March FableFriday: Owen Hey, Junior Developer

With his upbeat demeanor, signature smile, and twinkle in his eye when given the opportunity to build a new game, Junior Developer Owen Hey makes one thought come to mind – "O-wen will we learn more about him?" The answer is simple: right now.

FableVision scored a goal when the freelancer joined the company as a full-time staff member in July. His passion for games combined with his love of art, creativity, and overall aesthetics in programming help Owen build unique interactives that further FableVision’s mission in developing meaningful, educational projects.

“In college, studying both game design and computer science reaffirmed the feeling that I like the creative avenue of programming,” said Owen. “I understood the cybersecurity and low-level computing classes, but they didn't hold a candle to the cool games I was making.”

Owen brings not only his game development knowledge and desire to grow his coding skills, but also his positivity and ability to put everyone in a good mood, which brightens the studio. Read more to learn about Owen’s methods for finding the best feasible solution on a project, his original game Polygunners, his love of wizards, and the activity that brings him the most joy per minute. 

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What’s your “journey to FableVision” story?
I knew I was interested in educational kids’ games after I worked with Eco Resilience Games in college to create a VR experience that helps kids learn about different eras of Earth. For example, they could look at Lake George in New York now, in the 1800s, in the Cretaceous period, and so on. With this organization, we play tested various games with kids at the science museum and it warmed my heart seeing them enjoying the games we worked so hard to make. I knew that I liked the children’s gaming industry, so FableVision appealed to me even more once I discovered it. 

After I graduated from Rensselaer (RPI) in December 2021, I went to GDC – the Game Developers Conference – with my resume, business cards, and a great smile on my face. I left with no job, but I met a connection who works as a programmer in educational media. We set up a call and he listed several companies in that industry on the east coast, telling me which ones he respects, which to avoid, and other information. He had great things to say about FableVision, and within two days of speaking to him, I applied for a freelance Unity developer position, spoke to Technical Director Jordan Bach, and was assigned to a FableVision project. 

What do you like about computer science?
Growing up, I really admired and looked up to my older brother, who’s five years older than me. He did computer science, so following in his footsteps was a no-brainer. Very quickly I learned to love it, and not just because of my brother. My high school offered an awesome Unity development course that sparked my interest in this field and really shaped my future. That class and my RPI courses made me realize that game development and creativity specifically were both aspects of computer science that I enjoyed and wanted to pursue. And it all started because of my brother.

What types of projects do you like to work on?
I definitely like games and interactives. I grew up playing lots of games, so it was always one of my goals to create them. It’s fun to work on projects that you have a lot of experience in, which for me is Unity, but I want to expand my palate to other frameworks, libraries, and game engines. 

I prefer working on smaller games because it’s always a new experience; you can learn from something you worked on in the past but also try something new. There’s quicker iteration with a cleaner process. On a bigger project, while the end-product may be more impressive, you get stuck with the code you wrote a while ago. I enjoy splitting the work into mini projects, like mini games within the larger game, so that each game is a breath of fresh air and I can create things from scratch.

How did your previous experience prepare you for your role at FableVision?
In RPI’s game design program, our projects were structured in small groups of four-to-five people, with a person from each field – designer, writer, programmer. From a programming standpoint, I worked on half a dozen projects with a similar group size and structure as FableVision. The biggest thing that was missing were the producers. At FableVision, they make the whole process so much easier and great, I love them! On my own time in college, one of my main hobbies was going into a game engine I was learning at the time and playing around. I worked on a lot of small projects to dive deep into a certain visual effect or style. 

My previous internships were closer to traditional software development, which helped reiterate that I want to be a game developer as opposed to a software engineer, but I also had an IT support position that taught me communication skills. The job was 20% knowing how to fix the problem and 80% being able to explain the solution to those who needed help. Growing my people skills was really beneficial, especially for a company like FableVision that values interpersonal relationships, and where I have to communicate with different members of a project.

Owen and his decade-long best friend Caleb.

Speaking of communicating with different folks, how do you work with producers, artists, and designers to create the best possible games and interactives?
Not everything can be built exactly the way people might want it, so there is some back and forth between the teams where we work to find the best feasible solution. To help with this, I’m good at giving these roles different options for what they can do. I prototype or mock up multiple variations and send them to the designers, artists, and producers to see what sticks. 

What advice do you have for aspiring game developers?
Something that I’ve found to be invaluable is separating what is good from what is easy – you don’t want to create something only because you know how to build it. Instead, focus on the design and what is right for the experience, even if it’s challenging. You will create a better game and learn new techniques, which will help you build new games in the future. You don’t want to get stuck and do the same thing over and over again. It’s also valuable to be very clear with what is doable, especially in the time and budget parameters that you’re given.

