Shaun Gannon

Hello, I am Shaun Gannon: artist, creator, visionary, and humble person.

For as long as I can remember, I have wanted to make people laugh, and ever since I started writing creatively in my youth, I’ve wanted to make people expand their perspectives, or at least consider something they never had before. I also have an innate desire to experience things I’ve never experienced before, and this carries into my creative output. The moments where I can provide an unexpected laugh, or a stark realization, or some complex emotion the audience struggles to comprehend, and can only feel instead of explain–these are the moments in writing that I cherish most.

I grew up in midwestern USA, where I earned a bachelor’s degree in creative writing. I then moved to the east coast to earn a graduate degree in poetry. Before leaving academia and relocating to the west coast, I spent several years teaching college students rhetoric and creative writing, as well as assisting students of all ages in reading and writing, both in-person and remotely, as a tutor for multiple companies.

I still have a strong penchant for education and a collaborative spirit; not only do I wish to succeed in my own work, but I strive to see my trainees, my peers, and my team grow and accomplish more than ever before as well. I have continued my educational efforts during my time in the video game industry by training newer staff assigned to my projects, creating and maintaining a style guide along with other training materials, and providing the editorial department multiple opportunities to experience new writing in new mediums.

Ultimately, I aim to create impactful, entertaining art that delights and surprises.

Primary Duties

• Edit Japanese-to-English translated game text, video scripts, 
  and advertising copy for accuracy, quality, and context
• Modify game cinematics to ensure proper dialogue timing, character blocking, and cinematography
• Aid in LQA process by logging and resolving text issues
• Assist with voice recording process by creating audition sheets, casting picks, and facilitating quality control

Key Impacts

• Edited game text for Metacritic’s highest-rated game (2020)
• Directly contributed to brand’s reputation for strong localization
• Developed Internal Style Guide wiki—elevated writing quality and standardized best practices in grammar and punctuation
• Co-authored Cutscene Editing Manual—streamlined onboarding process by standardizing this labor-intensive practice
• Formed a Reading Circle to analyze games from narrative design perspective—enhanced team investment and creativity
• Wrote video script for game promo (available on YouTube)
• Reviewed and carefully critiqued 4-page editorial assessments
  to determine right-fit editing candidates
• Leveraged teaching experience to train and coach new editors

Master of Fine Arts - Creative Writing

University of Maryland

College Park, MD

Aug. 2010 to May 2013

Bachelor of Arts - English

Ball State University

2000 W. University Ave, Muncie, IN

Aug. 2005 to Dec. 2009

Honors Diploma

Portage High School

6450 US 6, Portage, IN

Aug. 2001 to May 2005