Cubic Global Defense07/2016 - PRESENT
Senior Technical Producer Lead
2016 - Present
Responsible for the day-to-day management, performance, and completion of large-scale game-based training projects involving extensive software engineering, art, design, and content development. Assure projects are completed within budget, schedule, and contract requirements.
- Manage, monitor, and approve all elements of assigned projects from inception to completion, including product design, procurement, production, testing, delivery, installation, and acceptance.
- Review and approve technical approach, feasibility and cost estimates for projects and features.
- Adapt agile methodologies to best work with fixed-price, fixed-scope contracts.
- Supervise, mentor, and train less experienced technical producers, creating goal-oriented personal development plans through regularly scheduled one-on-one meetings.
- Track performance related metrics for multi-functional teams, reporting status, projections, risks, and opportunities to stakeholders and upper management.
- Lead lesson content production, creating processes to help identify bottlenecks, diagnose inefficiencies, hit deadlines, and maintain quality.
- Responsible for planning and prioritizing work, ensuring sprints and schedules align with company, customer, and contractual needs.
n-Space, Inc.01/2002 - 07/2016
Design Director
2014 - 2016
Managed development team responsible for overall project vision and minute-to-minute product experience. Coordinated with other team leads to ensure technical and artistic development remained in-line with product vision. Worked within licensor requirements to harmonize product's design within the larger brand portfolio.
- Supported publisher and licensor marketing plans by providing key project materials, participating in on-camera interviews to the media, contributing to social media campaigns, and evangelizing products at trade shows and conventions.
- Established department processes and best practices including a process for streamlined design approvals that saved dozens of man/hours weekly.>
- Acted as Scrum Master for daily Sprint meetings, coaching the team and facilitating self-organization to boost development productivity.
- Created and maintained risk management plan for product design, collaborating with other leads to assess risks and mitigate those evaluated as high-likelihood/high-impact.
- Responsible for mentoring and developing team members through employee tailored acceleration plans and recurrent performance discussions and talent reviews.
Senior Producer / Game Director / Producer
2007 - 2014
Producer and project manager for multiple console and handheld titles. Controlled resource assignment, budget, scheduling, and scope prioritization. Acted as primary point-of-contact for publishers, prioritizing and managing change requests. Ensured all subcontractor-developed assets met quality technical standards and were delivered within contractual schedule and budget.
- Managed vision, scope, and day-to-day responsibilities for multiple $2M+ dollar projects and 30+ person teams.
- Acted as point-of-contact for publishers and external producers, prioritizing requests and managing development from project inception to final closeout.
- Responsible for oversight of subcontractor teams. Oversaw scheduling and monitoring of audio and art content subcontractors, including casting and directing of voice talent and final validation of all submitted assets.
- Involved in hiring and training of new team members, working to align their interests with the goals of the company.
LEAD DESIGNER
2005 - 2007
Led team of game and level designers creating macro- and micro-level gameplay experiences.
- Coordinated international development efforts with publisher, development, and subcontractor teams speaking three languages across four time zones. Worked through translators to ensure publisher's schedule and quality expectations were achieved.
- Created web-based tool to efficiently manage and track all Lua scripting functions and parameters, boosting level designer productivity and allowing 10% more content to be created and integrated within fixed schedule and budget constraints.
- Developed an efficient scripting workflow, including the adoption of commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) technology that lowered training and development costs by 25%.
LEAD PROGRAMMER / SCRIPTING LEAD
2003 - 2005
Led team of scripters in defining, implementing, and integrating core gameplay content.
- Led the development of several new scripting language features, reducing iteration time and allowing the team to deliver up to 20% more content within fixed schedule constraints.
- Established and led scripting team, including hiring and training of team members.
PROGRAMMER
2002 - 2003
Implemented core mechanics and features as defined by project specifications.
- Responsible for all engineering features in delivering complete standalone mini-games.
Patents and Projects
US Patents
U.S. Patents 7,905,779 and 8,672,753 - Patents covering the unique alteration of a player's experience of a video game world based on the current character. For example, a game may alter the player's visual and aural perception when he or she is controlling a dog or mouse from a first-person perspective.
Interactive Courseware
Immersive Virtual Ship Environment (IVSE) training for the Readiness Control Officer (2017, PC), and Combat Systems (2019, PC)
Games and Projects
- Alone in the Dark: Illumination (2016 Update, PC)
- Dungeons and Dragons Sword Coast Legends (2015, PC, Xbox One, PS4)
- Unannounced Action Game (2013, Xbox 360)
- Skylanders Swap Force (2013, 3DS)
- Skylanders Giants (2012, 3DS)
- Heroes of Ruin (2012, 3DS)
- Golf Cart Ranger (2010, iOS)
- Tron: Evolution - Battle Grids (2010, Wii)
- Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 (2009, Wii, PS2)
- Unannounced Action/Spy Game (2008, Wii)
- Winter (2006, Wii)
- Geist (2005, GC)
- Dexter's Laboratory (2003, PS2, GC)
- Mary Kate and Ashley: Sweet 16 (2002, PS2, GC)
Additional Experience
- Selected by Cubic’s Executive Management Committee to participate in the High Potential Program for demonstrating a high level of contribution, performance, leadership, and the ability to achieve more. Less than 1% of the employee base is selected to participate.
- Created MasterCritic.com and produced weekly movie-themed podcasts for over a year.
- Directed horror short film "Deadly Upgrade" that was featured on NBC Universal's ChillerTV Dare to Direct Special.
- Have significant cross-cultural experience, including international travel and frequent phone/video conferences, from working with multinational publishers such as Japan-based Nintendo Corporation, Ltd.
- Completed formal media training and am comfortable representing project and company to the public.
- Proficient in C, C++, Lua, PHP, SQL, HTML, CSS, C#, .NET, Subversion, Perforce, Microsoft Project, Jira, Confluence, Agile/Scrum, Waterfall, Unity 5, Unreal Engine 3, Unreal Engine 4, Sound Forge, Vegas, Microsoft Office.