Tell us more about Polygunners!
In college, I worked on many small, narrative, puzzle-based games, but I wanted to create something closer to the type of games I personally enjoy playing. I also hoped to expand my skill set and develop a project by myself. For about six months, I worked on Polygunners, a cooperative action game where players fight evil shapes. I was really, really passionate about it and it eventually turned into my capstone project.

I did the game design, art, programming, and sound creation, which was a lot of fun, sitting in my bedroom, recording “pew, pew, pew!” I paid a friend to create the music and trailer. It’s called Polygunners because everything in the game is composed of basic geometric shapes, including the evil, scary Polyqueen. I published it on Steam, and while it’s not the most popular game, over 40,000 people have played it! It’s definitely the project that I’m most proud of making.

It seems like soccer is a huge part of your life.
Soccer is really important to me. Growing up, I played it like every kid plays a sport, but in middle and high school, I became very serious about it, traveling every weekend to play in tournaments. At one point, I was on the “Maine team” as part of the Olympic Development Program. I took a step back in my junior year of high school after a severe back injury, but I continued to play intramural in college. To this day, I watch a lot of professional soccer and play in intramural leagues throughout Boston. It’s my favorite thing to do – definitely my highest fun had per minute.

You also love drawing?
Even though I’m a developer, I’ve always liked the visual parts of game development, like graphics programming and procedural animation – it’s all about making stuff look pretty. I like doing artsy, creative things in code, which extends to drawing, because I see that as the most pure form of creativity. You can make something look cool in code or you can just draw it. I’m not very good at it yet, but I’m getting there, and I’m having lots of fun, especially drawing wizards and clouds. 

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More About Owen

Favorite game: Starcraft II.

Favorite wizard: Septimus Sylvaria – he’s my D&D character, a 12-year-old boy who thinks he’s the best, greatest wizard that ever lived. My red wizard hat is his hat, that unfortunately for him got burnt, so now it’s black.

Favorite movie: Game Night.

Favorite sports player: Marco Asensio. And my favorite soccer team is Tottenham Hotspur.

Favorite snack: Oreos! 

Favorite place you’ve traveled: Perú – Machu Picchu, Lima, Cusco.

An Owen fun fact that most people don’t know: As an 8-year-old kid, I lived in Edinburgh, Scotland in a flat and I went to school in a castle!

February FableFriday: Snow (Xue) Dong, Producer

Some places have winter wonderlands that last a few months and others sparsely get a few snowflakes, but lucky for us, we get Snow all year round.

FableVision’s Producer Xue Dong, who goes by Snow, joined FableVision to pursue her interest in children's media. An artist herself, she brings her creative eye to each project, combined with her strong project management, communication, and teambuilding skills. To ensure that client needs are met while taking the thoughts of artists, developers, designers, writers, and others into consideration, Snow creates a safe working environment and the opportunity for anyone to speak up.

“I’ve enjoyed projects where the team is collaborative – everyone brings their skillset to the table, we bounce ideas off each other, and we learn from one another,” says Snow. “I make sure to ask everyone’s opinions, which can be challenging, but ultimately rewarding.” 

Keep reading to learn more about Snow’s approach for producing the best possible projects, how her Chinese upbringing helps her pay attention to small details, and the type of art that she loves to create.

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What’s your “journey to FableVision” story?
As I studied sociology and animation in college, I didn’t know what I could do with those two fields, but I knew I wanted to do something creative and educational. While taking an animation class, I started researching what other Harvard students did with this degree, and I found Lead Animator Didi Hatcher’s work. I met up with Didi in the old, quirky FableVision office and it was a great opportunity for me to see how smaller organizations create purposeful media. After college, I met Executive Producer Peter Stidwill when he spoke at a local event. I introduced myself and learned about his FableVision experience. There weren’t openings then, but a couple of years went by, and I applied to an open producer role… and here I am!

Why are you drawn to children’s media?
Growing up in China, I took great pride in learning English at a young age and being good at it. Disney movies were a main resource for me, so the media was very impactful for my own childhood experience. As I worked on personal animation projects in college, I had so much agency over my creations, since I was the film director, writer, storyboard artist, and animator. The children’s piece comes in due to my sociology background. I was really interested in how education plays a part in our society, and I thought it would be cool to see how media could influence kids at a young age and facilitate learning in a fun way. I also watched Mr. Rogers for the first time in college, since he’s not famous in China. He has such strong beliefs in what media should do for kids, and he became a huge inspiration for me.

