Tommy Tallarico

Tommy Tallarico is a veritable video game industry icon. As one of the most successful video game composers in history, he has helped revolutionize the gaming world throughout his 30-year career. As a well-recognized on-air television personality, live performer, show producer, creative director, game console President, sound designer, and composer, Tommy brings his in-depth knowledge, years of experience, and love of cutting edge multimedia and pop culture to the masses. Tommy has worked in the gaming industry as a designer, product manager, producer, writer, hardware executive, a games tester, and head of both the music and video departments. He produced, co-created, wrote, and co-hosted 3 internationally award-winning syndicated and network television shows as well as creating, producing, and hosting the worldwide live orchestra touring sensation Video Games Live. Video Games Live is the first and most successful video game touring concert in the world having performed over 525 shows in 42 countries on 5 continents. The debut performance was launched at the world-famous Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles with the LA Philharmonic. Since then over 3 million people have experienced the show live.

Tommy has won over 50 industry awards and has worked on more than 300 game titles; to date, the total sales of more than 200 million units and over 10 billion dollars in revenue. In 2008, he was enshrined in the Guinness Book of World Records and currently holds 5 Guinness World Records including the person who has worked on the most commercially released video games and the largest symphony show ever seen live (over 752,000 people in China). In 2012 during the Game Developers Conference, he received a Lifetime Achievement Award and is also in the Smithsonian Institute in Washington D.C. for his contributions to the game industry. In 2013 he was asked to speak at the TED Conference where he gave his very well received “Video Games – Art in Disguise” speech. The IDG video game industry white paper mentions Tommy (along with Bill Gates) as one of the people who contributed the most to the advancement and growth of the industry in 2003. In 2009, he received the prestigious "Ambassador Award" during the Game Developers Choice Awards which was only the 2nd time the award had ever been bestowed. That same year he was chosen as one of the Top 50 Game Industry People by Game Developers Magazine. ABC did a feature story in 2015 calling him the “person who changed the video game industry”.

Tommy is the founder of the Game Audio Network Guild (G.A.N.G.), which is a non-profit organization educating and heightening the awareness of audio for the interactive world with over 2,500 members representing over 50 countries since its inception in 2002. Tommy is an Advisory Board member for the Game Developers Conference, a Governor for the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences (NARAS/GRAMMY's), a spokesperson for the Entertainment Consumers Association, a proud member of the International Game Developers Association, and a nominating peer panel leader for the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. Tommy has consulted for Fortune 500 companies such as Intel, Sony, AMD, Microsoft, and Apple as well as audio companies including DTS, Dolby, Roland, THX, Yamaha, and Creative Labs.