What's a franchise manager do?


Paizo General Discussion


Enquiring minds want to know.

Is it basically checking that computer games, board games and other such things fit in with Golarion/Pathfinder/Starfinder lore? Kind of a resource for producers of licensed products?

Paizo Employee Franchise Manager

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You've got the basic gist of it, Steve. In other industries, a franchise manager coordinates between a central operational headquarters with franchisees to ensure processes, final products, and customer experiences are consistent across all of a company's locations. So I'm moving from day-to-day development of products to a more strategic, overarching brand role.

I will be coordinating closely with all three Creative Directors (Jacobs, Sutter, and Sarah Robinson) to ensure that our internally produced and licensed content for both Pathfinder and Starfinder are consistent and on message. This might be helping approve concept art for one of our licensed digital games, reviewing a script for a comic or audio drama, or working with various developers in-house to ensure that our products are talking to one another.

I'll also be working with Chris Lambertz to maintain the PRD and SFRD, especially as more and more of our hardcover rulebooks in both games incorporate increasing amounts of product identity that really doesn't belong on a setting-neutral rules system reference. I'll be ensuring that we protect our intellectual property while also releasing our OGL rules content in a useful and convenient format.

In the short term, I'm finishing up my development on the back matter for the last few volumes of Ruins of Azlant, which we haven't shipped yet. So I haven't really gotten fully into the groove of my new role yet. I'm sure there will be more responsibilities and passion projects that I'll add to my agenda as time goes on. Needless to say, I'm really excited for the opportunities the new role presents, both personally and for both brands.


Cheers, Mark. I shall stifle my disappointment at not being able to bid to run the Australian Paizo franchise. :/

Will you be involved in the PF (and hopefully SF) Tales line(s), once that finds a new home?

Paizo Employee Franchise Manager

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Probably. As much involvement as I have for any other product largely produced in-house, at least. The legal licensing details will be worked out by others, and the coordination of authors would likely still fall to Sutter or if he's too busy with Starfinder, then someone else. But I've been among the folks in the office to sign off on authors' outlines for novels for a while already, and I can't imagine that would change.


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I hadn't heard. Congratulations on the change of position, sir!

Although I'll miss writing for you. ^_^

Lantern Lodge RPG Superstar 2014 Top 4

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I'll likewise miss writing for you, Mark, but you earned this. Maybe I'll step into the licensed products field in the future and we can work together again on that side of the fence.

Grand Lodge

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Adventure Path Charter Subscriber

A Franchise Manager mostly lays on a fancy futon while the designers and developers take turns hand-feeding him grapes and waiting anxiously for his next pearl of wisdom.

So I've heard.

-Skeld


Just remember to yell this when applicable.

Jon Brazer Enterprises

Oh wow. Congrats!

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