Ian Verchere

Ian Verchere is a game designer, executive producer and screenwriter. Since graduating with honors from the Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design in 1989, he has been involved in the creation and production of over 30 video and computer games, including the million-plus selling SSX Tricky and NBA Street V2 for Electronic Arts, and the classic best-selling Sega Genesis title Beavis and Butt-head for MTV.

Verchere was one of the founders of Radical Entertainment, and was instrumental in growing the company into one of the world’s largest independent game developers. After serving as Studio Creative Director, he left in 1998 to join Electronic Arts as a Producer. Many of the people he hired and mentored while at Radical have gone on to create hit titles and grow development studios such as Barking Dog, Relic, and Black Box. In 1994, he wrote and directed The Divide: Enemies Within for Sony PlayStation. This award-winning title was recognized for its original story, and for the innovative CG short film that opened the game. In 1998, he brought the greatest action star in the world to the video game world, signing Jackie Chan to an exclusive worldwide deal.

Verchere has also served as Studio President and Executive Producer for Honkworm International, a leading online film and animation company; creating, acquiring and developing intellectual properties for TV, film and the web. In 2001 he sold his first feature film to Disney, co-written with author Douglas Coupland. Verchere left EAC to found Proving Ground Media (PGM) in March 2003. PGM designed and produced a branded interactive experience for FedEx, with both a web and location-based component. Most recently, PGM have been creative consultants to the estate of Roald Dahl on the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory games, based on the Warner Brothers movie which opens in July of 2005.