Derek Spalla

I'm creative and have played video games since the Atari 2600 and Commodore 64 days. I'm an avid console player (Xbox and PlayStation) with mobile and PC gaming experience. I play video games daily, have a social media presence, and have been a streamer. Ultimately, I would like to start at an appropriate learning level in a growth-minded gaming studio and be mentored to be a director eventually creating and releasing my content. My interests have always revolved around sci-fi and fantasy. As a child, for hobbies, I drew, read voraciously, made movies/videos with my friends, and wrote stories and poetry. In school, I was a nerd and AV kid and participated in drama club. Later in high school, I played soccer and worked on the school newspaper and the technical crew for school musicals and other performances. One of my first jobs was as a radio broadcaster and I have done other voice-related work over the years. I started a professional career as an educator, and have expertise in information technology, instructional design, and project management. Over the years I taught myself to code different computer languages, developed microlearning programs and was a technology consultant. I have a background training, teaching, and building learning experiences at every level from birth through adulthood. As a teacher, my favorite grade level and subjects are 5th-grade reading and writing. I created a young authors club and taught students how to write novels and video game writing concepts like non-linear storytelling. Throughout my life gaming, writing, technology, and teaching others have been constant pursuits.

Ideal Workplace Values

Activism, advocacy, diversity, and inclusion are important professional and personal ideals. I am a lifelong learner that believes in being kind and having a growth mindset.