Nicholas Longano (born 28 May 1965 in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

, Australia) is a

video game industry The video game industry encompasses the development, marketing, and monetization of video games. The industry encompasses dozens of job disciplines and thousands of jobs worldwide. The video game industry has grown from niches to mainstream. , ...

executive.

Early career

Prior to the video game industry, Longano worked in the beauty and beverage industries. In the late 1980s he worked as a product manager in his home city of

Melbourne, Australia Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a metropol ...

, and was involved with the Pepsi, Sunkist and Evian brands. There followed some time spent working at L'Oreal and Revlon in New York, then at

Calvin Klein Calvin Richard Klein (born November 19, 1942) is an American fashion designer who launched the company that would later become Calvin Klein Inc., in 1968. In addition to clothing, he also has given his name to a range of perfumes, watches, and ...

cosmetics.

Video game career

In January 2001, Longano became Executive Vice President of Marketing and Publishing at

Vivendi Universal Games Vivendi Games was an American video game publisher and holding company based in Los Angeles. It was founded in 1996 as CUC Software, the publishing subsidiary of CUC International, after the latter acquired video game companies Davidson & Associ ...

. Longano ran the publishing for the company's core video game titles and online multiplayer games. In May 2002 Longano became General Manager of Universal Studios video game division, in charge of production and publishing for tent-pole theatrical-based games. In 2005, Longano was President of New Media at in-game advertising company

Massive Incorporated Massive Incorporated was an American advertising company that provided software and services to dynamically host advertisements within video games. Massive Incorporated was purchased by Microsoft in May 2006 for approximately $200 million to $400 ...

. In May 2006, Massive was acquired by

Microsoft Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational technology corporation producing computer software, consumer electronics, personal computers, and related services headquartered at the Microsoft Redmond campus located in Redmond, Washing ...

for reportedly several hundred million. Longano left Microsoft and Massive later that year. One year later, Longano formed game publishing company Brash Entertainment, with three partners: Mitch Davis,

Thomas Tull Thomas Tull (born June 9, 1970) is an American billionaire businessman, entrepreneur, and film producer. He is the former chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of Legendary Entertainment. Tull is the founder of Tulco LLC, an investment hold ...

and Bert Ellis. Brash Entertainment developed film-based

intellectual property Intellectual property (IP) is a category of property that includes intangible creations of the human intellect. There are many types of intellectual property, and some countries recognize more than others. The best-known types are patents, cop ...

. Longano served as president and COO. Over the course of 16 months, Brash Entertainment raised US$150 million in funding and licensed over 25 film properties. Longano left Brash in May 2008.

Online ventures

In May 2008, along with

Rodney Jerkins Rodney Roy Jerkins (born July 29, 1977), also known by his stage name Darkchild, is an American record producer, rapper, and songwriter. He has collaborated with a broad range of popular artists. Jerkins has won multiple Grammy Awards. Among hi ...

and Ray Brown, Longano formed MusicMogul.com, and became the CEO of the company. MusicMogul.com was an online marketing platform for aspiring artists, allowing them to communicate directly with their fans. Every quarter, members voted for the best video performances. The top performers were flown to Los Angeles to compete in front of a panel of celebrity judges. Winners received a demo deal with Jerkins' Dark Child Productions. Longano also started Over the Top Networks, creating digital content for celebrities. Examples include the '' Paula Deen's Recipe Quest'' video game on iOS and Android.

Personal life

Longano married Pauline Elena Aguilera (the great-great-granddaughter of

Philip Lehman Philip Lehman (November 9, 1861 – March 21, 1947) was an American investment banker. Biography Philip Lehman was born in New York City to Emanuel Lehman (1827–1907) and Pauline Sondheim (1843–1871). Emanuel was a co-founder of the now- ...

, of

Lehman Brothers Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. ( ) was an American global financial services firm founded in 1847. Before Bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers, filing for bankruptcy in 2008, Lehman was the fourth-largest investment bank in the United States (behind Gol ...

) on 9 May 1998."WEDDINGS; Pauline Aguilera, Nicholas Longano"
from ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

References

External links

weblogs.variety.com: Brash Struggling
{{DEFAULTSORT:Longano, Nicholas 1965 births Australian chief executives Businesspeople from Melbourne Living people Video game businesspeople