I step off the tube at West Kensington station (not South Kensington...I got lost for a good half-hour making that mistake) and follow the crowd of business people through a space in a long brick wall past a guard and a gate into a business courtyard to get to Glu. (Since our office shares a floor with one of the RDF Media offices, we were able to spot David Hasselhoff outside our building last Tuesday!)
Then I make my way up to the office to see 4 of the coolest people I've ever met. Andres, Kat, Etienne, and Joe make up the product management team here in London. They look after the assets and marketing of all of our titles in EMEA.
L-R: Andres leads the team as Head of Product Management, Kat is our creative genius, Etienne & Joe are the awesome product managers!
Then I sit down at my desk and get to work. I've been creating game assets for Diner Dash 3, Millionaire 2010, Gemini Division, Cops and Robbers, and a new game yet to be revealed! I write marketing text, create powerpoints, analyze competitors, and help with urgent projects (which always seem to happen when I'm busiest). It's a casual environment but we're always working hard!
I was talking to the leader of our Malaysian contingent a few weeks ago when he told me something very interesting. We were discussing the casual nature of the office when he said that Glu has an unwritten policy that they only hire rockstars. They know that each star has their own quirks and idiosyncrasies, so the company does its best to welcome them and, in turn, rockstars are ultra-productive for the company.
This explains a lot! It explains why have a full kitchen with all the free toast you can eat. (Yeah TOAST!) It explains why there's an arcade game in the break room. It explains why we listen to headphones and play a combined playlist on Fridays. It explains why there is a room dedicated entirely to gaming complete with Guitar Hero, Xbox, Wii, PS2, a pool table, board games, and a giant connect 4 game. It also explains why the team works until 7:30-8:00 every night, why we win mobile gaming awards, and why our team has some of the most talented people in the industry.
After 9 hours of work, it's time for a Guitar Hero break!
So my weekdays are fun, but what about my weekends?
Weekends:
One of the cool parts about being here in London is the close proximity to the rest of Europe. So a few friends and I decided to explore Scotland and Ireland.
Scotland was first. We ventured off to the land of Sean Connery and Ewan McGregor for a weekend. We took a tour through the highlands and saw some of the most beautiful countryside. We saw the birthplace of the real Braveheart, William Wallace, where the Hogwarts Express runs through, bagpipers, and Loch Ness.
The highlands of Scotland!
James plays the bagpipes for us tourists
Look it's the Loch Ness Monster!
Then we went to explore the capital of Scotland, Edinburgh. We walked the royal mile, saw the Edinburgh castle, and watched Wimbledon from a Scottish pub.
Edinburgh, Capital of Scotland
A monument on a hilltop in Edinburgh
I met a living statue while walking the Royal Mile
I also met Michael who was playing Wonderwall (one of my favorite songs!) on the streets of Edinburgh.
Next was Dublin, Ireland. We took a day trip to Wicklow and went down to the coast. There was a lighthouse and cliffs stretching out into the sea. What we thought was sea spray turned in to full out rain and didn't let up. We sought shelter in cafe's and art galleries but eventually decided to cut our journey short and head back to Dublin. There we cooked dinner at our hostel and played killer uno... the best version of uno ever! Later that night, we walked around Temple Bar and found a great cover band playing at the Porter House.
A bird's eye view of Ireland
The coast at Wicklow
Dublin's famous spire
The next day was really fun; we walked everywhere. We started the day at the Guinness store tour -- a 7 story building shaped like beer glass was filled with exhibits displaying the history, production, distribution, and marketing of Guinness. We poured our own pints and saw the Dublin skyline at the "Gravity" bar. Then we walked on to the Gaol, Trinity College, and Dublin castle before catching our flight back to London.
Edith, Emma, Stuart, Me, Adam, and Kristal take the Guinness Store tour!
There are so many beautiful places in Europe! While London is an incredible city, it would have been a shame to only spend my time there.
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