My work and interests in interactive media extend beyond videos games to include virtual reality, stereoscopic 3D, tabletop games, educational/serious games, sensor/Internet of Things-driven projects, themed entertainment, immersive theatre, transmedia/cross-media storytelling, interactive data visualization, public interactives/responsive environments, and other real-world experience design.

I received my BA in Film & Communication from Penn State University with minors in both computer science and theatre. My undergraduate thesis project focused on the adaptation of narrative across mediums (theatre to film) and media adaptation and transformation has been a hallmark of my work ever since. After graduation, I decided that I wanted to pursue life in front of the camera more than behind it, so I moved to New York City to study at the National Shakespeare Conservatory.

While living in the New York, I acted in, staged managed, directed, and produced theatre. New York was also my home base when I performed in and company managed two national tours, which gave me a great opportunity to see over half of the continental U.S. at a very young age. After those tours, I traded Big Apples for Big Shoulders and moved to Chicago to continue my career and focus a bit on the development of new works and widened my directing, producing, and non-profit management skills. I worked with a broad range of companies in Chicago on new works (both musical and non-musical), but also classical works, edgy late-night fare, and improv.

I moved to Los Angeles to further expand my entertainment career but wanted to shift away from acting into other arenas. My lifelong love of animation, computers, and games convinced me to return to school, which ultimately led to my pursuit of an MFA from USC‘s prestigious Interactive Media and Games Division of the School of Cinematic Arts, where I now teach as an adjunct professor. While a grad student at USC, I was the recipient of both the Fox Fellowship in Interactive Media and the first-ever recipient of the USC Lambda LGBT Alumni Association’s NOGLSTP (National Organization of Gay and Lesbian Scientists and Technical Professionals) Scholarship