# JACK HAEGER JOINS AMERICAN PINBALL **Source:** Pinball News Website **Type:** article **Published:** 2021-02-15 **Beat:** Pinball **URL:** https://www.pinballnews.com/site/2021/02/15/jack-haeger-joins-american-pinball --- ## Analysis Jack E. Haeger, a veteran artist and designer with 40+ years in interactive entertainment (Amiga, Williams Electronics, Midway Games, Stern Pinball), has joined American Pinball as Art Director. The article profiles his extensive career contributions to pinball design, including concept work on unreleased Williams titles (Pirate Island, Hey Bartender!), the World Tour concept that evolved into Alvin G's Al's Garage Band, sculpting on Elvira and the Party Monsters, and recent artwork on Heighway's Full Throttle and Stern's Star Wars. Haeger will be based in Palatine, Illinois and reports excitement about upcoming American Pinball/Aimtron products. ### Key Claims - [HIGH] Jack Haeger worked with Andy Warhol in 1985 at Amiga 1000 launch to digitize/paint image of Debbie Harry — _Direct quote from Haeger; widely documented historical event in computing history_ - [HIGH] Haeger developed Pirate Island and Hey Bartender! concepts in 1986 for Williams, fitting a 13-light display constraint — _Detailed first-person account from Haeger with specific examples and design rationale_ - [MEDIUM] World Tour concept (rock star touring theme with stickers) was developed by Haeger at Williams but shelved, later appearing as Alvin G's Al's Garage Band Goes On A World Tour — _Haeger's account; concept similarity plausible but actual attribution/timing not independently verified in content_ - [HIGH] Haeger sculpted the Skull Cave feature on Elvira and the Party Monsters (1989) in collaboration with Greg Freres and Dennis Nordman — _First-person account with specific detail; Elvira is well-documented classic_ - [HIGH] Haeger created production art package for Heighway Pinball's Full Throttle — _Direct statement; confirmed by visual art package shown in article_ - [HIGH] Haeger was called in to help on Star Wars backglass art (Darth Vader, Obi-Wan Kenobi) and coinbox art after unexpected production schedule changes — _Direct quote from Haeger; specificity about scheduling disruption adds credibility_ - [HIGH] American Pinball has been on a recent hiring spree with Dennis Nordman and Zofia Ryan joining before Haeger — _Editor assertion with cross-references to previous hiring announcements_ - [HIGH] Haeger worked on video game titles including NARC, Terminator 2, Revolution X, NHL Open Ice, and CarnEvil at Midway — _Listed in official press release; Haeger's extensive video game portfolio_ ### Notable Quotes > "I developed those two concepts back in 1986 – just before I got deep into the video game production for NARC with the amazing Eugene Jarvis. Steve Kordek had a wide-body whitewood pin he wanted to release and was looking for some new game concepts." > — **Jack E. Haeger** > _Establishes timeline and context for unreleased Williams pinball concepts; names Eugene Jarvis collaboration_ > "The cabinet was to be covered in stickers as if the game itself had stopped at all these destinations from around the world, like a touring piece of band equipment. The concept was shelved at Williams then appeared as a very similar game in production from Alvin G. years later." > — **Jack E. Haeger** > _Details World Tour concept and its apparent reincarnation; highlights unrealized Williams IP_ > "I got to witness two inspired creative geniuses at work first-hand in Greg Freres and Dennis Nordman and I was invited by them to sketch and sculpt the Skull Cave that appears on the upper left side of the playfield. I was very honored to be asked to contribute to this classic Elvira pin!" > — **Jack E. Haeger** > _Credits Greg Freres and Dennis Nordman as collaborators on Elvira and the Party Monsters; personal account of iconic game production_ > "I was called on by Greg Freres to help out after some unexpected changes threw off the production schedule a bit, so I did my best to match the existing artists' style and 'painterly' technique." > — **Jack E. Haeger** > _Reveals Star Wars production schedule disruptions; Haeger brought in mid-project to match established art direction_ > "The Art Director 'wears a lot of hats', from initial meetings with Licensors and Marketing Directors to define the scope and overall visual approach of the project, to sharing a library of approved assets with team members and contributing artists." > — **Jack E. Haeger** > _Defines