Halo 5: Guardians

Halo 5: Guardians - Launch Trailer

Project Summary

Halo 5: Guardians is a 2015 first-person shooter video game developed by 343 Industries, published by Microsoft Studios, and released worldwide for the Xbox One game console on October 27, 2015.

What I Did
I served as Esports Broadcast Lead, producing livestreams and developer-facing content to showcase new game modes, Forge tools and user-generated content, supporting community engagement and education through high-quality broadcasts and on-demand media.

Challenges & Solutions

  • Managed a new team of eight creatives across web, video, and design to support community, marketing, and livestream content

  • Developed in-engine camera tools with new field-of-view, pathing, and depth-of-field features in collaboration with systems engineering teams

  • Managed internal livestream operations, balancing technical production with community engagement

  • Supported content capture and delivery timelines in alignment with Halo 5’s launch strategy

My Impact

  • Produced the most-viewed Halo esports livestream to date: The Halo 5 World Championship

  • Drew hundreds of thousands of online viewers and tens of thousands of live attendees to international Halo Championship Series broadcast events

  • Enabled entirely new cinematic perspectives within Halo through camera tool improvements and refined gameplay capture orchestration

  • Delivered high-quality promotional content that helped define the tone of Halo 5’s public rollout

Contributions

  • Designed and implemented first-person and third-person in-engine camera tools for gameplay and cinematic capture

  • Directed internal and public-facing livestream productions for Halo 5 marketing and esports content

  • Managed weekly sprint planning, hour tracking, retrospectives, and cross-team coordination

  • Provided creative direction on trailers, developer diaries, and social media content

  • Oversaw Halo World Championship broadcast operations and led esports visual storytelling initiatives across web, video, and social media

Halo 5: Guardians was the first brand-new Halo title I supported after joining 343 Industries, and it marked a turning point in both my career and the studio’s evolution. During this time, 343 transitioned from its original Kirkland office to a new studio space in Redmond, Washington. I moved to Redmond as well, putting myself closer to the team as we geared up to launch the next major chapter of the franchise.

I was honored to be tapped as the Esports Broadcast Lead for Halo 5 and the Halo Championship Series (HCS). In this role, I traveled internationally to support live HCS events in Australia, London, Mexico City, and across the United States, from Orlando to Seattle. I worked with tournament operators, broadcast partners, and Xbox leadership to produce hundreds of hours of live competitive Halo, helping to define what professional Halo looked like on the global stage.

In addition to managing broadcasts and event production, I partnered with the internal game teams to improve the in-game observer and camera tools. This work helped enhance the viewing experience for players and fans alike, giving broadcasters better ways to follow the action in live matches. This was also the point where my technical production and game development skills really started to come online. I worked across multiple teams to scope and deliver production-focused features while also improving my own approach to team organization and project management.

While scheduling and planning had always been part of my work, Halo 5 introduced me to a new level of structured delivery. I began working more closely with producers, engineers, and designers using tools like Jira and Confluence to plan sprints, track work, and deliver production-ready features that supported both the game and its global esports program.

Looking back, this was the project where everything seemed to click. I got to combine my love of Halo with my production skills, work with some of the best people in the business, and travel the world helping to bring competitive Halo to life for fans everywhere. It’s still one of the coolest things I’ve ever done.

Halo 5: Guardians - Xbox One

Halo: The Master Chief Collection

Halo The Master Chief Collection - Launch Trailer

Project Summary

Halo: The Master Chief Collection is a compilation of first-person shooter video games co-developed by 343 Industries in partnership with Certain Affinity and Saber Interactive, and published by Xbox Game Studios. The collection includes the first six main installments in the Halo franchise released between 2001 and 2012, originally developed by Bungie and 343 Industries.

What I Did
I led original video content production and tool development for all four legacy Halo titles, while managing livestream and promotional material for the launch of MCC and the Halo Channel platform. I managed a team of eight creative producers tasked with delivering content from webpages to gameplay trailers.

