Double Fusion Hires In-Game Advertising Leader Julie Shumaker As Vice President Of Sales
Former Electronic Arts Exec Responsible for Industry’s First Seven-Figure Marketing Deals To Lead Double Fusion Worldwide Sales Team
SAN FRANCISCO — August 14, 2006 — Leading independent in-game advertising company Double Fusion has brought on Julie Shumaker, the top advertising sales professional in the in-game advertising industry, as Vice President of Worldwide Sales. Shumaker, renowned for having established the industry’s first seven-figure product placement deals with McDonald’s and Intel in Electronic Art’s (EA) The Sims franchise, will lead the Double Fusion sales team with her signature vision.
Shumaker is one of the best-known executives in the in-game advertising industry. Formerly EA’s National Director of Sales, Videogame Advertising, Shumaker established EA as the number one direct seller of integrated advertising placements in games. Last year, Shumaker brought top tier advertisers into thirteen videogames and their respective online community properties, capping her five year tenure where she increased year-on-year revenues by more than 60%. Shumaker’s successes include the implementation of a five-title advertising program with Procter & Gamble, and a revolutionary sponsorship program with Daimler Chrysler around Madden NFL.
"There is no one whose knowledge, pedigree, relationships and reputation even come close to rivaling those of Julie’s," said Jonathan Epstein, CEO of Double Fusion. "And no one in the business has been more successful at bringing advertisers into video games. The combination of Julie’s creativity and sales leadership with Double Fusion’s market leading technology will open up a whole new palette of opportunities for marketers targeting the core M18-34 demographic."
Shumaker brings more than fifteen years of advertising and sports sponsorship experience to Double Fusion. Prior to her work at EA, Shumaker drove sponsorships and advertising sales on Yahoo! Inc.’s FIFA World cup site (www.fifaworldcup.com). Before joining Yahoo, Shumaker was director of sponsorship sales for Quokka Sports and its joint venture with NBC, where she introduced advertising, product placement and branded entertainment programming through media vehicles like nbcolympics.com, usopen.com and finalfour.net. Shumaker’s experience in sports and sports marketing, and her competitive drive, were established early on in her career, with three years as a professional golfer on the Asian and US tours.
In 2005, Shumaker was featured in the "The Ad Age 2005 Women To Watch Report: Twenty-Five Executives Who Made A Difference," underscoring her success in building videogames as a viable advertising channel.
"Double Fusion is the most exiting place for me to continue to grow this medium," said Shumaker. "Double Fusion’s technology and current pipeline of games will allow me to sell beyond 2D billboards with a multiplatform focus including dynamic, static, mobile and online. This offers incredible value for our advertiser and publisher partners."
Double Fusion enables advertisers to harness the huge reach, targeting and engagement potential of videogames, most notably to the critical male 18-34 demographic. The company is committed to advancing the state of the art through development of its technology and through the sale and execution of the widest range of dynamic in game advertising and marketing programs, from measured spot media buys all the way up to fully immersive storyline integrations.
Double Fusion's combination of technology and sales solutions allows publishers to increase their per-title revenues through integrated and dynamic ad placement opportunities. Developers and publishers interested in learning more about Double Fusion should contact Douglas Booms (dbooms@doublefusion.com).
About Double Fusion
Founded in 2004, Double Fusion is the leading independent provider of dynamic in game advertising. Going beyond traditional advertising mediums to engage valuable and hard to reach gamer demographics, Double Fusion creates immersive experiences that deliver video, interactive ads, 3D objects, music and fully integrated product placements. Double Fusion's sales force and integration teams work directly with advertisers, developers, and content owners to ensure seamless execution of advertising and marketing campaigns, creating an additional revenue source for videogame publishers while protecting the gameplay experience. Double Fusion is privately held and headquartered in San Francisco, with offices in Los Angeles, New York, Jerusalem, London, and Shanghai. More information on Double Fusion is available at www.doublefusion.com.
DoubleFusion is a registered mark of Double Fusion, Inc. All trade marks, registered marks, brand names, registered brand names, product names, and logos found in this press release are the property of their respective owners, may be registered in certain jurisdictions, and are mentioned in this release for identification purposes only.
fortyseven communications
(323) 658-1200
sibel@forty47seven.com / brian@forty47seven.com