Mike Goslin: up close and personal

Mike Goslin has recently joined Hangout from Disney. We thought we would let you get to know him a little better.

Mike is currently the VP of Product Development at Hangout. This means he is responsible for everything having to do with with the Hangout product which includes, design, development, and operations. He also helps out with marketing, business development, PR, and whatever else comes along.

Mike spared a few minutes for an interview and this is what was discussed:

Hangout: What made you want to come to Hangout?

Mike: I was looking for something different. I had been at a very large company for a long time and thought I would try something more entrepreneurial. Hangout was an opportunity to join a small company that already had momentum in an area of entertainment that is very interesting to me – social media and games.

Hangout: How long have you been working at Hangout now?

Mike: A few months already. Where does the time go?

Hangout: What changes if any are you making to Hangout?

Mike: The team and I are totally revamping the product to reflect some new learnings in both the entertainment and social media fields. We are really excited about the new look.

Hangout: You worked at Disney before coming to Hangout, what was your position there?

Mike: I was VP of Virtual World Design and Development. I oversaw several development teams and was responsible for design and development of a portfolio of virtual words and massively multiplayer online games.

Hangout: What is different about your job at Hangout from your previous job at Disney?

Mike: The team is much smaller at Hangout, and things move quite a bit faster.

Hangout: Are there any similarities between your new job at Hangout and your old job at Disney?

Mike: The focus on building world class entertainment for a broad audience is the same at Hangout as it was at Disney. The team-oriented culture and work ethic are similar also.

Hangout: What, if anything, are you going to take from Disney to use towards your experience at Hangout?

Mike: I’m going to continue to focus on the customer and the player experience as we always did at Disney.

Hangout: How long have you worked with Joe and Daniel, who also came with you from Disney?

Mike: More than ten years. Joe was an intern at Imagineering the summer I started in 1996. Daniel joined a year later.

Hangout: What is your favorite feature on Hangout?

Mike: I like how easy it is to install and get into.

Hangout: What is unique about the audience at Hangout?

Mike: They haven’t quite found a game or experience online that suits their need to express themselves, stay connected, and play games.

Hangout: I know you are looking to incorporate more teen brands into the rooms, can you tell us more?

Mike: Our audience demands authenticity and a certain level of realism. Real brands are part of teen culture, and they make the world more authentic and realistic. It would be strange if it was all made-up stuff.

Hangout: Are you excited about some of the Boston team moving to LA?

Mike: I sure am. It will be nice to have everyone in one place so we can get busy building out the product.

Hangout: Is there anything else you want to say to our Users?

Mike: I can’t wait to share some of the things we are working on – stay tuned.