Andrew Daines

Andrew Daines is the Vice President of Games at Hearst Newspapers, leading a talented team of game designers, engineers, creatives, and other professionals in the company's gaming initiatives.3 Here's a comprehensive overview of his background and current role:

Professional Background

Andrew Daines has an entrepreneurial history in the tech and gaming industry. He founded PrePlay, a sports app that allowed fans to make real-time predictions about professional sports games. The app gained significant traction and caught the attention of Major League Baseball, which made an investment in the company.1

After growing and selling PrePlay, Daines worked as a turnaround executive for NFL team owner Stephen Ross. In 2019, he returned to entrepreneurship by launching Chassie, a company that designs and manufactures artistic furniture, particularly focusing on home and office desks for the flexible workforce.1

Current Role at Hearst

As the Vice President of Games at Hearst Newspapers, Daines is spearheading the company's efforts to compete in the digital puzzle and gaming space. He is the general manager of Puzzmo, a daily puzzle platform that Hearst acquired six months ago.2

Puzzmo and Hearst's Gaming Strategy

Under Daines' leadership, Hearst is aiming to challenge The New York Times' dominance in the digital puzzle market, particularly in the wake of Wordle's success. Puzzmo offers a range of innovative games, including:

• Pile-Up Poker, a new twist on classic card games
• Really Bad Chess, which alters traditional chess starting pieces
• Crosswords with hints for stuck players

Daines has ambitious plans for Puzzmo, stating, "There's a space where we have 100 games in a few years".2 The platform is available on 150 publications, including Hearst's 24 newspaper sites, and is licensed to partners like Weather.com and Vox Media's Polygon.2

Education and Personal Background

Andrew Daines was born and raised in New York City and is the son of two proud Utah State University graduates. He attended the US Naval Academy in Annapolis for two years before completing his undergraduate degree in Philosophy at Cornell University in 2010.1

Entrepreneurial Approach

Daines brings an innovative and entrepreneurial spirit to his role at Hearst. He emphasizes differentiation through unique offerings, such as providing physical goods alongside digital games. For instance, Pile-Up Poker subscribers receive a set of limited edition playing cards designed by a renowned artist.2

Andrew Daines' LinkedIn username is andrew-daines-386b03109, as mentioned in the query.