ALEXANDER HAINSWORTH PORTFOLIO

SUMMARY

1. Introduction/About Me
2. Key Achievements
3. Key Project Highlights
4. Keyarts I directed
5. Trailers I directed
6. Testimonials/Endorsements
7. Contact Information

INTRODUCTION

- Dynamic and results-driven Brand/Product Marketing Manager with over 6+ years of experience in the video game industry.

- Expert in developing and executing impactful marketing strategies across a diverse portfolio of game titles.

- Demonstrated success in managing product lifecycles, driving wishlist growth, and delivering measurable results.

- Adept at leading cross-functional collaboration with internal teams and external partners to meet and exceed marketing objectives.

- Bilingual in French and English, with strong communication skills and an analytical mindset to drive strategic decisions.

KEY ACHIEVEMENTS

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🎮 Led the launch and marketing of 17+ titles at Merge Games, including Smalland: Survive the Wilds and Spirit of the North 2, which saw increased player engagement and highly positive press reviews.

📢 Spearheaded marketing campaigns that boosted Steam wishlists for Pixelshire from 0 to 150,000+ and increased its social following on Twitter by 12,000+, leveraging strategic community engagement and targeted social media tactics.

📈 Boosted Smalland’s visibility and sales by coordinating a recent update that improved the game’s Steam review score from 67% to 80%, achieving a “Very Positive” rating and driving stronger sales. By securing support from Xbox, the trailer gained 300,000+ views on YouTube, well above their average of 10,000 to 30,000 views.

📅 Drove success for Spirit of the North 2 by leading its marketing campaign around Next Fest and a Steam daily deal for the original game, generating 10,000+ wishlists for the sequel.

📰 Managed press appointments with top-tier media at Gamescom 2024, driving significant coverage for Spirit of the North 2, which was featured at the Xbox Indie booth and gained visibility through an exclusive Xbox Partner Preview.

🎥 Directed the production of 20+ trailers and marketing assets, including the Spells & Secrets launch trailer, which was featured on PlayStation’s YouTube channel, significantly increasing the game’s visibility and engagement.

🌍 Collaborated with 5+ region-specific PR agencies, including China, LATAM, Spain, and the US, to implement targeted PR strategies that boosted brand visibility, drove player acquisition, and secured extensive press coverage.

🛠️ Gained extensive expertise in publishing management, including metadata and submission processes for platforms like Nintendo, Xbox, PlayStation, Steam, and Epic, successfully leading submissions for 10+ titles.

📊 Developed comprehensive sales performance analyses across platforms for past titles, providing data-driven insights that guided budgeting and forecasting decisions for future releases.

🔍 Contributed to scouting and analyzing the indie game market to identify high-potential titles for signing. Created key documents that filtered games by genre, revenue, player reviews, and more, helping to drive informed acquisition decisions.

KEY PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS

VIDEO

Tip: If you see a red border around an image it means you can click on it and get directed to the video.

SMALLAND: SURVIVE THE WILDS

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Smalland: Survive the Wilds is an open-world survival game that immerses players in a vast, insect-dominated world. With a focus on exploration, crafting, and survival mechanics, the game delivers a fresh take on the genre.

As the Product/Brand Manager, I led marketing and community strategies to maximize player engagement and drive wishlist growth.

Smalland's success was driven by engaging community feedback loops, data-led updates, and leveraging partnerships like Xbox to amplify visibility.

• 📈 Boosted Steam review score: Improved from 67% to 80%, achieving a "Very Positive" rating.
• 🎮 Increased visibility: Secured 300,000+ trailer views on YouTube by coordinating with Xbox.
• 🔥 Engaged Community: Led targeted social campaigns, driving increased player retention and fostering an active community.
• 💡 Strategic Updates: Launched updates aligned with player feedback, resulting in stronger engagement and sales growth.

As an Associate Product Manager when I first joined Merge Games, I took the initiative to lead community engagement efforts by organizing a series of weekly activities for the Discord community.