Challenges & Solutions

  • Built and managed a dedicated scrum team to develop in-engine tools for capturing unseen gameplay across Halo 1–4

  • Led video production efforts across Halo Channel programming, including original shows, lore segments, and developer features

  • Coordinated encyclopedia-style content creation, covering characters, weapons, vehicles, and factions for a cross-media experience

  • Integrated Twitch, Mixer, YouTube, and Facebook streaming capabilities to support Halo World Championship promotional efforts

My Impact

  • Enabled never-before-seen cinematic footage of classic Halo titles through custom in-engine camera scripting

  • Delivered over 200 hours of Halo Channel content, extending franchise storytelling beyond the game

  • Supported cross-platform integration of live Halo esports coverage, enhancing viewer experience and engagement

  • Established a reusable video and knowledge framework later leveraged by Halo 5 and Halo Wars 2 marketing

Contributions

  • Produced The Bulletin and other original content for the Halo Channel’s streaming platform

  • Directed capture and editorial teams responsible for video assets promoting MCC and Halo esports

  • Oversaw development of internal capture pipelines for legacy Halo game content

  • Managed coordination across game dev, lore, and community teams for content validation and approval

  • Delivered marketing, lore, and promotional material to support MCC’s launch and ongoing updates

Halo: The Master Chief Collection (MCC) was one of the most challenging and rewarding projects I worked on at 343 Industries. Combining four generations of Halo games into a single playable package was a massive technical and production effort, with high expectations from fans around the world.

My role on MCC focused on supporting the internal video and livestream production teams, capturing gameplay footage, and producing content that helped tell the story of the collection’s development and launch. This included creating assets for Xbox Showcase events, marketing campaigns, and social media, all designed to celebrate the legacy of the Master Chief and build excitement for the collection’s release.

In addition to content production, I worked behind the scenes on multiple large-scale live broadcasts, including community livestreams and launch countdown shows. These productions featured developers, community leaders, and special guests, and gave fans a direct line to the team as MCC prepared to launch.

I also participated in internal playtests across all four titles in the collection, providing feedback on legacy content, multiplayer stability, and user experience improvements. My experience with Halo’s esports scene and live event production helped inform our approach to matchmaking, playlist curation, and competitive features that would later become core parts of the MCC post-launch update roadmap.

While MCC faced a difficult launch, I had the opportunity to contribute to the team’s post-launch recovery efforts, supporting ongoing messaging and community engagement that helped rebuild player trust. Seeing MCC evolve over time into a beloved platform for both legacy and new Halo fans remains one of the most meaningful experiences of my time at 343 Industries.

Halo The Master Chief Collection - Xbox One

My work on Halo Wars 2

Halo Wars 2 Reveal Trailer

Project Summary

Halo Wars 2 is a real-time strategy (RTS) video game developed by 343 Industries and Creative Assembly. It was published by Microsoft Studios and released in February 2017 on Windows and Xbox One. The game is set in the science fiction universe of the Halo franchise in 2559. It is a sequel to Halo Wars (2009). 

What I Did
Managed a multidisciplinary creative team of 8 producers responsible for creating marketing and promotional content while coordinating development and community messaging during the launch of new characters and features.

Challenges & Solutions

  • Managed a cross-disciplinary team of eight creatives spanning web, video, and design

  • Balanced narrative secrecy with marketing goals when promoting new characters like Atriox

  • Coordinated creative output across internal teams while adapting to early-engine limitations

  • Addressed frame rate and fidelity issues during alpha/beta capture by optimizing texture loads and memory settings with engineering team support

My Impact

  • Delivered reveal trailers and livestream assets that drew fan praise and additional media coverage

  • Increased capture workflow efficiency by 20% through upgraded hardware and multi-perspective capture orchestration

  • Achieved 100,000+ concurrent livestream viewers, setting a new internal broadcast viewership record at the time

  • Integrated Halo Wars 2 features and developer fireside chats for a strong game launch with positive reception and community engagement

Contributions

  • Oversaw sprint planning, retrospectives, and hour tracking across multiple creative channels and stakeholders

  • Led the production of in-game promotional materials including trailers, still assets, and soundscapes

  • Developed documentation and best practices to standardize workflows across web and video production

  • Coordinated marketing content delivery across social platforms, livestreams, and community beats

  • Helped shape Atriox’s public reveal strategy while maintaining narrative secrecy

Halo Wars 2 was one of the most unique projects I had the opportunity to support at 343 Industries. As a real-time strategy game set in the Halo universe, it brought a fresh perspective to the franchise and introduced new audiences to the war between the UNSC and the Banished.