role and responsibilities of Art Director position at American Pinball; outlines scope of licensing/IP management_ > "This is my first time working with the visionary Mukesh Vasani and the inspiring David Fix and Aimtron Corporation/American Pinball – and I am truly excited to be here! We are developing some exciting new products and promotions. I can't wait to share them all with you!" > — **Jack E. Haeger** > _Confirms new hire excitement; hints at upcoming American Pinball/Aimtron projects without specifics_ ### Entities | Name | Type | Context | |------|------|---------| | Jack E. Haeger | person | Veteran artist and designer joining American Pinball as Art Director; 40+ year career in interactive entertainment, pinball, and video games | | American Pinball | company | Pinball manufacturer hiring Haeger as Art Director; part of Aimtron Corporation; based in Palatine, Illinois | | Aimtron Corporation | company | Parent company of American Pinball; based in Palatine, Illinois | | Williams Electronics | company | Historic pinball and arcade video game manufacturer where Haeger worked in 1980s; developed NARC, arcade titles | | Greg Freres | person | Stern Pinball Art Director; collaborated with Haeger on Elvira and the Party Monsters (1989) and Star Wars artwork | | Dennis Nordman | person | American Pinball Senior Game Designer; recently hired; collaborated with Haeger and Freres on Elvira and the Party Monsters; mentioned as fellow recent hire | | Zofia Ryan | person | Recently joined American Pinball; mentioned as fellow hire in hiring spree | | George Gomez | person | Stern Pinball executive; credited by Haeger for Star Wars opportunity | | Mukesh Vasani | person | Described by Haeger as 'visionary' at Aimtron/American Pinball | | David Fix | person | Described by Haeger as 'inspiring' at Aimtron/American Pinball | | Andy Warhol | person | Pop artist who worked with Haeger in 1985 at Amiga 1000 launch using ProPaint on Debbie Harry image | | Eugene Jarvis | person | Collaborator with Haeger on NARC video game production at Williams | | Steve Kordek | person | Williams pinball executive who requested game concepts (Pirate Island, Hey Bartender!) with 13-light display constraint in 1986 | | Ken Fedesna | person | Former Williams Pinball EVP/GM; later at Team Play where Haeger worked on redemption products | | Alvin G | company | Manufacturer of Al's Garage Band Goes On A World Tour; allegedly based on Haeger's shelved Williams concept | | Heighway Pinball | company | Pinball manufacturer; Haeger created production art package for Full Throttle | | Stern Pinball | company | Pinball manufacturer where Haeger contributed artwork to Ultimate Spider-Man and Star Wars | | Team Play | company | Redemption game company where Haeger worked under Ken Fedesna; developed Spins Ahoy! and Family Guy Bowling | | Midway Games | company | Video game publisher where Haeger worked; developed Mortal Kombat, NBA JAM, NFL Blitz franchises | | Pinball News | organization | Source of this article; independent pinball media outlet conducting interview with Haeger | ### Topics - **Primary:** Personnel movement and hiring, American Pinball business expansion, Pinball art direction and design philosophy - **Secondary:** Unreleased/shelved Williams pinball concepts, Star Wars pinball production challenges, Career history in arcade/video game industry, Collaboration between pinball designers and manufacturers - **Mentioned:** Licensing and IP management in pinball ### Sentiment **Positive** (0.82) — Article is celebratory of Haeger's hiring and accomplishments. Haeger expresses enthusiasm about new role. No criticism or negative framing present. Tone is respectful and admiring throughout. ### Signals - **[business_signal]** American Pinball/Aimtron expanding art and design talent; multiple senior hires in early 2021 suggests product development acceleration (confidence: high) — Editor notes 'hiring spree continues'; Haeger references 'exciting new products and promotions' in development - **[design_philosophy]** American Pinball Art Director role involves licensing management, production oversight, and visual direction coordination across multiple contributors (confidence: high) — Haeger's detailed description of Art Director responsibilities including licensor meetings, asset library management, print quality control - **[community_signal]** Talent migration: Greg Freres (Stern Pinball Art Director) and Jack Haeger collaborating across manufacturers suggests cross-pollination