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Influences and Influencers Insights from Digital Media Insiders
Jeancarlo Ascorra: Peruvian Artist

Jeancarlo Ascorra: A Peruvian Artist with North and South American Sensibilities

10 Jun 2014, Posted by Sarina Simon in Animation, Expert Interviews, Game Design, Graphic Design, HTML5, kids' media, Mobile App Development

Jeancarlo Ascorra Jeancarlo Ascorra is the Art Director at, NorthSouth Studios (yes—my company), and has been for the last ten years.  We were very lucky to find Jeancarlo, an artist who knows how to straddle two cultures and bring the both of best to his work. His very first job for us called for Disney-style illustration and we (and our client) were blown away by his talent. Before joining NorthSouth, Jeancarlo had eight years of Art Direction experience, with expertise in graphic design, creativity, illustration and advertising. Previously he worked at BBDO in Peru and freelanced at many other advertising…

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ALYSSA PADIA WALLES

Alyssa Padia Walles—An Entrepreneurial Approach to Big Brand Success

03 Jun 2014, Posted by Sarina Simon in Expert Interviews

Alyssa Padia Walles Meet Alyssa Padia Walles.  In her long and impressive  business strategy and development career, Alyssa has influenced brands such as Fisher-Price, Toys ‘R’ Us, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment and Backyard Sports, where she served as co-president of Humongous, Inc. Highlights of Alyssa’s career include negotiating national sports league agreements (NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL), re-launching the Atari brand, and developing international distribution markets for Sony PlayStation.  At Sony Computer Entertainment Europe, she was a member of the senior management team that launched PlayStation across Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Eastern Europe and the Middle East. As Senior Vice President, Corporate Evolution at…

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TOM MOTT—A GROWNUP WHO REALLY GETS KIDS

15 May 2014, Posted by Sarina Simon in electronic books, Expert Interviews, Game Design, kids' media, Mobile App Development

Tom Mott Meet, Tom Mott, the Chief Creative Officer at Mott Studios, a full service production studio that designs, writes and produces top-shelf kids’ interactive entertainment. He has been creating amazing products since 1990—mostly for kids—working with properties such as Disney Fairies, Scooby Doo, The Cat in the Hat, Ben 10, Jonny Quest, Dora the Explorer, LEGO, Barbie, Sesame Street, and more.  I have known Tom since his early days at Philips Media and have always admired his sense of humor, his artistic touch and his genuine concern for kids.  In this interview, Tom explains how he got into interactive…

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Shelly Miles

MEET SHELLEY MILES—A HIGH ENERGY, HIGH INTEGRITY EXECUTIVE

15 May 2014, Posted by Sarina Simon in Animation, Edtech, Expert Interviews, kids' media

Shelley Miles Shelley has spent her 25-year career leading the growth and development of consumer-based entertainment and technology businesses. Shelley began her media career at the Walt Disney Company where she ran the children’s music group and started Disney’s interactive group. Later she worked in a number of startups including US Animation, Mommy & Me, Kidthing and Revizzit. Shelley is one of those rare individuals who came to media very much from the business side (accounting) but embraced and succeeded on the creative side, too.  In this interview, she candidly describes lessons she has learned in her career—including both successes…

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Creative Content for Pint-Sized People

CREATIVE CONTENT FOR PINT-SIZED PEOPLE

30 Apr 2014, Posted by Sarina Simon in Expert Interviews

Rachael Tobener Meet award-winning children’s writer and content designer, Rachael Sophia Tobener.  Rachael has worked with a wide range of companies, including Disney, LeapFrog, Crayola, Discovery Kids and Fingerprint Play. Though she has only been in the business for 15 years, she has written 10 full-length video scripts, designed more than 30 mobile apps, produced more than 50 toys, and authored more than 75 interactive books for kids.  Besides being prolific, Rachael is just plain good at what she does.  I sat with Rachael (in the virtual-seating sense) and asked her about her career.  Her answers are candid and reveal…

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Instructional Design Lessons From Lima

Instructional Design Lessons From Lima

21 Apr 2014, Posted by Sarina Simon in Distance Learning, Edtech, instructional design, Online Language Courses

When I first I started doing business in Peru, I enrolled in a Lima-based language school called El Sol. I dutifully attended private classes every afternoon for several weeks and was taught by a wonderful young woman who was able to make the lessons interesting for me. No rote curriculum for her—we talked about the latest government scandals (sometimes racy, but always head-shaking), recipes for divine Peruvian specialties, and my business interests (the internet and digital media, of course). Almost from day one, I learned vocabulary that I could use both at work and with my new Peruvian friends. I…

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Too Many Apps

Too Many Apps?

25 Feb 2014, Posted by Sarina Simon in Mobile App Development

95% of Downloaded Apps are Abandoned By Users! At first it seemed that iTunes was offering developers something they had longed for–unlimited shelf space. Would be publishers could now publish their products without having to beg, borrow, or steal distribution. And, on top of that, developing apps was relatively inexpensive compared to developing CD-ROMS, virtual worlds, or massive online games. Next came Android, and cross platform frameworks, and so it began, the rush to publish apps. As of 2013, Google Play/Android had an estimated 800,00 apps. Apple iTunes, 775,000 apps, and Windows 125,000 apps. And it is estimated that mobile…

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Erik Amerikaner , National Board, Teacher Standards Certified Educator, Information and Communication Technology

7 Challenges for Computer-Based Testing

23 Jan 2014, Posted by Sarina Simon in Edtech, Expert Interviews, Standardized Testing

Expert Insights: Erik Amerikaner, Master Teacher This year California school districts will be using computer-based internet delivered standardized exams. On the surface, this makes a lot of sense, and as an edtech advocate, it seems like an idea whose time has more than come. The ability to aggregate, parse and analyze data to learn more about students and teachers to improve learning sounds like a win. However, as a former educator, I know that’s just part of the story. Implementing successful change in schools is not a simple yes-no proposition.   I asked Erik Amerikaner , a National Board for…

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