2021 - Present
OVERVIEW: My History with IndieCade...
In spring of 2021, I was approached by Dr. Andrew Phelps - President of HEVGA and one of my professors at the time. They wanted me to help out with the pilot run of a new games festival targeted towards celebrating student developers - IndieCade Horizons. While initially I was only brought on to build and manage a Discord community, my role quickly expanded thanks to a single, silly impulse. Just the night before I was to meet the IndieCade team, a moment of inspiration struck and I animated the IC Horizons logo for the test server I built. The following day, we met, had a lovely time and, seeing my animated logo, they asked me if I knew how to do graphic design and motion graphics. While I was still new to it at the time, I was confident enough to say yes! In that moment I went from a volunteer discord manager to the designer for the visual look of the whole show, all thanks to a moment of fun and the confidence in my ability to learn and improve on the fly. ​ Fast forward to 3 years later (2024) and my relationship with IndieCade has continued to the very day I write this. I have worked on many festivals and events, first as a Designer, then a Producer and Art Director, with each pushing me to new heights in what I've learned and the skills cultivated. Through my time with IndieCade, I has been able to meet and work with so many amazing and inspiring people, people who continue to give me hope even as the industry goes through difficult times. Beyond the work itself, I've been given me the opportunity to volunteer for the indie games community I love through juries and other small events. As I continue to carve out my path in this industry, I know IndieCade and indie games as a whole will always play a big part in where I go next.
My Roles at IndieCade
Crafting ever evolving visual looks to celebrate the frontiers of independent game designs.
Art Director and Associate Producer
Fall 2023
In this contract role, I reprised my position as the lead graphics and motion graphics designer for the 2023 IndieCade Main Awards Festival, refreshing the suite I had generated in 2021 and programming in new layers of customizability to drastically improve its efficiency and ease of use. With the role expanding to Associate Producer I also took up a large amount of the project management and participant/partner communications, working closely with the lead producer to assure no assets were missed.  ​ Art - Graphic Design, Motion Graphics, Video Production, etc...: Produced full multimedia suites with over 100+ assets for IC23 Awards livestream and social media presence, comprising of custom motion graphics, video overlays, edited video compilations, and more. Edited the full set of graphics treated footage used throughout the award festival's runtime. Core Programs used included: After Effects, Premiere Pro, Illustrator, Photoshop, and the Adobe Creative Cloud. ​ Production and Project Management:  Managed communications and asset collection with 40+ participants, facilitating communications with our partner production company, Atomic, and assuring all required assets were received from all participants. Maintained, organized, and tracked all core visual asset libraries with the Google Drive suite, implementing color codes to assure all asset statuses were clear at a glance. Worked with lead producer to determine and fulfill all asset requirements to fill the full runtime of the Awards ceremony, keeping close communications in making sure all asset libraries and databases were up to date and on schedule at all times. ​ Programming: Programmed 7+ custom essential graphics templates using Adobe After Effects, drastically improving the efficiency of the full editing process and allowing for time to create full asset sets which were originally out of scope. This set was also able to be easily handed off to other editors following the competition of my contract, and has seen continued use for further graphic treatments since.  Pipeline was further optimized using custom shortcut sets controlled using a Loupedeck CT. Programming Language used: Javascript - Adobe ExtendScript
Graphics and Community Specialist
Aug 2021 - Jun 2022
In this short contract role turned year long internship, I worked closely with IndieCade's core team to produce the pilot run of IC's Horizons festival in 2021. Through the internship's term, I created all of the core graphic designs and motion graphics used by IC, including all motion graphics treatments used in the 2024 Main Festival, as well as the marketing and outreach materials for IC's various events. Additionally, I built and managed the IndieCade Horizons Discord server, running several initiatives to engage the server's user base and performing viewer analysis which resulted in new events in subsequent festivals. The role culminated in the second run of IC Horizons in 2022, where I further expanded the graphics suite created the year prior. ​ Art and Marketting: Designed graphic suites for 3 core festivals (Horizons 2021-2022; 2021 IndieCade Main Festival) and various other events, including the Greenlight Jam, IndieXchange, Systemic Design, and Playable Theater. Created sets of overlays, motion graphics, and frames which could be mixed and matched to keep the experience fresh and give longevity to the graphical assets.  Illustrated playful server emojis and graphics to engage each festival's viewership up to and throughout their runtimes. Designed marketing suites, including fliers, posters, gifs, and short video clips for use through social media and email campaigns. Core Programs used included: After Effects, Premiere Pro, Illustrator, Photoshop, the Adobe Creative Cloud, and Clip Studio Paint. ​ Project Management: Managed core visual assets library using Google Drive Suite. ​ Community Management and Engagement Analysis: Created and moderated the IndieCade Horizons Discord Server, as well as moderated the core IndieCade server and Twitch chat. Engaged server members with chat events, such as Q&As and Discussion Boards. Analyzed overall engagement during festivals, culminating in several suggestions used in future runs of the Horizons Festivals.
Awards Producer and Art Director
Fall 2024
As the latest iteration of my continuing relationship with IndieCade, I took on an expanded role fully encompassing the production, art direction, and editing of the 2024 IndieCade Awards Festival. Through my efforts to properly celebrate this years cohort of nominees and winners, I overhauled large swaths of the festivals visual design to better align with the stylized appearance of many modern indie game titles. Once the Awards were completed, I shifted focus to creating the visual look for this years pilot run of the Creators Retreat, and made my way out to Los Angeles to assist in running the event. ​ Art - Graphic Design, Motion Graphics, Video Production, etc...: Produced and edited multiple 1+ hour long videos collectively seen by 2 million+ viewers across all platforms. Designed visual look for 2024 awards festival seasons, including logos, graphic designs, motion graphics, promotional materials, and infographics. Core Programs used include: After Effects, Premiere Pro, Illustrator, Photoshop, and the Adobe Creative Cloud. ​ Production and Project Management:  Created and managed detailed production packets for the Awards shows, assuring creation and fulfillment of 300+ total assets. Assisted in hosting of pilot year of Creators Retreat Event in Los Angeles, California. ​ Programming: Updated all prior custom Essential Graphics templates created using Adobe After Effects Pipeline was once again further optimized using custom shortcut sets controlled using a Loupedeck CT. Programming Language used: Javascript - Adobe ExtendScript
