And the Oscar goes to...

From Greg:

Well here it is – my first blog! I would have gotten it up a little sooner, but then GDC happened, then I had to fly to LA to help out at a big pre-Oscar party fundraiser that HP co-sponsored on behalf of the Motion Picture & Television Fund, and then I got the flu. And then pieces of my body started falling off and I turned into a giant fly.

Or was that last part something out of a movie I saw as a child? (Did I mention that I’m still feverish?)

First things first: My name is Greg Vederman and about six months ago I left PC Gamer magazine, where I’d written for nearly ten years, to come work for HP and Voodoo. The title on my new card says Business Development Manager, but like everyone else on this lean, mean innovative team, I wear many different hats. I do some core bizdev, of course, but I’m also leading the charge on community strategy, gaming league sponsorships, and other marketing initiatives. I also help vet new hardware and software technologies and co-own our events plan. There’s more – oh boy, there’s more – but I shan’t bore you with the rest today.

Instead, I shall regale you with a few details about the pre-Oscar party fundraiser I “attended” (i.e., ran a little Blackbird gaming booth at) this past Saturday, mostly because Rahul and I haven’t had a chance to talk about it yet and he made me PROMISE to fill him in on all the details upon my return. Let me just say up front that I’ve never been terribly caught up in the lives of celebrities. Really, they’re just normal people with cool jobs – you know, much like me, but with considerably more money, good looks, fame, hair, prestige, respect, community standing, yachts, chihuahuas, and divorce attorney phone numbers. Still, I must admit it was fun standing in a beautiful room filled with the likes of Cameron Diaz, Harrison Ford, Stephen Spielberg, Will Smith, and the fat kid from Super Bad.

My girlfriend is a celebrity-news addict, so I had fun texting her the names of the celebrities I saw throughout the night. She didn’t know who Casey Affleck, James Caan, or Robert Duvall were, but she wagered that of all the dozens of celebs I saw, Diddy and Tim Gunn probably smelled the best.

I never got the chance to smell Tim, but yeah, Diddy smelled predictably wonderful.

- vede