Lifetime Achievement Unlocked: I was in the credits to a major video game

Today marks on massive lifetime achievement for me.

I still remember watching the video credits to one of the early Tony Hawk's Pro Skater games. Watching the dev team cause havoc, attempt to skate, and just be themselves in the studio and show it off to those who beat the game made me want to be one of them, a part of the team who made something great.

At the end of one of their credits it had a link to a job website, which I immediately applied to despite the fact I was still in middle school and had absolutely zero experience in the gaming industry other than my own personal gaming habits. It seemed like winning the lottery, like the more times I did it the better chance I had, so I may as well get started soon.

Today marks the day when a major video game, Brütal Legend, shipped with yours truly in the video credits. In the event you haven't noticed, take a look at the above screenshot, showing me waving morinically because Brent decided to do the video at waytofuckingearly in the morning.

It's a pretty awesome feeling, and it's one that makes me sure I want to be a part of this industry for as long as they can stand me. So if you get the chance, go pick up a copy of Brütal Legend, beat it, and watch the video credits, if not because it's an awesome game, than for me!

Electronic Arts Internship [May 2009 - October 2009]

My second internship at Electronic Arts was nothing like the first, which made it such a great learning experience. I worked within the Marketing group on titles such as Brütal Legend and Dante's Inferno. This time I had the advantage of previous internships and more school experience, which allowed me to hit the ground running and go above and beyond expectations, which led to the team asking me to stay on for an additional 2 months.

I did everything during this internship, which gave me practice working on several projects at once. Starting with things I was familiar with, such as covering E3 2009 for EA.com, to things I had never done before; updating major websites such as BrutalLegend.com with the latest content. The peak of the internship was when my two supervisors went on vacation, and I flew solo for roughly 3 weeks, which gave me the absolute full experience.

Major Responsibilities Included:
-Keeping EA.com stacked with content for their newly launched blog.
-Updating DantesInferno.com and BrutalLegend.com to reflect the most recent assets.
-Running the Dante's Inferno, Dead Space, and Brutal Legend social media such as Twitter and Facebook.
-Working closely with the team from Visceral, as well as Double Fine, to keep them involved in community activities.
-Holding down all community activities while the other two team members were away for 3 weeks.

Playspan [Febuary 2009 to May 2009]

After working at a major coporation such as Electronic Arts, I wanted to explore a different side of things; the startup. I was contacted regarding a position as Community Manager at Playspan, and was excited for the opportunity to explore a new type of company I hadn't yet worked for.

With Playspan I had the opportunity to get started on a brand new community. I was responsible for reaching out, establishing new contacts, and organizing them in a way so that they could be reached with ease by the rest of the company.

Major responsibilities included:
-Creating a community where none existed
-Organizing contests with community contacts
-Tracking competitor prices and community activity