Shaun Gannon

Narrative & Dialogue Expert

Talent

Lake Forest, OrangeMember since January 20, 2023

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About

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.

Experience

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