KEY SKILLS

Creative writing Game design Information design Documentation and specifications

Project management Budgeting Scheduling

EMPLOYMENT HISTORY

Writer, Designer and Project Manager
Ministry of Thought, 1996 to present.

I am a founding partner of Ministry of Thought, a freelance multimedia and Internet development group. I have contributed entertainment writing, information design and project management to a wide variety of interactive projects. My goal is to develop interactive experiences that are both artistically innovative and emotionally involving.

Freelance Writer
1997 to present.

After six years writing for computer games and interactive media, I began to explore more traditional forums which would allow me to write for a larger audience. I have since written for both online and print publications, and am currently the author of a weekly column for Portland's local alternative newspaper.

Interactive Fiction Writer
Open Mind, 1990 to 1995.

Ten years ago, I began designing computer entertainment and writing interactive fiction for hip, young audiences and, in particular, women. I had the opportunity to devote four years toward the development of a new form of computer game experience for an audience that had been overlooked by the computer game industry. Our principal project was the epic interactive sitcom Dog Eat Dog: An Adventure in Office Politics, originally with Disney Software and later with Trilobyte, Inc.

Writing Projects

May 1999 to present. A postmodern yet compassionate weekly advice column on love and sex. Published by Willamette Week, Portland's alternative newspaper, at http://www.wweek.com/html/love.html

June 1999 to December 1999. Whimsical daily horoscopes, including recommended reading and amusing insights for Internet intuitives. Published by Syte Beyond, http://www.sylvia.com/

1998. "Cheap Dates: Portland," a review of Portland's romantic and affordable hot spots; and "Isn't it Swoonderful," an article about two people who met through Swoon's personals and decided to get married. Published by Swoon at http://www.swoon.com/depts/cheap/11_portland/

February 1997 to July 1997. Fan Challenge, a wacky baseball trivia game for baseball fans and friends. I now understand why it's illegal to run the bases backward, and why Bill Veek used his leg as an ashtray. A part of Vyvx's experimental project to create the Stadium of the Future.

September 1991 to July 1995. Dog Eat Dog, an interactive adventure in office politics, for Disney and Trilobyte Inc. This comic soap opera resulted in 25 backstabbing major characters, 50 devious subplots, and over 2400 pages of interactive dialogue scripts.

July 1995 to June 1996. Two for the Road, an interactive romantic comedy and road adventure for two players. Also co-wrote a traditional screenplay based on the concept.

February 1998 to September 1998. Edited a course in Web Administration for USWeb Learning, including student manual, teacher's guide and Powerpoint presentations.

1990 to present. Documentation and specifications for Ministry of Thought's Internet-based projects including chat environments, user-friendly pages to display baseball statistics, and interactive game designs.

Information Design, Game Design, and Project Management

January 1999 to present. Project management for a multiuser 3D chat world product for Sony. Participated in contract negotiation and primarily responsible for budget, schedule, client communication and coordination of in-house resources.

October 1999 to present. Information and art design for content-rich interactive banner ads on behalf of Clickshot, Inc. Provided art assets and project management as needed.

November 1998 to January 1999. Developed gameshow concepts for GSN that would allow participation by the studio audience, callers and Internet audiences.

January 1996 to November 1996. Designed and wrote specifications for Club Chat, a game and multiuser voice chat environment for the Internet. For Twin Sun, Inc.

February 1997 to August 1997. Designed and wrote specifications for an interactive baseball statistics application, for Vyvx via Digiratti, Inc. Provided coordination between the programming and art staff.

February 1997 to July 1997. Designed and wrote specifications and content for Fan Challenge, a network-based multiuser trivia game, for Vyvx via Digiratti, Inc.

1991 to 1996. Co-designed Dog Eat Dog and Two For The Road, interactive entertainment products. Helped to develop a proprietary system that allows interactive conversations between the player and the game world's characters, emphasizing emotional involvement and intuitive choice.

ADDITIONAL SKILLS

HTML 3.2 (including frames and tables), HTML 4.0, and Javascript. Solid understanding of graphics requirements for the Web, including animation, color and layout.

Proficient user of Win95/98/NT, MS Word, Photoshop, PowerPoint and Excel.

EDUCATION

UC Berkeley, from August 1983 to January 1987;
B.A. in Music.

UC San Diego, from September 1982 to June 1983;
Early Admissions Honors Program for high school students.

Additional classroom work in black and white photography, life drawing and early childhood education.

ACADEMIC HONORS

1983-1987, National Merit Scholar, four-year scholarship
1983-1987, Regent's Scholar, University of California

EXAMPLES OF WORK