Based in Orlando, Florida, 360Ed was formed to provide learning tools that incorporate modern educational theories while harnessing the polish and engagement of the best entertainment media. The founders of 360Ed bring with them years of experience in the development of software products and solutions from such companies as Electronic Arts, Microsoft, and IBM.
Ben Noel came to 360Ed from Electronic Arts, where he served as vice president and studio chief operating officer of Electronic Arts' (EA) Orlando-based studio, Tiburon. Ben was part of the management team that oversaw Tiburon's explosive growth from a small studio of 150 in 2003 to over 700 in 2005. Today, Tiburon is home to some of the world's most popular titles including Madden NFL Football, NCAA Football and Tiger Woods PGA Golf.
Ben's experience in growing a mega-studio included collaboration with state and local governments as well as educational institutions across the southeast. This experience was instrumental in launching the environment that has allowed 360Ed to grow and solidify itself as a national leader in online education. Ben is also the executive director of the Florida Interactive Entertainment Academy (FIEA), a graduate program for game development. This position grants him continuing contact and experience with leaders of the education and video game industries.
Prior to Tiburon, Mr. Noel was vice president and studio manager for EA's Austin, Texas studio, Origin, which pioneered the "massively multiplayer online" business with the award-winning franchise, Ultima Online. The technologies and services created at Origin follow a very similar model to those being created today at 360Ed.
Tom is currently 360Ed Chief Technical Officer. As CTO, Tom is responsible for the technical delivery and maintenance of 360Ed's entire product suite. Tom is also the technical director of the University of Central Florida's Florida Interactive Entertainment Academy (FIEA) where he teaches advanced game programming and management systems. Mr. Carbone's experience and leadership through multiple generations across many platforms adds significant value to 360Ed's management team and reduces the overall technical risks.
Before joining 360Ed and FIEA, Tom Carbone was one of the lead programmers on Madden NFL Football 2005 and 2006, produced by EA at its Orlando-based Tiburon studio. Prior to joining EA in 2003, he worked for Microsoft Game Studios, Kodiak Interactive, and Sculptured Software Studios where he served in lead roles. Tom's previous game credits include Amped 2 (XBOX), Inside Pitch Baseball (XBOX), WCW Backstage Assault (N64/PS), WCW Mayhem (N64/PS), Breakaway Hockey (N64/PS), Space Jam (PS/Saturn/PC), MonsterTruck (Genesis) and Tecmo Super Baseball (Genesis).
Prior to the game industry, Mr. Carbone was a member of the design team at Hughes Aircraft Company in Conoga Park, CA. He also contributed to General Motors (parent company) in the development automation systems. Tom received his BS and MS in Electrical Engineering at the University of Utah and is currently complete with his doctoral coursework for his PhD from the University of Central Florida.
Rick Hall is the driving force behind 360Ed's design and programming business plan. Rick works directly with educators to ensure optimal utilization of subject matter experts and content to effectively deliver an advanced student and teacher experience. Rick also teaches game design and multi-media production at FIEA in downtown Orlando, Florida.
Prior to 360Ed, Mr. Hall held multiple senior and executive producer positions for EA. Rick was a multiple platform producer on the Madden NFL Football franchise for EA's Tiburon studio. Prior to Tiburon, he was executive producer of the Ultima Online franchise at Origin, EA's Austin-based studio. Rick was responsible for content creation and management of the development team of this award-winning "massively multiplayer online" product. Mr. Hall's 15-year career in the video game industry includes experience as a producer, studio head, programmer and game designer. He has experience with many genres such as RPGs, adventure games, RTS games, fighting games, flight and sport sims. His platform experience includes PC, PlayStation, N64, PS2, Sony PSP, Nintendo DS, and online platforms. Mr. Hall started his video game career at Paragon Software in Latrobe, PA, a studio that eventually became the core development group for the Take-Two Interactive initial 1994 start-up.
Erik Sand is responsible for developing and managing 360Ed's sales and distribution channels. Prior to 360Ed, Mr. Sand spent 12 years with IBM, most recently as an Associate Partner in IBM's Global Business Services where he was responsible for sales and delivery of full lifecycle application development projects, particularly in the area of mobility and emerging technologies. His contributions to clients have ranged from defining operational strategies and supporting business processes to leading requirements gathering, developing technical specifications, and leading development projects. Mr. Sand has held positions with Gensym, Digital Equipment Corporation, and General Electric spanning many different sales, consulting, engineering, and technical roles.
He has more than 20 years of diverse leadership experience in the application of technology to business concerns, ranging from robotics and artificial intelligence-based decision support systems in manufacturing to object-oriented programming and wireless and custom application development.