Brian Backus
Education
Harvard Business School
Master of Business Administration - MBA, Business Management -
University of Southern California
Master of Fine Arts - MFA, Film Production -
Harvard University
Bachelors (AB), Biology, magna cum laude; Minor in Film Production -
UC Berkeley Extension
Certificate in Visual Arts, -Work Experience
Hello Wonder
Current
Hello Wonder
Advisor AI
Current
Advisor AI
Amazon
2020-07-01 - 2023-01-01
Amazon
NBCUniversal
2018-03-01 - 2019-10-01
NBCUniversal
Nextdoor
2016-01-01 - 2017-01-01
Nextdoor
The Nature Conservancy
2016-02-01 - 2016-09-01
The Nature Conservancy
FarFaria | Intuary (Acquired)
2014-01-01 - 2015-01-01
FarFaria | Intuary (Acquired)
Backus Media
2013-01-01 - 2014-01-01
Backus Media
Kidlandia, Inc.
2008-01-01 - 2012-01-01
Kidlandia, Inc.
Qi Spirits
2004-01-01 - 2008-01-01
Qi Spirits
Skills
Summary
Creative children's media executive with 20+ years experience at Amazon, DreamWorks, and Disney delivering content that delights, engages, and inspires large audiences. Produced 80+ games with a focus on edutainment and play with purpose. Built and led strategic partnerships with global external developers and top content licensors. Entrepreneur who founded and grew 3 companies, raised venture funds 11 times, and led cross-functional teams of up to 75. I do my best work leading and collaborating in cross-functional teams, and I have extensive experience partnering with Design/Animation, Business Development, Engineering, Marketing, Finance, and Legal. I've often held business development roles (BD informs product management and vice versa), and worked closely with BD at Glow to secure and manage licenses with media companies including Disney, Nickelodeon, Hasbro, Mattel, and Sesame Workshop, as well as partnering with 10 external games studios in the US, Canada, and Europe. I thrive in passionate, kind, ambitious organizations that deliver innovative experiences, with company cultures that are smart, transparent, mission-driven, and have a sense of humor. FUN FACT: I began my career in Evolutionary Biology mentored by the late-great E.O. Wilson. My research in Papua New Guinea led to a thesis in bowerbird evolution funded by National Geographic that won Harvard's Bowdoin Prize. To this day, I find evolution a useful framework for analyzing system dynamics.
