Hall Hood (Senior Writer, Aspyr Media)
When: Friday, March 25, 2022 - 2:00-3:00 pm CT
Note: Speaker sessions are subject to change based on evolving guest schedules.
This is conjunction with Dr. Lesley Willard's Video Game Industry course.
Please join us for a Q&A session where we discuss Hall Hood’s career trajectory, his roles and responsibilities, and his views on the current state of the video game industry.
To RSVP, please fill out this form & we will send out the Zoom link day-of.
Speaker Biography
A graduate of UT Austin’s Radio-Television-Film class of 1992, Hall Hood is currently Senior Writer at Aspyr Media. Previously, he was the Studio Lead Writer for BioWare Austin. Since 2006, he has created interactive narratives, original characters, branching dialogue scenes, and background lore for the massively multiplayer online role-playing game Star Wars: The Old Republic. He also co-authored Star Wars: The Old Republic Encyclopedia published by DK Books in 2012, and has written for BioWare’s games Dragon Age: Inquisition, Mass Effect: Andromeda, and Anthem. He is also credited as a writer for 2020's critically acclaimed smash, Ghost of Tsushima.
Spring 2022 MIC Speakers
March 25 - Hall Hood
Senior Writer, Aspyr Media
2:00-3:00pm CT via Zoom
April 1 - Gracie Arenas Strittmatter
Technical Art Director, Electronic Arts (EA Sports)
2:00-3:00pm CT via Zoom
April 8 - Morgan O'Brien, PhD
Quality Assurance Tester, Aspyr Media
2:00-3:00pm CT via Zoom
April 15 - Jesse Anderson
Brand Manager for BioWare, EA
2:00-3:00pm CT in DMC 1.202 & via Zoom
Fall 2021 MIC Speakers
Aug. 30 - Launching Your Career, Corporate Side (Panel)
Guests include Caterina Nasr (Senior Manager, A&R, Elektra Music), Vance Nguyen (Assistant to VP & Executive Director of Development, 20th Century Animation), Lauren Zimmer (Television Scripted Assistant at Creative Artists Agency), and Hemrani Vyas (Assistant Manager of Programming, TCM).
5:00–6:15 pm CT
Sept. 13 - Launching Your Career, Screenwriters & Agents (Panel)
Guests include Davia Carter (executive story editor, Debris), Jim Ehrich (literary agent, Rothman Brecher Ehrich Livingston), Kim Tran (staff writer, Space Force), Cindy McCreery (RTF faculty member, Honey Girls)
5:00–6:15 pm CT
Sept. 20 - Mark Hoffman
Chairman, CNBC
5:00–6:15 pm CT
Sept. 27 - Ginny Morris
Chair/CEO, Hubbard Radio, LLC
5:00–6:15 pm CT
Oct. 4 - Mindy Kaling
Actress, writer, producer
5:00–6:15 pm CT
Oct. 11 - Tahirah Gooden
Manager of Original Studio Films, Netflix
5:00–6:15 pm CT
Oct. 18 - Kevin Jarzynski
Senior Development Executive, Amazon Studios
5:00–6:15 pm CT
Oct. 20 - Keli Lee
Founder & President, Infinite Possibilities Enterprises
3:00–4:15 pm CT
Oct. 25 - Colby Gaines
Executive Producer and Founder, Back Roads Entertainment
5:00–6:15 pm CT
Nov. 1 - Brandt Joel
Agent & Partner, WME/Endeavor
5:00–6:15 pm CT
Nov. 3 - Brian Edwards
President of Television Operations, MGM
3:00-4:15pm CT
Nov. 8 - Lucy Huang
Senior Production Executive, Amazon Studios
5:00–6:15 pm CT
Nov. 12 - A Studio Manager's Intro to Post Production for Scripted TV
Michelle Trujillo McKibben (Manager, Original Series Post Production, Netflix)
12:00–1:30 pm CT
Nov. 15 - Maru Buendia-Senties
Senior Post Production Executive, Amazon Studios
5:00–6:15 pm CT
Nov. 22 - PJ Shapiro
Entertainment Attorney & Managing Partner, Ziffren Brittenham LLP
5:00–6:15 pm CT
Nov. 29 - Kyle Davies
Entertainment Distribution and Exhibition Consultant
5:00–6:15 pm CT
Dec. 6 - Jordan Levin
General Manager, Rooster Teeth
5:00–6:15 pm CT