Roundabout: Creative Chaos

Ryan McLeod approaches game creation as an opportunity to challenge expectations and rethink how people interact with their devices. His work on Blackbox explores how small moments of curiosity can become engaging and surprising experiences.

The creative process behind the game highlights experimentation, unconventional problem-solving, and the search for interactions that feel both simple and memorable. Ryan's work reflects a fascination with creating technology that invites exploration.

In this episode:

• Developing a game built around unusual mobile interactions
• Exploring creativity through experimentation and discovery
• Designing experiences that encourage players to think differently
• Finding new forms of play through technology

Topics: mobile games, game design, puzzle games, interaction design, creative coding

Roundabout: Creative Chaos is a podcast hosted by Tammy Coron exploring creativity, design, and technology. Listen at https://roundaboutcreativechaos.com and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Ryan McLeod creates mobile experiences that challenge players to think differently about technology. As the developer behind Blackbox, he transformed simple interactions with a phone into inventive puzzles that encourage experimentation and discovery.

His approach to game design focuses on curiosity, surprise, and using familiar devices in unexpected ways. Blackbox reflects a creative process built around questioning assumptions and finding new possibilities in everyday technology.

In this episode:

• Designing puzzles that use the unique features of mobile devices
• Turning experimentation into a distinctive game experience
• Finding creativity through constraints and unexpected solutions
• Building a game around curiosity and player discovery

Topics: mobile games, game development, puzzle design, iPhone apps, interaction design

Roundabout: Creative Chaos is a podcast hosted by Tammy Coron exploring creativity, design, and technology. Listen at https://roundaboutcreativechaos.com and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Al Lowe has spent decades blending programming, music, comedy, and storytelling into some of the most recognizable games in adventure game history. Best known for creating the Leisure Suit Larry series, his work helped define how personality and humor could shape interactive entertainment.

His creative journey connects technical problem-solving with artistic expression, from programming classic adventures to composing music and designing memorable characters. Al's career demonstrates how games can become a unique form of storytelling.

In this episode:

• Creating memorable characters through humor and game design
• Combining programming, music, and storytelling in interactive work
• The creative process behind classic adventure games
• Building experiences that remain meaningful across generations

Topics: game design, programming, adventure games, storytelling, interactive media

Roundabout: Creative Chaos is a podcast hosted by Tammy Coron exploring creativity, design, and technology. Listen at https://roundaboutcreativechaos.com and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Joanna Volpe helps shape the future of storytelling by representing writers and creative voices through her work as a literary agent and president of New Leaf Literary & Media. Her career has focused on discovering talent and helping creators navigate the path from idea to publication.

Through years in publishing, Joanna has developed a perspective on what makes stories connect with audiences and how creative careers are built over time. Her work sits at the intersection of imagination, business, and advocacy for authors.

In this episode:

• Discovering emerging voices and guiding creative careers
• Understanding the relationship between writers and publishing
• Building a career around supporting storytellers
• The process behind bringing books from concept to readers

Topics: literary agents, publishing, writing, storytelling, creative careers

Roundabout: Creative Chaos is a podcast hosted by Tammy Coron exploring creativity, design, and technology. Listen at https://roundaboutcreativechaos.com and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Betsy Bauer has spent a lifetime turning imagination into visual stories, beginning with drawing and painting before she could even walk. Her creative path has taken her through animation, film, television, children's books, and comics.

Her experience working with major entertainment companies has allowed her to explore storytelling from many angles, while her personal projects continue to reflect her love of illustration and character-driven worlds. Betsy's work shows how curiosity and consistent practice can shape a creative life.

In this episode:

• Developing a lifelong relationship with drawing and visual storytelling
• Creating artwork across animation, television, books, and comics
• Finding inspiration through characters and imagined worlds
• Balancing professional projects with personal creative pursuits

Topics: illustration, animation, children's books, comics, visual storytelling

Roundabout: Creative Chaos is a podcast hosted by Tammy Coron exploring creativity, design, and technology. Listen at https://roundaboutcreativechaos.com and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Kimlinh Tran brings characters to life through voice acting while continuing to expand her creative practice into illustration and game development. With more than 200 projects behind her, her journey reflects the possibilities that come from combining performance, visual storytelling, and interactive experiences.