These events, such as polls, art contests, and battles, were designed to increase engagement, foster creativity, and strengthen the bond between the game and its players.

Result:

• Increased community activity by 20% within the first month.
• Boosted weekly activity levels and cultivated a loyal, interactive community that contributed to the game’s ecosystem.

Driving Community Engagement through Interactive Events

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To increase community engagement, I implemented an interactive bot system that allowed players to earn virtual currency by typing commands '*work.' Players could spend their earned currency in a virtual shop to unlock rewards such as badges, roles, and even access to private channels. This initiative created a gamified experience within the Discord community, fostering regular activity and deeper player connection. Result: Increased daily user activity by 40% and strengthened community retention.

Gamifying Community Engagement through a Custom Discord Bot

This slide highlights the immersive and lore-driven experience I created for players using the *work command in our Discord bot. Each command generated randomized text scenarios that I personally wrote, carefully designed to align with the game's lore and maintain immersion. These interactions helped keep the community engaged, entertained, and connected to the game’s world.

Interactive Bot in Action: Immersive Lore and Player Engagement

To drive community engagement and create a fun, interactive experience for players, I organized the 'Battle of the Bugs' event.

This weekly activity allowed players to vote on virtual insect battles, with winners progressing through a bracket until the grand final.

The event was carefully themed around Smalland’s world, ensuring immersion and relevance for the audience.

I also designed all assets for the event, including the tournament bracket and promotional visuals, ensuring consistent branding.

Battle of the Bugs: Driving Immersive Community Engagement

Result: Increased community participation by 30% and generated over 200 votes per match.

Players enthusiastically participated, discussing their favorite bugs and predictions throughout the event.

Diverse Marketing and Community Initiatives for Smalland

I collaborated with Xbox to secure trailer support, achieving over 300,000 views (significantly above their 30,000–50,000 average).

Worked closely with Music Composer Pav Gekko to launch the game’s official soundtrack, supported by documentary videos that showcased the orchestra and creative process.

Organized events like the Spooky Screenshot Contest to encourage community engagement and drive user-generated content, further enhancing player involvement.

Strategically submitted the game for the BAFTA awards, leveraging the soundtrack and its reception to boost credibility.

PIXELSHIRE

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Pixelshire is a charming life-simulation RPG blending town-building, exploration, farming, and adventure. Its nostalgic pixel art and player-driven narrative captivate fans of cozy, sandbox-style games.

As the Product/Brand Manager, I oversaw marketing strategies and community engagement initiatives to position Pixelshire as a standout in the life-sim genre.

• 📈 Wishlist Growth: Boosted Steam wishlists from 0 to over 150,000+, a key milestone for ensuring a strong launch foundation.
• 🌟 Community Expansion: Increased Twitter following by 12,000+ through creative content and engagement strategies.
• 🔥 Successful Social Campaigns: Organized community events and interactive posts that significantly drove engagement.
• 💡 Market Positioning: Developed a unique marketing narrative emphasizing the game’s blend of life-simulation and adventure, resonating with core audiences.

For Pixelshire, I designed and implemented a unique community-driven initiative called ‘Count Up to Build Pixelshire.’ By integrating a custom bot, players were encouraged to count in a dedicated channel.

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• Each milestone reached would unlock a new building on a virtual map inspired by the game.
• Unlocking buildings came with exclusive lore and storytelling to immerse the community further into Pixelshire’s world.
• Players earned achievements, such as the ‘Legendary Counter’ and the ‘Mythical Counter,’ which provided special roles and access to secret channels, driving excitement and engagement.

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Result: This initiative successfully fostered teamwork and sustained participation, keeping the community actively engaged with the game.

Building Pixelshire: A Collaborative Community Journey

Building Pixelshire: A Collaborative Community Journey

Players reach a count milestone

Players then unlock a building from the map(that I created on Photoshop using .png assets from the game).

The new reached milestone is then announced and shared with the community.

