September FableFriday: Audrey Spencer, UX/UI Designer

FableVision UX/UI Designer Audrey Spencer is a problem-solver at her core. As a multidisciplinary designer, Audrey has worked across many fields, including medical, game development, and VR/AR design. She has a passion for creative problem solving, thinking outside-the-box, and brings her own dash of whimsy to every project that hits her desk. 

“I love sharing my creative process with others and I’m excited to be doing that at FableVision,” says Audrey. “I’m especially having a blast on a project that we’ll reveal soon – we have an awesome team and such a great connection with the client – it’s been so rewarding to see this come to life.”

Read more to learn about Audrey’s winding journey to FableVision, how she wooed the internet with her elaborate cat drawings, and her battle with DJ Khaled.

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Audrey’s Snapchat drawings featuring Maya and Oskar

What’s your “journey to FableVision” story?
It’s been quite the journey! My degree is in industrial design, so I began my career in product design, working in healthcare designing medical devices. This was around the time when a “cool new app” called Snapchat came out, and with its clunky drawing tools, I started drawing photos of my cats, creating elaborate and harrowing scenes. Apparently the people of the internet liked them, which caught the attention of Snapchat and the media, starting me on a path of creative storytelling for brands like Microsoft, Universal, Pilot, and Snapchat. It was all pretty surreal.  

Pivoting from medical device design, I began working with startups as a one-woman design team, doing everything from industrial design, graphic design, branding, video, and marketing. I worked in a wide range of industries from Tesla coils, to robotic fishing equipment, to AR (augmented reality) hardware. It was very exciting. 

While working with an AR hardware startup, I grew close with some folks at Snap Inc. and began consulting on Snapchat’s user interface, as well as other programs in the works. One of these was Lens Studio, the AR Lens software they were developing, which sparked my interest in virtual reality and augmented reality design. 

Shortly after, I went through a Unity and XR program to broaden my skill set, through which I was introduced to FableVision!

Social media panel at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 2016

How did past fields and industries you’ve worked in prepare you for FableVision and the educational industry?
My experience as a student, which was tough, prepared me the most. I’m dyslexic and I’ve always struggled with reading. I have a lot of empathy for kids who are also struggling with any type of learning disability, and I know what they’re going through. In my own life, I’ve learned that this disability can be transformed into an empathy superpower when it comes to storytelling and designing educational experiences. It’s quite rewarding to bring that perspective to the table.

What type of projects do you like to work on?
I like projects that involve humor and a bit of weirdness. I bring my own dose of quirk as it is,  so I appreciate any project that has that creative freedom. I also love a good challenge and managing a lot of moving parts – really, anything that requires problem solving is fun to me.

Group of Snapchat creators

Besides UX and UI, you’ve also developed content for brands like Microsoft and Universal. Can you tell us more about that experience?
In the early days of Snapchat, it was a Wild West for creators working with brands on the platform, and it was really difficult to gain a following with content that expired every 24 hours. 

So, when I and a small group of creators gained traction on Snapchat, brands saw this as an opportunity.  At the time, Snapchat didn’t have an ad program in place, so these brands reached out to us to create content for them.

This led to some really fun jobs, traveling across the country doing work for Microsoft, Universal, Pilot Pens, Shark, Crocs, mobile games, animal shelters, and a bunch of others.

Creating content for brands isn’t too different from what we do at FableVision Studios. The client has an idea and an audience it wants to engage, and we bring that idea to life.  

DJ Khaled

Bill Nye the Science Guy

Tell us about being a Shorty Award finalist for “Snapchatter of the Year”!
What a weird time to be alive. I was up against a few big names, one of which was DJ Khaled, who was pretty well known… and still is. I didn’t go in with any expectations of winning… and I totally didn’t win. But it was a really great award show – I got to rub elbows with Alton Brown and Bill Nye the Science Guy!

Leading up to it, we had to get votes from our audience. So, I found a video of DJ Khaled asking his followers to vote for him and I took that video, edited out where he said “Vote for DJ Khaled,” went through his video history, and basically made a video of him saying to vote for me. I still cringe when I look at it now, and it was purposefully bad, doing it all on my phone in Snapchat from the comfort of my kitchen. But everyone got a kick out of it. If anyone wants to see it, you’ll have to message me and I might show it to you.

