Entertainment Media Council Aims to Push Industry Forward

Game industry advocates have formed the nonprofit San Diego-based Entertainment Media Council, a group that aims to encourage industrial and social expansion of interactive entertainment in the U.S. Leading the operation is president and CEO Morgan Ramsay, who is joined by fellow founding board members Cindy Armstrong, chief exec of WebWars, and Matthew J. Esber, NCsoft general counsel. Ramsay told Gamasutra that the Entertainment Media Council's goals include "fostering entrepreneurship, cultivating strong corporate leadership and developing the role that interactive entertainment plays in society." He hopes to do that with the help of an advisory group that includes Adam McClard (ORiGO), Alexander Macris (The Escapist), Brandon Sheffield (Game Developer magazine), David Cole (DFC Intelligence), Geoffrey Zatkin (EEDAR), S. Gregory Boyd (attorney), Steve Crane (Midway Games) and Terri Perkins (Funcom). Ramsay, former chairman of the International Game Developers Association San Diego chapter, said he proposed the idea for the Entertainment Media Council in January 2008, and began recruiting members in June that year. The group was incorporated in September as a Nonprofit Mutual Benefit Corporation in the State of California, and continues to seek out new members. "We have since talked with over 100 entrepreneurs and junior-to-senior executives, including dozens of industry heroes. We have always received glowing praise and support, which thankfully serves to constantly remind us that we're doing the right thing," he said. The group plans to acquire start-up capital through corporate sponsorship and private investment. The Entertainment Media Council falls into the same general category as other pro-industry organizations such as the Entertainment Software Association, the IGDA and the Entertainment Consumers Association. But Ramsay says he doesn't intend to necessarily compete with those more established groups. "While there is some overlap between Entertainment Media Council and existing organizations, our mission, approach, and people are distinct. Despite our differences, I think we have a better chance of making real our visions of transformation and enlightenment when we work together, not when we compete," he said.