March FableFriday: Jonah Gaynor, Associate Producer

When Jonah works on a project, he brings not only his project management experience, game design background, and “spidey senses” that anticipate client needs, but also his sense of humor, creativity, and variety of interests. 

Jonah joined FableVision as a production assistant. Now, in his newly-minted role of associate producer, he takes more of a leadership role, with a comprehensive understanding of the FableVision process to ensure that projects are completed smoothly and thoroughly. 

“My game design background has a huge influence on how I produce projects in all phases,” he says. “My experience with being in the weeds allows me to better understand the needs of the project and the potential directions it could be headed in.”

Keep reading to learn about Jonah’s game design background, fun geography facts, and his fabled journey to FableVision!

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Congratulations on your promotion to associate producer! How does your position as an associate producer expand on your previous role as a production assistant?
I was very fortunate as a production assistant to work with many fantastic producers at FableVision, which was excellent preparation for moving into this new associate producer role. I learned many useful skills for the best management of a project, such as budgeting, client communication, and internal team structuring, productivity, and morale. 

As an associate producer, I take the lead on more projects and I am prepared to propose possible solutions for any issues we may run into. I’ll provide clients with a smooth process to avoid any bumps on the road.

How do you integrate your game design knowledge into your daily tasks? What’s your favorite part of the game design process?
My game design background helps me understand which direction to take a project in, while also identifying when certain ideas are taking us away from the scope of the project. I like to think of myself as a jack of all trades, master of… some.

I especially love the initial brainstorming phase of the game design process! There’s something really exciting about the first “great idea” that comes from the team. From a production perspective, I think about how, if at all, this brilliant idea will impact production, but I do take a moment to enjoy the byproduct of working with so many creative and driven people. We have a great team.

What are your favorite types of projects to work on?
I love working on projects where FableVision’s mission is compatible with the client’s mission, such as Keenville for the Georgia Department of Education. No matter the idea, aim, or timeline for a project, this meshing of visions makes the journey easy, fun, and seamless. Fortunately, this happens quite a bit!

What are some games you designed outside of FableVision?
My biggest undertaking was Maya’s Dice. It’s a 2D Cyberpunk RPG that uses the bluffing dice game liar’s dice instead of a more traditional battle mechanic. The game started as my Capstone project in my undergraduate program at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts and grew from there. I tried to make something unique that would really put my skills to the test. It’s out now on Steam!  

And taking a step back for a moment, what’s your “journey to FableVision” story?
You want the whole story? Here goes: Jonah Gaynor was born on Feb. 8, 1897 to Alan Gaynor and Dr. Sharon Silbiger in New York City. From a young age, it was clear that there was something… strange about this child. While most young children played with LEGO and stuffed animals, Jonah’s parents would frequently find him in his room with a Trello board open and budget spreadsheets lining the floor. His first words were, “I have a passion for multimedia education-focused production management.”

In 1917, the United States Senate voted in favor of a measure to declare war on the German Empire, entering the US into the first World War. Fearing the draft as a 20-year-old, Jonah was cryogenically frozen in a warehouse in Boston. In March of 2021, FableVision stumbled upon the frozen Mr. Gaynor, and wouldn’t you know it, there was an opening on the team for a new production assistant.

Do you believe this story? According to my research, 30/30 surveyed FableVision Studios employees did not, with one stating “Jonah, I’m a little busy right now.” I guess I love storytelling as much as FableVision does. For a more straightforward answer… 

Jonah with former soccer star Frank Lampard.

From a young age, I was hugely passionate about media of all shapes and sizes. Entering college, I didn’t know exactly what I wanted to do, but I wanted to be involved in the production of amazing media. I studied Game Design at NYU, where I learned game design, game programming, production management skills, user experience design, and more. This helped me make my own independent games, take on producer roles in larger teams, and eventually lead me to FableVision. 

Seeing the job listing for a production assistant at FableVision, a company that I had heard of even though I was still living in New York at the time, was really exciting. The FableVision mission matched my personal one perfectly, and I knew it was an amazing opportunity to contribute to something I really believed in. And now each day I feel very fortunate to be doing just that.

And what are your current obsessions in this day and age?
Oprah’s Jonah’s Favorite Things 2022:

Podcast: This American Life

TV Show: The Midnight Gospel, Taskmaster, or Euphoria. It’s hard to choose!

Movie: Sound of Metal

Album: NFR by Lana Del Rey or A Moment Apart by ODESZA

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More About Jonah!

Favorite geography fun fact?
Bir Tawil is a chunk of land in northeastern Africa that both Egypt and Sudan claim is the territory of the other. Each country claims the Hala'ib Triangle to the east (which borders the Red Sea) based on how the modern-day countries were originally drawn over 100 years ago. Now, neither country dares to enter Bir Tawil because if it did, it would be recognizing the other country’s claimed border. Check your nearest map. If Egypt’s southern border is flat, that’s the border that Egypt likes. If it’s slightly jagged and comes north on the east side, that’s the border that Sudan likes.

