Silicon Valley Diary #4

Posted on | April 10, 2009 | No Comments

Just to set the scene – I am a big fan of Star Wars. I was born just at the right time to get caught up in the whirlwind of the first film, and became an instant addict.


Today we were going to meet with some of Lucas’ key staff…

Lucas Films now share a campus with ILM (the special effects studio) and Lucas Arts (the games division of Lucas), although it was incredibly hard to grasp how big the overall complex was as it was situated among several other buildings.

As we approached the main reception we were greeted by a fountain and a bronze statue of Yoda, glistening in the Californian sun. The reception area itself was a mini archive of all things Lucas; there were life sized models of major characters from both Star Wars and Indiana Jones, as well as numerous bits of artwork. The lengthy sign in procedure meant that we had plenty of time to look around and take snapshots.


Before we could proceed beyond the reception area we all had to sign NDAs – so unfortunately I can’t give you the full lowdown on what I experienced. We were then taken to a boardroom and the ten (yes, ten) Lucas personnel entered the room. We did the customary lap of the table, allowing everyone present to introduce themselves, and it was apparent that Lucas had given us access to a very broad range of people, covering all three core businesses.

By the time we’d finished I felt like I’d had a personal audience with the Lucas guys. For one reason or another, none of the others had asked any questions – this despite the fact that Lucas’ enormous business spreads across every media that was represented by our group.

While there were some interesting conversations about creative processes, and the interaction between the different arms of the Lucas empire, it was the talk of games that really caught my attention. All I can say is keep an eye on LucasArts – I’m not sure if their planned projects will see the light of day, but they’re a tantalising prospect. I left with some kind words and a vague invite to return from the LucasArts guys.

Our final meeting of a very packed day was back over towards the waterfront, and to an office block opposite the AT&T stadium. NGMoco: ) (yes the smiley is part of their name) are a newcomer that means business. Formed just 6 months ago, they have already established themselves as one of the major publishers of iPhone games. These were the guys that brought ‘Rolando‘ to the App Store.


The rapid expansion of the company embodies so much of the VC ethos that swirls around Silicon Valley; once an idea, or a team, attract the attention of funding, they’re given the financial backing to make their business work. So often ideas are ‘of the moment’, and VC funding allows those ideas to be exploited at the time that they need to be exploited.

Back here in the UK, if I have an awesome idea, I might have to build up a company for a number of years to get to the size where I can make that idea work. In the intervening years my company might have folded, or the idea may no longer have the potential it once had. While I wouldn’t advocate throwing money at every idea, I find the prospect of funding to make something work within a potentially critical timeframe extremely enticing.

Ngmoco: ) started with just four people, but their backgrounds suggested that they were a ‘dream team’ from day one; they had former EA executives, and people that had helped to develop the iPhone, and knew how both the device, and Apple as an organisation worked. With this pedigree they were able to attract funding, and grow their business to take advantage of the explosive iPhone game market. In 6 months they’ve gone from nothing, to being a major player – that’s what can happen when you have a great business opportunity, the people that can deliver it, and the financial backing to make it a reality.

By the end of Thursday we had seen four very different companies, but each of them had left me inspired.

After a modest supper of Mexican and Margaritas I headed back to the hotel and prepared for our final day.

Category: Random

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