What was your most intricate cat drawing and how long did it take?
Well, that would be the cat drawing of Maya splayed out on a bounty of gold coins, gems, and jewels, what you’d expect to find in a treasure chest. I got really into the details and it took a solid nine hours to draw. But Maya deserved it. 

When drawing on Snapchat at the time, it crashed often. And every time it crashed, I’d lose everything. Eventually, I found a way to circumvent that to be able to post things through some trickery. That gave me the freedom to take a few evenings and work on a drawing rather than all at once. Something that drew me to Snapchat was the temporary nature of the content on the platform. I could test out weird ideas, people could see them, like them or not, and then they would disappear. There was something fragile and liberating about it that I really appreciated.

More recent drawing

First Snapchat drawing

Photoshop work

How has your online art evolved?
I have always loved sharing creative ideas with others and people love cats. I’ve tried out all sorts of things with varying degrees of success. 

I've shot skits, made music videos, photoshopped cats as other animals, and started a subreddit that features animals with their faces photoshopped really really tiny.

Even so, my cat drawings have definitely gotten better. I started using a stylus instead of my finger, but if and when I lost that, I discovered that wrapping the stick part of a Q-Tip in foil makes a “decent” capacitive stylus.

What is the dynamic like between Oskar, Maya, and Louie?
I got Maya first. Quickly, I could tell she wanted another cat to play with. She’d sneak up on me, jump on me, and want to play all the time. Eventually, I found Oskar at a shelter. I tried to keep them apart as they adjusted to another animal in the space, but that was impossible. Once I introduced them, they did battle it out a bit, but they’re great friends now. They don’t cuddle like siblings, but they’ll clean each other, play, and chase each other around.

A few years ago, we got Louie. He is a very shy, skittish cat. And introducing them was a challenge: all Oskar wanted to do was chase and play, and all Louie wanted to do was run. But it’s gotten better. We’ve tried to create a safe space for him and he hangs out with us and trusts us a lot more now.  

Maya

Oskar

Louie

Audrey’s Favorites

Favorite plant? I can’t choose a favorite… but I do have five self-contained ecosystems I created: three terrariums and two “jarrariums.” It’s taken them five years to get to this point but they’re finally self-sustaining with only sunlight and a wee bit of water!

Favorite film/tv show? I am really enjoying Evil at the moment. But I always enjoy revisiting King of The Hill and Comedy Bang Bang!

Favorite game? Board: Wingspan. Video: too hard to pick just one, but Her Story, Inside, and Animal Crossing had a huge effect on me.

Favorite recent DIY? I fixed the hose spigot at my house. It had no available parts to buy in a store since it’s so old. So I made my own washers! My next thing to start is refinishing lampshades – I already bought fun fabric, fringe, and tassels.

Elle the chipmunk

Favorite place to find antiques? Estate sales. I love seeing objects in the context that they lived in, and the history surrounding them. Once I buy something, it feels like I’m giving them a new life. 

Favorite homeowner surprise? I’ve been excited about the wildlife outside and have set up cameras to capture videos of all the fun animal visitors! Recently, I’ve befriended the crows and the chipmunks. One chipmunk friend in particular jumps up into my hand when I hold out sunflower seeds.  

Favorite cat (if possible)? I get asked this a lot and I have an answer: it’s Maya. 100%.

Uncovering "Resonances" of History

FableVision and CyArk welcome all to experience the history and wonders of Mesa Verde through Virtual Reality! Introducing Resonant, an immersive VR game prototype that transports players across time and cultures.

Created in collaboration with CyArk—a nonprofit organization that digitally records, archives, and shares the world's most significant cultural heritage—the Resonant prototype digitally preserves and accurately tells the stories of Mesa Verde by immersing players in the complex histories. Using CyArk’s 3D model of the Balcony House and content from leading experts in archaeology and culture, FableVision designed immersive VR gameplay and crafted a story that allows players to form a unique and powerful connection with the national park and spaces around them, taking photos and documenting what they find along the way.