Why did you decide to go into producing? How did your background prepare you for this role?
Producing makes so much sense to me since it combines my strongest skills, knowledge of art and animation, and creative eye. My past experiences have helped me organically find how to best position myself and use my strengths. In my previous job, I worked with others, managed projects, facilitated communication, focused on timelines and deliverables, and made sure we got things done. So being a producer at FableVision was a great fit and once I started working here, everything felt familiar and comfortable to me.

What types of projects do you like to work on?
I love projects where we can collaborate amongst ourselves and with the client to come up with a great solution. It’s cool to see the problem solving that takes place in a project. It’s rewarding when a client wants our input, since we have more creative agency over the project, and it takes us some figuring things out along the way. And of course, every project is different, so you have favorite art in one, a favorite game in another, and so on.

How do you work with other team members to produce the best possible projects?
Proactive communication is so important. Since our projects are educational, they’re research-based with a lot of information, and we have to be careful to deliver the right information and content. I help team members be in sync, especially since people may be working on multiple projects, and I never assume that someone just gets it. I check that everyone is on the same page.

A lot of our projects are interactive games, which involve designers, artists, and developers. Everyone works on different pieces, but still needs to have a global understanding of the project, so that no one falls out of the loop. I try to remind myself that everyone’s ideas matter, and the most valuable opinion might come from someone who is two steps down the pipeline.

Lastly, I focus on the client relationships. Producers are the bridge between the client and the project team, so I make sure to connect them with each other and ensure there isn’t miscommunication.

How has your experience growing up and studying before college in China shaped your perspective?
I’ve lived in the U.S. for about seven years now, but having my own upbringing that is different from people in America, even though America is diverse, keeps me very curious. I have to remind myself to educate myself more and ask questions, which makes everything more interesting. Something may be common for Americans, but for me, it might feel new or different. It also helps me be a conscious observer; the things that are new to me might not trigger the same questions to those raised in the U.S.

It makes me appreciative of the American education system’s resources, but also raises more questions. For instance, even though there is an abundance of resources, not everyone learns and discusses complicated topics, such as race, in the same way. I love seeing what’s on American public television. There are many thoughtful creators, and it’s great knowing that FableVision is adding good content to that repertoire.

Lastly, it keeps me inspired to bridge the cultures. I’m working in an all-English environment, but I would love to at some point connect with Chinese creators and work on a Chinese project.

We heard that you’re also an artist! What type of art do you like to create?
I love figure drawing, which I’ve done since childhood, and drawing faces. I took a drawing class in college with live models, which helped improve my drawing since the human form is full of wonderful geometry, shapes, and textures. I would invite friends over, do portrait sketches, and show them my work. People usually liked what they saw and that felt rewarding. When I retire, I want to bring an easel to the farmer’s market and do free portrait drawings. I did this in China for a month where I would go to a cafe and sketch people. Once, I asked those who sat down with me to play their favorite songs, and the songs informed my sketching styles. For example, if it was a sad song, I would make the linework more somber, and if it was happy, it would look almost like anime.

I also want to improve my children’s illustrations. One of my goals is to create a small children’s book for my friend’s 4-year-old kid, who I’m tutoring in Chinese. I’ve been procrastinating, but I’m halfway there. It’ll be in English and I want to illustrate it myself. 

On a very different note, I tried songwriting during the pandemic. I played a little guitar in college, so I wrote some silly tunes, took an Ableton class, and tried producing my own songs. 

And you’ve been dabbling in baking?
I started baking also during the pandemic, which I found very comforting. I hated the idea of baking before, but once I started, I leaned into it and went all out. Originally, the measuring system really got me… ounces? Cups? Tablespoons? Teaspoons? They didn’t make sense. One time, I mistakenly put a tablespoon instead of a teaspoon of baking soda and everything tasted like toothpaste. But, my key moment was buying a baking book. I followed the recipes exactly, so my baking would turn out really well, and I would feel super accomplished. And I love sweets and sharing them with people – that makes me happy too.

Anything else you’d like to share?
I’m an aspiring cat parent! I’ve always loved cats and have recently been surrounded by cat people, especially at FableVision. Fingers crossed, before the end of 2023, I’ll have my own orange cat.

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More About Snow:

Favorite book?
Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari.

Favorite film?
Princess Mononoke.

Favorite game?
Ransom Notes.

Favorite holiday?
Mid-Autumn Festival because the traditional food for this holiday is moon cake, and it’s delicious.

