Richard Merrick

Current

• Author / Speaker at InterferenceTheory.com

Past

• Founder/ CEO/ President / Managing Director at Postfuture (aquired by Harte-Hanks)
• Vice President of R&D / CEO at 7th Level
• Director of Systems Development at Micrografx, Inc.

• Manager of Software Development at CompuTrac

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Education

• The University of Texas at Dallas
• The University of Texas at Dallas

Connections

96 connections

Industry

Computer Software

Richard Merrick’s Summary

Merrick has 25 years of innovation in front-edge software design, multimedia game development and Internet communication solutions.

He was the Founder and CEO of Postfuture, a leading rich-media e-marketing company acquired by direct marketing leader Harte-Hanks in late 2004. Clients included Best Buy, Office Depot, L'Oreal, Sony, Jenny Craig, Pizza Hut, Microsoft, Walt Disney and many other well-known brands and agencies.

Prior to Postfuture, he was the technology founder and appointed CEO of 7th Level (NASD: SEVL), a pioneering CD-ROM game publisher and Internet new media company. Before this, he directed operating system and multimedia development at Micrografx (early PC graphics application company) and programmed enterprise-class search engines at CompuTrac.

Credits include:
- first rank-by-relevance search engine (DARWIN/1986),
- first OS portability layer (Mirrors/1989),
- first 32-bit graphics subsystem for PCs (OS/2 2.0/1991),
- first multimedia presentation app for Windows (Charisma/1992),
- first interactive CD-ROM cartoon (TuneLand Starring Howie Mandel/1994),
- patent for voice-activated desktop agent (Agent 7/1998), and
- patents pending for dynamic message personalization, real-time transactional messaging and secure digital coupons (Postfuture/2002).

Merrick received his B.A. (magna cum laude) and MSCS degrees from the University of Texas at Dallas. Received 2007 Distinguished Alumnus Award. Currently on the board of advisors for the UT Dallas Arts & Humanities and the Arts & Technology department.

Richard Merrick’s Specialties:

Serial entrepreneur in software / new media / internet technologies and digital services.

Richard Merrick’s Experience

• Author / Speaker

  InterferenceTheory.com

  (Music industry)

  October 2006 — Present (3 years 2 months)

  Recently completed a book (began in 1978) on the history and theory of harmonic science. The book proposes an organic Gaussian modeling system for music perception, called "harmonic interference theory," that can be used to measure and predict preferences in music. One application is a computer-aided composition system that would enable the construction of harmonic music using visual archetypes inside simulated landscapes.

• Founder/ CEO/ President / Managing Director

  Postfuture (aquired by Harte-Hanks)

  (Public Company; 5001-10,000 employees; HHS; Marketing and Advertising industry)

  June 1999 — September 2006 (7 years 4 months)

  After acquisition of Postfuture by Harte-Hanks, I transitioned from CEO/founder to Managing Director to head up the digital communications service arm of Harte-Hanks. While managing and growing the e-mail business, I advised Harte-Hanks officers regarding a company-wide digital strategy.

• Vice President of R&D / CEO

  7th Level

  (E-Learning industry)

  1993 — 1999 (6 years )

  Technology founder appointed to CEO (NASD: SEVL) in 1998. Leading developer of interactive entertainment and educational titles, including Monty Python games, children's educational games with Howie Mandel, Disney games and various original 2D/3D adventure and strategy games. As part of the shift from CD-ROMs to Internet, I was appointed CEO and repositioned the business around Internet deployed voice-activated agents. This was remarketed through Real Networks and Broadcast.com. I merged the company with Learn2.com in early 1999 and transitioned out to start up Postfuture.

• Director of Systems Development

  Micrografx, Inc.

  (Public Company; 201-500 employees; MGXI; Computer Software industry)

  1989 — 1993 (4 years )

  I signed on to Micrografx as Product Manager for Systems Software to start up a new business marketing Windows graphics SDKs and device drivers to major corporations and universities. This shifted into a large project with IBM to develop the graphics kernel and various system services for OS/2 2.0, the first 32-bit OS for the PC. Out of this work, I was assigned to head up the company's multimedia presentation business which preceeded Powerpoint as the first multimedia presentation tool for Windows.

• Manager of Software Development

  CompuTrac

  (Computer Software industry)

  June 1984 — June 1989 (5 years 1 month)

  My first significant project was to design and code a complete Accounts Payable and General Ledger system used by large law firms. This was followed by a new project to design, direct and code a full-text search engine named DARWIN. As the first commercial search engine capable of returning results by relevance, it was installed using proprietary comm protocols on private x.25 and Ethernet networks in such companies as P&G, Eli Lilly, Heinz, Ventura County (CA) and other large enterprises (prior to the commercial use of the world wide web).

Richard Merrick’s Education

• The University of Texas at Dallas

  MSCS , Math / Computer Science , 1981 — 1987

  Automata theory applied to linguistics, compiler design and AI systems.

• The University of Texas at Dallas

  BA , Music (Composition/ Theory) , 1978 — 1981

  Protege of Robert Xavier Rodriguez. Graduated magna cum laude. Additional mathematics classes not applied to degree.

Additional Information

Richard Merrick’s Interests:

reading, writing articles and books, computer modeling and informatics, jazz and modern piano, oil and airbrush painting, traveling and philanthropic activities.

Richard Merrick’s Groups:

Former member of the DMA, AIM, DFWIMA and Metroplex Technology Council.

•    Micrografx Alumni

Richard Merrick’s Honors:

Awards & Honors since 2001:
.2007 Distinguished Alumnus Award (UT Dallas)
.Inc. 500 (279th fastest growing private company in North America in 2004),
.Deloitte & Touche Fast-50 (4th fastest hi-tech company in Texas),
.Deloitte & Touche Fast-500 (69th fastest growing hi-tech company in U.S.),
.Deloitte & Touche nominee as Emerging CEO in Dallas/Ft. Worth Metroplex,
.DFWIMA Most Effective use of Online Creative,
.DFWIMA Most Effective Viral Marketing Program,
.DFWIMA Most Effective Retention Marketing Program.

Sample of interactive title awards prior to 2001:
.Top Rated - Family PC
.Editor's Choice - Home PC
.Award of Excellence - Home PC
.The Best of Everything - Computer Life
.Gold and Silver Invision Awards
.BIMA Silver Award
.Best of Show - Game Bytes Magazine
.Award of Excellence - NAAPA
.Top 100 - CD-ROM World Magazine

Richard Merrick’s Contact Settings

Interested In:

• new ventures
• expertise requests
• reference requests
• getting back in touch