Speakers - SGDA 2026 Summit

SGDA SUMMIT | 2026 SPEAKERS

Production Panel

Time: Saturday, June 27th, 11:00AM PT

Amanda Sharkey (she/her)

Production Coordinator at Absurd Ventures

Amanda Sharkey is a self proclaimed “person who likes helping cool people make cool stuff”. She was a Dungeons & Dragons production intern with Wizards of the Coast, managed playtesting and publishing as an intern for Riot Games, and, after graduating in 2024, worked in animation operations at Titmouse. Currently, she's a production coordinator at Absurd Ventures, helping produce an unannounced title.

Gabriel Tutone (he/him)

Technical Producer at World's Edge

Gabriel Tutone is currently working at World's Edge as Technical Producer for two engineering teams. Between 2021 and 2025, he was a Producer at Monolith Productions, working on Wonder Woman. From 2018 to 2021, he was at Keywords Studios as a Localization Producer, working with dozens of developers from AAA to indie to build solutions to ship their games on time. He got his start back in 2013 at Bungie as a Localization Specialist, where he shipped Destiny and Destiny 2.

Art Panel

Time: Saturday, June 27th, 1:00PM PT

Zaineb Aljumayaat (she/her)

Freelance 3D Environment Artist

Zaineb Aljumayaat is a freelance artist who specializes in stylized and hand-painted textures, worlds, and environments. At the Rhode Island School of Design, she learned to combine her love for painterly textures with the technical 3D and graduated with a BFA in illustration in May 2025. Previous companies she worked at include Riot Games and NASA. Zaineb is known for her digital hand-painted textures, and, most recently, the stylized 3D models of the Artemis II spacecraft she created for NASA's Artemis II Launch.

Timothy Lim (he/him)

Technical Artist at Refactor Games

Timothy Lim is a technical artist writing shaders and tools/scripts for art pipelines at Refactor Games. He loves doing whatever he can to make things easier for the artists on his team. Timothy also love roguelikes and fighting games!

Audio Fireside Chat

Time: Saturday, June 27th, 3:00PM PT

Mason Lieberman (he/him)

Music and Audio Director at Interleave

Mason Lieberman is an award-winning composer, audio director, and producer known for his contributions to the gaming and anime zeitgeist. He prides himself on being a problem-solver whose biggest passion is always to connect people through music. A few of the many titles Mason has contributed his talents to include Overwatch 2, The Outer Worlds 2, and League of Legends. Today, Mason is the Music and Audio Director at Interleave and faculty at USC and Berklee College of Music.

Writing Panel

Time: Sunday, June 26th, 10:00AM PT

Jun Chen (she/they)

Communications Specialist at Ubisoft

Jun Chen is a Communications Specialist at Ubisoft, leading campaigns for titles such as Assassin's Creed, Rainbow Six Siege, Just Dance, Rayman Legends Retold, and more. They write materials referenced by journalists and creators for content, draft project briefs and social copy for celebrity and influencer partnerships, and answer lots of questions. Lots and lots of questions.

Manny Hagopian (he/him)

Narrative Consultant at various studios, including Respawn Entertainment

Manny Hagopian brings 13+ years of experience as Lead Writer, Narrative Director, and Creative Director in the gaming industry. Most notably, Manny helped create the universe of Titanfall and Apex Legends, writing and creating over a dozen characters as well as writing for the Star Wars Jedi series.

Andrea Saravia Pérez

Founder and Writer at Atrium Interactive

Andrea Saravia Pérez is a writer, narrative designer and producer currently running Atrium Interactive with 7+ years of experience across AAA, tabletop and indie titles. You might have seen Andrea's work in games like Civilization 7, Heavy Gear 3, and H1B.Life. Andrea focuses on building stories that connect with players, introducing clients to strategic opportunities in order to grow their projects.

Engineering Panel

Time: Sunday, June 28th, 12:00PM PT

Israel (Izzy) Jones (he/him)

Gameplay Engineer and Technical Designer at Secret Door

Izzy Jones started working at Secret Door in 2022, where he is currently a Gameplay Engineer and Technical Designer. He received his Bachelor's in Computer Science and Math from Harvey Mudd then his Master's in Interactive Media from USC. While in college, he taught summer game development courses at DigiPen and interned at Sony Music and CodeSpark.

Austin Hyatt (he/they)

Gameplay Programmer Intern at E-Line Media

Austin Hyatt is a technical designer and gameplay programmer who is currently a Gameplay Programmer Intern at E-Line Media. He built his experience with student projects at WPI, where he studied Interactive Media & Game Development and Computer Science, and several internships, including making mobile games at MassDigi and a co-op at NetherRealm Studios. He most enjoys working on systems at the intersection of design and engineering, where strong technical implementation helps to create better player experiences.

Game Design Panel

Time: Sunday, June 28th, 3:00PM PT

Phong Trinh (he/him)

Technical Combat Designer at Brain Jar Games

Phong Trinh is a technical combat designer for Brain Jar Games currently leading combat for Dead as Disco, and a melee action enjoyer.

Mindy Chi (she/her)

Technical Game Designer at Second Dinner

Mindy Chi is a technical game designer working on an unannounced game at Second Dinner. She previously worked at Riot Games for 5 years making League of Legends, Teamfight Tactics, and Riftbound. She loves games of all kinds, including roguelikes, card games, cozy games, and social multiplayer games. She's also an avid game jammer, fantasy/sci-fi lover, and digital artist in her free time.

Larry Wu (he/him)

System Designer at Blizzard Entertainment

Larry Wu is a System Designer on Overwatch, primarily working on Stadium and Event game modes.