Favorite video game?
Football Manager. You wouldn’t believe the number of hours I put into making the Czech team Bohemians 1905 into Champions League winners.

Favorite board game?
The Mind. The elevator pitch is that you’re collaborating with fellow players to play cards in the correct order, but there’s no communication allowed, meaning the only action you can take besides playing a card is waiting.

Favorite sport?
Soccer! The tactical depth, despite the simplicity, and its worldwide nature make it an amazing lens through which to learn more about the world.

Boston or New York?
Whichever you, the reader, likes more.

Favorite new area in Boston?
Walking across the Charles River, especially as the sun sets over the Boston skyline, is a new joy of mine. It’s fantastic getting the walk in on my way to or from the new FableVision Studios office.

New Year, New Logo: FableVision Celebrates 25 Years with a Fresh Look

As we celebrate our 25th anniversary, we’re ecstatic to share FableVision’s new logo! We’re continuing to collaborate with amazing partners to create “stories that matter, stories that move.” Our mission to inspire, teach, create lifelong learners, and move people to action has never been more important. Our fresh look pays tribute to the whimsy of our original logo with a more contemporary design to “draw” us into the next chapter of FableVision’s work.

FableVision was founded in 1996 by Peter H. Reynolds, Paul Reynolds, Gary Goldberger, and John Lechner. “Something really special was born when we launched FableVision 25 years ago,” shares Peter H. Reynolds. “We have an incredibly talented team of kindred spirits assembled and it made sense to honor the creativity that drives our studio with a refreshed purpose to do good in the world–and with that came the desire to rethink our logo.”

The original FableVision logo was designed by Peter during an early creative retreat to New Hampshire. The weekend was informally known as the “Let’s Build a Studio” retreat and it was then that the logo took shape. It featured his signature handwriting, and the “hand of the artist,” an aesthetic we’ve always loved, was portrayed through its “retro” or “diner-esque” vibe. 

“Twenty-five years feels like the right time to think about our brand from a fresh perspective,” says CEO Paul Reynolds. “Our mission to move the world to a better place through story, media, and technology has never wavered and continues to drive us.”

The core of who we are remains consistent throughout the years. We have a 200-year mission to move the world to a better place through story, media, and technology. As media continues to emerge and evolve, we want to keep changing with it.

“A lot has happened over the course of our history and as we started to think about what comes next, the redesign embodies a future for FableVision with a larger and more encompassing focus,” adds President Gary Goldberger. “With a new logo and new office, we also have a revived, new energy to take on educational challenges and inspire learners of all ages.”

Our new logo still encapsulates a playful personality. It importantly includes the word “studios,” which wasn’t integrated into our logo until now. The gray burst background calls back to the energy of our original red, orange, and yellow starburst. It works well on white and black and is clearly legible. 

“We like the play on varying ascenders and descenders–who wants to stay ‘inside the lines’ anyway?– and the mix of tilted upper and lowercase letters felt like just the right amount of quirk,” says Bob Flynn, Director of Art and Animation.

To honor our fondness for hand-drawn flair and whimsy, a spiral replaces the O in FableVision. The O is interchangeable with various icon doodles from the artists on our staff and our wider creative community. One image didn’t encompass all that was FableVision, so we decided to add a dynamic design element that can be ever-changing. Sometimes you see our logo, it may feature an alien; other times it may sport a cup of tea. 

“Our new look reflects the spirit, joy, humor, and warmth we bring to all studio projects,” says Sarah Ditkoff, Vice President of Strategic Partnerships. “It also has an element of surprise with the changing icons, which is something our clients know us for, and we were able to effectively channel that into a look that will soon become synonymous with our brand.”

While we will love and cherish our original logo, we hope you’re just as excited about our fresh look as we are! Keep an eye out for the new logo and its fun iterations in our future projects. Stay tuned here for updates on new collaborations ahead. 

2020 FableFriday: FableVision’s 10 Year Challenge

With the #10YearChallenge making its way across social media feeds, we at FableVision Studios thought we’d get in on the action with our own 10 Year Challenge. As a new decade begins, we’re reflecting on the great innovations and changes that have occurred in the last ten years.

To take a look at exactly what has and hasn’t changed from 2010 and 2020, we asked some of our staff members who have been at the studio for over ten years to reflect on some of the changes at the studio over the last decade. Though many of the people, projects, and software that we use have changed, the thing that has always stayed constant is our mission to tell “stories that matter, stories that move” using engaging and innovative educational media.

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As co-founder of FableVision, what was the original vision for the studio? How has FableVision Studios continued to work towards that vision this past decade?

