Biographies

Rob Hyman – Chief Experience Officer

As the Chief Experience Officer for Interplay Experience Design, Rob leads a galaxy of creative minds and experts that capitalize on the mostly untapped human potential for creativity. As Chief Experience Officer Rob serves as “Senior Editor” of all the complex and often revolutionary ideas and solutions that comes out of Interplay. Rob’s interest in experience design started in his early days creating sets, props, lighting, sound, and special effects for professional theaters ranging from Alaska to Broadway. Jumping from the presentational world to the interactive, Rob took up multiple design and execution as technical director, production manager, and game designer roles for Entros before starting Interplay in 2003. His DNA testing reveals 27% experiential designer, 12% inventor, 16% technical director, 36% producer, and 22% game designer… ideal for creating experiential projects that deliver effective organizational learning and development, drive participation and open minds to new ideas.

Michael Adams – Chief Experience Designer

After four years of teaching high-school English, Michael decided to aim the laser of his creative genius elsewhere. Arriving in Seattle, he found his way to Entros, where he designed interactive activities for local and national clients. Michael’s passion for game design has resulted in twenty-three published games. His clients include Microsoft, Mattel, Hasbro and Gamewright. His work has won the Parents’ Choice Award, Dr. Toy’s “Best Toy” award, four Oppenheim Platinum Awards (which represent the most innovative, engaging new products of the year), and has twice been named the Toy Industry Association’s Toy of the Year. He writes puzzles for books and magazines, teaches kindergarten and is a poor yet eager ukulele player. Michael has been at Interplay since the very early days, creating, inventing, conjuring, and dreaming.

William Moore – Experience Designer

As an artist who co-founded Potatohead Gallery and created installation-based work for a nationally recognized art cooperative, Bill’s aesthetic visions are on par with his ability to create the smallest game prop to the largest set for a company strategic launch. A Seattle native, Bill’s considerable experience as a visualist for movies, commercials, theater, and art all came into play during his tenure as a game designer and art director for Entros. Moving forward into film, Bill produced and art-directed sets and props for a variety of films including the design and production of a special prop for the film Red Dragon. Bill drives the design and expression of the many dimensional components that combine to form a successful Interplay Experience, and has a hand in every aspect of our successful execution.

Elizabeth Kenny – Experience Designer

Elizabeth is a theater artist who writes, acts and specializes in new play development. Her new play work has revealed a gift for solving and creating puzzles, and self-producing has left her with great organizational skills. The combination puts Elizabeth an ideal position to drive and direct the creative process on projects as a writer, concept developer, producer, project manager and overall experience designer. Some of Elizabeth’s recent work with Interplay clients have included writing, producing and directing a live TV show for the 2010 Dunkin Brands Conference; designing, co-writing and then managing the print project for Dunkin Brands new training campaign; conceptualizing, writing and designing exhibits for the Oregon Film Museum, and consulting on the creation and presentation of the script/projecting managing the design for the 2010 Windermere Symposium.

Shawn Belyea – Experience Designer

With an extensive background in live theater and interactive design, Shawn has a developed a deep understanding how people interact and learn in complex play situations. Shawn was a game designer on “Broken Line,” MSN’s alternate reality web-based Experience and was part of the team that patented the Multi-Media Odyssey Experience at Entros. Shawn is also the founder of One World Theater in Seattle and has produced, acted in or directed countless plays including Alice in Wonderland, Kilroy was here, and Waiting for Lefty. He’s on the steering committee and a central figure in the electric semiannual event, 14/48: The World’s Quickest Theater Festival.

Ray C. Freeman III – Experience Designer

When he’s not collecting every gadget he can get his hands on, Ray continues to design a variety of architectural visions and complex interactive programs, including the many software engines that run behind Interplay’s Experiences. He’s taught at the Career Discovery Program at the Harvard School of Design, The Boston Architectural Center and The Department of Architecture at the University of Washington and has been a visiting lecturer or critic at Cornell University, Cornish School of the Arts, and University of Washington. Ray has also been recognized as an innovator in Computer Aided Design and has spoken widely on the topic. He’s shown both three-dimensional work and paintings at a group show in Seattle, has published two books and several articles, and recently designed and built his own architectural expression of a dwelling; his house.

Blaine Dollard – Experience Graphic Designer

Blaine was involved with some of the first Interplay projects, and was finally drawn into the gravitational field full time. He has a high degree of expertise with Photoshop, PowerPoint and an ongoing relationship with multiple design applications. He runs PowerPoint for crowds of 50 to 5000, and thrives in design, production and live onsite show support. Blaine has done freelance and contract and graphic support for Microsoft, Starbucks, Amazon.com, Getty, REI, Intel, HP, RealNetworks, ArtSource/Filter, the Flying Karamazov Brothers, Entros and more. He’s experienced with asset management, problem solving, collaborative design projects and corporate brand strategies. When not at work, he spends a ridiculous amount of time thinking about and making music.

Makaela Pollock – Experience Manager

Makaela has a background in theater, education and linguistics, with a B.A. in Theater/Sound, Music and Linguistics from Vassar and a directing M.F.A from Brown University/Trinity Rep. Her primary experience is as a guider and developer of emerging creative work, adapting new performance styles for scripts of old plays and collaborating with playwrights to originate new works. From her work and training as a director, she has incredible strength in working with a team to help bring forth and hone creative ideas into a tangible representation to share with an audience. She’s a company member of the acclaimed Washington Emsemble Theater, with a focus on literary programs and marketing language, and her long list of creative and organization jobs (including game-running and research for Forrest/Pruzan Creative) have prepared her well for her work with Interplay.

Amy Frazier – Experience Designer/Creative Process Coach

Amy is an organizational consultant in creativity and leadership development with her own company, Stages of Presence (www.stagesofpresence.com) and with Vision Leadership (www.visionleadership.com). She specializes in Creative Problem Solving in organizational, product/service and personal coaching and development, as well as strategic planning. With Interplay, she does experience design, training, facilitating, hosting, copywriting/editing, scripting and research, as well as internal training, coaching and creative process consulting. Amy has a B.A. in Theater and Communications from the University of Denver, a graduate certificate in Creativity and Change Leadership from SUNY Buffalo, and is currently completing her Master of Science in Creativity Studies at the International Center for Studies in Creativity at Buffalo State College. She’s worked as an actress and writer for twenty years.

Tina Rowley – Social Media Designer

Tina is a writer and performer who’s been working in the Seattle theater scene since the early 1990’s. She was an original member of the sketch comedy group Bald Faced Lie, where she performed, co-wrote, co-directed and co-designed more than twenty original shows . Tina was also an editor/contributor for the online humor magazine The Clay Pigeon, as well as a regular on the nationally syndicated, late NPR program Rewind with Bill Radke, voicing sketches and performing her own material. She was the exhibit center manager for the Seattle Children’s Museum, and led groups through the interactive exhibit “Remember the Children” , on tour from the Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C. She’s fascinated by social media, and the constraints and possibilities of the various forms. Tina blogs at The Gallivanting Monkey and tweets at twitter.com/tinarowley.