From TV to eSports and Starbucks, here are some of the top personnel moves over the last week.

The Houston Rockets became the first NBA franchise to dedicate a front office position to eSports by hiring 25-year old Sebastian Park as their director of eSports development.


Activision Blizzard has reached a new employment agreement with CEO Bobby Kotick. A company filing states that Kotick’s base salary will be lowered to $1.8 million from $2.4 million. However, Kotick could earn up to $56.3 million in Activision Blizzard shares over three years if specific goals are attained.


Juhani Honkala, previously a senior vice president for Rovio Entertainment, has formed mobile streaming platform Hatch, which is looking to turn into the Netflix of mobile games.


Games industry veteran Chris Taylor, the creator of Total Annihilation and Dungeon Siege, has left World of Tanks publisher Wargaming to start an independent studio.


Former Bloomberg and NBA executive Todd Swidler has been named CEO of ESC Games. Earlier today, ESC Games announced a new social level of gaming with with the launch of ESC Game Theater, a high-tech experience where up to 30 people play casual games on a massive screen in a room pulsing with lights, special effects, music and energy.

“The video game industry is experiencing explosive growth, and we see major opportunities for ESC Games to pioneer a new category that taps into that demand through our unique game experience and competitive tournaments. The possibilities are vast,” said Swidler.


Games industry veteran Mike Fischer has been named president of the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to the advancement and recognition of the interactive arts.

“The video games industry has given me so much throughout my career over the past two decades, and this opportunity felt the perfect fit in providing me a chance to give back to my industry peers, inspirational creators and the gamers of today and tomorrow,” said Fischer. “The Academy’s mission to celebrate, promote and advance the worldwide interactive entertainment community resonates strongly with me. I’m looking forward to working with the team to put together a fantastic 2017 D.I.C.E. conference and celebrating its milestone 20th Awards show.”


Starbucks has a new leadership structure to drive its next wave of global growth. Kevin Johnson has been named president and chief operating officer. Howard Schultz, chairman and CEO, will be appointed executive chairman and will shift his focus to innovation, design and development of Starbucks Reserve Roasteries around the world, expansion of the Starbucks Reserve retail store format and the company’s social impact initiatives.

“Starbucks consistently outperforms the retail industry because our stores, our offerings and the experiences our partners create make us a destination. The best evidence of the success of the core strategy driving our business is that we continue to deliver quarter after quarter of record, industry leading revenue, comp sales and profit growth, and that the newest classes of Starbucks stores continue to deliver record-breaking revenues, AUV’s and ROI—both in the US and around the world,” said Schultz. “As I focus on Starbucks next wave of retail innovation, I am delighted that Kevin Johnson—our current president, coo, a seven-year board member and my partner in running every facet of Starbucks business over the last two years—has agreed to assume the duties of Starbucks chief executive officer. This move ideally positions Starbucks to continue profitably growing our core business around the world into the future.”


Frank Cooper, chief marketing officer of BuzzFeed for the last 18 months, is leaving the digital media giant. Cooper has held executive roles in marketing and branding for AOL, Motown Records Def Jam Records, and more recently, PepsiCo where he ran strategy, development, and brand activation for global platforms across all beverages.


Skip Chaisson has been promoted to chief creative officer for the cable channel El Rey Network. According to Variety, Chaisson “will oversee all creative and brand elements produced by the company for El Rey’s linear network as well as its digital and social-media feeds.”


Former Sony executive Andrew Gumpert has been named chief operating officer for Paramount Pictures.


Michael Moore has been appointed chief customer officer for A Wireless, a premium retailer for Verizon Wireless and operating more than 1,100 Verizon-branded retail stores.

“A Wireless boasts 20 years of providing the best possible customer experience, products and services in the wireless industry,” said Moore. “I am honored to build upon this heritage by leading our efforts in customer centricity, and ultimately delighting our customers and teammates with innovative personalized offers, product choices, and solutions that will can improve their lives.”


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