Brock Pierce
Encyclopedia
Brock Pierce is an entrepreneur best known for pioneering the market for virtual goods in online games. He has founded or co-founded seven companies, acquired more than thirty companies, and closed a dozen corporate finance transactions securing more than $200 million of funding on behalf of his companies. Prior to becoming an entrepreneur Brock had a brief stint as a producer and most of his childhood was spent as an actor.
Under Pierce’s leadership, Affinity Media nurtured DAX, the largest virtual goods exchanges in South Korea and the US/Europe market with sites, such as ItemMania and Player Auctions, respectively. Pierce also ushered in the era of ZAM, which is a network of websites oriented to massively multi-player online role-playing games (MMORPG
), such as World of Warcraft
, EverQuest
, etc. Affinity Media raised over $100 million from investors such as Goldman Sachs and Oak Investment Partners. In the recent past they were generating over $100 million a year in revenue.
Evertune is a patented technology that keeps stringed instruments in tune for their lifetime. Evertune technology was awarded the best invention award in May 2010 by Popular Science magazine. Many artists have begun using Evertune including but not limited to Jason Wade
and Ben Carey ((Lifehouse
)), Jerry Horton (Papa Roach
), Panic! at the Disco
, Slash
, and James Burton
(Elvis Presley
).
, a multimedia and web television dot-com company that created four- to six-minute streaming-video series, including everything from sports to drama shows. DEN raised $88m dollars from blue chip investors such as Chase Capital Partners, Microsoft, Intel, and many more. As an 18 year old, Pierce was making $250,000 a year and held 5% of the company's shares. DEN is again active and has a collection of old videos as well as some new content, and has raised over $100 million from investors such as Goldman Sachs
and Oak Investment Partners
. In the recent past they were bringing in over $100 million a year in revenue.
in The Mighty Ducks
(1992). Pierce reprised the role again in D2: The Mighty Ducks
.
From 1994, Pierce had small roles in Little Big League
(1994), Ripper Man (1995), Problem Child 3: Junior in Love
(1995), Three Wishes
(1995), and Earth Minus Zero (1996).
Brock’s next big break was in 1996, when he starred alongside Sinbad
as Luke Davenport in Disney's First Kid
. Brock landed a few TV roles in 1997, including Legend of the Lost Tomb, The Two Voices
, and appeared in The Ride by World Wide Pictures
in 1998, but these roles would be his last credited performances.
. Around this time is when young Pierce met Marc Collins-Rector
and Chad Shackley. Together the three of them started the Digital Entertainment Network
(DEN). Pierce was responsible for all of DEN’s initial production including a show for Gay Teenagers called Chad’s World, which was a show loosely based upon the life of founder Marc Collins Rector.
The IGE virtual-currency trading service was originally built in violation of the EULA agreements which made Brock a controversial figure amongst MMORPG publishers. An early IGE employee, Alan Debonneville, filed a lawsuit against Pierce. The suit was eventually settled out of court.
Other recent start-ups include: Evertune, a patented technology that keeps stringed instruments in tune for their lifetime; Titan Gaming; Taste Media, an online wine discovery and recommendation engine;
He appeared as a dining guest on an episode of Hell's Kitchen (U.S.) Season 7, which aired July 20, 2010.
(U.S.) Season 10, which aired July 20, 2010.
Pierce is bisexual according to an interview with Oasis Magazine, an online gay interest magazine he stated:: "I'm not, at the moment, seeing anyone, so whether it's a girl or a guy... I don't want to eliminate myself from seeing anyone, because I like all people (...) I can say I'm very familiar with the issues gay teenagers face, very familiar."
Evidently Brock made this ambiguous statement to generate interest in DEN’s first show for gay teenagers called Chad’s World.
