As Vice President of Gaming Operations for Turner Broadcasting’s Cartoon Network, Chris Waldron oversees the network’s digital game development studio, game production, and overall games strategy. He is the executive producer of Cartoon Network’s enormously popular “massively multi-player online game,” FusionFall, the network’s largest gaming project to date. The game has over 8 million registered users around the world and was nominated for a 2009 Webby Award. Another of Chris’ projects, Codename: Kids Next Door – Operation: B.E.S.T., was nominated for an Emmy® Award in 2004.
Chris has been a part of Cartoon Network’s digital team since 2000, when he joined the network as Lead Developer. In 2004, he was appointed Director of Technology for Cartoon Network New Media, where he was responsible for all technical and game development aspects of CartoonNetwork.com. A top industry website, CartoonNetwork.com averages 4.6 million unique users each month in the United States and features a roster of more than 200 free-to-play online games. Through custom game creators, fans have created nearly 7 million unique games, arguably representing one of the largest collection of games created on a website in the U.S. Chris was appointed to his current position in 2009.
Chris still thinks often about the time he spent in UF’s English Department as both an undergraduate and a graduate student. He particularly enjoyed studying with Professors Donald Ault and John Leavey, whom he credits with instilling in him, “an appreciation of rigorous and unconventional thinking.” In retrospect, Chris says that through the course of his career, the importance of the kind of critical thinking he engaged in while studying English has become even clearer. He says, “In my career after grad school, I’ve found that many of my most successful hires also had some form of liberal arts in their backgrounds, too. Technical specialization is important, but when you are looking for managers and leaders, you first need to find folks who are more nimble problem solvers. In fact, I’ve met other technology executives who say the same thing.”
After earning his graduate degree, Chris worked in web development and design for companies in the Atlanta, Georgia area, including BellSouth, Georgia Power, and FSC Securities Corporation, before joining Cartoon Network.