December 18, 2018
WASHINGTON – December 18, 2018 – After nine distinguished years serving as the Senior Vice President of Government Affairs for the Entertainment Software Association (ESA), the ESA today announced that Erik Huey is leaving the trade association that represents the $36 billion U.S. video game industry.
Huey will embark on an entrepreneurial path to become the president of a new government relations and public affairs consultancy in Washington, DC, that he is co-founding with an established California-based firm. The ESA will be among the firm’s growing client roster.
“Erik has worked tirelessly to elevate the video game industry and the ESA in Washington and in state capitals around the country,” said Stan Pierre-Louis, the ESA’s general counsel and acting president and CEO. “Much of the organization’s success over the past decade can be traced to campaigns and initiatives that Erik created and led.”
During his time at the ESA, Huey dedicated himself to protecting the video game industry’s ability to express its creative vision and capitalize on new distribution and business models that helped grow revenues and create high-tech, 21st century jobs nationwide. Moreover, he led numerous successful advocacy initiatives on a range of public policy issues, including First Amendment and intellectual property protection, privacy laws, cybersecurity, and tax incentives to fuel economic growth and ensure the U.S. industry’s global market competitiveness. Huey also played an integral role in the ESA’s historic free speech victory in the U.S. Supreme Court (Brown v. Entertainment Merchants Association/Entertainment Software Association) in 2011.
Additionally, he developed and launched a number of strategic initiatives that highlighted video game-based STEM education programs and the industry’s impact on job creation, including the Congressional E-Tech Caucus, the National STEM Video Game Contest, GlassLab, the Higher Education Video Game Alliance of 300 universities, and a Webby Award-winning interactive map of the video game ecosystem. While at the ESA, Huey also served as a board member for Games for Change and was named frequently as one of Washington’s top lobbyists by The Hill.
“For nearly a decade, Erik has represented the video game industry in Washington and across the country with distinction and top-notch political and legal acumen,” said Fred Humphries, corporate vice president of U.S. government affairs at Microsoft. “I wish him continued success in his new endeavor.”
“Erik is among the most creative, thoughtful, and effective industry advocates I’ve worked with in DC,” stated Simon Rosenberg, president of NDN. “He seems to know everyone and get along with everyone too. He did a great job for the ESA and will leaves big shoes to fill. It has been a pleasure working with him in recent years, and I know he will be successful in his coming ventures.”
Huey added the following: “It has been the honor of a lifetime to work on behalf of and directly with the senior leadership of some of the most cutting-edge, innovative tech and entertainment companies in the world. I love this industry and am eternally grateful to the ESA Board, our member companies, and my ESA colleagues. The ESA has never been stronger than it is right now, and I look forward to supporting the organization’s continued success.”
Huey will depart the ESA in January 2019. A graduate of the University of Miami as well as the University of Notre Dame Law School, he resides in Washington with his wife and three daughters.
About ESA
The ESA offers a wide range of services to interactive entertainment software companies, including conducting business and consumer research; providing legal and policy analysis and advocacy on First Amendment, intellectual property, and technology/e-commerce issues; managing a global content protection program; owning and operating E3; and representing video game industry interests in federal and state government relations. For more information, visit ESA’s website or follow the ESA on Twitter @theESA.
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