Players become part of the game narrative as they take on the role of a student historian filming a documentary about the effects of climate change at Mesa Verde. Throughout gameplay, the player is guided and advised by their partner, another filmmaker and a Pueblo person. While filming the Balcony House site, the player uncovers “resonances,” hints of the past and present of Mesa Verde that present themselves as silhouettes and sounds of the people who were a part of the location’s history. As the players capture images, they trigger dialogue and commentary from experts, as well as life-size dioramas of how the indigenous people lived and how archaeologists preserved and rebuilt the cliff dwellings in those exact areas. Through these glimpses of history, players encounter different locations and people, including ancestral Hopi and Tewa people, National Park Service archeologists, and more.

Resonant builds an emotional experience vastly different from the typical virtual tour experiences often seen in this space. Developed for Oculus Quest, Resonant capitalizes on VR technology to tie the narrative into the game mechanics that enhance immersion and avoid reminding the player that they are in a digital space. With a 3D photorealistic model of the Mesa Verde Balcony House, lighting effects, and audio, players see the sunlight streaming into the Balcony House, hear their footsteps as they walk around, and take in the stories of the people who lived there with real voices of descendant communities. To create a sense of place and avoid the use of conventional game menus, players can raise their motion-enabled controllers to their headsets to take pictures or view game information in their virtual notebooks that they hold in front of them like a real book.

The game also allows players to become active participants in the story and tailor the learning content to their own current knowledge. As they take in more information from their surroundings, they can also speak with the supporting character through a walkie-talkie by choosing dialogue options throughout the experience. This branching narrative allows players with no prior knowledge to ask more questions about the site and its history, while experienced players can dive into deeper, more complex topics.

In an effort to amplify indigenous voices and provide a deeper understanding of the layered history of Mesa Verde, CyArk worked closely with affiliated communities, Tewa speakers, and members of the Hopi Cultural Preservation Office to develop the script, game design, framework, and audio. The project is funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities through a NEH Digital Projects for the Public prototyping grant. 

To learn more about Resonant, check out CyArk’s blog and “first look” video! And subscribe to our StudioFlash e-newsletter and follow us on social media for more updates.

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This blog was guest-written by David Welsh, game and narrative designer at FableVision and on the Resonant Game Prototype.

June FableFriday: Jordan Bach, Technical Director

FableVision Technical Director Jordan Bach is definitely not new to the edtech game. A member of the FableVision team for almost 10 years, Jordan has decades of experience in developing educational games and media with a focus on accessible technology and innovations in tech. He’s also just a really nice guy.

Jordan first joined the team as a developer and now, in the role of Technical Director, oversees the technical department, contributes to planning and budgeting proposals and projects, and continues serving as lead developer on a number of the studio’s large game projects. Working with tools such as Unity and HTML5 to merge physical and digital play, Jordan is an expert in all things AR and VR. And through the advancements and innovations in technology over the years, Jordan has also consistently been the go-to person on staff for questions about accessibility, designing and leading projects to support people with learning disabilities and different educational needs to provide a safe and engaging space to learn.

“Accessibility means so much more than making a game compatible with a screen reader,” Jordan tells us. “It means that many people experience learning games differently and we need to communicate with as many of them as we can.”

Using his vast skills in design and developmental technology, Jordan has adapted to the many changes that have happened to the edtech and media fields over the past decade and helped FableVision to stay on top of and actively respond to growing trends in the industry. Working closely with other members of FableVision staff, freelancers, and clients over the years, he approaches his dedication to his work with endless patience, a calm demeanor, and a creative eye—actively looking for the best ways to help others and making possibilities realities. Continue reading to learn more about Jordan’s journey to FableVision, how he approaches projects in his role as Technical Director, and what advice he has for developers at the start of their careers!

How did you first hear about FableVision, and what initially drew you to the studio?
I first heard about FableVision through friends and former colleagues who loved working here, so I connected with Brian Grossman, the former Technical Director. During my first visit and first interview at the studio, the mission and the creative spirit were so clearly visible in everyone I met and in the physical space that the decision was already made from my perspective.

What does a typical day look like for you?
My day-to-day schedule has changed a lot since I’ve become the Technical Director! Every day I’m trying to do two things: first, I’m contributing to current, upcoming, and potential projects. This includes offering support to the developers, participating in planning, and completing budget estimates for proposals.

