From Educational Publishing to Gaming and Technology
Some entrepreneurs spend their careers mastering one industry. Marty Brickey chose a different path. He has built companies in publishing, gaming, and technology by looking for opportunities that others often overlooked.
“I’ve never been interested in chasing what everyone else is doing,” Brickey says. “The ideas that excite me are usually the ones people don’t quite understand yet.”
That approach has shaped a career spanning more than two decades. Along the way, Brickey has founded companies, advised growing businesses, and helped develop technology with practical applications. While the industries have changed, one thing has stayed the same: his willingness to turn unusual ideas into something real.
Marty Brickey’s Early Life and Business Foundation
Brickey grew up moving across the United States because of his father’s job. Each move meant a new school, new friends, and a new environment.
“When you move that often, you learn to adapt,” he says. “You stop seeing change as something to avoid and start seeing it as normal.”
As a teenager, he developed a love for Colorado’s mountains, spending time skiing whenever he could. That appreciation for exploration would later show up in both his career and personal interests.
After graduating from high school in Arkansas, Brickey attended Missouri State University, earning a Bachelor of Science in Management.
“Business gave me a framework,” he says. “But experience is what teaches you how to recognize opportunities.”
How Layne Morgan Media Helped Rethink Learning
In 2002, Brickey founded Layne Morgan Media. The company focused on educational graphic novels at a time when most classroom materials followed traditional formats.
“We weren’t trying to make comics,” he says with a smile. “We were trying to make learning memorable.”
The idea gained traction because it combined education with storytelling. Layne Morgan Media eventually produced educational graphic novel material for The McGraw-Hill Companies.
“People remember stories,” Brickey explains. “If you can teach through a story, you’ve already solved half the problem.”
The success reinforced something he had already begun to believe: innovation often comes from improving existing experiences rather than inventing something completely new.
Building a Global Presence in Video Games
Rather than staying in publishing, Brickey looked toward another growing industry.
He founded Flyover Entertainment, which included Secret Lair Studios, Grumpy Ninja Studios, and Studio Chi’n in China. Managing creative teams across different countries required flexibility and long-term thinking.
“Working with people from different cultures teaches you to listen more,” he says. “Good ideas don’t care where they come from.”
The studios grew quickly before being acquired by Vivendi Universal. Their work helped form the backbone of the new Sierra Online and continues to influence what became Activision Blizzard’s Chinese division.
“For me, it was never about the acquisition,” Brickey says. “It was about building something that people believed was worth investing in.”
Leadership Beyond Founding Companies
Brickey has spent much of his career serving as a CEO or senior executive, but he has also become known as an advisor and investor.
He has worked with companies including Gasworks Games, which was later acquired by Zynga.
“I enjoy helping founders ask better questions,” he says. “Most of the time, the answer is already there once you ask the right question.”
Rather than focusing only on rapid growth, Brickey encourages business leaders to build strong foundations.
“It’s easy to get excited about the next big thing,” he says. “It’s harder—and more important—to build something that lasts.”
Why Technology Should Solve Real Problems
Today, Brickey continues to work in technology and software. Much of his current attention is directed toward helping veterans dealing with PTSD, anxiety, and trauma through technology-based solutions.
“Technology isn’t the answer by itself,” he says. “But it can remove barriers and connect people with help much faster.”
His interest comes from wanting innovation to create measurable benefits for people’s lives rather than simply introducing new products.
“If you build something, it should make someone’s life better,” he says. “Otherwise you’re just adding more noise.”
Life Outside the Office
Brickey’s hobbies reflect the same curiosity that has shaped his career.
He is a pilot with more than 4,000 flight hours and enjoys technical wreck diving, one of the most demanding forms of scuba diving. He also cycles four to five days each week.
“When you’re underwater or flying an airplane, you have to stay completely focused,” he says. “Those experiences teach discipline in a way that’s hard to duplicate.”
He also values spending time with his family, seeing it as an important balance to the demands of entrepreneurship.
What Defines Marty Brickey’s Career?
Looking across Brickey’s career, the common thread is not a single industry. It is the ability to recognize potential before it becomes obvious.
From educational publishing to global gaming studios and technology ventures, he has consistently focused on ideas that solve real problems.
“I’ve learned that industries change,” Brickey says. “What doesn’t change is the value of staying curious, paying attention, and being willing to build something that doesn’t exist yet.”
That mindset has helped Marty Brickey build a career defined not by following trends, but by creating opportunities where others saw very little at all.
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