Tucson Pinball Podcast – Episode 79 – CAD Monkey

American Pinball hiring signals industry growth; Zidware history warns of design startup pitfalls.

Synopsis

The host discusses American Pinball job posting for a junior pinball designer, reflecting on his own CAD experience and what the role entails. He pivots to a detailed historical account of Zidware, John Popadiuk defunct company, and the cautionary tale of Magic Girl and Raza (Retro Atomic Zombie Adventureland), which collapsed due to poor project management and non-payment. The episode celebrates recent industry hires like Ryan Tanner at Stern and notes the importance of bringing new talent into pinball design as veteran designers age.

Entities

• American Pinball· company
• Amtron· company
• Pinball Life· company
• Stern Pinball· company
• Williams· company
• Zidware· company
• Magic Girl· game
• Raza· game
• Pinside· organization
• Elwin· person
• Jeremy Packer· person
• John Popadiuk· person
• Ryan Tanner· person
• Scott Danesi· person