While not part of the core development team at Creative Assembly, I worked alongside internal stakeholders at 343 Industries to support the game’s launch, community engagement, and promotional efforts. This included collaborating with the Xbox Events and Marketing teams to showcase Halo Wars 2 at major conventions like PAX and E3, where we featured the game’s new story, multiplayer modes, and the debut of the Banished faction.

I also partnered with our internal 343 video production and livestream teams to produce large-scale Xbox Showcase segments and promotional livestreams featuring unique giveaways, live developer playtests, and fan-focused Q&A sessions. These productions helped drive engagement across Halo’s social media channels and positioned Halo Wars 2 as a major release within the Xbox lineup.

In addition to external showcases, I participated in internal playtests and feedback sessions during the final stages of development. My input focused on the console player experience, including onboarding, control schemes, and ways to make the RTS genre approachable to players new to strategy games.

Supporting Halo Wars 2 gave me valuable experience working with external partners, coordinating large-scale marketing campaigns, and producing content that connected the community to the developers behind the game. Seeing the Banished later take center stage in Halo Infinite was a rewarding reminder of how Halo Wars 2 expanded the franchise’s universe and helped set the stage for future stories.

Halo Wars 2 - Xbox One

Halo Infinite Multiplayer

Halo Infinite Multiplayer Reveal Trailer

Project Summary

Halo Infinite's multiplayer gameplay features deathmatch, capture the flag, and other gameplay modes played in standard 4-versus-4 and Big Team Battle variants. The Halo Championship Series, organized by Halo Studios, is the home for the Halo Infinite multiplayer community, and the official rules and regulations provider for all competitive Halo.

What I Did
Led end-to-end production of multiplayer marketing and esports content by aligning broadcast, capture pipelines, feature requests, and promotional campaigns across development, web, and tournament operations.

Challenges & Solutions

  • Advocated for competitive features from pre-production through beta testing

  • Directed high-fidelity capture for trailers and esports promos using Slipspace Engine

  • Created a prioritized pipeline for broadcast and observer mode tool improvements

  • Aligned dozens of asset drops across dev, marketing, and tournament ops

My Impact

  • Supported 50+ HCS livestreams, integrating reveal assets and esports content

  • Captured and documented esports cosmetics feature requirements at launch to feature teams like Cloud 9 and Evil Geniuses

  • Reduced turnaround time for video assets by 25% through improved process and planning around asset gathering

  • Ensured sync across 6 internal teams and external partners for 12 key marketing beats

Contributions

  • Captured gameplay used in Halo Infinite’s multiplayer reveal

  • Produced run-of-show documents for internal and public-facing livestreams

  • Spearheaded in-engine camera feature requirements for marketing and broadcast needs

  • Drove concept-to-implementation for team-branded multiplayer cosmetics

  • Unified multiplayer storytelling across dev, esports, web, and publishing

As the Esports Broadcast Lead for Halo 5: Guardians, I was uniquely positioned to help shape Halo Infinite’s multiplayer offering from both a player experience and broadcast production perspective. Having spent years building the Halo Championship Series (HCS) with my team and partners, I carried forward key lessons about what makes competitive Halo exciting to play, watch, and support.

During the early stages of Halo Infinite's multiplayer development, I worked closely with producers, UX teams, and sandbox designers to represent the needs of professional players and the broader esports community. This included providing feedback on map flow, weapon balance, and broadcast visibility, with the goal of ensuring that every multiplayer mode could succeed both on stage and on streaming platforms like Twitch and YouTube.

