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| The man who will "kick your ass" then play Nintendo games with you. |
History was made on May 2004. No, I'm not talking about the
Nintendo DS unveiling at E3, I'm talking about the debut
of the man- no, the legend, who declared:
Some call him “The
Regginator” others refer to him as “The Reggielution” but most know him as
Reginald "Reggie" Fils-Aimé, President and COO of Nintendo of
America (NOA).
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| The original Triforce of Nintendo - Shigeru Miyamoto (l.), Satoru Iwata (m.) and Reggie Fils-Aimé (r.) |
Since his public
debut Reggie has captured the hearts (and memes) of gamers all across the spectrum,
not just Nintendo loyalists. He reshaped Nintendo’s public
image during a period when their reputation had a “just for
kids" association. Possessing an amalgamation of corporate enthusiasm and earnest charisma,
Reggie has etched himself as the prominent figure of Nintendo of America.
He's the most visibly recognizable personnel of Nintendo right next to industry giants Shigeru
Miyamoto and the late Satoru Iwata. Reggie has made numerous public appearances. You can find him doing interviews and hosting tournaments.
His stage presentations are the stuff of legends.
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| The statement heard around the world. |
Before readying his body, his parents were
Haitian immigrants who fled from Haiti in the 1950s due to conflicting politics intertwined with familial ties. This was a burden on their relationship. Reggie's parents settled in the US and he was born years later in the Bronx. He was raised in Long Island and eventually graduated from Cornell University with a Bachelor's of Science in applied economics.
From there he attained corporate positions with Procter & Gamble, Pizza Hut,
Guinness (the beer), Derby Cycle, Panda Management Co and VH1. Most notably during
his tenure at VH1, he revamped the channel's content resulting in a 30% ratings increase by
focusing appeal to a younger demographic. In December
2003 he finally joined Nintendo as the Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing. And the rest is history.
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| Smooth Moves |
From my perspective, it is amazing to see how long Reggie's online celebrity has lasted. For years, gamers have seen speakers come on stage, regurgitate super-rehearsed speeches and praise their current employer's products. While Reggie is no exception, there's something different about him. Is it his intimidating stature? Was it the initial no-nonsense business attitude? Maybe it was his infamous quote? While I do agree the last part catapulted his online notoriety I feel his likable personality and passion for everything Nintendo helped maintain this decade endurance in the hearts of gamers. The man is also not afraid to poke fun of himself as some of these videos show. All of this enabled him to create great rapport with the gaming community.
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| Fils-Aimé has been instrumental to Nintendo's image |
Although his enduring popularity has been a focal point of this writing; that's not to downplay any of his accomplishments on the business side. Reggie has won numerous awards in marketing such as being a two-time recipient of the Effie Awards, Silver Edison award, Clio Award and AICP award. According to an article from the The Seattle Times, Reggie is responsible for more than 1000 employees at Nintendo. He's also influenced the development and design of the Nintendo Wii, which was one Nintendo's best selling consoles of all time. Many who know him personally describe him as disciplined, optimistic and hardworking.
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| Jimmy Fallon's mind is blown as Reggie introduces the Nintendo Switch |
I always had an admiration for Reggie Fils-Aimé. The same admiration heightened after discovering he was of Haitian decedent years ago. As a first-generation son myself, I was completely amazed that the President of Nintendo and I shared the same Haitian linage. In many talks with my Haitian brethren, his name is usually left out of the conversation. Although I do understand as popular a medium as video games are, most people do not follow the industry behind the scenes. Still it feels good to have such positive representation in a successful position. I'm more than willing to let uniformed know about Reggie's contribution and achievements when the chance arises.
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