Mysterium 2020 Special Guests

Mike Ando is a time-travelling mad scientist from Brisbane Australia. He drives a DeLorean (better known as the car from the Back to the Future movies), collects radioactive isotopes, used to have his own personal satellite before it underwent its controlled atmospheric re-entry, and he really loves potatoes. He was voted TIME person of the year in 2006.

He has presenting several times at Mysterium, including: his mechanical D’ni clock, his digital D’ni clock, and his accurate, and functional, Myst linking book.

Chuck, along with Robyn Miller, created the artwork that brought the worlds of Myst to life. After Myst, he worked on a number of other games, including a number of titles at Westwood Studios. He has created artwork for TV shows like Babylon 5, Crusade, and Mortal Kombat Krusades, as well as for motion rides like “Star Trek: The Experience” and Disney’s “Mission to Mars”. Chuck currently heads Eagre Games.

Eagre’s first game, ZED, was released in 2019 through a partnership with Cyan Ventures, Cyan’s new VR publishing arm.

Adrian is a partnered Twitch streamer since 2014 and Stage/Gaming Host since 2016. Throughout his career, he has interviewed the likes of Stan Lee, Bennett Foddy, Evanna Lynch, Keita Takahashi, Kenny Omega, and more. He has spent his years at Comic Cons, PAX, E3, the White House, and most recently, online shows to bring his own style of conversation to gaming culture. When he’s not interviewing others, you can catch him speaking with his community at twitch.tv/okaydrian.

You can also find him on Twitter at twitter.com/okaydrian.

Patrick will be celebrating his 23rd year in the industry this year. Having worked on a variety of projects with a multitude of talented people over the years, he continues to be as passionate as ever for the medium he loves. Notable titles he has worked on include Splinter Cell Chaos Theory, Myst IV Revelation and Deus Ex Mankind Divided. Patrick is currently a senior Gameplay Director at Eidos Montreal where he is working on a soon to be announced title. The rest of the time, he continues to enjoy reading and introducing his twin son and daughter to the joys of classic gaming and Japanese anime.

Amy creates narrative video games that focus on personal and innovative stories. Her titles with Numinous Games include That Dragon, Cancer; Untethered, an episodic virtual reality mystery that allows the player to speak out loud to the characters within the game; as well as games designed for clients including Busuu, a language learning company and Novartis, a pharmaceutical company. Amy has given a TED talk that has over a million views, she has been a featured speaker at Pop Tech, Games for Change, SXSW, Notre Dame and the University of Chicago.

Veronica Hamilton (aka “Vee” or “Blade Lakem” on some community forums) is the primary developer of the Unwritten roleplaying game. She is one of the lore curators for Cyan’s lore archival project and one of the triumvirate behind Inkworks Productions. Vee is an avid fan and active in the community since the days of Uru Prime, and played J.D. Barnes during MOUL. She is semi-professional designer of constructed languages, a former member of the Mysterium committee, and has been known to get into knife-fights over prescriptive linguistics.

Claire is an LA-based art director and concept artist who has been active in the games industry for over a decade. She’s currently at Valve, having just shipped Half-Life: Alyx, and is working on a number of other extremely cool projects with extremely cool people.

Claire previously worked as the production designer on Westworld VR at HBO, as well as contributing concept art to a number of titles including Obduction, Fable Legends, and Bioshock Infinite. She still has her original Myst journal from when she was six, and has fully resigned herself to the fact that her username is still a D’ni portmanteau she came up with in 1999.

Michel is the CEO of Extality, a world-class team of dedicated AR/VR industry professionals focused on delivering creative and reliable solutions to organizations facing complex challenges. The team is deeply involved with the Magic Leap One and other innovative mixed reality devices. He is also President & CEO of Oceanhouse Media, a leading developer and publisher of apps for the mobile market.

Michel found prior success with Presto Studios, an independent video game development company that he ran for 11 years. Presto Studios had numerous hits including The Journeyman Project series, Myst III: Exile, and more. Michel was the Executive Producer on Myst III.

Tim’s history with Cyan started as sound designer for Riven, and later as the Audio Director and composer for URU and Myst V.

Tim Larkin is currently working at Valve having composed music and created sound design for games such as DOTA 2, CSGO, Half Life 2 Ep 1 and 2, Portal 1 and 2, Left 4 Dead 1 and 2 as well as the most current score for Artifact which can be heard at https://soundcloud.com/timlarkin/sets/artifact-soundtrack.

Tim still lives in Spokane where he enjoys the benefits of the Inland Northwest outdoor lifestyle.