Store page design is a key part of my marketing strategy, and for Pixelshire, I created themed original banners to align with the game's art style and mechanics.

Each banner includes animated GIFs to highlight features dynamically and immerse visitors into the world of Pixelshire even before they play the game.

The Steam page represents the culmination of my efforts to engage the audience and optimize visits-to-wishlists conversion rates by creating a visually compelling and cohesive presentation.

Feel free to check the live Steam page here: Pixelshire Steam Page to see my work in action.

Pixelshire: Engaging Store Page Design

A key challenge was positioning Pixelshire as distinct from other life-simulation games in a competitive market.

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We tackled this by highlighting its unique combination of town-building and adventure mechanics, ensuring the game resonated with a niche audience eager for more personalized gameplay experiences.

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Through targeted and creative messaging, we effectively carved out a space for Pixelshire to shine.

To amplify its visibility, we partnered with mid-tier streamers whose audiences aligned with Pixelshire’s cozy and creative vibe.

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This approach not only showcased the game’s unique selling points but also drove engagement by sparking curiosity among dedicated fans of life-sim and town-building games.

By crafting original video content such as 'How Pixelshire is Different to Stardew Valley,' we successfully showcased the game’s uniqueness in an engaging way.

Partnering with mid-tier influencers resulted in a 20% increase in wishlist conversions within the campaign period

Creative Content & Influencer Strategy for Pixelshire

Creating trailers for Pixelshire required a strategic approach to showcase the game’s unique selling points (USPs) and differentiate it from other farming and life-sim games.

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Each trailer emphasized key features, such as terraforming, town-building, and character progression, ensuring these elements stood out to the target audience.

Localized & USP-Focused Trailer Campaigns for Pixelshire

To expand Pixelshire’s reach, I collaborated with PR agencies in Japan and China to localize the game logo and trailers and orchestrated PR pushes in these regions, tailoring content for their unique audiences.

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This localization effort helped broaden the game's global appeal and strengthened its visibility in critical markets.

SPELLS & SECRETS

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Spells & Secrets is a co-op action-adventure game set in a magical academy, blending puzzle-solving and spellcasting with charming visuals. The game’s intuitive design and cooperative gameplay make it a hit among fans of family-friendly action titles.

I managed the publishing of Spells & Secrets on Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 5, collaborating closely with internal teams and platform stakeholders to ensure smooth submissions and global successful marketing efforts.

• 📅 Successful Launch: Ensured seamless submissions and approvals for both Switch and PS5 versions, meeting strict timelines for the global release.
• 🎥 Marketing Support: Directed the production of the launch trailer, which gained significant visibility by being featured on PlayStation’s YouTube channel, amassing 100,000+ views.
• 🌍 Collaboration: Worked with Roka Play to align marketing strategies across PC and console platforms, creating a cohesive brand presence.
• 💡 Platform Expertise: Leveraged in-depth knowledge of platform requirements to optimize store pages, metadata, and promotional assets for both console platforms.

Creative Trailer Direction & Developer Insights for Spells & Secrets

The Launch Trailer for Spells & Secrets is one of my proudest achievements in trailer direction.

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To reflect the game’s magical theme, I wrote a rhyming script, sourced a voiceover artist with a fitting tone, and collaborated closely with a video editor and music composer to craft a visually captivating and immersive trailer.

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This process required meticulous planning and coordination, especially as every step needed approval from Roka Play, presenting both logistical and creative challenges.

I also directed the creation of the Developer Interview video for GAMESCOM, which features Florian Mann, CEO of Alchemist Interactive, discussing the game’s journey and unique design choices.

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This involved for me creating the interview questions, collaborating with multiple departments, and ensuring a polished final product that dives into Spells & Secrets’ sandbox gameplay, story, and original soundtrack.

Engaging Organic Influencers with Personalized Outreach

For the launch of Spells & Secrets, I directed a highly personalized influencer outreach campaign to ensure engagement with targeted content creators.

Each influencer received a customized acceptance letter designed in the style of an invitation to the in-game wizarding academy, complete with platform-specific game codes and personalized details.

