Game PR chief Dean Bender retires after 40 years

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Dean Bender is retiring from gaming public relations after more than 40 years. That's quite an achievement, considering the game is only around 50 years old.

As founder of BHI and co-chairman of 42West/BHI, Bender was responsible for leading public relations campaigns for a wide range of entertainment and corporate businesses, including gaming companies. I've covered a lot.

42West CEO Amanda Lundberg has announced that Bender will be retiring at the end of the year. 42West/BHI Co-President Shawna Lynch becomes President and will continue to lead the division's video games, esports, consumer products and Web3 customers, along with Senior Vice President Jonah Keel and the Vice President Blake Shuster.

"Dean will always be remembered as a benevolent leader and creative pioneer who pioneered many groundbreaking ways to consume entertainment content," Lundberg said in a statement. "For more than three decades, he led a highly successful and highly regarded agency that focused on the next generation of the entertainment experience. We are so grateful for his expertise and leadership and wish him a wonderful chapter ahead. We're also very happy that Shawna, a very close ally of Dean for over 30 years, is building on the incredible foundation she helped create with him."

Best known for introducing new entertainment platforms and technologies to linear and interactive entertainment, Bender established BHI (then known as Bender, Goldman & Helper) in 1986, representing major players in the burgeoning home video industry, including Buena Vista Home Entertainment, MGM Home Entertainment, and New Line, among many others.

It was in the mid-90s that Bender started the company's video game practice - a practice that included industry titans (OK, they weren't titans back then ), such as Electronic Arts, Ubisoft, Konami, Activision, Disney Interactive, Sony Online Entertainment, Square Enix, 2K Games and Nexon, as well as independent game studios.

Similar to the evolution of the home entertainment industry, Bender has guided customers through new platform innovations introduced over the past 20 years: from PC games to consoles to mobile games, online games and, more recently, blockchain and metaverse gaming experiences. As an extension of gaming practice, BHI began working in the esports industry representing organizations such as Team Liquid, Immortals, NYXL, Echo Fox and Tempo Storm.

“Working with a plethora of visionaries throughout my career, things never got dull. I found myself in awe of the ingenuity of these entrepreneurs who introduced unique and compelling ways to consume entertainment. It is with great pride knowing that we have contributed to their success," Bender said, in a statement. "I have the highest level of confidence in Shawna's well-deserved and well-deserved rise to presidency, as she has been my trusted partner and confidante all these years, ensuring a smooth transition."

In January 2021, BHI was acquired by Dolphin Entertainment and merged with entertainment PR firm 42West, becoming its fourth division alongside talent, entertainment marketing and strategic communications. I would like to take a moment to wish Bender a happy retirement.

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