More info on Tim can be found here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tim_Larkin
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1265003/

Blake is a thirty year veteran in the interactive entertainment industry. He was a pioneer in digital video game distribution (GameTap, GameTree TV, Myst Online: URU Live) and drove strategic development of interactive products at major media companies (Warner Brothers, Time Warner, Turner Broadcasting, Ericsson). Currently he is founder and president of Atlanta Game Cooperative, a consulting service focused on immersive media (video games, AR and VR). Of his accomplishments, wrangling the rights to Myst III and IV back from Ubisoft and having a DVD-ROM published on the planet Mars are at the top of the list.

Check out https://atlantagamecooperative.com/ for more information.

Nate is a musician with a propensity for exploration within the world of music and sound. A drummer by trade but also an audio engineer, Nate specializes in using a mobile recording rig in order to record instruments and sounds in unconventional environments. Nate has done music and sound design for iPhone and Android games, films, TV commercials & more.

While working at the legendary Southern Track Studios in Atlanta, Nate was part of a project that used internet2 and live stream video to enable Michael Tilson Thomas to conduct a student orchestra at Georgia Tech University while in Florida, in real time.

Nate has also toured with the Nashville-based alternative band VERIDIA as a front of house engineer.

To hear some of his work and any of his 7 solo projects which range from experimental and industrial to progressive metal and electronic, visit his website at SpaceStationStudios.com

His album “There’s Nothing To Talk About” is an experimental concept album, with its foundation in Musique Concrete, a musical style that utilizes environmental sounds, human voices, synthesizers and electronic instruments, originally developed by Pierre Schaeffer in the 1940s. The album explores and reveals the effects of abandoning the familiar and embracing the unknown, in an attempt to confront fear and pain through isolation in nature.

With a programming background complemented by a McGill MBA (IT & International Business), Geneviève has been IT Consultant, Manager and Director for 11 years, while living in 5 countries (Canada, Belgium, Sweden, Trinidad & Spain). She then became Game Producer and Senior Game Director at Ubisoft and A2M (now Behaviour Interactive) in Montréal, where she worked on Myst IV. Since 2007 she has been the Montreal Industry Liaison and Branch Director for the Burlington Champlain College.

Geneviève’s special interests are coaching, the optimization of managerial methods, and all applications of new media. When not working she can be found with her nose in a good book (history, fantasy, science fiction, literature and European comics) or playing games (RPG, MMOS, strategy and casual). Geneviève is committed to helping people harness the positive effects of new technologies, as well as helping games reach their full potential as a new media.

Stephan is an acclaimed multi award winning science fiction and fantasy artist. In 2012 Stephan was voted one of the 50 Most Inspirational Artists by Imagine FX Magazine. His body of work has come to be recognized by artists and designers across the globe. His work not only holds an astounding uniqueness of vision, but as a digital pioneer he has set the bar for digital painting as a whole. In the past 30 years he has become known for his talent, versatility and imagination in every entertainment field including feature films, animation, video games, theme parks, editorial, commercial and book covers.

Stephan was the art director for id Software’s visually acclaimed Rage. He is also an accomplished concept illustrator who has worked on movies such as Alita: Battle Angel, Alpha, Aquaman, Ready Player One, The Suicide Squad, Independence Day: Resurgence, Tomorrowland, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Guardians of the Galaxy, 300: Rise of an Empire, Total Recall (2012), Tron: Legacy, Star Trek, Star Wars: Episodes 2-3, Knowing, I, Robot, as well as the upcoming Foundation TV series, The Masters of the Universe and Shang-chi. He has also worked extensively over the last 10 years with Disney Imagineering on Disneyland parks and expansions across the globe doing visual development for The Guardians of the Galaxy, The Pirates of the Caribbean, Avatar, Star Wars, and The Avengers. He is currently a visual consultant and freelance concept illustrator on various films, games and theme parks and frequently teaches workshops and presents lectures worldwide. He is an advisory board member of the CG society.

Myst fans will remember him as the visual art director for URU: Ages Beyond Myst, URU: The Path of the Shell, and Myst V: End of Ages. Stephan created many of the beautiful concept art pieces that we have all come to love from those games.

More info on Stephan can be found at his website – www.martiniere.com

Rand Miller is a trailblazer in the video game industry – meaning he has gray hair. He co-founded Cyan 30+ years ago and has developed everything from MMO’s to mobile apps, including the blockbusters Myst and Riven. His passion is discovery, and when he’s not exploring the real world with his wife, he concocts ideas of strange places that can only be explored virtually. Even though Myst is now officially a museum-piece, he optimistically feels that the best years lie ahead.

Decades ago, long before you were born, Robyn co-founded Cyan with his brother, Rand. Together, they helped pioneer the concept of early point-and-click gaming, including the hit games Myst and Riven. Today, as a feeble old man, Robyn is still guided by a principle he learned from his early years as a skateboarder: avoid the status quo and take risks. To that end, he continues to experiment in everything from acting, writing and directing films, composing music, and running a small film production company with his wife. But no matter what he has done, nothing will ever beat seeing his illustration of Atrus (from the Myst box) showing up on countless “WARNING” signs, at airports around the country.