Gary Goldberger, President & Co-Founder: The original vision for the company was to use media, art, and technology to move the world to a better place and to help all learners reach their full potential. In the past ten years, this vision has stayed very near and dear to our hearts. People and technology change, but the mission has continued to be the core of the studio’s success. A big part of this is finding like-minded partners that come to us because they believe in using media to engage their audience to think or act differently. We’ve always believed that making small changes in our current system can cause long-term positive effects in schools, culture, and communities. This belief doesn’t just stop at the company level, but it also influences what we want to do in our lives; it comes from our personal beliefs and goals.

For the past 24 years, the ways to reach our audience have changed. We’ve seen a technology evolution, and with every new technology that comes, there’s a short “a-ha!” period where we see the potential. At FableVision, it’s our job to turn that potential into actuality. Personal connection and meaning need to exist within whatever technology you’re using to deliver an authentic experience. That’s been crucial to FableVision’s mission since the beginning, and something we’ve stayed true to throughout the years. I’m still really proud of that.

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How have the types of projects and how FableVision approaches those projects changed from 2010 to 2020?

Leigh Hallisey, Creative Director: The biggest change that I’ve seen is in subject matter, driven by the fact that we are designing learning experiences for older audiences. Although we love to produce media for younger children, FableVision is reaching more learners in middle school, high school, and college.

Within this last decade, we’ve tackled a lot of complex subject matter: bullying, financial literacy, substance use, neurodiversity, empathy, anxiety and peer pressure, mental health awareness, and more. I love that the educational media umbrella is always expanding—learning about being a human in the world, how to respect difference, how to take care of yourself and others. We continue to use our signature blend of storytelling, relatable characters and situations, and authentic language, but we are doing a deeper dive into researching the subject matter and working with experts in the field. 

It’s amazing to have a job where you learn new things with each project—the effects of drugs and alcohol on an adolescent brain, mindfulness techniques for relaxation, digital citizenship, managing crops, tips for resisting peer pressure, and how to save for retirement by managing a vampire nightclub (no joke). It’s never boring! FableVision’s work has always been unique and quirky, and a lot of that comes down to the trust our clients put in us because of the reputation we’ve built over the years. Between art, game design, production, and content, we have the vision to push the expectations around educational media, and we have the amazingly talented people to make beautiful things that really impact the world.

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What did FableVision’s animation process look like in 2010, and how has it changed over the last decade? What impact have these changes had on studio projects?

Didi Hatcher, Lead Animator:  This past decade, we’ve made a lot of improvements to the animation process to ensure better organization, optimization, and streamlining. One main focus has been better documentation and communication. We also learned to use a lot of new software and tools, and gained a lot of new skills. Before, we primarily animated in Flash (now named Adobe Animate), but to adapt to new platforms like mobile and AR, FableVision artists and animators have learned After Effects, Unity, Spine, and many other software platforms along with Adobe Animate. We have also expanded our process to include a lot more freelancers, and our management of the workflow has improved to accommodate that, especially given that most freelancers are off-site and often in different time zones.

These changes have improved our performance tremendously. Projects run smoother and faster, and our process is a lot more efficient. This allows for better quality of our work, and it lets us stay competitive by achieving more for less time and money. And, last but not least, it makes working less stressful and more enjoyable. All in all, it’s been a good decade of growth!

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What kind of technology was the studio using in 2010? How has technology changed this past decade, and how does FableVision stay on top of emerging trends?

Brian Grossman, Technical Director: The vast majority of the games, animation, and interactives we developed in 2010 were created using Flash. Knowing that Adobe’s support for Flash Player officially ends in December 2020, we switched to using HTML5 and Unity. We continue to push these technologies and use one of them on almost all of our projects.

In 2010, we just started developing iOS apps. Even though no one could have predicted mobile's full-scale takeover at that time, we made sure we were getting up to speed. In the past 10 years, we’ve created dozens of apps for iOS and Android phones and tablets for our clients. On the other hand, the technology in 2010 that people predicted would have huge growth in the education space was interactive whiteboards. At that time, we had several, large-scale projects designed specifically for classroom instruction on a whiteboards, including our own Big Screen Books. While the demand for interactive whiteboard projects has died out, we learned about the nuances of developing software for teachers to teach and entire class using a large display.

We’ve always strived to balance the need to deliver quality products built on stable, proven technologies with the need to research and learn about the latest and greatest technologies. We’re currently working on several extended reality (AR and VR) projects, and keeping an eye on advancements in AI and IoT. As we look toward 2030, it’s impossible to know which technologies we’ll be using, but FableVision will definitely be ready.

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Where do you see FableVision in 10 years?

Allie Caton, Production Assistant: In 10 years, I see FableVision reaching more and more communities and broadening our knowledge in new, upcoming technologies! I also see the "FableVision jokes" folder on my computer growing to take up 10GB of my computer storage. 

