Meet the Speakers
I’m a Writer at Guerrilla Games in Amsterdam, working on the Horizon franchise. After graduating with a degree in Creative Writing, I’ve spent the last six years working in the games industry, crafting narratives and characters for some amazing projects. I love storytelling in all its forms and encouraging others to tell stories of their own!
Naomi van den Broek is a Senior Quest Designer at Guerrilla Games, where she recently contributed to the upcoming multiplayer project Horizon Hunters Gathering. A Breda University graduate, she previously co-created the indie game Bone Voyage before moving into AAA development.
As an Engineering Manager with over a decade of experience building mobile games, my journey started right at home, playing games with my siblings. Driven by a childhood passion for both programming and art, I chose an industry where I could bring both worlds together. I’m excited to share that passion and help the next generation explore the endless possibilities in STEAM!
Renee Gittins is an indie game developer, software engineer, and prominent gaming industry advocate who serves as the Studio Head at Stumbling Cat. She is widely recognized for her leadership roles within the global game development community, including her tenure as the former Executive Director of the International Game Developers Association (IGDA).
Alissa is the Production Director for Dark Arts Software. She has produced digital content for over 25 years, with a focus on games for the last 15 years. Her published titles include Where's My Water? 2 for Disney, Oddworld: Soulstorm with Oddworld Inhabitants, and Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria, plus an unannounced multiplayer AAA game with Free Range Games. Her diverse background includes a Master of Music degree in opera from Manhattan School of Music. She is also a performer in musical theater, an endorsed ukulele artist, a professional puppeteer, and a children's musician.
Her experience spans online, mobile, PC, console, and VR games through every phase of the development life cycle. She has led teams as small as 7 people and as large as 130 people. Alissa's current project is a fully-immersive AR/VR dance game called Trip the Light by Dark Arts Software, which brings the joy and connection of partner dancing to life with a virtual partner; it is now available in early access on the Meta Store. https://tripthelightgame.com/
Isabel Ovalles is an Associate Gameplay Engineer at Sledgehammer Games. Previously, she worked at Mojang Studios, where she programmed minigames for the Bedrock Edition of Minecraft. Her favorite video games include Fire Emblem: Awakening, Genshin Impact, and Animal Crossing: New Horizons. When she’s not gaming, Isabel enjoys junk journaling with her extensive stationery stash, collecting cool Pokémon cards, or grabbing boba tea with friends.
With a strong background in production and empowering young creators, Kristani actively champions technological innovation, cross-functional team leadership, and the adoption of cutting-edge AI development tools.
Shelby Carleton is a Senior Narrative Designer at Sledgehammer Games. She's been writing games for over seven years, including Call of Duty Vanguard, Modern Warfare 3, and Black Ops 6. She loves to write, figure skate, and play games online with her best friends.
Julie Wang is a Senior Data Scientist at Zynga who works on the Harry Potter team. She has worked in the gaming industry for the past 5.5 years at various companies like Nintendo, Activision Blizzard, and Big Fish Games. Her work helps game teams turn player data into insights that can improve the game experience! In her spare time, she likes to crochet, run, and play her favorite games.
Emily Douglas is based in Bay Area California where she currently works as a Producer at Sledgehammer Games. She previously worked in indie games and has a particular fondness for indie game dev and unique narrative experiences. Recently she has been interested in Western movies and Western novels. When she isn't working she enjoys spending time reading, exploring, watching movies, or catching up on her never-ending videogame backlog.
Born and raised in a tiny town in Kentucky, Jayde Holbrook is currently an Associate Software Engineer at Sledgehammer Games, where she's spent the last two years working on the Engineering team. She's passionate about storytelling in games, with some of her all-time favorites including The Last of Us, Horizon Zero Dawn, Uncharted, and so many more! Outside of work you can find her deep in a fantasy or sci-fi book, or catching up on anything Marvel-related.
Since joining SuperAwesome in 2024, Amy has led the legal team through complex children’s privacy regulations and authored expert commentary for publications like Bloomberg. She is an active industry speaker at events like the Games Industry Law Summit and was honored as a "Privacy Powerhouse" at the 2025 Women in Media & Ad Tech Awards.
Sabrina Li is a Producer at Sledgehammer Games in Toronto, Canada. She's worked on games such as Watch Dogs: Legion, Far Cry 6, Call of Duty Warzone, and COD Modern Warfare III. Sabrina is a passionate gamer with a love of storytelling and world building. Some of her favorites include Kingdom Hearts, Final Fantasy, and Baldur’s Gate.