In addition to internal playtests and feature reviews, I collaborated with Xbox Marketing, Events, and Partnerships teams to position Halo Infinite multiplayer as a key part of the Xbox ecosystem. This included developing competitive messaging that highlighted Halo Infinite’s free-to-play multiplayer model as a major differentiator for the brand.

Building on my experience shipping Halo: The Master Chief Collection and producing hundreds of hours of live broadcast content for Halo 5, I helped document best practices and operational learnings to support the launch of Halo Infinite esports. These contributions shaped the early plans for the next evolution of HCS and helped reinforce the foundation for the professional circuit that continues today.

I left 343 Industries in early 2019, well before Halo Infinite was released, but I left knowing my feedback and ideas had been captured and were part of the game’s future. Seeing Halo Infinite multiplayer launch and bring in a new generation of fans, players, and pros remains one of the proudest moments of my time working on the franchise.

Halo Infinite Multiplayer - Xbox One

My Resume

Rob Bowen | Senior Producer

linkedin.com/in/robbowenmedia | rob@robbowen.com

Seattle, Washington

Summary
Detail-oriented Technical Producer with 15+ years of experience in AAA game development, live-service operations, and media production. Proven track record supporting engineering teams through Agile methodologies, incident management, and full development lifecycle coordination. Skilled in managing technical pipelines, defining team processes, and improving software quality. Adept in Jira, Confluence, Azure DevOps, Git workflows, and internal toolset development. Known for fostering strong cross-discipline collaboration and delivering predictable, high-quality outcomes on fast-paced projects.

Skills
Videogame Production | Agile & Waterfall Projects | Documentation & Communication | Azure DevOps | Microsoft Teams | Git | Website Production | Adobe Creative Suite| Jira| Confluence | Perforce | Smartsheet | Project Management | Sprint Planning | Team Management | Budgeting & Scheduling | Microsoft Office

Experience

Senior Producer – Unannounced Project, Bellevue, WA — Dec 2023 to Present
• Leading technical production for design and art teams developing a Unreal Engine-based game
• Managing sprint planning, feature scope, assets, backlog, and development roadmaps using Jira and Confluence
• Ensuring effective code repository efficiency and maintenance, collaborating with teams to track and review code commits and changes

Senior Character Producer – Sony Entertainment, Bellevue, WA — Dec 2022 to Nov 2023
• Led engineering and art collaboration for the development of 18 game characters, improving sprint goal adherence by 20%
• Implemented Scrum methodologies and custom Jira dashboards doubling sprint velocity and reducing backlog inefficiencies
• Facilitated cross-discipline project coordination and documentation, ensuring smooth releases and communication with all stakeholders

Senior Technology Producer – Wizards of the Coast, Renton, WA — May 2019 to Dec 2022
• Spearheaded automation efforts and process documentation that reduced redundant tasks by 30%
• Oversaw on-call incident management and authored triage playbooks for website systems, ensuring rapid response and minimal downtime
• Championed documentation practices in Confluence and standardized GitLab commit processes across internal tools and vendor systems

Esports Production Lead – Microsoft, Redmond, WA — Feb 2017 to May 2019
• Managed technical production for Halo 5 esports, reducing external costs and increasing efficiency by 20%
• Coordinated dependencies between development, marketing, internal teams, and live ops vendors
• Established best practices for code deployment and rollback during broadcasts

Managing Producer – Microsoft, Redmond, WA — Apr 2014 to Feb 2017
• Led a team of 8 producers, managing live esports events and feature development
• Streamlined Agile workflows and improved content pipeline efficiency through custom Jira dashboards
• Oversaw deliverables tracking between Marketing, Engineering, and Broadcast using Jira

Education
University of Oklahoma — MBA, Management
University of Oklahoma — MS, Management Information Systems
Academy of Art University — BFA, Motion Pictures and Television

Certifications & Awards
• Certified ScrumMaster (CSM)
• Hero of the Realm Award – Wizards of the Coast
• Spartan of the Month – 343 Industries

Collaborating on Concord

Concord Gameplay Reel - 2024

Project Summary

Concord was a 2024 multiplayer first-person hero shooter game developed by Firewalk Studios and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment. It was released for PlayStation 5 and Windows on August 23, 2024. Set in a retro-futuristic sci-fi world inhabited by coexisting humans and humanoid aliens, the game revolved around battles between teams of competing mercenaries.