This creative approach not only grabbed their attention but also aligned perfectly with the magical theme of the game, making it both immersive and memorable.

This strategy helped foster stronger connections with influencers and generated authentic content that amplified the game’s reach within its target audience.

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The organic influencer strategy for Spells & Secrets resulted in highly positive coverage from targeted creators, amplifying reach across multiple demographics.

Raptor (1M13 sub,9.2k views)

Dan Field (427k sub, 9.3k views)

Fleurs (71.1k sub, 698 views live stream)

Noisy Pixel (50.8k sub, 4.5k views)

ContraNetwork (112k sub, 1k views)

Josh's Gaming Garden (47k sub, 7k views)

Organic Influencer Coverage: Expanding Reach Through Targeted Creators

115,000 impressions from PlayStation’s YouTube Channel (15.3M subs)

8.1k views from GameTrailers/IGN YouTube (1M subs)

First-Party Platform Support: Ensuring Quality through Recognized Endorsement

PlayStation's consistent support for our trailers reflects the hard work put into crafting impactful visuals and narratives that aligned perfectly with their platform's audience expectations.

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The trailers’ success not only drove engagement but also validated the collaborative effort in maintaining top-tier standards.

Planning and collaboration are key to ensuring consistent and engaging social media content.

This pre- and post-launch social roadmap highlights my proactive approach to working with the Community Manager to design a structured calendar. Together, we ensured:

• Variety in content, from gameplay showcases to countdown posts and giveaways.
• Strategic alignment with key milestones, including influencer gatherings and launch day activities.
• Efficiency and organization, enabling the team to prepare and deliver impactful content ahead of schedule.

This planning effort helped maximize engagement while keeping the community informed and excited.

Social Media Planning & Execution

The Nintendo Switch News section has been a highly effective tool in keeping players informed about Spells & Secrets.

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We've utilized the Switch news channels to provide regular promotional updates and highlight key features of the game, ensuring players stay engaged with new content and announcements.

Leveraging Nintendo Switch News for Player Engagement

We’ve effectively utilized Sony’s dedicated blogging platform to keep PlayStation players informed about Spells & Secrets. Through timely updates and engaging video content, we ensured consistent visibility while highlighting key features and events tied to the game.

PlayStation Blog Engagement and Content Strategy

CTR Insights: Reflecting the strong engagement rates during peak content delivery days.

Impressions and Clicks: Demonstrating the effectiveness of each post in driving traffic and generating interest.

Student Faction Inductions

• We developed a 4-part mini-series to generate excitement and highlight the game's unique Harry Potter-inspired Student Faction system.
• These short videos performed well on Instagram, driving significant engagement, while serving as a valuable experiment in expanding content diversity on YouTube.
• Assets from this series were repurposed into Nintendo and PlayStation News posts, ensuring cross-platform visibility.
• Positive community feedback highlighted the effectiveness of this initiative in building anticipation.

Creative Mini-Series for Social Media Engagement

Code Giveaway

We ran a code giveaway on Twitter and Instagram, which generated a large amount of engagement.

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While this attracted fans of the game eager for codes, it also drew participants who typically seek out giveaway contests.

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Despite this, it was an effective strategy to increase followers on the Merge Games account.

Twitch Stream

We conducted a post-launch livestream to boost interest in the game and encourage purchases.

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Although the audience size was small, the positive sentiment from participants stood out.

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To maximize engagement, we included code giveaways during the stream.

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Leading up to the event, we created hype with social posts and an event announcement in the Merge Discord channel.

Engaging Social Campaigns to Drive Awareness

I commissioned an artist to run a Valentine's Day giveaway competition, where the winner received a custom artwork themed around the game. This initiative not only fostered player engagement but also aligned with the game’s magical and creative tone, making the event both memorable and on-brand.

Valentine's Day Community Activation

Designed and produced a promotional one-pager asset to facilitate easy sharing with first-party partners.

