Game Education Summit North America

Jeannie Novak is the founder of Indiespace--one of the first companies to promote and distribute interactive entertainment online--where she provides consulting services for game educators, game development studios, and independent creative professionals in the game, music, and film industries. Jeannie is Lead Author and Series Editor of the widely acclaimed Game Development Essentials series (with 12 titles currently on the market), co-author of Play the Game: The Parent’s Guide to Video Games, and co-author of three pioneering books on the interactive entertainment industry, including Creating Internet Entertainment. Jeannie was Online Program Director for the Game Art & Design and Media Arts & Animation programs at the Art Institute Online, where she was also Producer & Lead Designer on an educational business simulation game that was built within the Second Life environment. She has also been a game instructor and curriculum development expert at UCLA Extension, Art Center College of Design, Academy of Entertainment and Technology at Santa Monica College, DeVry University, Westwood College, and ITT Technical Institute—and she has consulted for the UC Berkeley Center for New Media and Alelo Tactical Language & Culture. Jeannie has developed or participated in game workshops and panels in association with events such as the Game Developers Conference (GDC), Macworld Expo, Digital Hollywood, and Digital Music Forum. She is an active member of the International Game Developers Association (IGDA) and the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences (AIAS), where she is on the DICE Awards' Online Multiplayer Awards selection committees. Jeannie was chosen as one of the 100 most influential people in high-technology by MicroTimes magazine—and she has been profiled by CNN, Billboard Magazine, Sundance Channel, Daily Variety, and the Los Angeles Times. She received an M.A. in Communication Management from USC, where she focused on using MMOGs as online distance learning applications. She received a B.A. in Mass Communication from UCLA—graduating summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa. Jeannie is also an accomplished composer, recording artist, and performer (piano/voice). More information is available at http://indiespace.com and http://jeannie.com.