What I Did
I facilitated cross-functional development of game characters through management of schedules and project backlog for Concept Art, Character Modeling, Hard Surface Modeling, and Design teams.

Challenges & Solutions

  • Unreal Engine updates - I offset all creative team schedules to focus on low friction tasks to enable the engineering team time to complete the upgrade.

  • Weapon and character skin shader technology - collaborated with team leads to gather requirements, rapid prototype a solve, and then fully implement.

  • Character proportions - documented approval process, aligned team leads, then facilitated cross-discipline review schedule with clear approval gates.

  • Dependency mapping - interviewed cross-discipline stakeholders to verify output dependencies, documented dependencies in Excel then bulk ingested tasks to Jira.

My Impact

  • Successfully aligned cross-functional teams to drastically improve communication and overall information sharing.

  • Championed a safe and empathetic environment to improve team morale despite significant challenges and project scope creep.

  • Documented 18 comprehensive character kits including technical data, lore, weapons, ammo, animations, DLC content, variants, legal approvals, and review signoff.

Contributions

  • Maintained the character backlog and facilitated the creation of all level of Jira entries for the project, along with project management artifact creation, ceremonies, and character documentation.

  • Creating custom Jira dashboards and reports for producers and all team stakeholders.

  • Dependency mapped all DLC content for first two seasons post release.

  • Facilitated cross-team collaboration and communication to unblock and encourage workflow of all teams and stakeholders.

  • Coordinated collaboration between product, engineering, art, design, QA, marketing, live ops, community, and external teams to meet deadlines and release adherence.

When I joined Firewalk Studios, part of Sony Interactive Entertainment, I was immediately drawn to the challenge of helping bring the studio’s ambitious creative vision across the finish line. As the Senior Character Producer, my focus was on shaping the characters that would serve as the backbone of the game’s narrative driven multiplayer experience. While the 16 characters that shipped with the game already had their character “kits” well established before I joined the studio (demographics, abilities, etc.), every character I worked on was developed to feel unique, contributing to the overall sense of immersion and the strategic depth of team-based play. From December 2022 through November 2023 I lead the production schedule in producing the character art, character models, weapon art, weapon models, and overall facilitation for all tasks associated with the characters.

Bringing Characters to Life

My primary responsibility at Firewalk was ensuring that our characters were being delivered on time, both in terms of their design and their integration into the game world. Working closely with artists, animators, and sound designers, I helped guide the process of making each character not only visually distinct but also narratively meaningful within the larger context of the game.

Early Vale Character Model Exploration - ©Firewalk Studios

We wanted players to form a connection with these characters, whether it was through their backstories, personalities, or unique flair. Each character needed to serve a role in team-based combat, yet still feel distinct in terms of how they moved, interacted with others, and responded to the environment. This required careful coordination across teams to ensure the game director’s vision was met.

The Price Tag Challenge

While I left the project almost a year before the game shipped, I knew then that the game we were building was incredibly ambitious and faced some world class competition in the open market… I know from shipping multiple Halo games that even with an amazing IP and established fan base there is no silver bullet when it comes to market dynamics and timing for release. Launching a game is never without its challenges, but one of the significant obstacles we faced with Concord was the game's $40 price tag at launch. In today’s hyper competitive gaming market, where amazing free-to-play games are prevalent, convincing players to pay upfront for a brand new IP was a tall order. We were incredibly proud of the work we put into the game, and some of the community was genuinely excited to play more, but I think we all understood that the price point may have been a significant barrier for many potential players to ever give it a chance.

Despite this, the feedback from those who did play the game at launch was encouraging, especially in regards to the characters I helped produce. Even though I had already moved on to my next adventure before launch, it was rewarding to see players connect with characters in the way we had hoped; and I still believe that more people deserve the chance to experience the creativity and hard work that went into this project.