Beyond the microphone, Kimlinh has explored new creative challenges through drawing and developing her first video game project as a co-creative director. Her work reveals a creator constantly moving between disciplines and finding new ways to tell stories.

In this episode:

• Building a career by bringing animated characters and stories to life
• Expanding from voice performance into illustration and game creation
• Exploring collaboration and leadership through interactive projects
• Balancing multiple creative identities across different mediums

Topics: voice acting, illustration, game development, storytelling, creative process

Roundabout: Creative Chaos is a podcast hosted by Tammy Coron exploring creativity, design, and technology. Listen at https://roundaboutcreativechaos.com and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Chris Language brings decades of programming experience to the world of mobile apps and game development. As the author of 3D Apple Games by Tutorials, he has focused on helping developers understand the tools and techniques needed to create interactive experiences.

His work combines technical knowledge with a passion for teaching, showing how programming can become a creative medium. Through development and education, Chris demonstrates how problem-solving and imagination work together when building games and applications.

In this episode:

• Creating games by combining programming and creative ideas
• Sharing technical knowledge through educational resources
• Exploring the craft behind interactive experiences
• The evolution of mobile development and game creation
• Turning years of coding experience into guidance for others

Topics: game development, programming, mobile apps, software education, interactive design

Roundabout: Creative Chaos is a podcast hosted by Tammy Coron exploring creativity, design, and technology. Listen at https://roundaboutcreativechaos.com and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Jodi Lynn Anderson has built a successful writing career by creating emotionally rich stories for young readers and beyond. As the author of works including Peaches, Tiger Lily, and the May Bird trilogy, she has developed a voice that blends imagination, heart, and memorable characters.

Before becoming a full-time author, Jodi explored publishing from multiple perspectives, working as an editorial assistant, editor, and in production. Those experiences shaped her understanding of stories from both sides of the page and helped guide her creative evolution.

In this episode:

• Building a writing career through curiosity and persistence
• Moving from publishing roles into creating original stories
• Developing fictional worlds with emotional depth
• Finding inspiration for characters and imaginative settings
• The relationship between editing, storytelling, and creativity

Topics: fiction writing, young adult literature, publishing, storytelling, authors

Roundabout: Creative Chaos is a podcast hosted by Tammy Coron exploring creativity, design, and technology. Listen at https://roundaboutcreativechaos.com and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Sarah Lyons Fleming creates immersive post-apocalyptic stories that blend survival, relationships, and human resilience. As the author of the Until the End of the World series, she has built fictional worlds where characters face extraordinary circumstances while navigating deeply personal challenges.

Her creative process reflects a love of preparation, imagination, and exploring how people respond under pressure. Through speculative fiction, Sarah examines connection, courage, and the choices that define characters in uncertain worlds.

In this episode:

• Building believable worlds within post-apocalyptic fiction
• Creating characters who feel human in extraordinary situations
• Finding inspiration through survival stories and imagination
• The process of developing a long-running fictional universe
• Exploring resilience through storytelling

Topics: fiction writing, zombie fiction, worldbuilding, novels, storytelling

Roundabout: Creative Chaos is a podcast hosted by Tammy Coron exploring creativity, design, and technology. Listen at https://roundaboutcreativechaos.com and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Ashley Spires creates stories that encourage curiosity, invention, and imagination through her work as an author and illustrator. Known for books including the Binky the Space Cat series and The Most Magnificent Thing, she combines visual storytelling with themes of creativity and problem-solving.

Her work captures the emotional journey behind making something new: the excitement of an idea, the frustration of challenges, and the persistence needed to keep creating. Ashley’s stories celebrate the creative process itself, not just the finished result.

In this episode:

• Turning everyday experiences into imaginative stories
• Combining writing and illustration into one creative practice
• Exploring failure, experimentation, and persistence through art
• Creating books that inspire young makers and dreamers
• Finding inspiration through curiosity and observation

Topics: illustration, children's books, writing, storytelling, creativity

Roundabout: Creative Chaos is a podcast hosted by Tammy Coron exploring creativity, design, and technology. Listen at https://roundaboutcreativechaos.com and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.