And second, I’m reserving a little time to continue being a developer, which is something I love. Most recently I’ve been helping set up the architecture of a new project, and then sharing it with the developer who will take it through the rest of development and over the finish line!

You’ve been at the studio for ten years! How has the technology the studio uses changed, and how do you stay on top of edtech trends?
Ten years ago, Flash was the most common way to develop highly interactive applications for the web browser, and mobile apps were still relatively new to the world. Unity has emerged as a go-to tool for building cross-platform mobile apps, and we’re also using various web frameworks to speed along complex browser-based development projects. We’re more used to change than we were then! 

The best way to stay on top of trends is to ask questions. When someone mentions something and I don’t know what it is, I just ask. And then go look it up if I need more information. There’s so much to know and sometimes there’s pressure to pretend like you know everything. As a mission-based company, FableVision is all about learning, so I just ask.

How do you approach each project from a technical perspective? How does the process differ depending on the scope of a project or the medium (game-based app, Augmented Reality experience, website, etc.)
Determining the technical approach for a project goes hand-in-hand with the creative design. After we have started the creative brainstorming, we think about what technology might make sense to help us with the project. The scope, medium, audience, and platform all feed into this thinking process. We focus on HTML5 and Unity, but also work with other technologies. Then the strengths of the chosen development platform can further inform the creative definition of the project. 

Once the design and technology are set, we'll pick what’s hard, what hasn’t been done before, and start there. 

What is a FableVision project you’ve worked on that you’re particularly proud of?
I feel particularly proud of the projects we’ve done that are used in research studies. The Zoombinis remake and the Reach Every Reader apps for the Harvard Graduate School of Education are examples of apps that are not only fun to use, but also move educational research forward. It’s definitely rewarding to be a part of such important projects such as those.

Here at FableVision, we’re dedicated to making sure our work follows accessibility standards. What do you have to keep in mind when making sure our projects are accessible? 
When we create accessible media, we need to think beyond the platform it's housed on and what features we can add to accommodate certain disabilities. Many of our users have different experiences and use our games, interactives, and other media in different ways, so we have to design for as many different learning contexts as possible.

Right now we’re making a game that is “born accessible,” meaning we’re designing it to be accessible to many from the start, instead of retrofitting an existing game for a more diverse audience. We’ve learned that an important tool is customization: for example, if a player struggles with focus, we can expose a setting to turn off distracting background imagery. If someone has low vision, we can expose a setting to turn on audio descriptions. On the other hand, there are some elements of a game we can make accessible to many without the need for customization. For example, we can design artwork to be easily distinguishable by people with the most common forms of color blindness.

You have a background in music! How does music continue to impact your life, and how has your degree influenced your work at FableVision?
In college, I got degrees in both math and cello performance. Doing both was a great opportunity to see all the connections (and differences) between the two. It was also a great opportunity to understand the similarities between learning each. When working on an abstract math proof, you start with what you know and build from there. When learning a difficult passage in music, you break it down to the smallest pieces you can play and start stringing them together. And now, when starting a new project at work, I approach it with the same mindset: what do I know, and how can I start putting it together to get somewhere I’ve never been before?

You’re currently a Teaching Fellow at the Harvard Graduate School of Education's Technology, Innovation, and Education program. What’s rewarding about your role, and what has teaching taught you?
I was involved in a course called Advanced Design Studio this past semester. In the first half of the semester, I taught Unity development in the lab sessions; together with the class, we made one of the puzzles from Zoombinis (“Cap’n Cajun’s Ferryboat”). During the second half of the semester, I coached groups of students as they developed their own designs into prototypes. It’s exciting to see the students coming up with great concepts. After 20 years working in this space, I saw ideas I hadn’t seen before. And the students all wanted to participate in learning; they didn’t just want to be fed information. This encouraged me to think about what I needed to provide to facilitate learning without getting in the way of it.

What advice do you have for students and professionals starting out in the technology field? What skill is important for a programmer to develop early on in their career?
Consider also focusing on a non-programming skill or interest. Programming is a tool; it also helps to have experience in education, games, some kind of production, or something else that you love. Beyond that, well-rounded programmers think big (code architecture and efficiency) and small (detail-oriented, predicting every way a user might interact with the application). I’ve found that most people are usually naturally good at one of those ways of thinking and need to focus on improving the other. (Also, see above: asking questions!)

