AGBO, the entertainment company founded by Anthony and Joe Russo, is expanding its fantasy and science fiction world building department.
Ryan Verniere, formerly of video game banner Riot Games, has been hired as senior vp of story. He will report to Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, co-presidents of story at AGBO.
The executive will be part of the senior team developing original film and television IP and, per the company’s announcement Wednesday, “ushering in a new era of fantasy and science fiction storytelling.” He will be working with the internal creative team led by AGBO CCO Angela Russo-Otstot.
“Ryan is an innovative worldbuilder of the highest order. He has both a deep well of esoteric knowledge and the storytelling skills to transform it into popular entertainment,” said Markus and McFeeley in a statement. “His facility with mythology, character, and genre will make him an incredibly valuable addition to AGBO and all we’re trying to create.”
Verniere spent almost 10 years at Riot, where he started as a senior writer and rose through the ranks to creative director for franchises. He oversaw the creative process for new champions for the popular title League of Legends, which won a BAFTA in 2015. He also worked in Riot’s film & TV department where he worked alongside Jane Chung Hoffacker, executive producer of Arcane.
He created the role playing game Blackbirds and worked on CCP’s Eve, which was inducted into The Museum of Modern Art (NYC) in the Applied Design artistic category as one of the first 14 inaugural video games added to the permanent collection alongside Pac-Man, Tetris, The Sims, among others.
Said Verniere: “I spent the last two decades working on digital toys as a Geppetto of sorts. All my years as a narrative designer have uniquely prepared me for this opportunity. AGBO is an innovative company with passionate storytellers, and I’m thrilled to be a part of the team. Together we’ll bring new characters to life, and undiscovered worlds will manifest.”
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