of design expertise (confidence: medium) — Both worked on Star Wars at Stern; both previously worked on Elvira and the Party Monsters; Freres called Haeger in to assist Star Wars mid-project - **[personnel_signal]** Star Wars Pinball experienced mid-project production schedule disruptions requiring additional art support; suggests timeline or scope challenges (confidence: medium) — Haeger quote: 'I was called on by Greg Freres to help out after some unexpected changes threw off the production schedule a bit' - **[personnel_signal]** Jack E. Haeger joins American Pinball as Art Director; part of ongoing hiring spree including Dennis Nordman and Zofia Ryan (confidence: high) — Article headline and opening paragraphs; official press release confirms appointment - **[product_strategy]** American Pinball/Aimtron developing unannounced 'exciting new products and promotions' with newly hired art direction leadership (confidence: medium) — Haeger's statement: 'We are developing some exciting new products and promotions. I can't wait to share them all with you!' — no specifics provided --- ## Transcript **Date:** 15th February, 2021 The [American Pinball](https://www.american-pinball.com/) hiring spree continues with today’s announcement that artist Jack E. Haeger has joined the parent company Aimtron Corporation/American Pinball as the new Art Director. [![American Pinball's new Art Director, Jack E. Haeger](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/news/jack-haeger-joins-american-pinball/10-jack-haeger-joins-american-pinball.jpg)](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/news/jack-haeger-joins-american-pinball/10-jack-haeger-joins-american-pinball.jpg) American Pinball’s new Art Director, Jack E. Haeger Like other recent American Pinball joiners [Dennis Nordman](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/2021/01/04/dennis-nordman-joins-american-pinball/) and [Zofia Ryan](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/2021/01/25/zofia-ryan-joins-american-pinball/), Jack has a [long history in the coin-op business](https://jhaeger.wixsite.com/jackhaegerstudios/interactive-entertainment), but he will also be familiar to home computer fans as one of the early proponents of Commodore’s Amiga as that company’s Art & Graphics Director. It was in 1985 at the launch of the Amiga 1000 that he assisted Andy Warhol as the pop-art artist used ProPaint to digitise and paint over an image of pop-star Debbie Harry. VIDEO Jack Haeger with Andy Warhol and Debbie Harry Soon after that, but before he got involved with Williams’ arcade video games, Jack worked with the pinball division to develop concepts for upcoming titles. He told Pinball News about how two such games, *Pirate Island* and *Hey, Bartender!* Jack said, “*I developed those two concepts back in 1986 – just before I got deep into the video game production for* NARC *with the amazing Eugene Jarvis. Steve Kordek had a wide-body whitewood pin he wanted to release and was looking for some new game concepts. The challenge was to develop a title and theme that would fit into the existing 13 light display already built into the playfield. My first concept was* Pirate Island *(the space between the two words occupied the middle light).* [![Jack's Pirate Island concept](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/news/jack-haeger-joins-american-pinball/03-jack-haeger-joins-american-pinball-1024x707.jpg)](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/news/jack-haeger-joins-american-pinball/03-jack-haeger-joins-american-pinball.jpg) Jack’s Pirate Island concept “*Steve liked the idea but I had also heard from sales that there was potential for more of a street/bar piece, so, again – 13 letters:* Hey, Bartender!*, complete with a glowing bubble mug of beer on top of the backbox was my alternative suggestion. The game wasn’t re-skinned after all but the exercise got me even more inspired for the entertainment potential of the silver ball.