At Sledgehammer Games, Samantha bridges the gap between development teams and the global Call of Duty community. She manages studio PR and directly addresses player feedback to shape game development updates.
Callie is a real-time visual effects artist at Undertone FX who crafts dynamic, immersive effects for major video games. A Savannah College of Art and Design graduate, she utilizes her expertise in both Unity and Unreal Engine to seamlessly blend artistic vision with technical game mechanics.
Hello campers! I'm truly honored to be one of your camp artists this year. My name is Bella, and I couldn't be more excited to be here. Video games have always been a special part of my life, and as a designer and artist, I love creating and bringing ideas to life. Having been a camper myself, I know how much fun this experience can be, and I can't wait to help turn your ideas into reality!
Hello! I'm Adelina Kelley, a passionate artist who loves digital art and creating cute (and sometimes spooky) characters, environments, and other artistic elements for video games! Video games are how I have discovered my own voice, made very good friends, and how I have fun! I have a background in animation, fiction writing, graphic design, sequential art, and fine arts as well, which I love to do while my cat Willow lounges on my bed. My favorite things are misunderstood villains and claw machines, and I am always looking for a story to tell, and a good game to play!
As an Online Tech Programmer at Guerrilla Games, Justyna Skalska is responsible for the invisible infrastructure that makes multiplayer, connectivity, and modern network features possible. She previously honed her skills at CD PROJEKT RED, contributing to the infrastructure of major video game titles.
Nisha is a QA Analyst at SledgeHammer Games in Toronto, Canada. Over the last 9 years, she has worked on Watch Dogs Legion, XDeviant and Modern Warfare 3. Her favourite games include Skyrim, Last of Us and Overwatch. Nisha loves Bob's Burgers and actual burgers.
Award-winning Audio Director at Sucker Punch Productions, renowned for leading the BAFTA and D.I.C.E. award-winning sound design for Ghost of Tsushima and Ghost of Yōtei. With nearly three decades of industry experience, he has shaped the acoustic landscapes of major franchises including Spider-Man, Tony Hawk, and inFAMOUS.
I lead the development of core gameplay systems and environments on an unannounced title at Riot Games. Previously, I was the Lead Gameplay Producer on Legends of Runeterra, where I managed a 40+ person cross-disciplinary team—spanning design, engineering, and more—to deliver high-quality expansions for a global player base.
David brings over a decade of expertise in systemic mechanics, player progression, and digital production. He has previously held pivotal design and leadership roles at studios like Inflexion Games, Improbable, and Beamdog, shaping titles such as the survival-crafting game Nightingale.
Becca Mueller is a communications executive and client success leader who serves as the VP of Client Services at Off Base Productions, a leading creative agency and technology studio dedicated to the gaming industry. Based out of Tampa, Florida, she brings extensive expertise in managing multi-disciplinary teams, brand development, and interactive marketing solutions for premier entertainment and gaming brands.
Erica Kaye Olsen is a Senior Graphic Designer specializing in multi-channel art direction, visual design frameworks, and mobile gaming UI. With over a decade of creative experience, she has crafted high-impact digital assets and marketing collateral for global brands
Kait Baird is a former GMG Camp Counselor and she is excited to come back to share her wisdom after 6 exciting years in the game industry.
She is currently working as a Technical Animator at Valkyrie Entertainment (A Sony PlayStation Studio). Her love for bringing characters to life led her to animation for games! In her daily work, she combines art and coding by creating tools for animators.
Her favorite games are Animal Crossing, and Overcooked!
Amy E. Allison is a prominent interactive entertainment professional who serves as the Executive Director of the Video Game Bar Association (VGBA). Operating out of the Los Angeles Metropolitan Area, she leads operations, international and domestic summits, and strategic programming for the global organization dedicated to attorneys specializing in video game law.
Ben Furneaux is an industry veteran and creative leader who serves as a Design Director at Sledgehammer Games. With nearly twenty years of experience spanning AAA development, start-ups, and interactive narrative projects, he specializes in design leadership, user experience (UI/UX), and online Games-as-a-Service (GaaS) architecture.
Chris Zimmerman is the co-founder and Studio Head Emeritus of Sucker Punch Productions, where he has spearheaded the engineering and combat systems behind generation-defining PlayStation hits like Sly Cooper, inFAMOUS, and Ghost of Tsushima. A former Microsoft software developer, he spent decades leading the studio's coding teams before transitioning his focus toward direct gameplay architecture and programming education.