Affinity Media
Pierce founded Affinity Media (originally Internet Gaming Entertainment) in 2001 and resigned from his CEO position on June 26, 2007, but he remains an adviser and vice-chairman of the board of the company.Under Pierce’s leadership, Affinity Media nurtured DAX, the largest virtual goods exchanges in South Korea and the US/Europe market with sites, such as ItemMania and Player Auctions, respectively. Pierce also ushered in the era of ZAM, which is a network of websites oriented to massively multi-player online role-playing games (MMORPG
MMORPG
Massively multiplayer online role-playing game is a genre of role-playing video games in which a very large number of players interact with one another within a virtual game world....
), such as World of Warcraft
World of Warcraft
World of Warcraft is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game by Blizzard Entertainment. It is the fourth released game set in the fantasy Warcraft universe, which was first introduced by Warcraft: Orcs & Humans in 1994...
, EverQuest
EverQuest
EverQuest, often shortened to EQ, is a 3D fantasy-themed massively multiplayer online role-playing game that was released on the 16th of March, 1999. The original design is credited to Brad McQuaid, Steve Clover, and Bill Trost...
, etc. Affinity Media raised over $100 million from investors such as Goldman Sachs and Oak Investment Partners. In the recent past they were generating over $100 million a year in revenue.
IGE
In 2001, Pierce founded Internet Gaming Entertainment (IGE), which pioneered the MMORPG currency-selling services industry that link virtual economies with the real one. He started the business with $150k of his own money and impressively ran it up to $100M in revenue with $10M profits in a matter of a few years. Pierce’s entrepreneurship, especially his ambition after much adversity, caught the attention of Wired magazine, CNN Tech and CNN Money among others. In 2004, CNN claimed that IGE brought in more than $1 million USD each month. Since 2004, IGE has bought the next seven largest sites that cater to the virtual economy, “four eBay-style trading platforms, and about 40 fan and content sites.” (CNN Money) Pierce’s business savvy lead him to diversify his market and increase his revenues. Pierce estimated that IGE accounted for about 50% of this online market in the U.S., which has about $500 million in annual volume.XFire (Formerly Titan Gaming)
In the summer of 2010, Titan Gaming, impressed with Brock Pierce’s success with IGE, recruited him to sit on its board along with EA Executive Keith McCurdy. Pierce joins other Southern California angel investors, such as MP3.com’s Michael Robertson, SOA Software’s Eric Pulier and William Quigley and Jim Armstrong of Clearstone Ventures among others. During the same summer, Titan Gaming purchased the rising online gaming network, Xfire from Viacom. It is estimated that XFire, now Titan Gaming, is home to over 16 million users, but an estimate of active users is uncertain.EverTune
Brock Pierce is a co-founder and Board Member of EverTune.Evertune is a patented technology that keeps stringed instruments in tune for their lifetime. Evertune technology was awarded the best invention award in May 2010 by Popular Science magazine. Many artists have begun using Evertune including but not limited to Jason Wade
Jason Wade
Jason Michael Wade is the lead vocalist, main songwriter, and guitarist of the American alternative rock band Lifehouse.-Biography:...
and Ben Carey ((Lifehouse
Lifehouse (band)
Lifehouse is an American rock band from Los Angeles. The band came to mainstream prominence in 2001 with the hit single "Hanging by a Moment" from their debut studio album, No Name Face. The single won a Billboard Music Award for Hot 100 Single of the Year, beating out Janet Jackson and Alicia...
)), Jerry Horton (Papa Roach
Papa Roach
Papa Roach is an American rock band from Vacaville, California. Their first major-label release was the triple-platinum album Infest . The group's success continued with their gold album Lovehatetragedy , their platinum album Getting Away with Murder , The Paramour Sessions , and Metamorphosis...
), Panic! at the Disco
Panic! at the Disco
Panic! at the Disco is an American alternative rock duo, formed in Las Vegas, Nevada in 2005. Since its split, the band's line-up includes Brendon Urie and Spencer Smith . Former members Ryan Ross and Jon Walker left the group in 2009...