Early Low-Poly Render of Lennox - ©Firewalk Studios

Hopes for the Future

While the game's launch didn’t reach the success we initially envisioned, I remain hopeful that it will be released again at a later time, or at least some of the core work done will be repurposed into a new creative expression. I believe that with adjustments—perhaps in pricing or distribution model—many more players could have the opportunity to enjoy the characters and appreciate the efforts that went into creating them. With a bounty of career and life lessons learned during my time with Firewalk, I will no doubt be able to share my experiences and support future projects with more of a nuanced perspective, all while continuing to carry forward the belief that creativity and collaboration as a team is critical to a memorable gaming experience.

Looking Ahead

My time at Firewalk reinforced my passion for telling stories that connect with people on multiple levels. As I move forward in my career, I’m excited to continue supporting creative efforts and pushing the boundaries of storytelling, while always keeping the player experience at the forefront of my thoughts.

Kyps in the Character Select Screen of Concord - ©Firewalk Studios

Automating Magic: My Journey at Wizards of the Coast

Magic the Gathering: Arena

Project Summary

Magic: The Gathering Arena or "MTG Arena" is a free-to-play digital collectible card game developed and published by Wizards of the Coast. The game is a digital adaption based on the Magic: The Gathering card game, allowing players to gain cards through booster packs, in-game achievements or purchases, and build their own decks to challenge other players.

What I Did
Directed technology development and data integration for the Magic.gg website and MTG Arena, enabling player-facing features, tournament support, and real-time web-to-client decklist synchronization.

Challenges & Solutions

  • Built tools, pipelines, and data integrations to support players, web platforms, and esports operations

  • Managed complex card data processing for over 40,000 unique cards spanning legacy formats and Universes Beyond

  • Replaced manual workflows with custom scripts and automated systems for set releases and tournament logistics

  • Overcame legacy tech limitations by introducing scalable, ingestible data formats for web and game integration

My Impact

  • Increased usage of web-to-client decklist integration by 45%, improving player engagement across Magic.gg and MTG Arena

  • Enabled over 200 million Twitch extension interactions through Cardboard Live Twitch integrations

  • Delivered a full-featured end-to-end decklist experience across Twitch, Magic.gg, and the Arena mobile/PC game client

  • Improved tournament UX for tens of thousands of players and viewers through seamless data and web content pipelines

Contributions

  • Led development of client-to-web decklist sharing for netdecking and tournament prep

  • Integrated Cardboard Live to display real-time decklists during livestreams and events

  • Streamlined XML ingestion workflows for set releases using Python and custom tooling

  • Served as liaison between game dev, web, esports, and platform teams to unify player experiences and delight players and fans

  • Shipped 23 new card sets delighting millions of fans across the globe

Magic the Gathering: Arena Launch Trailer

From May 2019 to December 2022, I had the privilege of working at Wizards of the Coast, contributing to the development and release of over 10 Magic: The Gathering card sets, the Magic.gg website, and Magic the Gathering: Arena on both mobile and PC. During this time, I was fortunate to play a part in the intricate process behind one of the most beloved trading card games in the world. My role spanned not just creative production but also technological innovation, website management, and partnerships with data and tournament teams, all of which helped shape the future of Magic.

Tools of the Trade

At Wizards, the variety of tools I leveraged was key to my productivity. Some of the most impactful tools I used included:

  • Postman: This API testing tool was essential for verifying connections and debugging database interactions within our card data system. It helped streamline our processes for card design approval and data submission to ensure everything was running smoothly.

  • Tableau: As Magic: The Gathering is data-intensive, Tableau became an invaluable resource for querying our database, managing large groups or customers, and extracting insights quickly to inform design, marketing, and production decisions.

  • Excel: In the fast-paced world of card set releases, Excel was an unsung hero. Whether I was running complex calculations, managing version control, or tracking timelines and task assignments, Excel remained a cornerstone of my daily workflow.

