I grew up in Austin, TX where I went to college and studied Asian culture, religion, and language. Immediately after I graduated, I moved to Taipei, Taiwan to continue my Chinese studies, where I eventually settled and started working. Later I moved to Shanghai and then Wenzhou on the mainland before returning to the US to pursue higher education. During my time there, I worked as translator, a language consultant, a tutor, a market researcher, a sales rep, and a bartender. I’m still fluent in Mandarin Chinese, both written and spoken, and I use it on a daily basis.

After returning to the States, I started gearing up for graduate school, but then I found The Guildhall at SMU, and decided that my future would be in video game development. 18 months later, I had my first job offers and I moved to San Diego, CA to begin working for High Moon Studios.

I ended up staying at High Moon for 14 years, lasting through multiple acquisitions, layoffs, and uncertain times. High Moon has an excellent crew and I was able to work on multiple big franchises there, including Transformers, Call of Duty, and Destiny.

I knew that I wanted to be part of developing something new though, so in February 2021, I finally left High Moon to join Zenimax Online and work on their new unannounced AAA title and technology that they were developing from the ground up.

The team at Zenimax was the most senior, diverse, and experienced I had ever worked with. I grew tremendously as a designer and as a leader there. I was in it for the long haul, but Microsoft had other plans. In July 2025, they shuttered the project and laid off the entire team.

I spent my youth gallivanting in other countries, so I settled down late, but now I have a wonderful family of two daughters and my spouse who have shown me the wonders of family life and who keep me grounded.

In 2021, I suffered a sudden stroke on Christmas Eve. The doctors told me I had a congenital brain anomaly, called a cavernous malformation. This anomaly, they said, would likely continue to hemorrhage and cause strokes at unknown times and of unknown severity for the rest of my life unless they removed it.

The malformation was deep in a highly sensitive part of the brain stem though, so removing it was extremely risky and would most certainly leave me with side effects.

Still, I decided to go ahead with the operation. The doctors successfully removed the aberration, but I was left crippled in many ways, including partial paralysis and palsy of parts of my body and face.

Living with disabilities is something I’m still wrestling with, but without a doubt, the whole experience taught me to cherish what I have now and value family, friends, and health above all.

In terms of the job, this experience has only clarified for me the importance of cutting to the chase, identifying what matters, and communicating that effectively. Despite my disabilities, I push forward, take my latest life lessons, and be the best I can be. It doesn’t hold me back at all.

After it happened and I came back to work, I was reluctant to show my face in meetings, but as a leader, I knew that I had to. So whether I liked it or not, I made it de rigeur to show my face and own it. I did my best and pushed through the challenges, doing what I thoiught was best for the team. That’s the type of leadership I would bring to any new team I join.

I’m an avid cook. I revel in crafting satisfying meals the same way I approach design - looking at what ingredients we have and putting them together in delicious ways using tried and true techniques, as well as innovating in smart ways.

I’ve also studied martial arts since I was 13. When I lived in Taiwan, I studied under a bona fide master of Praying Mantis kung fu. I love the discipline, the chase for mastery, and the emphasis on fundamentals as the path to success.

I’m a dungeon master who runs regular TTRPG games online for a group of friends. It’s a great way to keep in touch, have fun, and also satisfy my creative itch for worldbuilding and character creation.

I’m always listening to audiobooks and podcasts. My favorite audio series is Dungeon Crawler Carl, and I listen to podcasts about history, science, politics, and liveplay TTRPGS.

Finally, I’m an eager consumer of TV, movies, and games. They are a constant source of inspiration for my work and my other creative pursuits.