you know something’s wrong but…

You’re just not sure what to fix first.

That’s How I Help

I diagnose game studio dysfunction — the communication breakdowns, decision failures, and co-dev integration problems that cost you milestones, budget, and your team’s trust.

I Know What This Looks Like From the Inside

Most consultants diagnose your process from the outside and hand you a framework. I’ve been an EP and production director at AA/AAA studios — building production orgs from scratch, navigating pivots, managing co-dev partners, and sitting in the same rooms you’re sitting in now. I know what dysfunction feels like before it shows up in the schedule.

I’ve spent 25+ years shipping games across almost every role in production — starting as a programmer and designer, growing into production, and eventually running studio execution at the EP level. I’ve worked alongside studio directors trying to hold a dysfunctional team together under milestone pressure, helping them find the clarity and structure to move forward. I’ve been the co-dev partner stepping into an existing production mid-flight, having to earn trust and deliver under pressure.

That breadth of perspective — across disciplines, roles, and production contexts — is what makes the work useful. I’m not pattern-matching from the outside. I’ve lived it from the inside.

I work with AA, AAA, and well-funded indie studios in active production — and with the publishers and investors behind them

What dysfunction looks like

It rarely starts with a big failure. It starts quietly — a few delayed decisions, a few priority shifts, a few deliverables that come back around in review or integration. Output stays high, but you’re not seeing it in the build. The team is busy. The game isn’t moving.

In creative teams — especially in game development — dysfunction is rarely loud. There’s no screaming, no obvious crisis. People are showing up, doing the work, hitting their tasks. The problems are layered and subtle: a misalignment that nobody’s named yet, a decision that got made without the right people in the room, a co-dev handoff that’s slightly off every single time. It compounds quietly until it isn’t quiet anymore.

This is what makes it hard to spot from the inside — and expensive by the time it’s visible from the outside.

Priorities shift without resolution — the same conversations keep happening

Decisions get made in one room and unmade in another

Your co-dev partners have unclear expectations — and you’re absorbing the rework

Pipelines and integration handoffs are messier than they should be

Deliverables come in off-target, or on time but wrong

Lots of work is getting done — but little of it is showing up in the game

If you’re a publisher or investor watching a studio show these signs, you’re probably already asking questions they can’t answer clearly. That gap, between what leadership thinks is happening and what’s actually happening, is usually where the real problem lives.

When the dysfunction gets fixed…

The change is faster than most people expect. Not because it’s easy — but because dysfunction compounds in both directions. The same systems that were quietly making everything harder start making everything easier.

Decisions get made and stay made — the same conversation stops happening twice

Your co-dev partners know what’s expected

Deliverables come in closer to the mark with less rework

Pipelines and integration handoffs get predictable with less rework and difficulty

Milestones start holding with less heroics, less stress, and fewer issues

Your production plan starts to reflect reality, and your game gets back on track

Work is showing up in the build and you can see the game moving again

For publishers and investors: the studio starts answering your questions clearly. Confidence returns, not because the problems are hidden, but because there’s an actual plan for them.

Not sure what to fix first?

Start Here

The First Read is a free 45-minute call for Studio Heads, EPs, senior production leaders, and the publishers and investors behind them.

Most studios know something is wrong long before they know what it is. The First Read is designed for exactly that moment… When you can feel the friction but can’t name it precisely enough to act on it.

We look at where your team is losing ground: decision ownership, priority stability, communication breakdown, co-dev integration friction, and the gap between what leadership thinks is happening and what’s actually happening. You leave with a clear picture of your highest-leverage problem and a 1-page written summary within 48 hours — whether we work together or not.

No pitch. No prep needed.
You leave with a clear picture of your highest-leverage problem and a 1-page written summary within 48 hours — whether we work together or not.

Let’s get your team back on track… Here’s how.

The First Read — free 45-minute call + 1-page written summary. The right starting point if you know something is wrong but aren’t sure what.

Studio Execution Diagnostic — a focused 2-week assessment that tells you exactly what’s broken, why, and what to fix first. Delivered as an executive summary and a full prioritized report.

Execution Recovery — 4 to 8 weeks of hands-on work implementing the priority fixes. Remote-first with on-site sessions where it makes sense.

Studio Advisory — a light monthly retainer for studios or publishers who want a standing outside resource for production health, co-dev integration, and leadership alignment.

FAQ

Is this just a sales call?

No. The First Read is a real diagnostic conversation with a real written output. I’ll ask structured questions about how decisions, priorities, and work are moving through your team. Within 48 hours you get a 1-page written summary of where I think the friction is highest and what I’d focus on first — whether we work together or not.

I’m a publisher or investor, not a studio. Is the First Read relevant for me?

Yes — and it’s often more useful at that level than inside the studio. If you have a funded studio showing signs of delivery distress — missed milestones, leadership instability, co-dev integration problems — the First Read gives you an independent outside read on what’s actually happening and what the highest-leverage fix is. You don’t need to prep anything. Just join the call and tell me what you’re seeing.

We’re already deep into production. Is it too late for this to help?

It’s rarely too late — and mid-production is actually when the First Read is most useful. The further you are into development, the more expensive dysfunction becomes. A single conversation that identifies your highest-leverage fix can change the trajectory of the next 3–6 months more than another sprint cycle will.

I’ve worked with consultants before and got frameworks, not results. How is this different?

I’m not a slide deck consultant. I’ve been an EP and production director at AA/AAA studios. I’ve lived these problems from the inside. The First Read isn’t a framework audit. It’s a focused diagnostic conversation followed by a concrete written summary of what to fix first. If we go further, every engagement is outcome-driven, not deliverable-driven.

I don’t have 45 minutes right now. My plate is full.

That’s usually a sign you need this more than most. If your team is struggling, every week you don’t address it compounds the problem. The First Read is 45 minutes that could save months of rework. You don’t need to prep anything — just join the call.

Can this work if we’re using co-dev or outsourcing partners?

Yes — that’s often where dysfunction shows up first. Partner coordination, review cycles, and integration handoffs are some of the highest-friction points in mid-production. The First Read covers all of it — including the gap between what the studio expects and what the co-dev partner understands they’re delivering.

25+ years. Six studios. Every major discipline.

If something isn’t working the way it should, the First Read is the fastest way to find out what to fix first.

Book the first read