What’s new from Interactive Selection – the only global games recruiter

July 2008
David Smith at Game Convention in Leipzig .
David returns to the GC Developers Conference and the GC Expo to see old friends and meet new ones. GC Developers Conference provides exclusive insights into the latest themes and important issues affecting the games industry in a series of lectures, keynote speeches, debates and workshops. He will be in Leipzig, Germany from August 18th to 21st. Please let him know if you would like to schedule a meeting or just come and say hello at the conference.

June 2008
Interactive at Develop Conference, Brighton .
The full Interactive team will be in Brighton from July 29-31, 2008 at the Develop Conference. This is where the European developer community comes together to learn from each other and share experiences, be inspired by world renowned experts, get up-to-date with the latest development tools and techniques, make new contacts and catch up with old ones. Come and meet David, Anne Marie, Adrian and Cal at the show.

May 2008
New Recruiter for Game Developers in the Nordic region.
Interactive Nordic is the first recruitment agency in the Nordic regions dedicated to the games market. Based in Malmo, Sweden Interactive Nordic is the result of an initiative by Spelplan, the Association of Swedish Game Developers, to secure and build talent for games companies in Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland and Iceland. Per Stromback, Managing Director at Spelplan - Association of Swedish Game Developers commented; "This is a very important day for the Nordic games market. We have been looking to build a serious games recruitment operation for 2 years. We are very pleased that local companies have combined with international expertise to bring this project to fruition." The new face of Interactive Nordic is Heidi Nilsson, based in Malmo. Heidi can be contacted on heidi@interactivenordic.com David Smith, MD of Interactive Selection commented; "We are delighted to help Interactive Nordic build its business in the Nordic region. Recruiting done well can transform the lives of individuals and can transform the success of individual companies."

May 2008
David Smith speaks at Nordic Game conference in Malmo.
The Interactive MD gave the benefit of his advice to 200 students in the Career Expo day in "Surfing the Industry" - how to prepare for a games career, apply for jobs and switch to games from another field with Thomas Howalt from IO Interactive and Lisa Leffler-Peura from Jadestone.

April 2008
Theresa Outman joins Interactive as Office Manager.
We welcome Theresa Outman to the team. Theresa joins to help look after our database and systems. She has experience in facilities management at Careerbuilder in the USA. She is also studying for a MBA at Regents College, London majoring in Human Resources.

April 2008
David Smith agrees games paper with UK Border Agency.
Following 6 months of discussions involving the ITCE Sector Advisory Panel of the UK's Home Office, TIGA and the Recruitment & Employment Confederation, David's paper on Games Occupations has been adopted by the UK Border Agency. This sets out a comprehensive summary of job titles, job descriptions and salary bands for the guidance of internal caseworkers processing Work Permits from games companies. It is hoped that a better understanding of the complexities of games industry will make it easier for companies to acquire Work Permits in future

February 2008
Interactive at GDC in San Francisco, USA.
Adrian Garrick attended another successful GDC in San Francisco on 19-22 February to meet many clients who were also in town to expand their business. One of the few UK recruiters to travel to the USA, we confirm our standing as "the first and only global games recruiter". We are especially keen to help the overworked and underpaid in-house recruiters that understand the benefits of using select external recruiters to help them fill multiple roles.

February 2008
Interactive welcomes Toni Cullum to the team.
Antonia (Toni) Cullum is now part of the expanding team. She joins us a Resourcer after 4 years working in games development as a Producer and Development Manager at Lionhead and Kuju. Learning the recruitment trade, we think she will make a great future consultant.

September 2007
Second legal seminar run with Osborne Clarke and TIGA.
On 19 September Interactive welcomed over 30 games industry Studio Heads and HR & Recruitment Managers to the offices of city lawyers, Osborne Clarke, for a seminar on "Recruiting talent from outside the EEA & Alternative Staffing Models. A free seminar on Work Permits/ Visas and Contracting and Freelancing for Games Industry Management." This was the second seminar where the "UK Law Firm of the Year" from the 2006 Legal Week Awards has teamed up with the market leading Interactive Selection to deliver the very best of information and advice to its respective clients.

