Introducing the Six to Start Associates
One of the best things about Six to Start are the people we get to work with, from our full-time staff to the talented freelance creatives who join us for specific projects. We think we can make pretty good games, but we also know that if you want to make the very best, you need to get the very best involved.
So, over the years we've built up strong relationships with a range of freelancers we've worked with, or whose work we've admired. And now we're proud to announce the first Six to Start Associates - creatives whose skills and experience we can draw upon for the right project.
They range from writers to producers to developers to game designers, and they live in London, New York, and Toronto - but they're all among the best in the business, and we know we'll be able to make even better games and experiences with their help as Associates.
They are Andrea Phillips, David Varela, Naomi Alderman, David Fono, and Kate Raynes-Goldie:
Andrea Phillips / Writer, Game Designer
Andrea is a New York-based award-winning transmedia writer and game designer, having worked on Routes Game, Perplex City, The 2012 Experience for Sony Pictures, Cathy’s Key, and True Blood. If you've ever read anything about transmedia, then chances are, you've seen her fantastic blog, Deus Ex Machinatio, which covers games, storytelling, digital culture, and gender issues. Follow @andrhia.
David Varela / Writer, Producer
David is a writer and producer who works across a huge range of media – sometimes all at once. He's written and produced two epic transmedia games for Reebok and Sony PlayStation, and he worked on Perplex City. David’s stageplays have been performed at the ICA, the Royal Court, Hampstead Theatre and RADA, his short films have premiered in Leicester Square and been broadcast on ITV, and he's also written several one-off dramas for BBC Radio 4 and BBC7. Follow @writingstudio.
Naomi Alderman / Writer
Naomi is a novelist, transmedia and games writer and journalist. Her first novel, Disobedience, won the Orange Award for New Writers. In 2007, she was named Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year, and one of Waterstones’ 25 Writers for the Future. Naomi was lead writer on Perplex City, wrote the Alice in Storyland game for Penguin’s We Tell Stories, and created the online story The Winter House. Penguin published her second novel, The Lessons in April 2010. Naomi broadcasts regularly, and writes on games and technology for the Guardian. She is currently working on a game for BBC Languages, a new novel for Penguin and a Doctor Who novel for BBC Books.
David Fono / Game Designer, Developer
David is the co-founder of the award-winning Toronto-based Atmosphere Industries, makers of fine pervasive games since 2007. Atmosphere’s games have been played at festivals around the world, including Toronto, London, Los Angeles, New York, Berlin and Perth. Their latest effort, the critically-acclaimed Gentrification: The Game won Best use of Tech and Best of Fest 2010 at Come Out and Play in New York. In 2006, David developed Waking City, a Toronto-based ARG. David has also developed online games for clients such as PBS, CBC, and TV Ontario, and worked on research prototypes for Microsoft Research and the Human Media Lab. Follow @fonograph.
Kate Raynes-Goldie / Game Designer, Researcher
Kate is the co-founder of Atmosphere Industries - but when she’s not making games, she's a Research Associate at Ryerson’s new Experiential Design and Gaming Environment Lab, where she is researching MMOs for kids, and Guest Faculty at the CFC Media Lab, where she teaches social media and internet culture. Kate is also the founder of PrivacyCampTO, Canada’s first privacy unconference series funded by the Privacy Commissioner of Canada and the Mozilla Foundation. Follow @oceanpark.
(We've also produced a handy Twitter list that includes everyone at Six to Start, both staff and Associates!)
We Want You!
We're always on the lookout for other talented creatives to bring on as Associates. It's not an exclusive relationship, and we fully support our Associates in their own work outside of Six to Start, but it's one where we can bring fun and stimulating work to smart people. Let us know if you're interested.