Digital Development Management (DDM), the world’s leading business and talent agency for video games and digital entertainment, has named veteran video game and interactive entertainment executive Paula Cuneo as Brand Director. Cuneo, who joins DDM after a successful career working in the video game sector for companies such as Microsoft and Activision, starts immediately. The announcement was made jointly today by DDM President, Joe Minton and DDM’s Founder and Managing Partner, Jeff Hilbert.

As Brand Director, Cuneo, who will report to Minton, will be responsible for spearheading DDM’s brand business by becoming a direct partner to major brands and agencies contracted by DDM to establish product strategy in the video game sector.

"Paula’s experience and know-how of the video game business crosses a number of different areas which can yield important opportunities and revenue sources for our developer clients," said Minton. "Her expertise in branding, licensing, corporate alliances, in-game advertising and business development makes her an incredible asset not only to our clients but to the industry as a whole, and we couldn’t be happier to have her on our team."

Cuneo joins DDM from Massive Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Microsoft Corp., where she held the title of Director of Business Development and was responsible for managing the company’s product placement and business development initiatives. During her tenure, Cuneo helped secure new content and partnerships, building the network to over 70 titles and serving over 300 top tier advertisers.

Before Massive, Cuneo spent several years at Activision, Inc. where she helped design and launch an in-game advertising business, served as a producer with a focus on casual games, and worked on licensing for sports athletes and endemic sponsors. Also while at Activision, Cuneo helped build Puma and Activision’s long standing promotional partnership with multiple game franchises including True Crime, Mototrax featuring Travis Pastrana, DJ Hero, which included both fixed and dynamic product placement with celebrity DJ’s outfitted in Puma apparel as well as co-branded outdoor ad campaigns, in-store initiatives and custom co-branded apparel.

Among other impressive accolades, Cuneo spearheaded Jeep and Tony Hawk’s American Wasteland promotional partnership which won Promo Magazine’s Video Game Promotion of the Year in 2005. Under her direction the partnership included co-branded print ads, radio spots and online sweepstakes all built around a custom in-game integration of the Jeep Wrangler. In addition to working with ubiquitous and influential brands like Jeep, Puma, Coca-Cola, Nokia, Burger King and more, Cuneo also drove the endemic brand partnerships that make video games so authentic. Guitar Hero is filled with brands like Marshall, Vox, Ernie Ball, Zildjian, Audio Technica, Guitar Center and others that she worked to place in the game.

Cuneo received her Bachelor of Arts from the University of Southern California and did her graduate work at Tufts University.