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Vancouver-based Ian Verchere is a game designer, writer and producer. Since graduating with honors from the Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design in 1989, he has been involved in the creation and production of over 30 video and computer games, including the million-plus selling SSX Tricky for Electronic Arts and the classic hit Sega title Beavis and Butt-head for MTV. In 1994, he wrote and directed The Divide: Enemies Within for Sony PlayStation. This award-winning title was recognized for its original story, and for the innovative CG short film that opened the game. In 1998, he brought the greatest action star in the world to the video game world, signing Jackie Chan to an exclusive worldwide deal.

Verchere has also been a Studio President and Executive Producer for a leading online film and animation company; creating, acquiring and developing intellectual properties for TV, film and the web. He is a frequent presenter and lecturer at the Banff Center, the Computer Game Developers Conference, iTV, Rotterdam FF, and the Vancouver IFF. Recently, he co-wrote Mom’s Cookies, a screenplay with Douglas Coupland that bought by Disney. Currently, Verchere is the Creative Director and founding partner of Proving Ground Media, an independent game production company, currently in development on four properties, migrating book and film properties to interactive, and developing an original title for the 3-gen consoles.