Art - 3D Modeling

Blender, Substance 3D Painter, GIMP, Unity Engine, Unreal Engine, Inkscape, Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign

Special attention to optimization for real-time rendering in game engines. Knowledge also extends to PBR Texturing, 3D Sculpting, procedural node-based materials, as well as Rigging for Animation and use as avatars in VR.

Virtual Reality

HTC Vive, Valve Index, Full Body Tracking, VRChat, Oculus Go, Leap Motion

2000+ hours spent wearing various VR headsets as both a hobby and a professional. 300+ hours spent demo-ing VR equipment to clients, customers, and the general public at events and workplaces. I worked as a VR Technician at The VOID where I was tasked with maintaining specialized proprietary VR equipment and large special effects stages. VR has been a big part of my life since 2016.

Game Design + QA Testing

Unity Engine, Unreal Engine, Alternate Reality Games, Escape Rooms

The pages and pages of personal game design documents that I began writing back in 2007 serves as proof that design is always on my mind. I'm particularly attracted to concepts that break conventions with special attention to the immersive, and emotional effect a game can have on someone. ARG type games are a special interest of mine, both as a player and a designer. I also spent a summer working at a local Escape Room as customer service and assistant designer.

As a QA Tester, I'm highly analytical with great organizational skills, especially when it comes to bug testing games and making thorough documentation of problems, and how to recreate them. My attention span is quite long, and I have no problem spending intensive amounts of times rigorously replaying scenarios and mechanics to ensure every potential problem is found and noted. My background is in creating 3D art for games, with experience using both Unity and Unreal Engine, so I also understand the common types of problems art assets and game engines may have.

Live Streaming

Twitch.tv, OBS, XSplit

500+ hours of broadcasting experience in front of a live internet audience. A link to recordings of my streams can be found below. I'm someone who is comfortable in front of a camera.

User Experience (UX Design)

Wireframing, Prototypes, Illustrator, Sketch, Figma

Excels as a translator between artists, developers, and any other departments involved with a project. Keeps the original vision intact throughout a project's life. Ensures designs remain user-friendly, and accessible, no matter how complex they may become. Communicates simply, and concisely.

Audio / Video

Audacity, DaVinci Resolve, Binaural Recording

Video and Audio Production is an area of increasing interest to me. I own a simple Binaural microphone which I use to capture soundscapes from around the city. Some samples of my recordings can be found here and here.

Programming

HTML5, CSS3, JavaScript, Bootstrap, jQuery, C#

While I don't consider myself a programmer, I've spent free time learning to program for games and have taken on several front-end web design projects in the past.

Misc.

Articulate Storyline 3 and 360, Discord, 3D Printing, Morse Code, Traditional Cryptology, Shortwave Radio, Bicycling, Inline Skating

3D Modeler and Materials Artist
Luna.io

2022 - 2023

Contracted to model, and design materials for, hundreds of various types of eyewear. The models were used for a "digital try-on" mobile app, and renders used for 360 views on eyewear vendor websites such as glasses.com

VR Technician
The VOID (Mall of America)

2019 - 2020

Originally hired as a customer service host, but was later promoted to Virtual Reality Technician. As a technician I provided constant maintenance of complex proprietary VR technology, immersive stage effects, and all other technical equipment required for daily operations.

Lead Designer, MediaWiki Template Coder, Wiki Admin (Volunteer)
Book of Travels Fan Wiki

2021

After the early access launch of Book of Travels, I worked with several other community members to plan and produce a comprehensive wiki for the game. The game is unusual in how it features thousands of items and NPCs, so I meticulously designed and coded a set of modular templates that could tackle the sheer quantity of information the game provides. As of May 2022, the wiki now has 2,838 pages and is expected to grow as the game nears full release.

Game Designer, 3D Modeler, Level Designer
Vine Realms Charity Game

2020

Lead the complete redesign of this charity event's annual game, assisted with art direction, then focused on producing 3D assets and level design consultation.

Customer Service, Game Testing
Riddle Room (Escape Room)

2019

Greeted guests, introduced them to the experience, provided assistance if needed, and performanced basic room maintenance. I also assisted with the design of new experiences, and acted as a tester.

Project Lead, Lead Designer, Web Designer, Writer
Vinesauce Is Hope Charity ARG

2019

Lead a small team of artists and programmers to create a promotional Alternate Reality Game leading up to the weekend long video game streaming charity event. This not only required planning and production, but also managing and performing the game as a event for the players in real time. I produced a behind-the-scenes video here.

Project Lead, Game Designer, Web Designer
Vinesauce Is Hope Charity Game

2018

Created and operated a simple browser-based puzzle game to help generate viewer engagement for the weekend long video game streaming charity event. My behind-the-scenes video of this particular game can be viewed here.

3D Modeler, QA Tester
PuzzleFox Interactive
Moai Technologies

2018

Created 3D game assets, and thorough Quality Assurance testing of several interactive projects.

VR Designer and Consultant
Visual, Inc

2016 - 2018

Various contracted projects involving designing and demo-ing Gear VR and Vive VR experiences for events around Minnesota.

Most recent projects involved two VR experiences, one for Be The Match, and the other for Midwest Dairy Association for Super Bowl LII. Duties involved 3D Modeling, and constant on-site tech support and volunteer training for both during the weeks leading up to the big game.

QA testing and technical support for WellnessVR.

Consultant
The Creative Group

2017

A variety of temporary positions involving creating eLearning materials, and content loading.

VR Exhibition Designer
MSP International Film Festival,
GlitchCon

2017

Designed, setup, and maintained two VR exhibitions. One for the MSP International Film Festival, and another for GlitchCon 2017. The process involved meeting with festival organizers in advance, speaking with all exhibiting artists, sketching out floorplans to fit all the various projects into one area, setting up the spaces, organizing VR equipment, being on site for every day of both festivals to keep everything functioning, fitting VR equipment on to hundreds of visitors, keeping things sanitary, then taking everything down and returning equipment.

VR Zone Producer
Northern Spark 2016

2016

Organized a large Gear VR experience, and trained volunteers during the all-night arts festival.

CMS Coordinator and Web Developer
MSP Communications

2012 - 2016

Reformatted a large portion of company's monthly print content for use on the web through using various Content Management Systems. 5,000+ articles processed over 3 years. Also coordinated and launched weekly email newsletters, front-end development of microsites from wireframes, as well as filming and editing of company events.

Graphic Designer
Hatchworks Graphic Design Studio

2010 - 2011

Produced several hundred print ads and redesigned a dozen static HTML sites to make use of WordPress.

Volunteer Radio DJ and Designer
KUMD 103.3 FM, Duluth, MN

2007 - 2009

Hosted late night radio show, designed new print schedule, and prototyped new logos.

B.F.A. Graphic Design
University of Minnesota, Duluth

2006 - 2010