are quite good, but they just don't get to see the light of day. So as one of the bigger Fortnite creators, having the ability to market our games has been a real blessing.” -Typical Gamer
"We've seen a lot of predatory practices in the space... we were all in agreement that we could do it a different way. It could be a lot more favorable to the developers." -Nick Allen
"We believe in fair and transparent deals, ensuring developers retain control over their creative process while receiving equitable terms. This fosters trust, goodwill, and sustainable business relationships. We’re so committed to transparency that you can actually go to our website right now and review the publishing agreement we offer to devs." - Michael Silbowitz

