Writing
Playwright
Shakespeare at Hamlet's Castle
"We want you to develop a script, retelling the moment Hamlet meets his father’s ghost. Our actors will be wearing motion-capture suits behind screens to create fantastical virtual puppets. This script must not use any words because it is for an international audience. And it will need to have an interactive component! Can you do it?" Yes! Yes I can. For this project, we found new ways to bring interactive storytelling techniques to the stage and reinterpreted Hamlet for a modern audience in a way that connects his dilemma with life in the 21st century. The play will be performed at Hamlet’s actual castle in Elsinore, Denmark, summer 2016.
Provocation Consultant
Intuit
The client had a dilemma. They wanted to develop a new strategy to connect with their customers on an emotional level - but how? People hate taxes! Well, guess what: I hate taxes, too. But I love helping people overcome obstacles. Together with the client, we developed a deeper understanding of users' complicated relationship with their money, and developed storytelling strategies (drawn from video games) to help move people from paralysis to action around their finances. The project led to a presentation for the company’s CEO and insights that continue to be implemented company-wide, 18 months later. (And I am very grateful for that crazy job title they gave me. It still makes me laugh!)
Lead Writer
LucasArts
The studio was ready to bring Star Wars to an adult audience, with a grittier, darker environment and storyline. This was a soup-to-nuts project: in collaboration with the design team, we developed new playable characters, along with the game's narrative design, storyline, and script. The story development process focused heavily on understanding players’ love for Star Wars and finding ways to deepen that connection in new and surprising ways. The final product received an enthusiastic stamp of approval from the executive team, and the team was deep into production. Then the game’s entire design was revamped, and the project storyline required a reboot. But this remains one of my favorite projects.
Script Doctor
Project X
The project was deep into production, and the original writer's story was testing poorly with testers and users alike. The team was under intense pressure to make significant narrative changes within tight time and budget constraints. They brought me in to take a look at the script. Together with the narrative designer, we did a deep dive on the script and identified where changes to story structure, character motivation and dialog would solve the story’s problems. The project went on to receive multiple nominations for storytelling awards. Hooray!
Awards
Tomb Raider
Crystal Dynamics
Nominee, Outstanding Achievement in Story, AIAS
Nominee, Best Narrative, GDC
Over 8 million copies sold worldwide
Star Wars 1313
LucasArts
31 award nominations,
10 wins at E3
Far Cry 2
Ubisoft Montreal
Nominee, Best Writing, GDC
Nominee, Game of the Year, AIAS
BioShock
2K Games
Winner, Game of the Year, AIAS
Winner, Best Writing, GDC
Over 4 million units sold
Launched a franchise
Clients
Speaking
I offer presentations, seminars, and workshops worldwide.
Past venues include TEDx, New York University, The Kennedy Center, and SxSW.
I LOVE it; it is an honor and privilege to share what I've learned about how to tell great stories.
"Your masterclass was on another level! Your experiences and your passion for storytelling
made your talk outshine all the others." - Dominic C, 3D animator, Montreal"I had a great time in your masterclass...it was inspiring." - Arne, level designer, Montreal
"One of the best instructors I've ever had." - RTF major, UT Austin
ABOUT
Hi
The short verison:
I tell stories for a living.
I help studios reach more people.
When I'm not at work, I'm planning my next surf trip.
Want to work together? I'd love to hear from you.
Slightly longer version of bio follows.
I still remember the first time seeing Raiders of the Lost Ark -- Marion Ravenwood was EVERYTHING to me. She ran a bar in Nepal. She could drink any guy under the table. And she took pot shots at Nazis.
This, I thought, is my kind of dame.After college, all I knew was that I wanted to be a writer. I had no idea how to turn my love for writing into a paid gig. Then I found Human Code. It was a small studio in Austin that made CD-ROM games for kids. They were about to start pre-production on Girl Talk - “the slumber-party game for girls!” Of all the writers who applied for the job, I was the only one who had ever BEEN to a slumber party -- so I was a subject-matter expert. I got the job.
Later, Human Code was acquired in a dot-com merger, and months later we were all laid off. This was terrible news. But the $30,000 severance package made me feel like a rockstar - a wealthy, emancipated rockstar. I decided to start working for myself.
It was a good time to be a game writer. Consoles were coming into their own. The XBox was right around the corner. I started working on over-the-top action titles. (Adios, Girl Talk!) Suddenly, I WAS taking (virtual) potshots at the bad guys - just like Marion.
It was an adventure and a revelation. This was a new medium. The learning curve was a line, and it went straight up. I had to figure out how to combine narrative with gameplay. I had to learn how to work with designers and engineers, as well as actors and animators. I had to grasp the big picture, sense the emotional implications of the game design, and translate those feelings into characters, desire lines, and plot points.
Above all, it was my job to know how the player felt so that our story would connect. It was my job to be emotionally open and empathic - to see the world through his eyes.
I loved being able to break all the rules: the rules of storytelling, the rules of engagement, even the rules of gravity.
Those projects made the impossible feel real.
A lot happened over the course of a few short years. I contributed to a Microsoft title that became a franchise that has gone on to sell nearly 20 million copies. I collaborated on a project for 2K that sold 4 million units, earned critical acclaim and spawned a franchise. And I worked on a title for Square Enix that sold 8 million copies. Our projects won writing awards -- Best Narrative, Best Writing, Best Character. I was named one of the top writers working in the industry.
While I still work in digital entertainment, I'm expanding into new territories.
I’m taking what I’ve learned about how to connect with audiences --
And I’m working with teams from all walks of professional life -- entrepreneurs, content strategists, theater companies, financial groups, documentary filmmakers --
- to make stories that matter.
Mary Oliver said it best. “Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”
What, indeed.