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Monica Chen, Communications Strategist: In 2030, I see FableVision continuing to break barriers in storytelling, technology, and interactivity through our engaging educational media. I also see FableVision using media to teach and inspire in new, innovative ways with our own educational games and animation.

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David Welsh, Game & Narrative Designer: In 10 years, I expect FableVision will take our experiences to the next level as we continue to innovate new ways to use storytelling to move the world to a better place. I'm already working on some exciting games that I think will be fondly remembered and still played in the next decade!

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Peter Stidwill, Executive Producer: I see FableVision working with even more fabulous partners to create impactful experiences, celebrating success with our latest research-proven XR game, and kicking off another season of our own original animated series! (And I see myself still gorging on super-tasty staff-made snacks).

5 for 5: Five FableVisionaries Reflect on Five Years of Extra Life

This year’s Extra Life 2017 marks our fifth year of throwing the studio doors open early on a Saturday morning and keeping them open for 24 hours. FableVisionaries stream in for hours of gaming, laughter, camaraderie, and reflection as we raise funds for Boston Children’s Hospital. FableVision is a mission-based studio intent on moving the world to a better place through stories that matter and move, and our passion for change-making extends beyond the standard nine to five. That’s why we believe that Extra Life, the 24-hour charity gaming marathon, is such a cool and meaningful fundraising extravaganza.

As the founder of this rich tradition at FableVision, President Gary Goldberger reflects, “In addition to having a lot of pride and respect for the work that they do, Boston Children’s Hospital will always have a special place in FableVision’s heart. Five years ago, Extra Life represented something fairly straightforward – a fun event for the staff to take part in that was for an excellent cause. Raising money for one of the country’s leading children’s hospitals and working as a team to ‘game for good’ was a double win. I love getting the team together, sharing laughs, games, and food, opening the studio to friends and family, and knowing that our efforts are helping provide care to children (and families, by proxy) in our own great city.”

Each year, new Extra Life teammates join our veteran marathon gamers. Today we’re casting a light on five faces from our all-star Extra Life team as they head into game day. To register for our team or pledge to any of our Extra Life team members, please visit our Extra Life page and donate now. Game On!

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How has Extra Life evolved since you started this tradition at FableVision Studios?
Even though it’s for a good cause and FableVision’s always looking to join forces with “mission-match” movements, I wasn’t sure if people would want to participate when we started doing Extra Life in 2012 – but we have the best team! So many people were on board right from the start. It’s evolved over the years, and has easily become one of my favorite FableVision traditions. Different people have brought their own traditions to the event as well, from waffles to Jeopardy to their own types of activities. Everyone is able to create their own gaming space for this amazing shared experience. There’s no better team than Team FableVision, and no other group I’d rather game for good with!”

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As a fifth year veteran, what pro tips would you give to someone looking to start their own Extra Life team?
There are a lot of important causes that need our time and attention right now. If you do choose to participate in Extra Life, my strongest piece of advice is to have fun with it! Everyone’s looking for a way to give back. The Extra Life community has a lot of love, so take that to heart and surround yourself with people you enjoy being with. Fill your team with comrades near and far, ask friends and family to support your efforts, and take some joy in the experience of raising funds for a good cause.

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You’re making waves as the newest member of the team! Why did you decide to join Extra Life this year?
I decided to join Extra Life because of the mission – children need healthy physical development in order to grow and thrive at home and in the classroom, and Boston Children’s Hospital can provide that support and care to the most vulnerable kids and their families. As a Boston native and the daughter of a nurse, I know how privileged we are to have one of the best hospitals in the country available to our children. Extra Life has the capacity to bring that incredible care to more children, and change more lives.

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This isn’t your first Extra Life race. Why did you decide to join FableVision’s team?
I might be a FableVision rookie, but I’m an Extra Life veteran. I love gaming, and I've always been attracted to causes related to my hobbies. Organizations like Extra Life show that games can be a force for good in the world in the same way a 5k walk or charity dinner can be. We can get really passionate about the things we enjoy, and I think that applying that passion to helping kids puts life into perspective. It's been a while since I've participated in Extra Life, so I'm excited to be back with a great team this year!

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Extra Life has become a family affair for the Landry clan. As an Extra Life veteran who returns every year without fail, what makes this annual event special to you?
I was initially drawn in by the proposition of being allowed to play video games for 24 hours. Since then, it has grown to mean so much more to me. Extra Life is a fundraiser that feels specifically catered to me: an avid game player, and an older brother to 5 awesome younger siblings (many of whom have received care from Boston Children's Hospital). Being able to do something I love while also raising money for a children's hospital is truly a surreal experience. To me, Extra Life has become something akin to a holiday or vacation, in that I spend almost every other day of the year looking forward to it. Changing the lives of others AND beating my favorite games in the same night is really what gives Extra Life a special place in my heart.

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