Video: Room 8 Group Held a Panel Discussion at GamesBeat Summit Next

Melissa Lee, the CEO of Massive Black, and Miguel Doherty, the Executive Producer at PUGA Studios, attended GamesBeat Summit Next 2022 to take part in the panel discussion on diversity, equity, and inclusion. Along with their co-panelists, Aletheia O’Neil (Tether Studios) and Patty Nishimura Dingle (Riot Games), the participants tackled numerous DEI-related issues, including hiring practices, workplace culture, and external branding aspects. The gaming leaders also discussed DEI positively impacts business processes and helps shape game design. 

The panel discussion was the first public showcase of Room 8 Group and PUGA Studios working as a united team—the Brazil-based art studio just became a part of Room 8 Group’s family of brands.

Melissa Lee has previously attended External Development Summit (XDS) to talk about the importance of DEI in art direction and storytelling. At GamesBeat Summit, Melissa facilitated the discussion, expanding on each participant’s individual experience of building inclusive culture at their companies. 

There has been a lot said about the importance of DEI, but what does it actually mean from a practical standpoint? As the CEO, I was very curious about how much progress we as the industry have made regarding the DEI efforts. It was great that participants could bring their perspectives, and I hope this made for a great discussion that our audience found insightful.

Melissa Lee, CEO of Massive Black

As someone who deals with hiring daily, Miguel Doherty shared his experience overcoming bias and building a healthy working environment at PUGA Studios.

In Brazil, we are well-positioned to talk about DEI for several reasons. We are quite diverse; we have some of the biggest Pride parades in the world—so it’s a cultural thing to an extent. That puts PUGA Studios in a very interesting place in terms of what we are creating and how we deal with the DEI agenda. It has an effect both on an internal business level—greatly enhanced by our Diversity Committee—, and on a global industry-wide scale.

Miguel Doherty, Executive Producer at PUGA Studios

You can watch the full panel discussion below:

Alongside Melissa Lee and Miguel Doherty, the Room 8 Group’s delegation also attending the event featured: 

• Sergii Miroshnychenko, the Head of PC/Console Service Line, 
• Sandy Heslop, the new Head of CG, Trailers & Cinematics Unit, 
• Matthew Zoern, VP of Games at Solid Bash,
• Adam Keating, VP of Global Business Development, 
• and David Cohen, Senior Business Development Director.