Marty O’Donnell earned his Masters of Music Degree in Composition with honors from USC in 1981. He then founded the Chicago-based commercial music and sound production company, TotalAudio, writing and producing numerous film scores and jingles such as Flintstones Kids and Mr. Clean. In 1997 he produced sound design for Cyan’s Riven: The Sequel to Myst, and created all of the audio for Bungie’s award-winning Myth series.

In the spring of 2000 Marty accepted a position as Bungie’s Audio Director and Composer, where he worked on developing Halo for the launch of the Xbox. The audio and music for the Halo series has received numerous honors and awards, including the Game Developers Choice Award, the Edge Award, Rolling Stone Magazine’s Best Game Soundtrack, and Best Sound/Music from the AIAS, IGDA, GANG, TEC, and Spike TV.

In July of 2007, Marty helped to lead Bungie in regaining its independence. His final project with them, Destiny, featured music in collaboration with Sir Paul McCartney. In addition to creating and overseeing sound design, music, and implementation, Marty also did the casting and directing of all the voice acting for Bungie’s games. The music and audio from Destiny have won several awards including Best Audio and Best Music from the AIAS. He was awarded GANG’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2016. Marty is co-founder and co-owner of Highwire Games in Seattle. Their first title, Golem, was an exclusive title for Playstation VR released in 2019. He has also composed and produced Echoes of the First Dreamer: The Musical Prequel to Golem, which is currently available.

Kha’tie has been a Myst fan since 1995, when she and her then new husband Rick (aka “Timeposter”) played with a small group of friends on a borrowed computer. She soon discovered the incredible Myst fan community online, first in Cyan Chat, then on the Lyst, and later in Myst Community, where she learned a ton about community and how to best manage them.

After volunteering as a Community Manager for a few years, she got a job at Ubisoft as Community Manager for Myst Worlds in 2003 during the development of Uru (and the secret development of Myst IV). After Myst V and the Uru sequels launched, she moved to other studios including Cartoon Network, Gazillion, Disruptor Beam, and Stoic, and worked on titles including Stargate, Star Trek, Marvel, and Game of Thrones. After the Myst 25th Kickstarter, she worked with Cyan as a community, social media, and marketing management consultant. She is currently Project Manager for the Myst Documentary.

Melinda is a 3D artist with 14 years of experience in the industry. She has worked on titles including Quantum Break, Forza, and the Halo franchise. She currently works as Senior Artist at Worlds Edge Studios on the Age of Empires franchise.

Her life has been entwined with Cyan and the Myst series for two decades now. Professionally, she began her career as an intern at Cyan, working on Cosmic Osmo’s Hex Isle, and later she created art for the Obduction Kickstarter. She’s also known for her intricate costuming and crafting.

Learn more about Melinda at her website (http://www.melinda3d.com/)

Jamey discovered his love for games in 1993 when he double-clicked on the icon to launch Myst. After landing his first industry job at Presto Studios in 1995 to work on The Journeyman Project 3, the following opportunity to work on Myst 3 as the Audio Director was a dream come true. After his departure from Presto in 2001, Jamey spent a decade freelancing in the game industry for leading companies such as Naughty Dog and Epic Games. After 6 years as the lead sound designer for the Gears of War franchise, he decided that he wanted to explore the world of film sound so he moved to Hollywood and tried his luck. After a significant struggle in the Hollywood trenches, he finally achieved that goal and has since worked with many of the biggest film directors in the world while building up a massive resume of films and shows. He is currently working with Stefano Sollima as the sound designer on Tom Clancy’s Without Remorse and with Ridley Scott on his forthcoming epic Sci-fi HBO show, Raised By Wolves.

Philip Shane is a documentary filmmaker with more than 30 years of experience. He was co-director and editor of Being Elmo: A Puppeteer’s Journey (Winner of the Special Jury Prize at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival), and most recently was editor of Dancing in Jaffa, which had its World Premiere at the 2013 TriBeCaFilm Festival, and for which he and fellow editor Bob Eisenhardt won the Best Editing Award at Israel’s prestigious DocAviv Film Festival. He produced and edited Einstein (2008, History Channel).

At ABC News for nearly a decade, Shane edited many distinguished programs including Ted Kopple’s Iraq War documentary, Tip of the Spear, which won the 2004 DuPont Columbia Award for Broadcast Journalism, and Martin Luther King: Searching For The Promised Land (1999) which won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Historical Program. A short film he made with Peter Jennings and Senior Producer Richard Gerdau, Witness to History, preserved Jennings’ personal memories of 9/11 and has been placed in the permanent collection of the Smithsonian Museum of American History.

