Edwin Sechrist

I am a tech-y animal lover, click the ABOUT ME

… And so it begins

With my love of Halo I began looking into video game development. I obsessed over art and technology. The first games I modified were Halo Custom Edition and Dawn of War: Winter Assault. I used 3DS Max for 3D Modeling and user-generated tools for importing and exporting content.

I began opening up computers, programming, and developing the problem-solving skills that I would need throughout my life. These skills helped me with every facet of my being: From introspection to how things “work.” I kept playing Xbox for a bit, but when I got my own laptop, things changed dramatically. I began my journey into active development and hardware-building.

School, Friends, & Sports

I didn’t care much for school, it was something to get through so that I could get home and do what I wanted to do. I got good enough grades to pass, just above the bar. School didn’t interest me, but the connections I made (friends), technology, games, and art did.

I would come home and watch Dragon Ball Z while eating dinner (we had Dish, my bus ride was ~1 and a half hours, so lots of channels and got home later than most). After that I would help with random chores, my dad fixing a car (I grabbed tools for him), ride my dirtbike, go for a walk, tool around with some hardware, play some games, or work on some art and programming.

I ended up doing Quiz Bowl, Cross-Country, and Track when I got into high school. These, along with events that happened throughout my life, showed my that I was quite headstrong, a natural leader (even though I don’t know what I’m doing, but do any of us know?), and I had a talent built-in to me from having difficulty reading social ques: Blunt determination in figuring out how to communicate and understand people.

A New Era, Degrees of Success

As I grew, so did my passions. Nearing the end of high school I requested access to an early college program and entered into all of the Advanced Placement courses available at my school. I started getting A’s, but, still, I never took any school with me home. I got leaner, better at sports, and generally more healthy (physically and mentally).

With this new era of passion and determination, I kept problem-solving and “living life,” as I like to say. I did random jobs, switched schools, and ended up with a bachelor’s in video game development and a master’s in production and design. I worked at two studios and won awards for the games we built. I became a lead programmer and worked closely in production.

After I was called a “unicorn” by multiple scouters (a term for tech-people who are jack-of-all-trades, master of some), I decided to go on my own path and make my own company.

Tidal Industries & Me

I created Tidal Industries with the intent of being a video game development company, but to make it grow into a multi-industry machine based on principle and long-term growth. The beginnings were difficult due to having no family equity and coming from nowhere, but growth did indeed occur and continues to this day.

Going through “The Underground” incubator program in the City of Port Huron, I was able to obtain multiple grants that allowed my company to grow substantially faster and quickly achieve The Michigan Best Business Award, attend a ceremony with the governor, and obtain a larger network for Tidal Industries.

As of right now, Tidal Industries have mostly worked on confidential projects in the form of partnerships, but we do have a successful Epic Marketplace (now called FAB Marketplace) available for purchase. As time continues, Tidal Industries expects to release more content as well as its first IP. I hope you enjoy the progress we make as much as we like making it!