September 2007
Employer's handbook for International Recruitment launched.
In response to numerous requests from clients, Interactive has prepared a summary of the top 20 tips for competing successfully for the world's top development talent. This 5 page document lists David Smith's tips for getting and staying ahead and will be only be made available to Interactive's clients. "I am asked for these hints in almost every client meeting or industry seminar so it is about time I wrote these down." said David. "International recruitment is increasingly competitive and only a few weaknesses in a developer's offering to candidates can let down a whole campaign." This handbook will be mailed to clients shortly.

August 2007
Japan falls to Interactive's global advance.
We are pleased to announce that Interactive is able to offer you jobs in Japan, the second greatest games market in the world. The great work of Anne Marie Anetts and our associates in Tokyo has resulted in 2 placements for a Canadian Software Engineer and an Italian Games Designer. You will normally need to speak some Japanese to work in Japan but there are instances where exceptional experienced programmers can make this great move. Please get in touch with Anne Marie on annemarie@interactiveselection.com to find out more.

April 2007
David Smith quoted in Recruiter Magazine.
1 Game Agent is a sister company to Interactive Selection in the DS Interactive group. This article discussed the motivation of contractors who are looking for more than money and the services of a typical recruitment agent. 1 Game Agent argues that contractors should hire their own agents since recruitment agencies will always prefer to work for their end clients who pay the bills ahead of individual contractors.

October 2006
Interactive celebrates its 10th birthday.
Interactive Selection launched at the ECTS trade show in September 1996 with its MD, David Smith, and 2 hired girls handing our brochures that shortly had to be redesigned because some of the wording was too close to that of another media company's. Industry first after industry first has followed since then including REC membership, offices in Australia, Microsoft's Xbox team, tie up with associates in the USA and Japan, stands at E3, offices in Russia, membership of PEER and much more. Watch out for more exciting developments!

September 2006
Interactive appoints MD for E. Europe & Asia Pacific.
We welcome Anne Marie Annets who joins to set up Interactive's new office in Moscow, Russia. She formerly worked at Sega Enterprises and Virgin Interactive in Tokyo, Japan for 8 years where she rose to become Virgin's General Manager, Asia. At Sega she was the first female to gain any type of management role in a traditionally structured Japanese company. "We are very excited to have Anne Marie on the team", commented David Smith. "Our clients and job seekers in Eastern Europe and the Far East will see significant service level improvements with Anne Marie's energy and experience."

August 2006
Game Contractor launches jobs rescue in UK.
Game Contractor launches to create a new jobs market for contractor and freelancers in game development. Game Contractor becomes the only business in the world dedicated to finding jobs for game contractors and freelancers. It is ideally placed to fulfil the needs of employers who require the best qualified staff for a day, week or for a month or longer, to help them make the most exciting, best selling games.  Unlike sister company Interactive Selection, it does not supply permanent staff.  It does not offer conflicting ancillary services like representing outsourcers but sticks to its core business of supplying the most talented contactor and freelancers. Check the website at www.gamecontractor.com

February 2006
Interactive is a proud member of PEER.
Interactive Selection is the first non US recruiter to be invited to join the new trade association of Professional Electronic Entertainment Recruiters (PEER) which comprises the recruiters worldwide committed to serving better the industry. All PEER members stand by the association's Charter Agreement which demands the highest professional recruiting standards and practices.

December 2005
David Smith now Vice Chair of REC's IT & Comms Group.
The REC is the confederation of 6,000 agencies in the UK. All commit to a stringent Code of Good Recruitment Practice - developed to ensure jobseekers and employers receive the highest recruitment standards. Interactive was the first agency in games to join this body back in 1996 and has worked tirelessly to raise standards in the sector. David Smith commented, "It is healthy for a small agency like ours to be recognised amongst the monster recruiters in the IT sector. I will continue to try and represent all that is good in the recruitment industry to our many classes of user."

August 2002
BRITS ABROAD.
Feature in MCV magazine on working in the games industry overseas.
[Click the thumbnail to read the article in MCV]

January 2001
We know what they do from nine to five but what do the movers and shakers of our industry get up to after hours?.
MCV finds out.......
[Click the thumbnail to read the article in MCV]

INTERVIEWER MAGAZINE 4 MAY 2000 The weekly news magazine for recruitment professionals.
Meet the specialist who is a top scorer when recruiting for the electronic games industry. Click on the magazine cover to find out more about 'The fun and dynamic world of niche recruiter David Smith' of Interactive Selection...
[Click the thumbnail to read the David Smith article in Interviewer Magazine]