*“ [![Jack's Hey, Bartender! concept](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/news/jack-haeger-joins-american-pinball/02-jack-haeger-joins-american-pinball-1024x727.jpg)](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/news/jack-haeger-joins-american-pinball/02-jack-haeger-joins-american-pinball.jpg) Jack’s Hey, Bartender! concept [![The Hey, Bartender! concept game](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/news/jack-haeger-joins-american-pinball/06-jack-haeger-joins-american-pinball-803x1024.jpg)](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/news/jack-haeger-joins-american-pinball/06-jack-haeger-joins-american-pinball.jpg) The Hey, Bartender! concept game One of Jack’s game concepts which *did* make it into production, albeit with another manufacturer, was *World Tour* which ultimately became Alvin G’s *Al’s Garage Band Goes On A World Tour*. Jack said, “*I contributed to the Williams Electronics pinball design team while the new ‘digitizing’ video hardware and software were still in the works (which would eventually lead to the design and production of the revolutionary video game* NARC*.) A pinball designer came to me with an idea for a game based on a ‘travel’ theme. I developed a story and produced graphics around a touring ‘Rock Star’ concept and called it* World Tour*.”* [![](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/news/jack-haeger-joins-american-pinball/05-jack-haeger-joins-american-pinball-1024x798.jpg)](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/news/jack-haeger-joins-american-pinball/05-jack-haeger-joins-american-pinball.jpg) An early sketch for World Tour Jack continued, “*The cabinet was to be covered in stickers as if the game itself had stopped at all these destinations from around the world, like a touring piece of band equipment. The concept was shelved at Williams then appeared as a very similar game in production from Alvin G. years later.*“ [![The completed World Tour backglass artwork](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/news/jack-haeger-joins-american-pinball/08-jack-haeger-joins-american-pinball-1024x718.jpg)](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/news/jack-haeger-joins-american-pinball/08-jack-haeger-joins-american-pinball.jpg) The completed World Tour backglass artwork [![The Alvin G. game's backglass artwork](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/news/jack-haeger-joins-american-pinball/09-jack-haeger-joins-american-pinball-1024x692.jpg)](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/news/jack-haeger-joins-american-pinball/09-jack-haeger-joins-american-pinball.jpg) The Alvin G. game’s backglass artwork Soon after Bally/Midway were bought by Williams, Jack helped American Pinball’s recently appointed Senior Game Designer, Dennis Nordman, and Stern Pinball’s Art Director, Greg Freres, with their 1989 collaboration, *Elvira and the Party Monsters*. Jack told Pinball News, “*I got to witness two inspired creative geniuses at work first-hand in Greg Freres and Dennis Nordman and I was invited by them to sketch and sculpt the Skull Cave that appears on the upper left side of the playfield. I was very honored to be asked to contribute to this classic Elvira pin!*“ [![Jack's sculpt for the Skull Cave on the left of the playfield](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/news/jack-haeger-joins-american-pinball/04-jack-haeger-joins-american-pinball-517x1024.jpg)](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/news/jack-haeger-joins-american-pinball/04-jack-haeger-joins-american-pinball.jpg) Jack’s sculpt for the Skull Cave on the left of the playfield During his time working at Team Play for former Williams Pinball Executive Vice President and General Manager, Ken Fedesna, Jack helped develop several titles including a bagatelle-style flipperless game called *Spins Ahoy!* [![Team Play's Spins Ahoy! playfield](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/news/jack-haeger-joins-american-pinball/12-jack-haeger-joins-american-pinball-771x1024.jpg)](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/news/jack-haeger-joins-american-pinball/12-jack-haeger-joins-american-pinball.jpg) Team Play’s Spins Ahoy! playfield More recently, Jack created the production art package for the first Heighway Pinball game, *[Full Throttle](https://www.pinballnews.com/games/fullthrottle/index8.html)*, and was reunited with Greg Freres as one of the eight designers working on the artwork for the Stern Pinball title, *[Star Wars](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/2017/05/31/star-wars-announced-2/)*. [![The Full Throttle art package](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/news/jack-haeger-joins-american-pinball/11-jack-haeger-joins-american-pinball-1024x632.jpg)](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/news/jack-haeger-joins-american-pinball/11-jack-haeger-joins-american-pinball.jpg) The Full Throttle art package Jack told us about his involvement with *Star Wars*. He said, “*I was called on by Greg Freres to help out after some unexpected changes threw off the production schedule a bit, so I did my best to match the existing artists’ style and ‘painterly’ technique. I was responsible for producing the backbox images of Darth Vader and Obi-Wan Kenobi and the coinbox front artwork on the* Star Wars *Pro series. People seemed to like how the package turned out and I was truly grateful to Greg and George Gomez for giving me this opportunity.