Account Manager Spotlight: Matt Hostler

If you’ve read our blog for any period of time, you’re probably aware of how much we like to showcase the fantastic talent we have here at ModSquad. From Mods of the Month to Project Managers of the Quarter, we’ve introduced you to many of the great faces working behind the scenes.

In this new series, we’re shining the spotlight on our amazing Account Managers. We’re kicking things off with Matt Hostler, who joined ModSquad in 2010. Matt has worked his way up the ranks, starting off as a Moderation Lead, advancing to Project Manager, and currently overseeing numerous accounts in his current role.

Tell us about your background and what led you to ModSquad.

I’ve been in Sacramento for 14 years. I originally moved out here to work for Apple, where I was doing training for their top-tier technical support. My background is technical; I’m a PC- and Apple-certified technician.

Soon after, I saw an ad for a video-game moderation job. Now, I’ve loved video games since I could pick up a joystick. I started with the Intellivision a long time and ago and have picked up every game and console I can get my hands on ever since. So when I saw that job posting, I thought it would be perfect—I had always wanted to work in the game industry. But I didn’t think it was real. I decided to send in a resume anyway, and I got called in for an interview. Turned out they were 8 blocks away from where I lived! It was perfect. I walked to the office, met folks here, had a great interview, and I’ve been with ModSquad ever since.

What does a ModSquad Account Manager do?

We do a lot. An Account Manager, in a general sense, is in charge of the success of the project. The role has a lot of moving parts, from working with the client to make sure we’re meeting and exceeding their expectations, to being a mentor for managers and assistant managers and helping them grow and excel on their assignments. The AM has to have a solid understanding of what each project is all about — not just ModSquad’s role, but what the company does as a whole and how that relates to what we‘re doing to support them.

What ModSquad calls Account Management goes above and beyond the traditional business model. We aren’t limited by the stereotypical definition of that job title. We’re not afraid to get our hands dirty and dig a little deeper into the project. And this goes for the entire group; this is a team effort, from the Mods all the way up to exec level. You know, those of us at the AM level used to be Mods; we used to be Project Managers. So we understand the whole process. We understand how to actually do the job, how to train people to do the job, and how to make it interesting for people. We know how to communicate with the client to make sure they’re happy with all of the work. We’ve seen every step of the process; we’ve done it before.

That’s what sets ModSquad apart. We know and we care. It’s really that simple. We take the time to know what our clients and their products or services are about. We learn what it is that makes them unique.

Can you give us a recent example?

We’ve been working with Topps for two years. When we started with them, they had just a couple of apps. We came in to do customer support, moderation, and player engagement, where we talk to the players, interacting with them in the apps. When we started with Topps, their digital division was very small. They were just building it up and didn’t have experience with managing customer support in a big way. We brought our expertise to the project and quickly moved beyond the traditional support services. We provided them with guidance, implemented a ticketing system, and developed procedures for them. All while making sure their players were having a fantastic experience with their games. For me, that’s a big success story—their digital division is growing very fast and has been quite successful. And we were able to be at their side throughout all of that growth, making sure their transition from a small digital provider to a much larger player in the app scene was smooth.

What else have you been doing lately?

I just got back from E3 last Friday — I go every year. I met up with some clients, and it was great. Sure, it’s fun to see all of the new games on the horizon, but it’s nice to talk to people you don’t normally get a chance to meet face-to-face. It brings the whole industry together; it’s like this game-industry pilgrimage.

So game-industry clients are your main focus at ModSquad?

I don’t handle game-related accounts exclusively, but it has always been my specialty. We try to do that with the AM team. We put people on projects that they’re interested in and have experience with. Actually, we do that at every level; it doesn’t just start at the AM level. We don’t force people to do things they don’t want to do. We let people express what they like and then we find projects that they’re interested in. That’s really important, because when you care about what you’re doing, it really shows.