You made an amazing quilt for Creative Juices last year! Are you currently working on any new projects?
I’m working on an underwater-themed quilt for my niece. It’s somewhat improvised, which is new for me, so I don’t know what it’s going to look like yet!

Quick questions

Recipe you haven’t tried but would like to: Anything from Pastry Week on the Great British Bake Off.

TV show you’re currently binging: I, Claudius, while listening to the I, Podius podcast. I’d never seen it before, but I vividly remember the “Me Claudius” spoof on Monsterpiece Theater when I was young.

Best consolation of Staying at Home: curbside pickup to support small restaurants. Vietnamese Fresh Roll Friday is now a thing!

Game you love to recommend: Carcassonne, as a board game or as an app. I just gave it to my nieces and they love it.

Top two tips you give to new gardeners: 1) A plant in the wrong place will never be happy. Pay attention to the sun/shade requirements! 2) If you’ve only ever planted annuals, try a perennial. It’s magical to see them come back from nothing in the early spring. It’s my favorite part of gardening.

A book you love to reread: Lizard Music by Daniel Pinkwater, a favorite from elementary school. A weird story for a weird kid.

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).

January FableFriday: Melissa Schoeller, Associate Producer

Melissa Schoeller is a woman of many talents. As an Associate Producer at FableVision Studios, Melissa helps to manage the studio’s technical and creative teams in the development of small and large scale educational media. Although her journey to FableVision was slightly roundabout, she always had an inkling that this was the career she was meant to pursue.

“In graduate school, the curriculum was project-based and teams were small, so I had to learn to do a little bit of everything,” shares Melissa. “However, every time I made a 3D model, designed an animated character, or created other content, I also kept jumping in to monitor the schedule, budget, and scope. At one point, I promised myself I would be on a project just as an artist, but by the end of the first meeting, I single-handedly created our entire communication infrastructure without meaning to. I can’t turn it off!”

Along with being a talented producer, Melissa also makes sure to maintain her creativity and passion in her life outside the studio as well. Outside of her work at FableVision, Melissa freelances as an artist and module writer for an upcoming tabletop role-playing game, she designs games, and she bakes delicious treats that she shares with family and friends.

A project manager, game designer, linguist (she learned four languages!), book collector, musician, and baker—Melissa embodies the importance of cultivating your interests both inside and outside of work. Join us as we learn more about how she came to FableVision, what a day in the life of an Associate Producer looks like, and what her favorite holiday recipes are!

What is your “journey to FableVision” story?
FableVision and I had a bit of an accidental encounter. After receiving my masters in Entertainment Technology from Carnegie Mellon, I spent the summer interning in California and figuring out what I wanted to do next. Because I was exhausted from all of the moving around, I told myself that I needed a couple of weeks off in my home state of Massachusetts before I could start seriously looking into what city was going to be my new home. I was telling this to my friend at MIT when she asked me if I’d heard of FableVision. I replied yes—they’re pretty well known in the educational games community—and then she asked if I’d like to work there.

It turns out that she and Peter Stidwill, FableVision’s Executive Producer, had met a few weeks prior, and he mentioned that he was hiring new FableVisionaries for the production team. “I know you said you were going to take a break,” my friend said. “So if you think I should ask someone else…” I cut her off. How could I ever pass up the chance to combine my two great loves: entertainment and developmental/educational work? Interviewing and meeting the FableVision team only solidified my decision.

My last day at my California internship was on a Friday, and my first day at FableVision was the following Tuesday!

You have a background studying psychology. What brought you into working in entertainment media?
When I was getting my undergraduate degree, I actually wanted to be a creative writing major, but Bryn Mawr College only had a minor and a concentration. I felt that the minor was more rigorous, so I picked psychology as my major in order to gain a better understanding of how people think and process the world around them. Even though I wanted to be a writer, I’m someone who puts all of their energy into whatever path they’ve chosen. So, once I became a psychology major, I became a true blue researcher, thesis and all.