Favorite American idiom?
“I’ve got bigger fish to fry” – when I hear this, it reminds me of a villain in an animated movie moving on to their next scheme, the next problem that they’re going to cause.

A Snow fun fact that most people don’t know?
In Chinese schools, some students are asked to give motivational speeches that they prepare ahead of time. Our school would have a speaker every Monday, usually a different student, and I’d be called up quite frequently. Outside of school I competed in public speaking contests. A super niche and buried past of me!

July FableFriday: Adam Gravett, Artist/Animator

Adam Gravett had an artistic goal in mind and just needed to figure out his path. “Ever since I was a little kid, I didn’t know exactly what I wanted to do or how I was going to get there, but I was certain that I wanted to be in the field of art and animation,” says Adam. 

With a keen interest in aliens, animals, wizards, knights, and other creatures, Adam breathes a creative, humorous, and cartoony aesthetic into his character designs and animation at FableVision. Inspired by other artists and the wonderful work that he stumbles upon, Adam continues to improve his illustrations, discover new techniques, and grow his incredible portfolio. 

Keep reading to learn more about Adam’s creative process, hopes for future projects, and unparalleled hat collection. 

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What’s your “journey to FableVision” story?
It began back in 2016, when two ambassadors for Lesley University came to my high school art class and talked to us about the college. Lesley ended up being the college that I attended. During my junior year, I took a character design class taught by FableVision’s Bob Flynn, Director of Art and Animation. I had previously heard about the class and I knew immediately that I needed to take it. FableVision stayed on my radar for potential post-college work. Bob told me that he liked my work and wanted to keep in touch. 

A year later I ended up seeing him and taking a tour of the old FableVison studio space. I’m happy I did that because soon after that COVID-19 started, and I moved home to Albany, New York. Bob contacted me and I started doing some freelance animation work for FableVision. A year and a half later, I received an offer for a full-time position as an artist/animator, and moved back to Boston to start the next chapter of my life. 

How did you get into art and illustration?
Ever since I was little, I knew that I wanted to make cartoons. I loved watching SpongeBob SquarePants and I realized from a very young age that I wanted to make something like that. I never thought about doing anything else.

Where do you draw inspiration from for your art? What types of characters do you like to create and animate?
I’m inspired by other artists I find on Twitter and Instagram. There are so many talented people out there, which encourages me to keep drawing and making art. I always enjoy drawing fun little creatures – animals, aliens, and monsters are so much fun. 

Can you walk us through your creative process?
When it comes to drawing, it usually starts with me looking for reference images to help me get some ideas on where to start. Using those, along with the knowledge of what kind of feeling is supposed to be perceived when looking at the art, I’ll make a few versions of whatever it is I’m drawing. I’ll push certain elements to ensure the art is as dynamic as possible. 

When it comes to animating, I’ll start by looking at what I’m going to animate, and I act out the movements myself to get a feel for how the characters are supposed to move.

What would you like to work on in the future at the studio?
I’m a big fan of longer series of animated shorts, like the NoiseFilter series or The Paper Girls Show, a Global Tinker and FableVision collaboration. In a similar format, I’d love to design and animate alien characters based in space. I’m a big sci-fi fan, so getting to work on a project like that would be a dream come true. 

When you go to a museum or art show, which works do you look at first?
When it comes to museums and other art shows, I want to consume as much art as I can. I have a very simple solution –  I head towards the closest thing near me and try to circle through all of the works.

Tell us more about your hat collection.
I got my first hat back in high school. I saw it out of the corner of my eye while shopping in the mall with my mom, and just thought it looked neat. I started wearing it every day and I eventually bought more. Some of my hat highlights include my Squid Hat, Umbrella Hat, and my most recent addition, my Bidoof Hat.

Adam’s Favorites

Favorite cartoon: SpongeBob Squarepants is easily my favorite cartoon. It was the first cartoon I remember watching and it’s partially the reason why I am where I am today. 

Favorite movie: I don’t think I’ve ever watched a movie more times than I have with Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. I saw it four times in theaters and five more times after that.

Favorite game: Destiny – I’ve put too much time into that game, both playing it and learning about its deep DEEP lore.

Favorite hat: My hats are like my children – you can’t choose one over the other… except my gray flat clap with winter flaps (but don’t tell the others).

Favorite vacation destination: Saint Martin, a part of the Leeward Islands in the Caribbean Sea. My parents have a timeshare there and it is absolutely beautiful and a great place to scuba dive.  

Favorite snack: Pretzels, both soft and hard. Top tier snack.

Favorite New York state attraction: The Saratoga Race Track.