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This visually engaging document highlighted the game’s key features and unique selling points, serving as a concise yet impactful tool for presentations and promotional purposes.

SPELLS & SECRETS TOP PRESS FEATURES

SPIRIT OF THE NORTH 2

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Spirit of the North 2 is a stunning 3rd-person adventure where you play as a fox with a raven companion, exploring an ancient world to restore balance and uncover its mysteries.

As the Product/Brand Manager, I directed marketing efforts and community engagement initiatives to position Spirit of the North 2 as a highly anticipated sequel in the action-adventure genre.

• 🦊 Wishlist Growth: Achieved over 75,000+ Steam wishlists through targeted campaigns and trailer promotions.
• ✨ Community Expansion: Strengthened the fanbase by increasing Twitter engagement through captivating visuals and regular updates about the game's lore and features.
• 🔥 Successful Press Campaigns: Coordinated media appointments at Gamescom 2024, leading to significant press coverage and spotlight placement at the Xbox Indie booth.
• 🌍 Cross-Platform Presence: Collaborated with first-party platforms like Xbox and PlayStation to secure trailer features and drive awareness for the game.
• 🎨 Creative Assets: Designed bespoke promotional materials, including themed pins and postcards for event attendees, reinforcing the game's brand identity.

Diverse Marketing and Community Initiatives for Spirit of the North 2

Managed press appointments with top-tier media at Gamescom 2024, driving significant coverage for Spirit of the North 2, which was featured at the Xbox Indie booth and gained visibility through an exclusive Xbox Partner Preview.

Additionally, created branded goodies, including pins and postcards, to enhance player engagement and provide memorable takeaways for attendees.

SLAYCATION PARADISE

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Slaycation Paradise is a chaotic twin-stick shooter with tower defense elements, set in a quirky apocalyptic vacation setting. The game’s humor and fast-paced gameplay make it a standout choice for fans of action-packed indie games.

I led the marketing strategy and launch execution for Slaycation Paradise across PC and consoles, focusing on driving visibility, player engagement, and community interaction.

• 📢 Increased Visibility: Drove 50,000+ Steam wishlists leading up to launch through engaging social media campaigns and influencer outreach.
• 🎮 Cross-Platform Strategy: Tailored messaging for PC and console players, ensuring engagement with each audience while maintaining a unified brand.
• 🎥 Trailers Success: Directed the creation of high-energy trailers that captured the game’s humor and chaotic gameplay, driving strong engagement on YouTube and social platforms.
• 🌟 Community Engagement: Launched a series of themed social media events (e.g., "Vacation Gone Wrong"), driving interaction and increasing Twitter followers by 8,000+.
• 💡 Influencer Marketing: Partnered with mid-tier streamers to highlight the game’s unique mix of humor and action, generating 500,000+ impressions pre-launch.

One challenge was ensuring the game’s unique mix of humor and action appealed to the right audience. By tailoring the messaging and creating quirky and action-packed content, we successfully attracted the target demographic.

Pushed localisation efforts by collaborating with regional partners to create a fully localised Chinese logo and trailer, increasing accessibility and engagement within the Chinese market.

Partnered with Razer to showcase Slaycation Paradise's Chroma RGB integration, producing a custom trailer to highlight the immersive lighting features and attract hardware enthusiasts.

NECROSMITH

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Necrosmith is a unique strategy-builder game where players construct armies of the undead by assembling body parts from different creatures. Its quirky mechanics and dark humor resonate with fans of strategy and simulation genres.

I managed the publishing of Necrosmith for Nintendo Switch & PS5, focusing on adapting the game’s appeal to console players through tailored marketing and store optimization, while addressing platform-specific challenges.

