Résumé – a portfolio

Dylan Matthias | dylan_matthias[AT]thecdm.ca | Twitter: @dy_matthias

I want to find the best way to tell stories. That means collaborating with others, studying new writing craft, and exploring innovative ways of developing IP. I work with video games, transmedia, and books and am as comfortable writing backstory and barks as I am leading story brainstorms and managing editing pipelines.

You can find out more about why I’m interested in games here.

Experience:

Independent Game Developer | March 2015 – present

Producer and narrative designer for Particle Rush, a light-speed arcade video game that garnered interest from major publishers. I wrote backstory for the game’s protagonist and integrated narrative into the game design. I also managed production tasks and remote meetings, tracked sprints and goals, and built and tested levels. Other projects include developing story, pitch docs and GDD material for Garden, an accessible and diverse story-adventure game about communicating with movement.

Freelance Digital Manager and Data Consultant | April 2017 – present

Consultant with political campaigns and riding associations, providing analysis of real-time campaign data to help design efficient and engaging content across social media and the web. I also assist with maintaining sensitive voter information and database records, manage user accounts, design websites and social content, and assist with data entry.

Centre for Digital Media | September 2014 – December 2014

Instructional assistant for Dr. Kim Voll’s “Foundations of Game Design” graduate class. I helped guide diverse students from various arts and technical backgrounds through the fundamentals of cognitive science and game design, helping to redefine and adapt complex concepts in ways that were helpful in practical game design settings. I marked 50 essays every 2-3 weeks, providing students with feedback on core competencies in the program and helping students improve their writing and analytical skills throughout a 12-week term. I also gave guidance on project work and answered course questions.

Crystal CG | May 2014 – August 2014 (4-month Centre for Digital Media industry project)

Producer for Bridge, a short film by award-winning Chinese animation studio Crystal-CG, which also worked on the Beijing and London Olympics. I facilitated group story and character brainstorming, incorporated local research and client feedback into scripts, and provided feedback on storyboards. The film premiered positively to the president of China at the opening of the Youth Olympic Museum in Nanjing. I also led conference calls and pitch sessions.

String Theory Entertainment | January 2014 – April 2014 (4-month Centre for Digital Media industry project)

Project manager and designer for Anthymn, where my team created a first playable proof-of-concept for a MMORPG in 12 weeks. I managed an interdisciplinary, Agile team to rapidly prototype a vertical slice integrating music, RPG combat, and lore. I created and maintained a TDD and helped establish a content pipeline between our engineers and client-side freelancers. I tracked pitch feedback and changes to constraints as the product developed, adapting milestones to fit evolving client needs.

The Dalhousie Gazette | May 2010 – April 2012 (2 consecutive year-long term positions)

Editor-in-chief and president of Dalhousie Gazette Inc., one of Canada’s largest campus papers. I led 20 employees to produce weekly print and daily web editions reaching several thousand readers. I overhauled the publication’s web strategy and rebuilt the company’s internal collaborative culture. I hired and mentored writing personnel and produced 25 issues of audience-relevant content, beating competitor publications to several major stories, including Occupy Wall Street. The year prior I worked as sports editor where I wrote and edited Halifax’s leading university sport coverage.

The Musquodoboit Valley Bicentennial Theatre | January 2009 – September 2011

Coordinator and head writer for the Musquodoboit Valley Script Writing Project. I pitched a response to a grant agency request-for-proposals to the board of directors at a local theatre, then led a team of high-school-age writers in developing, iterating on, and producing a story concept and script showcasing youth perspectives on local issues, including employment, LGBTQ identity, and the arts. I also coordinated between departments, assisting with music development, talent acquisition, and grant applications. A large part of my job involved providing mentorship and creative development for local writers, including after the cancellation of the project due to the departure of the project’s executive producer. This involved some conflict resolution. I also assisted the Musquodoboit Valley Bicentennial Theatre as an office manager, liaising with performers, helping to plan events, managing ticketing, ushering for large crowds, managing concession sales, developing and proposing project ideas, and cleaning.

Skills

Managing Agile, Scrum and Waterfall pipelines in journalism, transmedia, and games
Building team culture in collaborative settings; leading interdisciplinary and international teams
Fostering creative passion in myself and others; mentoring teammates to achieve their best
Writing clear prose to deadline and style; also comfortable with collaborative story facilitation
Designing play consistent with game and story worlds; using narrative to shape player experience
Editing prose in non-fiction, fiction, screen and interactive form
Articulating creative vision for grant applications, proposals, and pitch docs
Turning complex research into relatable story
Communicating orally in front of people or over social media
Capable with basic Apple and Microsoft products, WordPress, basic Unity and Unreal design tools, basic SVN/Git, database interfaces, and social media platforms; quick technical learner

Education and Courses

Master’s of Digital Media at The Centre for Digital Media (Simon Fraser University, Univ. British Columbia, Emily Carr Univ. of Art+Design, BCIT)

Graduated April 2015 with a cumulative GPA of 4.03 (A).

- Advanced Game Design | Dr. Kim Voll and Prof. Andy Moore | Grade: A+
  - Applied design principles in a high-paced game pipeline, focusing heavily on publication processes for indie developers. The expectation is that students develop and publish a game.
  - Projects: Spin Your Way Home and Snake and Bun

- Advanced Narrative | Prof. George Johnson and Dr. Krystina Madej | Grade: Audit
  - An intensive examination of storytelling techniques in almost every medium, focusing on genre structures and narrative analysis to interactive storytelling.

- Foundations of Game Design | Dr. Kim Voll | Grade: A+
  - Examining game design principles through a cognitive perspective to determine how users are affected at play.
  - Projects: Garden

- The Visual Story | Prof. George Johnson | Grade: A
  - Rapid prototyping and collaborative development of interactive narrative
  - Projects: Awake and Apples.

- Foundations of Digital Media | Dr. Richard Smith, Dr. Jon Festinger and Prof. Rory Holland | Grade: B+
  - A general analysis of trends in digital media production, business, and law focusing on communications and legal history.
  - Projects: ChowTime

- Interdisciplinary Improvisation | Prof. Patrick Pennefather | Grade: A+
  - Developing collaborative and team best practices through play and instinctual learning.

- Projects 1, 2 and 3 | Profs. Larry Bafia, Patrick Pennefather and Dr. Kim Voll | Grade: A
  - Applying and deconstructing Agile and Scrum-based best practices to design a course learning tool. Students create the company and team culture.
  - Projects: ENSŌ

Bachelor of Journalism (Honours) at The University of King’s College

Graduated April 2012 with a cumulative GPA of 3.73 (A-)

- Online Journalism Workshop | Prof. Tim Currie | Grade: A-
  - Practical application of journalism skills in a daily online publication environment; team management.
  - Projects: AUS Hockey’s Headshot Problem and Dal Instructor Shares the Student Experience

- Honours Project | Prof. David Swick | Grade: A-
  - Research, writing and production of a professional-level feature on Canadian media issues.
  - Projects: The Many Suits of the Herald’s New Uncle

- Advanced Fiction | Prof. Shashi Bhat | Grade: A
  - Critique and development of written stories with weekly deadlines and feedback sessions.

- Narrative Non-Fiction Workshop | Prof. Stephen Kimber | Grade: B+
  - Analysis and development of long and short-form documentary and non-fiction narratives.

References

Currently available upon request.