  • Unity Engine: Although primarily used by our designers and engineers, my familiarity with Unity helped me understand the translation of card mechanics into the digital space, enabling better communication with teams working on Magic: The Gathering Arena. I worked with custom scripts to generate card assets, test drive features, render custom art, and much more.

  • Adobe InDesign: Working with thousands of cards requires precision, and I worked with our technical artists team to help programmatically streamline text formatting and art placement, saving countless hours in typesetting and layout adjustments during the final stages of production.

  • Adobe Creative Suite: For any visual or creative elements I touched, including videos, visual effects, and promotional materials, Adobe Photoshop and Premiere Pro were indispensable tools in maintaining consistency across all media channels.

  • Jira & Confluence: Tracking tasks, managing cross-team collaboration, and documenting processes were facilitated by Jira and Confluence, ensuring everyone was aligned on deadlines, objectives, and the inevitable last-minute changes that come with such a dynamic product.

 

Starting the SPARK Team: Automating for Efficiency

One of my proudest achievements was founding the SPARK team, whose mission was to eliminate Repetitive, Error-prone, Stressful, and Time-consuming (R.E.S.T.) tasks through automation. We streamlined various production processes by building custom scripts and automating workflows, particularly around card data entry and API integration. This drastically reduced manual work, freeing up time for more creative endeavors and reducing the risk of human error.

This initiative improved efficiency across teams and allowed us to maintain the high standards required for Magic: The Gathering’s ongoing success.

By utilizing a combination of custom scripts, automated API calls, and workflow integrations through tools like Postman and SQL, we drastically reduced the manual effort required for key tasks. This not only freed up valuable time for more creative work but also reduced the risk of human error in our card data entry and approval systems. The result was a more seamless production pipeline with fewer bottlenecks, allowing us to keep up with the high demand for timely and error-free Magic: The Gathering releases.

Owning the Magic.gg Website

As the website owner for Magic.gg, I was responsible for creating a seamless online experience that catered to Magic fans, players, and esports enthusiasts alike. Managing the site involved collaborating with external data partners (API services), tournament organizers, and internal teams to ensure that real-time updates, tournament information, and player statistics were accurately reflected on the platform.

My role in Magic.gg required an understanding of both the technical infrastructure and the player experience. I worked closely with data engineers and tournament partners to integrate tournament results and automate content updates, ensuring fans could follow their favorite players and events without delays. These collaborations were crucial in maintaining a high level of engagement for the Magic competitive community, especially during key tournaments and esports broadcasts.

Welcoming and Collaborative Culture

One of the things that made Wizards such a great place to work was the welcoming, collaborative culture. From day one, I was part of an environment that encouraged innovation and creativity. Whether it was the legendary whiteboard sessions, where we brainstormed everything from card mechanics to production challenges, or the spontaneous discussions that helped shape key decisions, there was always a sense of camaraderie and openness.

 

Amazing Teams

WOTC is in a league of it’s own when it comes to your coworkers. They are without a doubt some of the most creative, friendly, supportive, and wonderful people you’ll ever meet.

The company’s culture wasn’t just about work—it was about building relationships. One of the most memorable moments was the Hyggeween party in October 2019, a unique celebration of Halloween infused with the cozy, Danish concept of "hygge." It reflected the balance Wizards struck between driving high performance and creating a supportive, family-like atmosphere.

A Collaborative Journey

My time at Wizards of the Coast was defined by collaboration. I worked with some of the most talented individuals across design, development, and operations. Together, we launched a number of groundbreaking Magic sets, each more ambitious than the last. The environment was fast-paced, but the innovative spirit of the team and the resources we had at our disposal made every project a rewarding challenge.

As I look back on my journey with Wizards of the Coast, it’s the blend of creativity and technology that stands out most. From the development of Magic card sets to the automation breakthroughs driven by the SPARK team, I am proud to have played a role in shaping the future of the game—and the company itself.

In this industry, innovation is often about small improvements that lead to big changes, and I’m grateful to have contributed to Wizards in that way.

