Frank Yu

Current

CSO (advisor) at Cineo
China writer at Gamasutra (CMP)
Venture Advisor at Ymer Venture Capital

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Past

Director at ECitySky
Producer- Casual Games at Microsoft China Research and Development
Program Manager at Microsoft Research Asia

Asia XBOX and Home Entertainment Regional Business Manager at Microsoft
Columnist Beijing Byte at South China Morning Post
Principal Consultant- Strategy at Chinadotcom (CDC) - Ion Global
Asia Equities Analyst at Columbus Circle - PIMCO
Securities Analyst / Fixed Income Trader at Coutts & Co AG, National Westminster Bank
Bureau Chief at Baltic Observer
Asst. at MacWeek

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7 more...

Education

Harvard University Kennedy School of Government
USAICS
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey-New Brunswick

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Recommended

5 people have recommended Frank

Connections

500+ connections

Industry

Computer Games

Websites

Frank Yu’s Summary

I believe that the best experiences are those that we learn and have fun with at the same time. My background reflects a desire to enable customers and users to craft their own experiences by giving them the tools and platforms to create and share with others.

I served as a Casual Game Producer for MS. I globally shipped MS China's first game product for deployment in 33 countries and helped start and lead Microsoft's first game development team in China. As a MS program manager, I have also shipped products for Windows Vista, Media Center PVR, Media Center Extender , Internet Explorer 7 and Microsoft Game Studios.

3 ShipIts, 1 Patent, 5 Thinkweeks, 1 Platform Launch, 2 Games

My career with Microsoft began as the Regional Business Manager for Asia in the Home Entertainment Division.I helped launch Xbox (v1) in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Korea and Singapore.

frank_yu@post.harvard.edu

Frank Yu’s Specialties:

Industry analysis, user experience, market research, strategy, interface design, coolhunting usability and ethnographic studies. game development, portfolio management and interactive entertainment.

Frank Yu’s Experience

CSO (advisor)

Cineo

(Entertainment industry)

June 2008 — Present (5 months)

China Media Startup
China writer

Gamasutra (CMP)

(Publishing industry)

January 2008 — Present (10 months)

I write about China and online games
http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=16875
Venture Advisor

Ymer Venture Capital

(Investment Management industry)

January 2008 — Present (10 months)

I give my opinions,debunk the hype and add my .02 USD
http://www.ymerfund.com/blog/?page_id=111
Director

ECitySky

(Privately Held; Internet industry)

December 2007 — May 2008 (6 months)

They are developing a platform for letting users deliver great online experiences be they games, meetings or education.
Producer- Casual Games

Microsoft China Research and Development

(Public Company; 10,001 or more employees; msft; Computer Software industry)

April 2006 — September 2007 (1 year 6 months)

I lead development, test, art, design and user experience teams to create and ship casual online games. I shipped 2 Games for MS Casual Games.
Program Manager

Microsoft Research Asia

(Public Company; 201-500 employees; MSFT; Computer Games industry)

February 2004 — April 2006 (2 years 3 months)

Prior to games, I have shipped 3 features in Internet Explorer 7 and managed Intrinsic Controls, 2 features in Media Center PC ( Smart Thumbnails for the PVR and Transrating for the Extender) and 1 UI feature (Hierarchical Carousel) that led to a technology transfer and a patent for the Windows Shell team.
Asia XBOX and Home Entertainment Regional Business Manager

Microsoft

(Public Company; 10,001 or more employees; MSFT; Computer Games industry)

October 2002 — February 2004 (1 year 5 months)

I helped to ship and launch the Xbox in Asia. I managed the sales and marketing metrics, budget and business financials of the Home Entertainment Division for all consumer products from hardware and Mac Apps to PC and Xbox games for the territories of Singapore, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Korea, China and India.
Columnist Beijing Byte

South China Morning Post

(Public Company; Newspapers industry)

October 2001 — November 2003 (2 years 2 months)

I co-wrote the Beijing Byte Column for SCMP with a focus on internet, games and technology
Principal Consultant- Strategy

Chinadotcom (CDC) - Ion Global

(Public Company; 5001-10,000 employees; china; Information Technology and Services industry)

2000 — 2002 (2 years)

Usability and user experience strategist. Expertise in wireless, mobile and gaming devices. First usability practice in Hong Kong as subcontractor for NNG.

Corporate blogger
Thought Leadership http://www.ionglobal.com/views.asp
Asia Equities Analyst

Columbus Circle - PIMCO

(Public Company; 5001-10,000 employees; Capital Markets industry)

October 1998 — January 2000 (1 year 4 months)

Analyzed Asia financial and market data for trends and investment opportunities.
#1 International Fund YoY in 1999
Momentum Analyst for the equity division of PIMCO
Securities Analyst / Fixed Income Trader

Coutts & Co AG, National Westminster Bank

(Public Company; 5001-10,000 employees; Financial Services industry)

1993 — 1998 (5 years)

Analyzed emerging market trends and financial opportunities within fixed income and equities . Specialization in technology and entertainment companies in Asia
Dealt and closed short term debt and sovereign loans.
Bureau Chief

Baltic Observer

(Privately Held; 11-50 employees; Media Production industry)

May 1992 — 1993 (1 year)

Worked as a journalist and Bureau Chief covering economics in the Baltic States. Based in Riga and Vilnius with travel to Tallinn and Moscow
Asst.

MacWeek

(Computer Games industry)

1988 — 1989 (1 year)

Frank Yu’s Education

Harvard University Kennedy School of Government

MPP, Econometrics, Business, International Development, 1990 — 1992

Activities and Societies:

Teaching Fellow at the Joan Shorenstein Barone Center for Press and Politics, Harvard University
USAICS

Military, Political Science 1989 — 1989

Fort Huachuca Arizona
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey-New Brunswick

BA, Philosophy, Psychology, 1984 — 1988

Reserve Officer Training Corp Cadet

Activities and Societies:

Henry Rutgers Scholar
General Honors Graduate
Summa cum laude in Philosophy

Additional Information

Frank Yu’s Websites:

Frank Yu’s Groups:

Beijing Byte Columnist for South China Morning Post
Tech Columnist for Chinatechnews.com
Brand Columnist for APMForum.com, Beijing Technology Group on Facebook, GDC 2007, blogs in dotcom boom 1.0, GDC