Jay Powell

With a wealth of industry experience spanning over two decades, Jay is recognized as a seasoned negotiator renowned for formulating impactful licenses and strategic partnerships. His affiliations extend to major industry players such as Amazon, Disney, and Microsoft, with notable achievements including the successful licensing of the work of NYT bestselling author Mary Kay Andrews, leading to the creation of a #1 casual game. Jay's profound insights are showcased within the pages of 'Game Design Methods' and 'Secrets of the Game Business,' while his influential presence resonates throughout global industry gatherings.

As the visionary driving The Powell Group, Jay established IndieGameBusiness® on the Twitch platform in 2018. This initiative, now a thriving and dynamic platform, serves to affordably educate game developers about the intricate nuances of business operations. Anchored by an active Discord community, a newsletter boasting a substantial subscriber base of over 8,500 readers, a series of weekly podcasts delivered across diverse platforms and the game industry's longest running digital business conferences, IndieGameBusiness® serves as a tangible testament to Jay's unwavering commitment and the fervent industry demand for informed perspectives.

Jennifer Cooper

Joining the industry in 2003 as an Office Manager, Jennifer is a veteran of multiple game companies including Playdom—a division of Disney Interactive Media and fiveonenine games. As the CCDOO for The Powell Group, she oversees all lead generation activities including research, analyzing collected data and identifies targets to prospect. She crafts and executes all outreach campaigns to secure meetings with decision makers. Jennifer also manages the business development database, plus the social media calendar for The Powell Group and is the CEOs right hand. Her focus is to create lasting partnerships and is committed to helping clients succeed.

Heather Chandler

Heather Chandler is a video game producer with 25 years and counting under her belt in the game industry. She’s led teams at Epic Games, Electronic Arts, Ubisoft, and Activision. She’s launched over 40 games across all gaming platforms and has worked on popular franchises including Fortnite, Star Trek, and Ghost Recon. Heather is currently working on a game about the ocean called Beyond Blue. She also combined her passion for team building and games to start an escape room called Whole Brain Escape in her hometown of Apex, NC! She is a strong advocate for STEM education and committed to providing opportunities to students of all ages to get involved with technology.

Dan Long

Dan Long, AKA “INDIE” has been a fixture in streaming since 2013. He was partnered by Twitch in 2014 and has been active in the community ever since. Indie has recently joined The Powell Group as the host of “Indie Game Business” on Twitch. Outside of his stream, Dan has also helped companies such as Netease, Tencent, and AMD with influencer marketing to streamers on Twitch and Youtube, and PR campaigns for games such as Arena of Valor, Immortal Conquest, and Fringe Wars. Dan has been a vital asset to multiple campaigns that have helped game companies break through the much saturated market and lead them down the road to success.  

Danelle

Danelle is the lead scout for The Powell Group. Though she joined in 2022, she has been in the industry since 2014 and a gamer since birth. She has been seen relentlessly helping indie games and the community overall through a variety of events and more.

Ash Pletcher

Ash is the Community Manager for IndieGameBusiness, where she leverages her six years of expertise in building safe and inclusive communities. She has a background as a former partner with industry giants like Mixer, Discord, Nitrado, and Streamloots. Her fascination with gaming dates back to her early days, as she fondly remembers "playing" Pacman on her parents' stand-up arcade machine when she was just a toddler. This early spark ignited a lifelong passion for gaming and technology, fueling her dedication to creating vibrant and welcoming communities for gamers of all backgrounds.

Margarita Pino

Margarita has been involved in the industry on both sides of the coin, helping studios as a producer and project manager and also scouting, evaluating, and reviewing pitches from different teams in very different environments, as government funds and investment opportunities. She is an active member of the game development community in Latin America and works for the growth of the sector through multiple organizations, with special focus in the inclusion of women in games. She is a board game co author, and very eager to help teams find the best partner for their game.