In addition to Dancing in Jaffa and Being Elmo, Shane has edited many films about performing artists. With Paul McCartney, his daughter Mary, and director Alistair Donald, he made the film Wingspan (2001), about the McCartney family’s life after The Beatles. His previous project, The Beatles Revolution (2000) told the story of the band through the memories of musicians, artists, politicians, writers, and other celebrities. Other artists he’s worked with include Carly Simon, Bruce Springsteen, and the Boston Symphony Orchestra.

Recent Mysterium attendees will remember seeing Philip wandering the con-room with a video camera. He is currently running a Kickstarter for the upcoming Myst Documentary.

Bill Slease has 15 years of experience in the video game industry including director level roles on award-winning AAA products and licensed IP. He spent 6 of those years at Cyan in various roles including technical art, technical game design, Production Director, and finally as the Live Content Director on the beloved Myst Online.

He has also worked as a Senior Research Programmer at the Center for Cognitive Brain Imaging at Carnegie Mellon, as Technical Development Director and Lead Gameplay Engineer on the ill-fated Stargate Worlds MMO, and as a senior engineer on an equally (but less traumatically) ill-fated Facebook fantasy politics simulator.

Bill is a published author in trade and theological journals on the intersection of video games and learning sciences and has spoken by invitation on those topics to a wide range of audiences. He’s the author of a series of comedic Arthurian novels under the pen-name Liam Perrin. And he teaches game design, artificial intelligence, game engine architecture, and game systems courses as a faculty member at Embry Riddle Aeronautical University.

After playing the original MYST video game, Casey began studying computer graphics in college. His interest in the emerging world of 3D computer graphics would take him to Presto Studios where he worked as the Lead Modeler of the Amateria Age on MYST III Exile. Casey credits the exceptionalism of the artists at Presto Studios as a determining factor for his career trajectory. After Presto, Casey would go on to receive a Masters of Science in Biomedical Visualization before working as a Creative Director for a Manhattan pharmaceutical marketing agency. In 2008, Casey started Biologic Models, a biomolecular design and visualization studio.

Casey lives and works as a Medical Illustrator and Research Scientist in Oklahoma with his dog Bodhi.

Biologic Models: https://biologicmodels.com/

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0971498/

Wired Magazine: https://www.wired.com/2011/08/st-hemoglobin/

Brice studied computer graphics in school and fell into video games when it became clear that it was where the interesting things were happening in the space in the early 90s. He was a founder of Headspin Technologies which supplied the game engine for the initial version of RealMyst and Uru. In 2000 the Headspin crew moved to Spokane to become part of Cyan Worlds.

Since leaving Cyan in 2004 Brice worked various consulting jobs including a long stint with genetics visualization. In 2012 he moved to Seattle to work at Amazon on Alexa and Kindle and now works for Google on Street View.

Jack Wall is an ASCAP award-winning and BAFTA nominated composer best known for his rich, cinematic scores found within popular video game franchises such as Call of Duty: Black Ops 2, 3, & 4, and Mass Effect 1 & 2. Most recently Wall scored the supernatural drama television series Shadowhunters: The Mortal Instruments airing on Disney’s Freeform TV as well as the latest record-breaking entry in the blockbuster Call of Duty series, Call of Duty: Black Ops 4. He has also written additional music score for numerous other TV series including the fantasy drama series Reign on the CW and Emerald City on NBC as well as scoring the hi-octane action film Hard Target 2 available on Netflix.

However, Myst fans will know him as the composer of the beautiful soundtracks from Myst III and IV. Composing for and conducting a full symphony orchestra and master chorale, Wall first garnered attention with his dramatic score for Ubisoft’s Myst III: Exile, receiving universal critical acclaim including several Soundtrack of the Year honors. For the climactic sequel, Myst IV: Revelation, Wall was awarded Music of the Year at the Game Developers Conference.

Mysterium 2020 Special Guests

Eric Anderson

Mike “RIUM+” Ando

Chuck Carter

Adrian “Okaydrian” F.E.

“Moiety” Jean Fioca

Patrick Fortier

Hannah Gamiel

Amy Green

Ryan Green

Eleri Hamilton

Veronica Hamilton

Claire “Shoom’lah” Hummel

Dan Irish

Karl Johnson

Eva “laughingpineapple” Jucci

Michel Kripalani

Tim Larkin

Blake Lewin

Nate Lewin

Geneviève Lord

Keith “Tweek” Lord

Stephan Martiniere

Rand Miller

Robyn Miller

Marty O’Donnell

Mike Perrotto

Katie “Kha’tie” Postma

Melinda “rivenchan” Rose

Phil Salvador

Phil Saunders

Jamey Scott

Philip Shane

Bill Slease

Rod Stafford

Casey Steffen

Brice Tebbs

Jack Wall

Ryan “greydragon” Warzecha