, Slash
Slash (musician)
Saul Hudson , known by his stage name Slash, is a British-American musician and songwriter. He is best known as the former lead guitarist of the American hard rock band Guns N' Roses, with whom he achieved worldwide success in the late 1980s and early 1990s. During his later years with Guns N'...
, and James Burton
James Burton
James Burton is an American guitarist. A member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame since 2001 , Burton has also been recognized by the Rockabilly Hall of Fame...
(Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
).
myTaste
Brock Pierce was the co-founder and a former chairman of myTaste, an online wine discovery and recommendation engine.DEN
Pierce rode the Dot-com bubble with the Digital Entertainment NetworkDigital Entertainment Network
Digital Entertainment Network was a multimedia and web television dot-com company.-Founding:Rector hired traditional media executives from Broadcast TV, Film, Commercials, Documentary and Cable to create a destination website featuring serialized "6 minute shows" on the internet.Launched in 1996,...
, a multimedia and web television dot-com company that created four- to six-minute streaming-video series, including everything from sports to drama shows. DEN raised $88m dollars from blue chip investors such as Chase Capital Partners, Microsoft, Intel, and many more. As an 18 year old, Pierce was making $250,000 a year and held 5% of the company's shares. DEN is again active and has a collection of old videos as well as some new content, and has raised over $100 million from investors such as Goldman Sachs
Goldman Sachs
The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. is an American multinational bulge bracket investment banking and securities firm that engages in global investment banking, securities, investment management, and other financial services primarily with institutional clients...
and Oak Investment Partners
Oak Investment Partners
Oak Investment Partners is a private equity firm focusing on venture capital investments in companies developing communications systems, information technology, new Internet media, healthcare services and retail....
. In the recent past they were bringing in over $100 million a year in revenue.
Acting career
He began his acting career as a toddler, appearing in commercials. His first major role was playing a young Emilio EstevezEmilio Estevez
Emilio Estevez is an American actor, film director, and writer. He started his career as an actor and is well-known for being a member of the acting Brat Pack of the 1980s, starring in The Breakfast Club and St. Elmo's Fire...
in The Mighty Ducks
The Mighty Ducks
The Mighty Ducks is the first film in The Mighty Ducks trilogy, produced by Avnet–Kerner Productions and distributed by Walt Disney Pictures and originally released on October 2, 1992. In the UK and Australia, the film was titled Champions...
(1992). Pierce reprised the role again in D2: The Mighty Ducks
D2: The Mighty Ducks
D2: The Mighty Ducks is the second film in The Mighty Ducks trilogy and the first theatrical sequel to The Mighty Ducks. It was produced by Avnet–Kerner Productions and distributed by Walt Disney Pictures, and it was originally released on March 25, 1994...
.
From 1994, Pierce had small roles in Little Big League
Little Big League
Little Big League is a 1994 family film about a 12-year-old who suddenly becomes the owner and then manager of the Minnesota Twins baseball team. It stars Luke Edwards, Timothy Busfield and Dennis Farina.-Plot:...
(1994), Ripper Man (1995), Problem Child 3: Junior in Love
Problem Child 3: Junior in Love
Problem Child 3: Junior in Love is a 1995 American made-for-TV threequel to Problem Child, and is the third and final entry in the Problem Child trilogy. In this sequel, Junior is a preteen and is in love with a girl named Tiffany. However, she does not notice him. Things take a murderous turn when...
(1995), Three Wishes
Three Wishes (film)
Three Wishes is a 1995 drama-fantasy film directed by Martha Coolidge and starring Patrick Swayze, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio and Joseph Mazzello.-Plot:...
(1995), and Earth Minus Zero (1996).
Brock’s next big break was in 1996, when he starred alongside Sinbad
Sinbad
Sinbad or Sindbad may refer to:* Sinbad the Sailor, from The Book of One Thousand and One Nights, also known as Arabian Nights* Sinbad the Sailor, an alias of Edmond Dantes in the novel The Count of Monte Cristo...
as Luke Davenport in Disney's First Kid
First Kid
First Kid is a 1996 Disney comedy film directed by David Mickey Evans and stars Sinbad and Brock Pierce. It was mostly filmed in Richmond, Virginia.-Plot:...
