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Hey Ken!
I’m trying to write a comprehensive history of Sierra; I have some questions. I’ve included some links for you to look at; perhaps you can correct some of the information. I’d really appreciate it as my goal is to eventually write a book on Sierra, though I doubt that will come to fruitation. Sorry for the number of questions, there’s just a very blurry time in Sierra history (1996-1997) in which there’s not a lot of information on the structure of the company and what was going on behind closed doors
1) When did you last work as the CEO of Sierra? I’ve heard conflicting reports that you resigned as CEO in July 1996 immediately after the sale to CUC; however, from downloading Andy’s scans of the InterAction mags, you still had your President’s Corner section as late as the Summer ’97 issue.
2) I’ve read that you spent a year (1996-1997 or 1997 to 1998) training your replacement for the job, is this true?
3) What were some of the last products you worked on at Sierra, if you remember? If you don’t remember, no need to answer this one.
4) Who took your place as the CEO or President?5) How long did you work for CUC as Vice Chairman and a member of the Office of the President? http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0EIN/is_1996_Sept_13/ai_186741745
6) What were the roles of Mike Brochu, Scott Lynch, Randy Dersham and Bill Moore at Sierra prior to and after the acquisition by CUC?
and a non Sierra question:
1) A few years back, I remember reading that Roberta was working on a book, sort of an Irish ”Roots” sort of book. Is that still going on?
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Hey Ken!
I’m trying to write a comprehensive history of Sierra; I have some questions. I’ve included some links for you to look at; perhaps you can correct some of the information. I’d really appreciate it as my goal is to eventually write a book on Sierra, though I doubt that will come to fruitation. Sorry for the number of questions, there’s just a very blurry time in Sierra history (1996-1997) in which there’s not a lot of information on the structure of the company and what was going on behind closed doors
1) When did you last work as the CEO of Sierra? I’ve heard conflicting reports that you resigned as CEO in July 1996 immediately after the sale to CUC; however, from downloading Andy’s scans of the InterAction mags, you still had your President’s Corner section as late as the Summer ’97 issue.
2) I’ve also read you worked as a ‘Senior Advisor’ at Sierra after the sale and for about a year or two afterward. Were you still there when Greno was brought in as CEO in June ’98? What kind of role did you play after resigning as CEO/Pres?
3) What were some of the last products you worked on at Sierra, if you remember? If you don’t remember, no need to answer this one.
4) Who took your place as the CEO or President?5) How long did you work for CUC as Vice Chairman and a member of the Office of the President? http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0EIN/is_1996_Sept_13/ai_186741745
6) What were the roles of Mike Brochu, Scott Lynch, Randy Dersham and Bill Moore at Sierra prior to and after the acquisition by CUC?
and a non Sierra question:
1) A few years back, I remember reading that Roberta was working on a book, sort of an Irish ”Roots” sort of book. Is that still going on?
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Greetings Nico…
I would like to see someone write a book on Sierra. We leave in the morning for France for a month. I won’t have time to work on the questions until I get there.
Have you published anything previously? If I hit a writer I thought could get a book published, I’d work with them on the project (whatever that means…)
-Ken W
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France, huh? Parlez-vous le français, monsieur?
Your trip sounds very exciting, especially if you’re going by boat. That’s like a real life adventure game in and of itself.
And no, unfortunately (with the exception of a poem in the 4th grade), I haven’t had anything published, though I’d love to write a book on Sierra. I do know a great author though, and she’s a huge Sierra fan and an incredibly talented artist as well. She’s written a lot of Sierra fan fics (and is a big fan of fairy tales), which you and Roberta might enjoy reading while on your trek to France.
http://www.Akril.sq7.orgPerhaps you could contact her, if you’re interested.
I hope you and Roberta have a fun, safe trip!
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I had some time to kill while backing up my computer… here’s the answers:
1) When did you last work as the CEO of Sierra? I’ve heard conflicting reports that you resigned as CEO in July 1996 immediately after the sale to CUC; however, from downloading Andy’s scans of the InterAction mags, you still had your President’s Corner section as late as the Summer ’97 issue.*** It depends on how you look at it. I left the company in Nov 1997, however I really stopped running Sierra much earlier. The company was officially acquired in June 1996, and I started immediately working on an online shopping project. Cendant acquired Sierra and Davidson simultaneously, and made the decision to put Bob Davidson in charge of all of software. Bob is a good guy, but I really didn’t want to work for him, so I deliberately wanted out of running Sierra.
2) I’ve also read you worked as a ‘Senior Advisor’ at Sierra after the sale and for about a year or two afterward. Were you still there when Greno was brought in as CEO in June ’98? What kind of role did you play after resigning as CEO/Pres?
*** Answered above. I thought I was going to at least stay involved at the product level, but it just wasn’t working. I think I only attended one product meeting after the deal was done. I did meet Greno a few times socially, but I was long gone when he was hired.
3) What were some of the last products you worked on at Sierra, if you remember? If you don’t remember, no need to answer this one.*** Half-life, KQ8, and MANY more. We always had about 50 products going at a time. That said… on any given product the team did 99% of the work.
4) Who took your place as the CEO or President?*** At the time of the acquisition I was the CEO and Mike Brochu was the President. After the acquisition Mike reported directly to Bob Davidson, and I reported to the CEO of Cendant.
5) How long did you work for CUC as Vice Chairman and a member of the Office of the President? http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0EIN/is_1996_Sept_13/ai_186741745*** From June 1996 to Nov 1997
6) What were the roles of Mike Brochu, Scott Lynch, Randy Dersham and Bill Moore at Sierra prior to and after the acquisition by CUC?*** Mike – President
*** Scott Lynch – Product manager on Half-Life, and I think he was promoted right at the end to running all of the Seattle-based development.
*** Randy Dersham – He was the studio head for Dynamix (In Oregon)
*** Bill Moore – VP Marketing
and a non Sierra question:1) A few years back, I remember reading that Roberta was working on a book, sort of an Irish ”Roots” sort of book. Is that still going on?
*** She’s working VERY hard. It is the story of the irish immigration. Think Roots, for the Irish. She has a team of researchers and has been on it for years, full times, with years more effort to go!
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Thanks for the answers, very interesting…I’ve noticed Bob Davidson didn’t stay too long with Cendant either, and Davidson & Associates wasn’t around much longer after he left.
And Roberta sounds like she’s really dedicated to this project, I hope it works out well for her and I look forward to reading it, especially since I’m of Irish descent as well.
That said, thanks again for the answers and have fun on your trip and a safe journey!
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