Technical writing, graphic design, and branding for printed and online materials that detail the installation and operation of surveillance hardware and software. Special projects include creating, developing, and updating a company-wide content style guide / text template, and assisting HR in creating a comprehensive employee onboarding kit.

MCB Inc. is dedicated to helping aspiring authors and small presses to succeed in the specialty Christian marketplace. My responsibilities include editing, typesetting, publishing, graphic design, assisting at trade shows, and maintaining our several websites.

I've always had a passion for writing. I began with short stories, and moved my way into technical writing, editing, layout, and game design. I've written user's manuals for items as basic as young-adult games as as technical as programming reference guides, which appeared in printed format, context-sensitive help files, and online animated tutorials. I approach each with the goal of ensuring that the projects are accessible to novice users yet not too basic for advanced users. For layout, I've done user's manuals (varying from small booklets to three-ring binder manuals), promotional postcards, advertisements, and product catalogs. With regard to fiction, I just finished my sixth novel, which is the first book of a trilogy.

Developed multiple products in parallel, working in a virtual office environment and coordinating staff members and contractors in four countries across nine time zones. My primary responsibility is to take games from prototype to finished product. This includes prototype evaluation, playtesting and game development, graphic design direction and user experience, art direction and commissioning, product specs, and more, all with an eye to bringing out the best look and feel for the property. In addition, I handle rules writing and editing, text templating, and typesetting; and acted as front man for the game lines that I handled.—Launched the Tempest game line, with four titles that released more or less simultaneously, backed by a detailed world bible and online game deisgner's toolkit. —Spearheaded a procedural website to document a consistent methodology across the company, thus ensuring consistency of file naming, archiving, and reporting.

Created product specifications, collectability goals, and thematic concepts for trading cards sets. Designed detailed descriptions of inserts and inclusions, assisted with text, art, and website direction to ensure a consistent whole.World Leaderz ended not with a bang but a whimper, failing to meet its ongoing funding goals.

Built a trading card game division from scratch, creating job descriptions, hiring staff members, and launching our first game nine months from my date of hire.—Supervised the licensing and creation of foreign-language and electronic versions. —Point man for licensor relations and approvals with Twentieth Century Fox, FUNimation, and overseas licensors and licensees. —Guided the creation of product-specific websites, regularly scheduled updates, and more.—Scripted and managed production of online flash tutorials.

I developed story arcs and plot points for the forthcoming Dragon•Age computer role-playing game. This included both world-building and strategic planning, as well as scripting interactive and personalized dialog trees. Was also a member of a licensing think tank. I loved the company and got along well with everyone there, but unfortunately the wife and kids were miserable in northern Canada, so when an offer came along that would take me back to warmer climes, I regretfully felt compelled to take it.

I ran the Magi-Nation: Duel trading card game line, managing both the art team and the game design team. My responsibilities covered both brand and project management. —Brought the release schedule on track, developing an overlapping 26-week development schedule. The first product produced with this schedule as also the first product that the company released on time.—Built a brand bible, expanded world-building, and wrote fiction.—Created strategic goals for the product.—Created advertising copy and messaging. Magi-Nation is now finally on television, but that was not nearly soon enough to keep the game division afloat.

I started out as a staff editor and moved into brand management, taking some products that were woefully behind schedule and getting them back on track. I had no direct reports, but built a very effective cross-functional team. Responsibilities included creative and strategic direction, public relations, press relations, licensee and licensor relations, and branding. This time period includes my work for FRPG, which was bought by WotC a few months after I arrived, as well as time both before and after Hasbro bought WotC.