Once I graduated, I applied 50/50 to writing and psychology jobs. Ultimately, I found myself at Massachusetts General Hospital’s Child Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Program as a research coordinator. It was an awesome place to be, and they were doing important work in autism and anxiety treatment. However, more often than not, the best part of my day was when I would entertain children in the waiting room by teaching them how to draw, or by helping them come up with fantastical stories. Psychology requires one hundred percent dedication, and my heart was really in storytelling.

What are your favorite parts of working as a member of the production team?
I love being at the intersection of different specialties. I get to see an idea transform as it travels from person to person, from artist to animator to developer, into a game or animation. The best moments are when the entire team is hunkered down together, brainstorming across the studio, making creative chaos. It’s invigorating to see it all come together and to be a part of it.

What does a day in your shoes look like at the studio?
I’m sure everyone says this, but every day is so different! It’s consistently true that when I come into the studio, I review the list of tasks on the docket for the day and make sure everyone on my projects knows what they need to get done. From there, I could be recording scratch voiceover, reviewing design specs, updating budgets, brainstorming with a client, or checking a game for bugs. All of the producers are on multiple projects—I’m on four at the moment—and they’re all in different stages of development, so meeting each project’s needs requires vastly different work.

You also design games! What are some of your side projects and how are they similar to or different from the work you do at the studio?
I know, I can’t stop working! Every once in a while I get an idea for something fun, new, or just ridiculous! My brain just gets stuck on them, like you would a song, and I can’t stop thinking about the idea until I’ve brainstormed the entire thing out.

I think my favorite side project is a continuation of research I worked on at Carnegie Mellon called the Presence Project. My team made this exploratory game for virtual reality (VR) that was trying to prove that you can tell a story in VR without assigning the player a character role—“3rd-person VR.” Not only did it work, but a couple of universities were interested in continuing the research. So, in my off hours (usually early in the morning because of the time difference), I’m on the phone with labs in Norway, turning a tiny four-person lab into an international design consortium. It’s nuts!

We heard that you come from a musical family. How was that experience growing up and what instruments do you all play?
My mother plays piano and my father plays the guitar (as did his parents). When I was a kid, my brother and I took after our dad and learned guitar as well. I have a lot of really wonderful memories of getting ready for bed while Dad played music in the living room, and my brother and I would sit on the floor and sing along. And as we all got better, my brother and I soon played guitar alongside him. My real love, though, is singing.

My parents are big supporters of pursuing your passion, so long as you put in the effort. In middle school, I wanted to get into my school’s audition-only choir. I knew the only way to do it was to practice, so my parents signed me up for lessons and I pushed myself every day. Once I got into that choir, I needed to practice to get a solo, and so on, all the way up to college a cappella. I only sing for fun now—with my friends, mostly—but the lessons that I learned about pushing myself apply to everything I do.

We also heard that you love testing out new recipes. Care to share one of your favorites with us?
I’m famous for my pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, but my favorite thing I have ever made is a pumpkin Yule log with cinnamon vanilla frosting. Swiss rolls are challenging, because you have to get the right consistency and make sure to roll it perfectly before the cake cools. My biggest problem, however, is that I’m terrible at presentation. I tend to get really messy with piping frosting. So, even though the cake was super tasty, the yule log looked incredibly unappetizing.

I tried my hand at a new one this past Christmas. It looked better, but it didn’t taste quite as good.

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More About Melissa:

Favorite animated movie: Up! I cry every time.

Hardest language for you to learn: Spanish. I’m still awful at it. I can’t roll my “r”s!

Favorite board game: That’s like choosing a child! I can’t! Not to mention I tend to rotate. But, the current game of the hour is Photosynthesis. It’s a turn-based strategy game where you try to grow more of your own trees than other players’ trees. Environmentally conscious AND competitive!

Favorite book genre: I love realistic fantasy—books that weave magic into the everyday.

Best thing about winter: I should probably say skiing (my whole family skis), but I think the best thing is when you’re drinking hot chocolate on a walk through Boston Commons with the trees all lit up and big, and fluffy snowflakes start falling.

Favorite music genre: I love everything, but lately my Spotify has been filled with a lot of folk music.

One thing you couldn’t go a day without: My bullet journal! It’s my schedule, my sketchbook, my to-do list—I’d fall apart if I didn’t have it.