Experience

Publications Authoring & Design Layout + Documentation Management

Technical Writer ~ SpaceX, Flight Software Development

• Contracted to work with Flight Software Engineers to create, vet, and publish advanced technical design & documentation for the Dragon & Falcon spacecraft.
• Gathered and synthesized information on complex technology to transfer documentation from the existing Confluence CMS through the TortoiseGit version control system into a customized reStructuredText framework, using Stash, Sphinx, Pandoc, and Emacs.

Technical Writer / Designer ~ NASA, Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)

• Contracted with the Technical Information Section to design proposal brochures for the Blue Sky Think Tank initiative of the Systems Engineering & Formulation Division at JPL, and integrated that design with larger laboratory branding standards.
• Created the Blue Sky Think Tank logo and promotional slogan.
• Wrote promotional language & designed 2D/3D imagery for multiple Technology Demonstration Opportunity Proposals required by the Solar System Mission Formulation Office. Each keystone graphic relayed detailed technical information, such as trajectory, mass, target, budget, mission risks & and anticipated scientific results which were critical for final mission selection by NASA.
• Created model layout, surfacing, & HDRI lighting for 3D models of experimental spacecraft using Foundry's Modo 3D software.
• Designed the animated Powerpoint presentation introducing a new Conceptual Vision of the Engineering & Science Directorate, as a part of the overall rebranding effort at JPL.

Technical Writer ~ Verifi, Inc.

• Created front-end User Interface (UI) design for financial analysis applications in collaboration with the CEO & Technology Department leadership.
• Designed strategy for company-wide documentation.
• Wrote & designed numerous User Guides and Quick References for external client base, including applications that provide risk & fraud management solutions for the online gaming industry via geo-compliance, chargeback dispute resolution, business transaction reporting & predictive profitability analysis.
• Wrote Instructional Guides for internal staff on the agile software development tool, JIRA.
• Designed strategy for company-wide documentation.
• Created a cross-linked Acronym Guide and Corporate Glossary.
• Wrote Business Process and PCI Compliance documentation including; Business Continuity Plan, Disaster Recovery Plan, Pandemic Recovery Plan, Data Classifications, Access Controls & Versioning, Third Party Application & Infrastructure Security, Change Management, Product & Software Development Life Cycle.
• Created one-sheet marketing advertisement for Direct Response Forum (DRF) annual event.
• Re-architected the upgraded corporate wiki, and built the foundational infrastructure which can now be leveraged for future documentation advancement.

Technical Writer ~ Digital Domain

• Contracted to conduct a business analysis of Digital Domain's corporate organization to find areas of communication optimization which by definition lead to the re-structuring of the entire global documentation hierarchical structure, encompassing 5 corporate campuses in 2 countries, each previously organized differently.
• Converted content which had formerly been stored in separate HTML & Drupal-based documentation structures into a single, unified Confluence Wiki data architecture so that employees could resource the technical & artistic knowledge base worldwide.
• Advised corporate leaders on implementation challenges associated with the new corporate Google mail and calendar integration, and served on the Beta Testing Team.
• Assisted the Web Development Team to develop a design framework that will integrate the new corporate Intranet with Confluence Wiki, as well as other data services such as the company Video Library, Campus Mapping, and Studio Glossary.
• Learned the studio's production pipeline in order to build an organizational framework for all software used at the studio, whether commercial, or proprietary software written by in-house Technical Directors and R&D Engineers.

Technical Writer ~ Dreamworks Animation Investments

• Contracted to write customer-facing Ptch iPhone Application Help Documentation, and copy-edited existing text within the application for errors.
• Created workflow graph of response scenarios to Digital Millennium Copyright Act abuses on the part of both the accused and the complainants, attempting to divide legal department procedures from in-app auto-generated customer notifications.
• Acted as a "fresh-eye" on the product, to conduct a general usability assessment and offer any suggestions for UI improvement.
• Created the first marketing language to describe some of the new products that will accompany the Ptch iPhone application so that the CTO can better present the conceptual framework to investors.

Technical Writer ~ Dreamworks Animation SKG

• Authored the Torch User's Guide and encyclopedic Torch Application Reference for the proprietary next-generation 3D lighting system created for use throughout DreamWorks Animation's global studio operations.
• Collaborated with the Research & Development Team during the agile software development cycle to create support materials related to the software application and the new production pipeline, including the development of standardized production testing communication processes, as well as the creation of pixel-accurate visual mockups of the User Interface (UI) with the goal of integrating new ideas into the application, and making various features more intuitive and efficient for the artist's workflows.
• Created instructional imagery, videos, style guides, websites, and wiki templates for global online help and training documentation.
• Created directed-acyclic graphics for clarification about the procedural steps involved in a number of processes, such as scene publishing and rendering, as well as creating graphics to explain the container relationships within the UI.
• Created targeted, hierarchical documentation spaces for multiple development, production, and training teams to use in their communications efforts.
• Captured multiple production workflows across the studio (Crowds, Surfacing, Lighting Production, Interactive Rendering, Shadows, Multi-Shot, Visual Development, Batch Rendering, etc.) which assisted with development planning.
• Worked with the R&D Design Lead to integrate the application with the online documentation so that users could directly access help information from the UI.

Technical Writer ~ Intel Corporation

• Invited to author a series of technical articles for the Visual Computing Community detailing the mechanics of lighting within the Autodesk XSI Softimage software package, & how to incorporate the language of light used in fine art, theater, & film into CGI scenes.

Simulating Real-world Film Lighting Techniques in 3D
3D Lighting In Softimage
Exploiting the Power of Softimage's Render Tree
Advanced Rendering Techniques