Creator Forge Podcast

Welcome to our second annual roundup episode! We sat down at an undisclosed coffee shop to talk about the year that was, and our hopes for the year to come. This format (more conversational and out in the world) is a bit of an experiment for us, something we're going to be testing out and refining going forward.

Thank you to everyone who is taking this journey with us, whether you're a long time listener or just found us. This wouldn't be possible without you.

Most of what we talk about is linked in the individual episode show notes. We are including links to a few SIEGE videos that have been released since those episodes were originally posted.

SIEGE Videos:

• Innovative Designs for Board Games - Features Michelle Menard & Dean Velez

• Game Character Art Pipeline from Concept to Start Screen - By William Moritz

• Breaking into the Video Game Industry - Features Michelle Menard

Audio Editing by Adam Greenlee

Sarah Massagee is a UX designer based in Atlanta, GA. She is passionate about creating digital experiences through UX/UI design and Virtual Reality (VR). Our conversation with her is the last of our recordings from SIEGE 2018.

Sarah's Website

• Tripwire
• UX (Definition)
• Kennesaw State University
• Trick 3D
• General Assembly
• The Design of Everyday Things
• The Gamer's Brain
• Aaron's

Audio Editing by Adam Greenlee

Dean Velez has had a lengthy career in media and motion graphics. Over that career, he has worked in commercials and marketing and more recently has ventured into VR and gaming. We talked to him at SIEGE about his time at Sprocket Creative, specifically about his recent intensive apprenticeship experiment "The Anvil" and their recent forays into VR and AR.

• Dean Velez
• Sprocket Creative
• After Effects
• Cinema 4D
• SIEGE 2018 - Innovative Designs for Board Games

Audio Editing by Adam Greenlee

Michelle Menard is a systems designer with an extensive resume within the game industry. She has worked on board games, video games, social games, and any sort of game design consulting you care to mention. She is a regular presenter at SIEGE, where she was gracious enough to take a break from her crazy schedule to talk to us.

Michelle's LinkedIn

• Oxide Games

• Fish Wizard Games

• Artemic Games

Videos

• SIEGE 2017 - Algorithm Design Basics for Game Designers
• SIEGE 2017 - Indie Rants (Michelle's rant starts at about 42 minutes)
• SIEGE 2018 - Innovative Designs for Board Games
• SIEGE 2018 - Breaking into the Video Game Industry

Other Links

• SIEGE 2018

• SCAD Savannah

• Gateway: Uprising

• Applied Math (Wikipedia)

• Challenges For Game Designers

• Ian Schreiber

• Danger: Not to Scale (D&D Campaign)

Audio Editing by Adam Greenlee

The first of four interviews we recorded at SIEGE 2018, William Moritz describes himself as a creative problem solver. He's worked in a huge number of positions in different creative industries in multiple countries. In our interview, he told the story of his time working at an animation house in China.

William's LinkedIn

• SIEGE 2018 - Game Character Art Pipeline from Concept to Start Screen

• Quiz Pro Go (Google Ploy)

• Quiz Pro Go (iOS App Store)

• Bring on the Good

• Friends with You

• Georgia Media Workshops

• Freud Tools

Audio Editing by Adam Greenlee

We were on a panel at this year's SIEGE (Southern Interactive Entertainment and Games Expo). The panel was titled "Long-Term Collaboration, or How Not to Kill Each Other for Fun and Profit". The initial idea was Pat's, I wrote and submitted the pitch (and the title, of which I am quite proud). Molly and Leah were added to provide a different perspective (and panel experience), for which we were very appreciative.

The organizers were fine with us setting up our equipment and making our own recording. We had no control over the environment, and the talk was less structured than our normal episodes. That said, Adam did a great job making it sound as good as possible for a live recording.

