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4 Independent & Free Press, Tuesday,August 2, 2011 Globetrotting Kabam executive `game' for anything in video world By EAMONN MAHER Staff Writer Growing up in a Hornby farmhouse, Derek Sidebottom says he wasn't exactly a video game junkie and spent a lot of time playing soccer at Pineview Public School. But now that he's a globetrotting executive overseeing hundreds of employees for one of the world's top social gaming companies-- California-based Kabam-- the 38-year-old finds himself plugged in to the latest popular releases. "I have to keep playing to keep my street cred up in the social gaming community," laughed Sidebottom from his Silicon Valley office. "Most of our games are strategy-driven with massive multiplayer capability, so you can have thousands people playing a game at the same time. One of the first games I played in, I joined an alliance with a group from Taiwan and with the chat features that you can add, it's really neat to be able to interact with people half way around the world." Sidebottom worked as vice-president of human resources for another popular interactive entertainment brand, EA Sports, for two years before being hired by Kabam to be its "Chief People Officer" this spring. With offices in San Francisco, Redwood City, Ca., Beijing and Luxembourg, Sidebottom oversees approximately 450 employees at Kabam, which has skyrocketed up the gaming industry ladder in just sity of Ottawa with a BA in psychola couple of years from havogy before earning a grad diploma ing a staff of 25. from Humber College's human reIts 2009 release, Kingsources program. He received his doms of Camelot, was one executive MBA from Athabasca of the first successful stratUniversity in Alberta and joined the egy games on Facebook work force as an HR generalist with and the company's "freeTelesat in Ottawa, later serving as to-play, frictionless model" the director of HR Global Programs has attracted many casual for the Corel Corporation until movgamers to sample the proding on to EA Sports. uct online without any Using a sports analogy, part of startup cost. DEREK Sidebottom's job is to find and re"Before, you'd have to SIDEBOTTOM cruit the top players in the industry ask mom and dad for $40 or whatever to go to the mall and get the to join Kabam, much like trying to lure latest video game, but with these new so- free agents to a certain team. "We're in the interactive entertainment cial games, you can access your computer browser and start playing for free right business and it's really not that big of an away," said Sidebottom, who went to Stew- industry in terms of the number of peoarttown Middle School before moving on ple working for the top corporations, so to Milton District High School. "Then you can pick things up and add features and move faster in the game if I keep paying, Three men have been charged after and have the option to decide whether I Halton Police were called to a residence on like it or not. "That's the emerging model in the gam- Academy Rd. in Georgetown after a resiing industry. It's a little different for us in dent saw three males damaging a pickup that we're chasing the core gamer, so the truck about 9:50 p.m. Wednesday. Police responded and found the headgames are more in-depth and engaging lights and windshield had been smashed when you're involving thousands of playand there was also damage to the body of ers at once. The games take hours to play, the truck, but the suspects were gone. not just 10 minutes and we find there are Police report three men arrived while ofa lot of multi-taskers out there who might play for a few minutes on their computer at ficers were at the residence and they were arrested in connection with the incident. work while they're juggling other things." Charged with mischief is Ryan Dowling, Sidebottom graduated from the Univerthe only competitive advantage between them is what people they can get to work for them," he added, noting that Kabam's workforce is expected to double in 2011. "Most of these people who work for these companies are so talented at what they do, they could work anywhere in the world they choose. As the CPO, my job is to make their time here enjoyable and provide a work environment that's unique and special, with things like gym facilities and catered lunches for the employees. The focus is to bring in excellent people and we're always on the lookout for new talent." Sidebottom resides in San Francisco with wife Allison (Simpson), a Burlington native. His mother, Anne Benest, lives in Georgetown while father Ken currently resides in Acton. Police blotter: Trio face charges 34, of Acton, Darryl Dowling, 34, of Acton and Jason Chedore, 35, of New Carlisle, Quebec. ··· Halton Regional Police seized about $40,000 worth of marijuana plants (50) growing in a wooded area on Scotsdale Farm property in the Trafalgar Rd./ 27 Sideroad area Monday (July 25). Police received a tip about the threefoot-high plants from a person who had spotted them on the property. Police have no suspects. 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