. Brock landed a few TV roles in 1997, including Legend of the Lost Tomb, The Two Voices
The Two Voices
The Two Voices is a poem written by British Poet Laureate Alfred Tennyson between 1833 and 1834, published in his 1842 volume of Poems. Tennyson wrote the poem, titled "Thoughts of a Suicide" in manuscript, after the death of his friend Arthur Henry Hallam in 1833...
, and appeared in The Ride by World Wide Pictures
World Wide Pictures
World Wide Pictures is a film distributor and production company established as a subsidiary of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association in 1951...
in 1998, but these roles would be his last credited performances.
Producing
Pierce retired from acting in favor of producing; he was the associate producer of Young HollywoodYoung Hollywood
Young Hollywood is a privately held multimedia entertainment company founded in Los Angeles, California by R.J. Williams. The company licenses the “Young Hollywood” trademark domestically and internationally for a range of consumer products and services....
. Around this time is when young Pierce met Marc Collins-Rector
Marc Collins-Rector
Marc John Collins-Rector is an American businessman best known for founding Digital Entertainment Network, an online streaming video broadcaster and a notable dot-com failure.- Early life :...
and Chad Shackley. Together the three of them started the Digital Entertainment Network
Digital Entertainment Network
Digital Entertainment Network was a multimedia and web television dot-com company.-Founding:Rector hired traditional media executives from Broadcast TV, Film, Commercials, Documentary and Cable to create a destination website featuring serialized "6 minute shows" on the internet.Launched in 1996,...
(DEN). Pierce was responsible for all of DEN’s initial production including a show for Gay Teenagers called Chad’s World, which was a show loosely based upon the life of founder Marc Collins Rector.
Controversy
DEN co-founder Marc Collins-Rector as well as Brock were allegedly indicted on sex offense charges causing poor publicity for all the DEN founders.The IGE virtual-currency trading service was originally built in violation of the EULA agreements which made Brock a controversial figure amongst MMORPG publishers. An early IGE employee, Alan Debonneville, filed a lawsuit against Pierce. The suit was eventually settled out of court.
Current and Recent Activity
Currently Brock Pierce is the co-founder, chairman and president of Revenue APEX.Other recent start-ups include: Evertune, a patented technology that keeps stringed instruments in tune for their lifetime; Titan Gaming; Taste Media, an online wine discovery and recommendation engine;
He appeared as a dining guest on an episode of Hell's Kitchen (U.S.) Season 7, which aired July 20, 2010.
Personal life
Pierce appeared as a dining guest on an episode of Hell's KitchenHell's Kitchen (U.S.)
Hell's Kitchen is an American reality-television cooking competition broadcast on Fox...
(U.S.) Season 10, which aired July 20, 2010.
Pierce is bisexual according to an interview with Oasis Magazine, an online gay interest magazine he stated:: "I'm not, at the moment, seeing anyone, so whether it's a girl or a guy... I don't want to eliminate myself from seeing anyone, because I like all people (...) I can say I'm very familiar with the issues gay teenagers face, very familiar."
Evidently Brock made this ambiguous statement to generate interest in DEN’s first show for gay teenagers called Chad’s World.
External links
- Official Website
- http://www.wired.com/gaming/virtualworlds/magazine/16-12/ff_ige'The Decline and Fall of an Ultra Rich Online Gaming Empire' Wired (magazine)Wired (magazine)Wired is a full-color monthly American magazine and on-line periodical, published since January 1993, that reports on how new and developing technology affects culture, the economy, and politics...
Article (24 November 2008)] - 'Yield of Dreams' Forbes Article
- "How a Visionary Venture on the Web Unraveled" from the LA Times