• Molly Proffitt
• Leah Knighton

Companies

• 45 South Cafe & Coffee House
• Aristocrat Games
• Art Institute of Atlanta
• Georgia Game Developers Association
• Ker-Chunk Games
• SCAD

Tools

• 1Password
• Boomerang for GMail
• Discord
• Dropbox
• Frame.io
• Jira
• Quip
• Slack
• Trello
• VMware
• Wipster

Misc

• SIEGE
• Princenapped (Game)
• Limited Liability Company
• Computer Backup Rule of Three

Audio Editing by Adam Greenlee

Dane Cozens is an illustrator and concept artist living in Atlanta, Georgia. He holds a bachelors in communication arts from Virginia Commonwealth University and a Masters in Illustration from the Savannah College of Art and Design. He has done agency work for various government and military organizations, as well as illustrations for book covers and card games. He currently works full time as an illustrator in the casino games industry.

Dane Cozens' Website

• Pokemon
• Dane's realistic pokemon
• Star Wars Sketchbooks
• Wolverine (character)
• Logan (movie)

People

• Audubon
• John Larison
• Jason Grace
• Goni Montez
• Ron Speers

Schools & Businesses

• SCAD
• Virginia Commonwealth University
• George Mason University
• Fantasy Flight Games
• AGS
• Pixel Constructor

Originally from a small town in Missouri, Edward Louis received a BFA in Media Arts and Animation from the Illinois Institute of Art in Chicago. After graduating he held a number of odd and short term jobs in Chicago and California, before landing at Hi-Rez Studios here in Georgia. He currently works there as a visual FX artist working in the Unreal engine.

• Edward Louis
• Hi-Rez Studios

Companies

• EDMC info (including gov't lawsuit)
• Art Institutes
• Dreamcenter Holdings
• Higi
• Tencent
• Lynda.com
• Gnomon Studio

Software

• Z-Brush
• Maya
• Jira
• Unreal

Books & Games

• Journey (game)
• "Walking Simulator" Games
• On Writing by Stephen King
• Talent is Overrated by Geoff Colvin

Scott Warren is a Lighting Artist working at Tripwire Interactive. An Atlanta native, he started in the game industry as an FX artist at Hi-Rez Studios before transitioning to in-game lighting. Scott has also worked at CCP Atlanta, Xaviant, and Raven Software where he worked on several Call of Duty titles.

Scott Warren
Tripwire Interactive

Companies

• Raven Software
• Hi-Rez Studios
• CCP Games
• Xaviant
• Sledgehammer Games
• G4 TV

People

• Alberto Noti
• Tim Lindsay
• Steven Jenkins
• Börkur Eiríksson

Game Engines

• Unreal Engine 4
• Unity 3D
• Cryengine

Games

• Call of Duty WWII
• World of Darkness
• EVE Online

Other

• PBR (Physically Based Rendering)
• Photogrammetry

Jose Acosta is an Atlanta based film maker and entrepreneur. He is the founder of and Director of Photography for DoubleRaven Studios, where he often adopts many more titles such as Writer, Director, and Editor. He's a rare generalist in an industry of specialists. He also has experience in 3D graphics, animation, visual FX, and teaching. DoubleRaven focuses mostly on corporate and educational films, but has recently branched out into scripted drama, something Jose hopes to do more of as time goes on.

• Jose Acosta (LinkedIn)

• DoubleRaven Studios, LLC

• Edgar Allen Poe's Mystery Theater

Mentioned Companies

• Delta Airlines

• Suntrust Bank

• Michelin Tires

• Ford

• Coca Cola

• Showtime

• Boys & Girls Club of America

• Delta News Hub

• KPMG

• Home Depot

• Logic Junction

• Autodesk

• University of Maryland

• NYU Film School

• PBS

Other

• Thai bank commercials

• Where the Wild Things Are

• Frankenstein

• Coen Brothers

• JRR Tolkein

• Salsa (TV Show)

• Huginn and Muninn - Odin's ravens

Podcast Credits:

• Pat Bollin: Host
• Jeremiah Clark: Co-Host
• Adam Greenlee: Editor

Opinions expressed by guests are their own, and not necessarily endorsed by their employer, past present or future, nor by Creator Forge, LLC.