Wendy Despain Email and Phone Number
I'm a results-oriented interactive entertainment leader with experience spearheading digital media projects of all kinds. From creating original IP to nurturing existing franchises, I'm a leader at the intersection of technology and entertainment. But I also work with a purpose. I love to make dreams become reality, and I focus on that intersection where the practical meets the magical. There's so much newness there, and learning and leveling up for everyone involved. That's the space I love to live in - whether it's finding new ways to connect with audiences, inspire a new generation of game developers, or build the best environment for developers to shine. I've worked with D&D, Marvel, Disney, Gene Roddenberry, FOX, PBS, Ubisoft, and EA. I can talk to executives, creatives, engineers and marketers. As long as everyone is on board for caring honesty and a drive for high quality, I can untangle the communication lines and get teams moving.Since I'm comfortable both as a creative myself (writing and narrative design) as well as in production/operations I have a unique perspective and can draw out the strengths in both sides. I bring creative problem solving to organize chaos and get us across the finish line. I'm passionate about interactive storytelling, and finding new ways for new voices to create new experiences. I'm committed to healthy collaboration, and an expert at leading multiple concurrent efforts through their milestones. I've led +200 student and incubation projects across 8 years of teaching game development and mentoring young teams, and my love of life-long learning pushes me forward.I've also helped multiple creative teams thrive within a larger corporate environment. Working for The Man doesn't mean you have to sell your soul. It does require creativity, innovation, and finding your zen.I want to share everything I learn and see all our projects reach their highest potential. That's why I write books that are now foundational texts, facilitate professional conferences and online communities, and lean in on advocating for what I believe in.
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Writer/Consultant/ DesignerQuantum Content 2004 - PresentProvides consulting services as a remote project manager, contract writer and narrative designer to game companies and television studios, including PBS and FOX, on projects ranging from children’s games to sci-fi and fantasy RPG.
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Director Of Studio OperationsWizards Of The Coast 2022 - 2024Provided strategic guidance and hands-on direction for new ways of collaborating creatively across book publishing teams, web-based digital publishing, and video game development as Dungeons & Dragons makes its 50-years of paper game publishing relevant to a digital audience. • Managed the $160M acquisition of dndbeyond.com by Wizards of the Coast, integrating a startup-style team into the corporate environment at Hasbro/WotC. • Optimized functionality of diverse 150-person team, problem-solving and speeding up processes while making jobs easier. • Bridged gaps across multiple months while colleagues were out on leave or new positions were not filled, including acting in Executive Producer and Digital Editor-in-Chief roles. • Led team with compassion and consistency through challenging business circumstances while ensuring continuity of live service. -
Director, Product Development OperationsNcsoft 2020 - 2022Selected to institute new methodologies for rhythm-of-business processes and lead the executive teams of 20 from the Korea and U.S. divisions through implementation, improving transparency, communication, and decision-making at the highest levels of this billion-dollar company. • Transformed what had been ‘start-up’ approach to business practices for this now major internationalgame company by facilitated multi-lingual communication and processes between executive teams inKorean HQ and all game dev teams in the U.S. to improve collaboration, understanding and efficiency. • Developed new processes for improving business operations, including decision-making and roadmapdevelopment for live games (GuildWars 1 and 2) and new projects, keeping teams and decision-makersaligned. • Shepherded projects through these processes and participated in production/design reviews with an eye to high-level strategy and managing risks, making recommendations for greenlights through development gates. • Reviewed game pitches from external developers for possible publishing acquisitions, both for gameplay and production readiness. -
Guildwars Studio Production DirectorArenanet Llc 2018 - 2020Partnered with Creative Director and HQ’s Executives to lead a 200-person team maintaining two live MMOs and an incubation team developing new projects with multi-million-dollar budgets. Managed P&L and headcount. • Collaborated at all levels of the organization to remove siloes, which enhanced cross-functional working relationships and improved overall productivity. • Created business plans to clarify roles, responsibilities and goals with key metrics for accountability which led to improved performance. • Championed the player perspective by leading improvements in production practices on multiple projects in development. • Mentored 12 individual (direct-report) producers by empowering them with the skills and resources tohold their teams accountable, which removed production blockages and improved overall morale. • Championed key changes to GuildWars 2 that players still cite as major quality-of-life improvements. -
LecturerThe Guildhall At Smu 2014 - 2018Plano, TxTaught graduate-level classes on project management, team dynamics, communication and process design in game development. Mentored producers through pitches, pre-production, production and launch. • Oversaw student producers creating games with teams of their peers in classrooms mirroring real game studios. • Developed curriculum for online learning systems as well as in-person teaching. • Tapped professional network to bring in guest lecturers on deep dive game dev topics. • Served as advisor, mentor and defense committee member for students completing their masters’ thesis projects in both production and design disciplines. • Graduates from the program are now highly-valued game industry producers and designers. -
Course Director Narrative And DesignFull Sail University 2010 - 2014Orlando, Florida AreaSelected to teach video game design classes, for the first time at this school, in a hands-on, fast-paced, experiential teaching environment. • Developed original curriculum and for both in-person and on-line classes which included Game Design Studies, Writing for Videogames & Interactive Formats, Aesthetics & Immersion in Video Games. • Student projects included board games, video games, and interactive novels which developed their skills and led to careers in the game industry. -
Executive Producer - R&D And Television Tie-InsTribune Entertainment 2000 - 2004Primary designer and manager in this major media company’s exploratory skunkworks program to R&D interactive products across web, television and newspapers. Managed internal and outsourced programmers, writers, and artists across multiple client projects with multi-million-dollar budgets. • Led the incubation of new ideas and created business plans, while navigating complex complianceprotocols. Multiple new ideas were brought to market and tested every year, which iterated on successesto form repeatable templates as well as areas of innovation without undue risk. • Key liaison with Hollywood executives, creating trusted partner relationships which resulted inimaginative project options delivered on time and on budget, exceeding client expectations. • Created all game designs and pitched new ideas for approval, resulting in successful online tie-inexperiences for multiple major syndicated television shows.
Wendy Despain Education Details
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Journalism
Frequently Asked Questions about Wendy Despain
What company does Wendy Despain work for?
Wendy Despain works for Quantum Content
What is Wendy Despain's role at the current company?
Wendy Despain's current role is Strategic Operations & Production Leader | Innovative Digital Entertainment.
What schools did Wendy Despain attend?
Wendy Despain attended Drake University.
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Wendy DeSpain
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Wendy DeSpain
Lake Dallas, Tx2manaraacademy.org, charter.net4 +194076XXXXX
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