*“ He worked on other projects for Stern, coordinating the designs for their *[Ultimate Spider-Man](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/2016/01/05/ultimate-spider-man/)* model. Pinball News asked Jack whether he uses all-digital techniques to create his art or if he’s more of a traditionalist. He told us he uses both methods at different times. “*Eventually, we always end up pushing pixels but my experience and training in traditional methods and materials is always involved. I frequently draw (to quickly iterate solutions that come to mind) and scan those drawings so I can composite on the computer. Working with sketches and traditional media also helps me communicate and visually problem solve with team mates and clients faster at the outset of a project.*“ His new position at Aimtron/American Pinball is their Art Director, so we asked Jack what that role involves. He told us, “*The Art Director ‘wears a lot of hats’, from initial meetings with Licensors and Marketing Directors to define the scope and overall visual approach of the project, to sharing a library of approved assets with team members and contributing artists. The Art Director is the go-to person when it comes to print quality, production checks and adjustments. You may be working on pinball related assets one hour and focused on corporate marketing collateral the next and if a problem arises, have the skills to pitch in and solve it. To communicate with confidence to contributors as well as management on the state of the project and always work to maintain the production schedule and exceed quality expectations, to ultimately delight and entertain the player with an inspired well-designed pin.*“ Jack will be based at the American Pinball and Aimtron facility in Palatine, Illinois. It is a full-time position and although he hasn’t done any previous work for either company, Jack said he can’t wait to get started. He told us, “*This is my first time working with the visionary Mukesh Vasani and the inspiring David Fix and Aimtron Corporation/American Pinball – and I am truly excited to be here! We are developing some exciting new products and promotions. I can’t wait to share them all with you!*“ Here’s the press release from Aimtron/American Pinball announcing Jack’s appointment: | | | --- | | American Pinball and Aimtron Corporation are proud to announce our newest hire, Jack E. Haeger, as Art Director. Jack is an award-winning interactive entertainment veteran with extensive experience as a game designer, art director and team leader within the video game, pinball, slot, and redemption game industries. Starting at Williams Electronics, Jack helped design the classic game SiniStar before joining Williams’ teammates in Silicon Valley to develop the Amiga Computer – where he also worked with artist Andy Warhol to help him use the revolutionary Amiga in his New York studio. Jack has contributed to memorable video game titles such as NARC, Terminator 2, Revolution X, NHL Open Ice and CarnEvil and helped to build MIDWAY Games into a creative powerhouse, hiring key talent and establishing state of the art video digitizing studios and working to perfect the processes that led to mega-hit franchises like Mortal Kombat, NBA JAM, and NFL Blitz, while also producing various pinball concepts and sculpting on Williams Elvira and the Party Monsters pin. At Team Play, Inc. Jack reunited with MIDWAY legends Ken Fedesna and Brian Smolik to help contribute to the design of innovative redemption products such as Fish Bowl Frenzy, Family Guy Bowling and a record-earning 4-Player mini-pinball called Spins Ahoy! as well as other popular products. Jack Haeger has also been a frequent contributor to Stern Pinball, providing concept design as well as final artwork for titles such as Ultimate Spider Man and Star Wars. We are happy to have Jack join us and we look forward to lots of GREAT things to come! | _(Acquisition: raw_text, Enrichment: v1)_ --- *Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: 90d33901-db47-44c9-83d1-bf63a072dbb0*