Pasadena Gaming Executive Speaks About the Power of the Entrepreneurial Spirit and How to Climb The Ladder of Success

A Pasadena native who managed to climb the ranks of Playstation and contribute to the world of 21st century gaming as we know it will offer words of advice and tales of wisdom to interested professionals at a special meeting Thursday night.

The introspective discussion is hosted by StartUp Grind Pasadena and will give an inside look as to how you too can take charge of your career and “reach for the stars.”

“My message for people is about staying true to who you are and that if you remain authentic in how you approach your goals and aspirations—almost anything can happen,” explained Dave Thach, featured speaker and Senior Director of International Software Development and Special Operations at Sony Interactive Entertainment Worldwide Studios.

Thach now oversees some of the company’s largest and most profitable franchises, such as Gran Turismo and LittleBigPlanet, in the North American and Latin American markets.

He is described as a ‘Jack of All Trades’ thanks to his diverse career path, which has allowed him to grow the Special Operations pillar of his business in new, exciting, and often times unexpected ways.

Thach’s professional career started after he graduated from UCLA as a music major and had to decide what his next step should be, post college.

“I had to figure out if I should continue to follow my passion or eat,” explained Thach.

This life predicament came in the era of the dot com boom in the tech industry.

“It was a very opportunistic time to get into that industry,” said Thach.

He applied what he described as his basic knowledge of computer programming to land an entry level tech job that ultimately lead to a lead consulting role down the line.

Just as post college life was looking good for Thach, he was laid off, and had to make the next move.

“I rolled my severance package into a business with a couple of partners. Sony was one of my clients,” Thach said.

Thach spent some time nurturing a great working relationship with Sony and Playstation, which would then lead to Playstation offering him yet another position in the corporate world.

“It was kind of a scenario of where I was going from running my own business to literally being back at square one with my foot in the door working at the help desk,” explained Thach.

Eleven years later and with many rungs of the corporate ladder climbed, Thach is a Senior Director in a division of Playstation America where he has leveraged his experience as an entrepreneur and as an IBM Solutions Excellence Award winning developer/designer that touches most of the company’s product and works on an international scale.

Most recently, Thach and his team played an integral role with their contributions to the successful launch of the latest PlayStation platform, PlayStation VR, according to a press release.

“Everyone is entitled to have a goal. For me, I knew I wanted to do one of three things. I knew that I either wanted to be in music, I wanted to do something with computers or I wanted to do something with games,” Thach said. “In my current job I get to do all three.”

So how does a corporate executive with entrepreneurial flare land the dream job?

“I don’t believe in luck. You create your own opportunities. As long as you remain authentic, that carries a lot of weight with people. Certainly in my experience that has taken me a long way and it has provided me with opportunities that I otherwise wouldn’t have had,” said Thach.

Thach described the importance of building your personal brand which takes a healthy diet of time to cultivate it and confidence to back it up.

“Even though I am clearly a member of corporate America, I am still able to capitalize on that entrepreneurial spirit and some of those entrepreneurial ideals to continue to evolve and grow in the business that I’m responsible for,” said Thach who mentioned the realities of often being labeled as a work-a-holic by peers and having to sacrifice precious family time to achieve professional goals.

“For better or worse, nothing has fallen in my lap,” Thach explained.

Thatch intends to give attendees a one on one experience where they can ask questions and hopefully leave inspired about where their careers can take them next.

“Its going to be real talk from a guy who is pretty much ‘what you see is what you get’,” said Thach.

The Startup Grind Pasadena Fireside Chat With Dave Thach will take place Thursday from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at Epic Spaces located at 680 E. Colorado Blvd. Tickets are $10 and space is limited.

For tickets, visit http://bit.ly/2hU61OQ.