SPEAKER BIOS

Panel 1: Treasure or Trifle? A Macro Look at Microtransactions

John Breyault is Vice President for Public Policy, Telecommunications, and Fraud at the National

Consumers League (NCL). In 2008, he joined NCL where he advocates before Congress and federal

agencies for stronger consumer protections on issues related to telecommunications, fraud, data

security, privacy, aviation, and other consumer concerns. In addition, Mr. Breyault manages NCL’s

Fraud.org and #DataInsecurity Project campaigns.

Omeed Dariani is CEO of Online Performers Group (OPG), a company he co‐founded in 2014. OPG

provides guidance and strategy to gaming influencers on how to most effectively operate in an

emerging marketplace, as well as full‐service business management for broadcasters on Twitch.tv,

Mixer, Facebook Gaming and YouTube.com. Over the course of his career, Mr. Dariani has appeared on

a half dozen TCG cards, lectured at MIT and NYU, and served as a founder for StarCityGames.com.

Additionally, he has worked with various entertainment franchises, including Pokemon, Yu‐Gi‐Oh,

TMNT, World of Warcraft, EverQuest, Blade & Soul, Marvel and DC Comics, Pirates of the Caribbean.

Mr. Dariani also hosts a livestreamed weekly Twitch talk show, Office Hours, dedicated to the business

of livestreaming.

Renee Gittins is the Executive Director of the International Game Developers Association (IGDA). The

IGDA is the largest non‐profit membership organization in the world serving all individuals who create

games. Renee is multi‐disciplinary leader with expertise in video game software engineering and

creative direction.

Jeff Haynes is the senior editor of video games and websites at Common Sense Media (CSM), which he

joined in 2014. Prior to joining CSM, Mr. Haynes worked for Techbargains, where he created the

editorial and video review departments. He has two decades of experience covering games,

technology, and digital media, having previously worked at Entertainment Tonight and Game‐Over

Online, as well as magazines such as Inside Kung‐Fu, MXB and others. Mr. Haynes also worked at IGN

covering the PlayStation platforms and PC games.

Sean F. Kane is co‐Chair of the Interactive Entertainment Group at Frankfurt Kurnit, where he

represents a variety of companies in the video game and social media industries. Mr. Kane’s clients

often are on the cutting‐edge of media, content and technology creation where rapid innovation is

leading to the birth of new products, companies and industries. He has considerable experience

negotiating video game licenses and video game developer and publisher agreements, and in
                           

                      

                           

                                       

                           

             

                       

                           

                               

                               

                                     

                             

                             

             

                       

                                 

                                 

                         

                            

                           

                         

                               

                           

                           

                                     

                                       

                           

                           

                             

               

                   

                                 

                                 

                               

                         

                               

protecting the intellectual property rights of video games and related social media applications. Mr.

Kane is a founding member of the Video Game Bar Association.

Michael Warnecke is Chief Counsel, Tech Policy, at the Entertainment Software Association, where he

has worked on a variety of tech policy issues on behalf of the video game industry for over a decade.

Mr. Warnecke is a graduate of George Washington University Law School and did his undergraduate

studies at the University of Illinois (Urbana).

Panel 2: Head in the Game – What Drives Loot Box Spending?

Sarah Domoff is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at Central Michigan

University, where she also directs the Family Health Lab. She is a clinical child psychologist with

expertise in problematic media use in children. Her research on the health outcomes of screen media

use in children has been funded by the NIH. Dr. Domoff also trains clinicians to assess and treat youth

with problematic media use (e.g., gaming disorder, social media conflict) at the Center for Children,

Families, and Communities. At her clinic, Dr. Domoff delivers interventions to help parents and children

reduce excessive and problematic screen media use.

Adam Elmachtoub is an Assistant Professor of Industrial Engineering and Operations Research at

Columbia University, where he is also a member of the Data Science Institute. In 2014‐2015, he spent

one year at the IBM T.J. Watson Research Center working in the area of Smarter Commerce. Dr.

Elmachtoub received his B.S. degree from Cornell University’s School of Operations Research and

Information Engineering in 2009, and his Ph.D. from MIT’s Operations Research Center in 2014.

Andrey Simonov is an Assistant Professor of Marketing at Columbia Business School. Dr. Simonov’s

interests are in the intersection of applied industrial organization, media economics and quantitative

marketing; most of his work is centered around media markets, such as advertising, news and video

games. His work has appeared in the leading marketing journals such as Marketing Science and

Quantitative Marketing and Economics. He graduated from the Ph.D. program at Chicago Booth in

2017.

David Zendle is a media effects specialist and a lecturer at York St. John University. He is an expert on

the effects of loot boxes, and is the lead author of several journal articles on the topic. His most recent

paper investigated links between problem gambling and loot box spending in adolescents. Dr. Zendle

has provided testimony to government investigations into loot boxes in the United Kingdom and

Australia and briefings on the subject to regulators in many countries, and actively contributes to

discussions regarding video game policy across the globe.

Panel 3: A Level Playing Field – What’s Fair Game?

Ariel Fox Johnson is Senior Counsel for Policy and Privacy at Common Sense Media (CSM), where she

advocates for practices, policies, and rules to help kids thrive in today’s wired world. Her work focuses

on child, teen, and student privacy, closing the digital divide, and families’ experiences with media and

emerging technology. She frequently advises policymakers, industry, and tech experts, and has helped

develop laws on student privacy, consumer privacy, and the Internet of Things. Prior to joining CSM,

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Ms. Johnson worked on privacy, media, intellectual property, and technology matters at corporate law

firms.

Anna Laitin is Director of Financial Policy at Consumer Reports (CR), leading its efforts to ensure that

consumers have access to a safe, transparent, and accountable financial marketplace. She leads CR’s

“What the Fee?!” campaign aimed at enabling consumers to shop without fear of hidden fees. Ms.

Laitin came to CR after serving in major House and Senate committee and legislative staff positions. At

the House Energy and Commerce Committee and then the Senate Commerce Committee, she focused

on a wide array of consumer protection issues. Ms. Laitin also served as Legislative Director for Senator

Claire McCaskill during the period when she served as Chairman of the Subcommittee on Consumer

Protection.

Patricia E. Vance is the president of the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB). In her position,

she leads the teams responsible for assigning age and content ratings to video games and apps,

enforcing marketing guidelines adopted by the video game industry, and operating ESRB Privacy

Certified, an FTC‐sanctioned COPPA Safe Harbor Privacy seal certification program. She also serves as

founding chairperson of the International Age Rating Coalition, a non‐profit organization that operates

a global rating and age classification system for digitally delivered games and apps, and as chairperson

of the Family Online Safety Institute, a non‐profit membership organization based in Washington, DC.

Prior to joining the ESRB in 2002, Ms. Vance spent 18 years at Disney/ABC, with responsibility for the

development of a broad range of new media and market initiatives.

Keith S. Whyte is Executive Director of the National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG) in

Washington, DC. He has over twenty years of national experience in gambling issues. Recognized

widely for his work on responsible gaming and problem gambling policy, Mr. Whyte has been invited to

speak on these issues in 39 US states and 21 countries. He has testified before the United States

Congress four times and appeared before numerous state legislative and regulatory bodies.

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