Having lived through the boom and bust of 1992-2001, it has been fun to look back on those years and hear Andrew's tales of what life was like on the inside. I have my own nearly-insider point of view. In 1995 I moved across country with my boyfriend who had just accepted a job as the VP of marketing and sales with Media Station in Ann Arbor, MI. Media Station was a startup company launched in 1994. It grew to over 100 employees quickly. 1994-1998 were crazy years with tons of overtime and excitement while multimedia stories and games were selling like crazy. But, the hype could not be sustained. I remember the first major industry hiccup. Christmas sales in 1995 were projected to be huge. BUT, there was a glut in the market with so many companies releasing new titles. The major characters backed by Disney and other well know players won out, though many of the products with lesser known characters were far better. Media Station "downsized" in mid-1996, as was happening in other multimedia companies. Those of us who were the significant others and spouses of the Media Station employees looked on at times with excitement and a sense of pride in what our loved ones were accomplishing. At other times, we grew weary of the lack of time spent with us and the never-ending-need to push the market. It was a tough game. The employees, especially those who came in early on, had a strong commitment to the company and each other. When things started going south, those who stayed after the layoffs felt guilty. And, there was always the question, "when will it be out turn to leave?" We left Ann Arbor in 1998, while the dot.com insanity was ramping up and well before the bust. The multimedia fire burned hot and extinguished itself quickly.
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