Cornerstone Commentary to Feature Former Sega of America CEO

Pete Comparoni | UK Photo. LEXINGTON, Ky. (March 1, 2021) — The University of Kentucky — along with its partner Gen.G — will continue its monthly esports speaker series, Cornerstone Commentary, with guest speaker Tom Kalinske, former CEO of Sega of America Inc. Kalinske will discuss his time with Mattel, the history of Sega vs. Nintendo and his work after the console wars of the 1990s. From 1972 to 1987, Tom Kalinske worked with Mattel reviving the Barbie and Hot Wheels Brands and launching Masters of the Universe. In 1990, Kalinske became the CEO of Sega of America Inc. His aggressive marketing decisions during his time at Sega, such as price drops, anti-Nintendo attack ads and the famous “Sega Scream” TV campaign, are often cited as key elements in the success of the Genesis video game console.  After his time with Sega, Kalinske served as the CEO and chairman of the largest educational toy company in the world, Leapfrog. Currently, Kalinske is the executive chairman of Global Education Learning, a company dedicated to children’s education in China. “We are very hopeful that the monthly Cornerstone Commentary series will provide students with an opportunity to learn from leaders in the esports and video game space, including hearing from top business executives, creators and innovators, entrepreneurs and educators,” Heath Price said, associate chief information officer for ITS. “As the campus dialog…
Read More