Jeannie Novak is the lead author and series editor of the widely acclaimed GAME DEVELOPMENT ESSENTIALS series (with over 15 published titles), co-author of PLAY THE GAME: THE PARENT'S GUIDE TO VIDEO GAMES, and co-author of three pioneering books on the interactive entertainment industry--including CREATING INTERNET ENTERTAINMENT. She is also co-founder of Novy Unlimited and CEO of Kaleidospace, LLC (dbaIndiespace), providing curriculum development and consulting services for corporations, educators, and creative professionals in games, music, film, education, and technology.Novak served as director of the Game Art & Design and Media Arts & Animation programs at the Art Institute Online and… has taught game courses at UCLA, Art Center College of Design, DeVry University, Westwood College, ITT Technical Institute, and the Academy of Entertainment & Technology at Santa Monica College. She holds a B.A. in mass communication/business administration from UCLA and an M.A. in communication management from the Annenberg School at USC. She also serves on the Online Gameplay Committee for the Academy of Interactive Arts &Sciences and has served on the executive boards of the International Game Developers Association (Los Angeles) and Women in Games International. An accomplished composer and performer, Novak was chosen as one of the 100 most influential people in technology by MicroTimesmagazine and has been profiled by CNN, Billboard Magazine, the Sundance Channel, Daily Variety, and the Los Angeles Times.
Travis Castillo began his career in the game industry in 2002 while still in school after landing an internship with the art team at Activision's Central Technology. With a year left to graduate, he then landed a job with Paramount Studios creating top secret military simulations using the Unreal Engine in partnership with the Army and USC. After graduating in 2004 with a BA in Game Art and Design, he was offered a job teaching level design at Santa Monica College and helped form the game curriculum for the school's Academy of Entertainment & Technology. Since then, Travis has taught and helped form curricula for the Art Institute Online, Westwood College, and the Art Center College of… Design. He was the lead level designer and consultant on the highly acclaimed Tactical Language games, Tactical Iraqi and Tactical Pashto. He currently works as a Level Designer and Environmental Artist for InXile Entertainment, creating games on the Unreal 3 engine for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.