New Kickstarter Games Leader: Meet Maggie Clayton
Maggie Clayton joins Kickstarter from Exploding Kittens.
There’s a new leader heading up one of Kickstarter’s biggest categories: Maggie Clayton has joined us as our Head of Games.
Maggie steps into the role as Jon Ritter-Roderick transitions to lead creator strategy on the new Kickstarter Performance team. She will report to Nick Yulman, Director of Outreach.
As Head of Games, Maggie will serve as Kickstarter’s resident expert within the Games category. She will manage a team dedicated to engaging with and advocating for Games creators, fostering relationships with both new and returning creators, and providing strategic guidance to help bring their projects to life.
Maggie brings extensive experience from the tabletop gaming industry. As the former Senior Manager of North American Sales at Exploding Kittens, Inc., a record-breaking Kickstarter creator, she honed her expertise in mass market, specialty, and distribution sales, as well as product development. Her background includes working with both large and small-scale publishers, specializing in sales, marketing, product development, and operations. She is also a game designer and developer herself.
"I am thrilled to join a platform that has consistently been at the forefront of bringing innovative projects to life. Kickstarter's commitment to the Games community is evident, and there’s an exciting new momentum around our efforts to provide creators with the tools they need to succeed. I look forward to building upon that foundation to continue meeting the evolving needs of creators and helping them achieve success." — Maggie Clayton
Nick Yulman, our Director of Outreach, added;
"Maggie’s deep industry experience and respected standing make her an ideal leader for our Games team. Her background in marketing and sales at Exploding Kittens, and her collaborations with indie creators at Greater Than Games, give her a comprehensive understanding of what it takes to bring games to life. It’s striking how beloved she is in the industry – experienced creators and former colleagues have all sung her praises. I'm excited for her to bring a fresh vision to Games at Kickstarter, build on our success, and ensure that we remain the premier platform for launching games."
Kickstarter’s Games category attracts tens of millions of dollars in pledges every year. In 2023, we saw a 17% increase in the number of successful projects and a 14% increase in the number of Games projects launched compared to the previous year.
Jonathan Ritter-Roderick
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Our Games community is dynamic and growing, and we’re excited to welcome Maggie to the team.
