Johner Riehl, Vice President and PR Lebowski at Wonacott Communications joins me on this episode. Johner has been in the industry for over 23 years and shares about the Public Relations side of videogames. Hear about his PR experience doing launches for the Neo Geo Pocket Color, GameCube, Game Boy Advance, Pokemon, Pikmin, working with Nintendo, Microsoft, and Midway, plus writing books and running a website. Learn how he got started in the industry, working at Wonacott, advice on getting PR for a game, working with influencers and streamers, and thoughts on future opportunities. Hosted by John ‘JP’ Podlasek (See gamedevadvice.com for in-depth show notes and links.)
In This Episode We Discuss:
[01:02] Introductions
[01:10] Johner’s current role as Vice President and PR Lebowski
[02:44] Working on PR for Polyarc
[03:41] How to reach out for PR and spread the word on new games
[05:31] Adjustments and challenges of work during COVID-19
[06:30] The impact of GDC, E3, and the PAXs cancelations on indie developers
[07:11] Johner’s start in the industry and moving out west
[11:25] What he wishes he’d known before getting in the industry
[12:38] Advice for someone wanting game exposure and PR
[14:37] The price of User Acquisition going through the roof
[19:26] Working on console launches, Pokemon, Pikmin, and other games
[23:12] What Johner is curious about right now in the industry
[29:12] Opportunities around streamers and influencers
[30:15] Positive effects of videogames during COVID-19
[31:51] Johner’s thoughts on VR and working on Moss
[34:50] The importance of frame rate in games and VR
[35:59] Funny stories from working in PR and live events
[38:20] The games Johner is playing now
[39:36] What it takes to make a podcast and run an editorial website
[40:30] Supporting small game sites and treating people with respect
[42:30] Finding Johner online and reaching out
Resources:
*Johner Riehl Twitter
*Wonacott Communications Website
*Wonacott Communications Email
*Johner Riehl Hats
*LA Times VR Article Mentioned
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