• 🎮 Platform Adaptation: Successfully positioned Necrosmith for a Nintendo & PS5 audience by emphasizing its creative mechanics and gameplay depth, aligning with the preferences of strategy enthusiasts on the platform.
• 📢 Marketing Campaigns: Designed targeted campaigns for Switch & PS owners, highlighting how the game’s quirky strategy elements fit seamlessly into handheld gaming.
• 🛠 Store Optimization: Enhanced the eShop listing with platform-specific messaging and a Switch trailer, leading to increased visibility and engagement.
• 🌟 Overcoming Challenges: Addressed concerns over the game’s RTS aspect and controls by creating content that showcased its accessibility on the console.

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Strategically announced the console release of Necrosmith through a creative plushie campaign in collaboration with Makeship.

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This campaign included special incentives, such as offering buyers a digital copy of another Alawar game, Wall World, to drive additional engagement and cross-promotion.

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Worked closely with Makeship to ensure the plushie's digital storefront featured direct links to the console store pages, creating a seamless connection between the physical product and the game launch.

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I created the announcement trailer myself, creatively featuring the game's iconic cat as the narrator to add personality and humor. The trailer concluded with a promotion for the plush campaign, tying everything together seamlessly.

Check it out!

KEYARTS I DIRECTED

TRAILERS I DIRECTED

(All images are clickable)

Pixelshire Release Date Trailer (not yet released)

Pixelshire Launch Trailer (not yet released)

Spirit of the North 2 Release Date Announcement Trailer (not yet released)

TESTIMONIALS/ENDORSEMENTS

TESTIMONIALS/ENDORSEMENTS*

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“Collaborating with Alex on the promotion of the Smalland Live Orchestra recordings was a fantastic experience. His skillful marketing efforts helped us secure features on PlayStation and Xbox official YouTube channels, and even landed our mini-documentary on IGN. Throughout the process, Alex maintained clear and professional communication, making every step efficient and enjoyable. His ability to deliver such impactful results highlights both his talent and dedication.”

• Pav Gekko, Music Composer & Audio Director of Smalland: Survive the Wilds Soundtrack, Jan 2025

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“Alex is an incredibly thoughtful and detail-oriented employee. He excels at seeking and using data to inform decision-making, will speak up with an honest opinion, and cares deeply about the products he champions. He approaches his work with care and attention and always remains in front of industry trends. Alex would be a valuable asset to any team.”

• Danny Aindow - Ex Head of Marketing at Merge Games, Sept 2024

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“Alex is always looking to learn more and seeks out colleagues to get perspectives outside of his own. From starting with Merge, he has shown the rare skill to state his case when a disagreement calls for it. Alex has a great talent for research and has an uncanny ability to source and read complex data.”

• Ross Griffith - Head of Publishing at Playtonic, Jul 2023

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*From LinkedIn

TESTIMONIALS/ENDORSEMENTS*

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“Alex is highly skilled in creating and executing successful marketing strategies that drive results. He has a keen eye for detail, is always on the lookout for outside-the-box opportunities for his titles, and his results-oriented approach to success has been demonstrated by the amount of player engagement & sales generated around each marketing campaign he coordinated. I highly recommend Alex and am confident he will positively impact any organization.”

• Nick Clarkson - Senior Global Commercial Manager at Team17, Apr 2023

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“During his time at Digital Tales, Alex has shown himself to be an innately curious and resourceful self-starter, a good problem solver and a proactive planner, who only occasionally sways or requires prompting and is not easily discouraged.”

• Alessandra Tomasina - ex Head of Marketing at Digital Tales, Feb 2021

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“Both me and Alex started working together a year ago. During this time, Alex has shown true passion and has always been supportive throughout our endeavors. He can adapt quickly to whatever task he is presented with, and his knowledge in regards to different marketing aspects highlights his skills in this area. Very happy to have met and worked alongside him during my time here at DTales.”

• Eduardo Fernandez - Producer at Digital Tales, Jan 2021

*From LinkedIn

CONTACT INFORMATION

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Let’s Stay in Touch!

💼 Name: Alexander Hainsworth�✉️ Email: alexander.jhainsworth@gmail.com�🌐 LinkedIn: Alexander J. Hainsworth | LinkedIn

THANK YOU

And have a great day