Posted on Friday, December 12, 2008.
News release: December 11 | 2008
Jeffrey Campbell has been hired by Disney's Propaganda Games as Narrative Designer, making him the first NSI playWRITE training program student to be hired by a major game development studio. NSI playWRITE, which trains writers to break into the video game industry as narrative designers, is presented by the National Screen Institute – Canada (NSI), and Telefilm Canada in association with Zeros 2 Heroes.
Jeffrey, who bypassed NSI playWRITE’s post-graduate internship phase to be hired full-time by
Propaganda Games, reflects, "Unlike most writing programs, NSI playWRITE had a very daunting and selective application process, from which only ten writers were chosen. That's a good thing; as I learned, the program wasn't for the weak-hearted."
NSI playWRITE students run a game writing gauntlet that evaluates them through a rigorous jurying process, engages them in a challenging week-long boot camp and puts them to the task for several months with an arduous independent design phase under the mentorship of game studio representatives.
"Over a period of ten days we met a dozen legit game writers who gave us a profoundly deep look into their world. They hit us with a series of complicated tests and puzzles that they felt would introduce us to and prepare us to enter the game writing industry. It must have worked: by the time the program was over, I had two job offers on my plate, one of which I accepted," Jeffrey continued.
Propaganda Games' Paul Parsons was Jeffrey‘s mentor. "Here at Propaganda Games we have a commitment to bringing in quality young talent who may be new to games development and our involvement in NSI playWRITE is part of that. Finding someone like Jeff reaffirmed this commitment for us, as he is clearly a very talented writer who will help us make some great games down the road."
Brendon Sawatzky, NSI playWRITE Program Co-ordinator, adds, "Jeff will gain extremely valuable experience with one of the industry's top companies and we know that they will benefit from Jeff's enthusiasm and talent. We're looking forward to finalizing internships in the coming weeks and helping our graduates secure more full-time placements so they can put their training to work."
“The proof of a successful program is the end result, and in this case, Jeff’s employment with Propaganda is a testament to the strength of this new training program,” said Earl Hong Tai, Director of Business Development for Telefilm Canada’s Western Region. “Telefilm Canada is proud to be associated with this ground-breaking digital media training program.”
NSI playWRITE's launch marked the beginning of an ambitious endeavour engineered by the National Screen Institute and Zeros 2 Heroes to train Canadian writers in the art of writing for video games and help them break into the video game industry.
The National Screen Institute - Canada (NSI) is widely known for its prestigious training programs for Canadian writers, directors and producers working in film, television and digital media. Most programs are part-time so students keep their day jobs while they train. Participants do not have to relocate – intensive training happens in one place and participants return home to work with a mentor for the rest of their program. All training is delivered by senior industry experts.
Zeroes 2 Heroes Media is a Canadian social media company best known for creating a thriving social network for fanboys of all stripes. Best exemplified through the "Canada: Comic Creation Nation" initiative, their core mission is to help break down the barriers that prevent otherwise talented creators from getting their first professional break.
NSI playWRITE has been made possible through the generous support of Presenting Sponsor Telefilm Canada and is presented in association with Zeros 2 Heroes Media. We also gratefully acknowledge the contributions of Industry Sponsors: BioWare, EA Black Box, Radical Entertainment, Next Level Games, Big Sandwich Games, Action Pants, Fit Brains, Propaganda Games, the International Game Developers Association (IGDA), Vidfest, New Media BC and CBC.