Nadine Oehmcke is the Business Development Manager at nDreams. During her 8 years in the games industry, Nadine has worked on IPs like Train Simulator and Microsoft Flight Simulator at Dovetail Games. Since joining nDreams, she has been involved in the release of 7 games including their latest title in development “Phantom: Covert Ops” which also won the E3 Critics Award 2019 for AR/VR Game. We asked Nadine, some key questions about getting into the games sector.

Explain your role like I'm 5 years old

As the Business Development Manager, I am responsible for helping to generate new revenue streams for the business. What does that mean? Besides the many meetings, networking events and friendly conversations, my job is to help identify new opportunities, such as building partnerships with other great companies to work with on exciting VR projects.

Take us through your average day at work

After a 35-mile cycle ride (yes, some people think that’s mad!), 3 cups of coffee and a decent breakfast, I start my day… I check through my emails and catch up on industry news but aside from that, no two days are really the same! I’m often in meetings with new or existing partners, and we have regular team catch-ups. I also attend a lot of industry events on behalf of nDreams. If I’m in the office I jump back on my bike at the end of the day for a leisurely 1.5hr ride home!

What was your educational and career journey into your current role?

I am originally from Germany and came to the UK after receiving my school exams. Originally, I worked my way towards becoming a chartered accountant. Although I completed the required studies, my background has always been sales. Eventually, I practically fell into the gaming industry and fell in love with it once I joined. nDreams is my second job in the industry and I truly believe virtual reality has a big future! It's potential to go mass market across various business sectors within the next few years is super exciting and opens endless business opportunities.

What other roles do you work with the most?

Whilst it’s important to work with all teams in the company to keep up to date on projects, I work closest with the publishing team who help promote nDreams to potential partners and effectively make a first great impression!

What is the most rewarding thing about your role?

I enjoy the challenge of identifying market opportunities early on, so we can be one of the first developers to approach a partner and subsequently coming up with creative solutions to help see these through. The collaborative work environment at nDreams empowers everyone to contribute to the best of their abilities and gives the freedom and encouragement to explore their own ideas.

Another part I enjoy the most is travelling to attend events and getting to meet lots of people in the process!

What's the hardest thing about your role?

If a deal doesn’t end up going through it’s a shame… having said that, you can take a huge amount of learning from those occasions which can be leveraged to ensure that the next deal will be signed.

What software or digital tools do you use the most?

From answering the many emails I receive daily to putting together commercial reports in Excel, Microsoft Office helps me stay connected with partners and to present sales data in the most effective way.

What are the key skills needed for you to work on to do your role?

You need excellent communication skills and the ability to get on with people at all levels, as well as the ability to stay calm under pressure and keep to deadlines. Additionally, strong problem-solving and good sales and negotiation techniques are beneficial too!

What advice would you give to your younger self looking to get started in the industry?

There are many events and companies that help young people to get into the games industry, e.g. the Women in Games conference and We Makes Games meet-ups are great ways to meet and talk to people. Getting your feet into the games industry early is key to make valuable connections with likeminded people and promote yourself.

Do you have any links to good articles or videos that you think might give some tips or advice to someone starting in your role?

As my role isn’t specific to the games industry, there are many courses you can take to strong sales experience but the real secret to Business Development is to push yourself to connect and meet as many new people as you can, being your friendly, open and honest self.