Halo Infinite Campaign

Halo Infinite Cover Art

Halo Infinite Campaign

Project Summary

Halo Infinite is a 2021 first-person shooter video game developed by 343 Industries and published by Xbox Game Studios. It is the sixth mainline installment in the Halo series following Halo 5: Guardians (2015). The game's campaign follows the human super soldier Master Chief and his fight against a mercenary organization, known as the Banished, on the Forerunner ringworld Zeta Halo.

What I Did
Oversaw the coordination of campaign assets for marketing and esports initiatives, play tested and provided Design teams with requirements, aligning cross-team deliverables between narrative, development, and broadcast teams.

Challenges & Solutions

  • Coordinated across dev, esports, and marketing teams to ensure high-quality campaign capture for promotional use

  • Captured footage from early builds while managing tool limitations and evolving campaign feature sets

  • Developed internal review cycles and capture guides to streamline fidelity and narrative cohesion

  • Balanced marketing timelines with campaign development updates and game narrative requirements

My Impact

  • Supported 8+ campaign ViDocs and trailers used in Halo Infinite’s global launch marketing

  • Enabled footage delivery under tight review cycles by improving internal planning workflows

  • Reduced content revision cycles by 25% through standardized capture processes and review gate templates

  • Strengthened alignment between campaign storytelling and esports positioning via feature advocacy and user story management

Contributions

  • Captured and delivered gameplay used in official campaign marketing and reveal assets

  • Created promotional docs for campaign-adjacent broadcasts and trailers

  • Provided design feedback on 8+ campaign areas for clarity, flow, and readability in broadcast

  • Coordinated livestream production efforts linked to campaign reveals and esports broadcast premieres

  • Served as cross-functional lead between content capture, narrative, and esports marketing teams

Halo Infinite is scheduled to be released holiday season 2020, and with it the final reveal of over 5 years of hard work, sacrifice, and so much passion for The Chief. As many already know, Master Chief “returns to form” in Halo Infinite by dawning his classic armor and weapons from the original Halo: Combat Evolved, and being placed in what appears to be a near endless open world landscape filled with mystery and adventure. After near countless discussions with producers, designers, artists, and engineers, and both alpha and beta testing the game between early 2018 and early 2019, I have to say that I have not been this excited for a Halo game in well over 10 years.

Halo Infinite - Becoming Trailer (2020)

Without revealing any of the game (and breaking every NDA I’ve signed) I can say that I spent dozens of hours testing maps, weapons, game modes, and features on Halo Infinite. 343 Industries opens up the opportunity for every member of the company to attend play test sessions, demos, and provide feedback to designers and producers - this led to dozens of conversations about how to improve the game, build upon the past success of the franchise while modernizing the feel of the maps, weapons, and overall gameplay. This process ranged from campaign level testing to in-depth experimental multiplayer mode testing and everything in between.

My feedback covered scheduled play tests, detailed surveys, to impromptu chats in the hall with game designers and directors about specific features. In my role as Esports Production Lead at 343 Industries I was particularly concerned with multiplayer mode and multiplayer feature discussions, but I’m also in love with Halo’s main story and all of it’s amazing lore, so balancing my excitement for both was rather challenging…

After four years of work at 343 Industries, and shipping Halo: The Master Chief Collection, Halo Wars 2, and Halo Spartan Assault, I was not new to Halo game production, internal development requirements, and the need for clarity and speed. Armed with that experience I was able to curate and sharpen my input on Halo Infinite. This maximized the feedback’s benefit and encouraged speed and clarity as the main goal and driving force with producers. I learned a great deal about the pacing of game production in my fifth year with 343 Industries, and how to focus feedback into a tool instead of just a data point.

In October of 2018, 343 Industries hosted the final Halo 5 esports tournament, and in February of 2019 with Halo Infinite over 18 months from shipping, it was time for me to move on to the next new adventure. I was sad to leave, but knew that my perspectives and ideas had been captured for inclusion in the game. Knowing this made all the difference as I left the studio for the final time, and I felt a great deal of pride knowing that my input was not only valued, but was actively being implemented and used in the next iteration of one of the greatest videogame franchises of all time.

Halo Infinite Campaign - Xbox One