Professional Experience
Disney experiences - Director of Interactive Experiences (3/23 – 09/25)
Drove the strategic direction and development of the Interactive Experiences engineering team
Using proven management techniques, I improved the teams job satisfaction, performance, production and innovation year after year.
Worked with our product teams to improve guest satisfaction for Play Disney Parks, Team of Heroes, Uncharted Adventures, and Droid Depot gaming apps
Shifted the teams focus to larger physical interactives and beyond strictly mobile development using the Unreal Engine
Collaborated with the Connected Products team to develop gameplay systems for enhancing interactive experiences within the Disney parks
Defined and directed the Games as a Service Platform for networked experiences as a long term goal for all of Disney Parks.
Directed the AR technology for experiences in parks in conjunction with Disney Imagineering
Defined a camera-based AR system utilizing advanced computer vision techniques for a digital mirror system.
Heartwood, Inc. - TECHNICAL Lead (9/17 – 3/23)
Led the team as Manager and Engineering Lead, overseeing project execution and ensuring alignment with company goals
Researched and integrated new development environments and platforms, enhancing team productivity and project scalability using Unreal and Unity game engines
Designed and developed internal proprietary DevOps processes and tools, improving efficiency and reducing deployment time
Engineering architecture and development for internal projects for product delivery on Mac/Windows, iOS, Android, Web, Hololens, MagicLeap, Oculus and Vive
Designed and implemented new development processes for all new titles, streamlining production and improving project turnaround times
Third Track, Inc. - CTO/Partner (6/12 – 9/17)
Led the development strategy and drove infrastructure improvements using Unreal and Unity engines.
Established links between the artistic vision and technical implementation of game engines
Ensured consistency across multiple products and operating systems, leading to a unified user experience and reduced maintenance costs
Engineered and prototyped games and experiences for Desktop, iOS, Android, HoloLens, Magic Leap, Oculus, and Vive using various languages, enhancing cross-platform compatibility and user experience
UNITY TECHNOLOGIES – Technical account Manager (10/11 – 6/12)
Consult in depth with customers who are planning to use Unity for their games and simulations.
Building long-term relationships with customers and technical decision makers for key accounts
Provide presentations and technology demos at trade shows and on site for customers
Technical expert in the use of Unity product portfolio for game and simulation development
Provide product development recommendations and technical data to Unity’s product development teams as a strong internal advocate for our customers
Primary contact for VR/AR/XR developers
MindFuse, Inc. - CEO/CTO (9/06 - 10/11)
Key member of executive team reporting directly to the board of directors.
Raised funds for game development from Angel Investors.
Original game software development, story and character designer for the game world and all primary characters.
Facilitated company growth by implementing effective project management strategies
Provided overall technology direction and creative vision.
iOS Game programming & Social Media games development, Game and Character Designer
Project Manager and Director for the following game titles - The World of Gatheryn, Deadliest Catch iPad Social Game, Rednecks vs. Zombies iPhone Game, Firefly Nights iPhone Game, Zombie Boss prototype.
Skunk Studios, Inc. - founding partner/Technical Director (2001 - 2006)
Programming and managing programming crew.
Primary contact for all outside development, including Mattel, Real Networks and EA.
Managed all software, hardware, networking, and all research for new technologies.
Increased product revenues year over year by a minimum of 50%.
Project Manager, Core Architect and Lead Programmer for the following titles - Planet Hot Wheels (8 Track, King of the Hill, Bus Jump, and Potty Tipping), Gutterball, Qbeez, Tennis Titans, WordUp, MahJong Adventures, Daily MahJong, and Spelvin.
Shockwave.com - Senior Engineer (2000-2001)
Shockwave game programming.
Designed and developed a top selling arcade game emulating system for classic Midway.
Created first Flash multi-player game and shockwave 3D web based game.
Worked with executive staff and server team to create backend multi-player engine.
Created 15 top ten titles
Ego2, Inc. - Independent consultant (1995 to 2000)
Independent software consulting for cross-platform software development
Designed and developed serious game training systems for nuclear and oil industries
Designed and implemented customized VR programs for real estate industry
Research and development for new computer media including VR & internet technologies
Intellimedia/Intelliplay - Senior Engineer (1992 to 1995)
Created and managed the programming team for sports game titles for the retail market.
Researched and developed game engines and software for games development.
Created 28 game titles for ESPN sports titles across multiple platforms.
Education
Art Institute of Houston
Major - Visual Communications
AppleTree Technologies
General Programming Courses
UDemy
Practical game design - A masterclass with Pascal Luban
MBA in a Box: Business Lessons from a CEO
Unreal Engine 5 C++ Game Development
Publications
“Learning Objective-C by Developing iPhone Games” – Packt Publishing 2014. Primary author including all game design and code.
Skills
DEVELOPMENT SKILLS:
Extremely proficient in C#, C++ and Objective C as well as most scripting languages
Experienced with Object Oriented Programing, Architecture and Design
Significant experience with game engines Unity 3D, Cocos2D, Hero, and Unreal Engine
Experienced with version control systems such as JIRA, GIT, Mercurial, and Subversion
Experience across multiple platforms like Nintendo DS, Playstation, Xbox, Unix, Magic Leap and HoloLens
MANAGEMENT SKILLS:
Excellent communications skills both written and verbal
Experienced with Scrum methodology and project management
Thorough understanding of Agile development life cycles and DevOps
Experienced with most project management software packages such as Jira, Basecamp and Trello
CREATIVE SKILLS:
Experienced artist in both traditional and digital illustration
Experienced with game development and design
Thorough understanding of character creation, design and development