Project ghosts

The Internet is a place where content can live forever, but with the click of a mouse, it can also vanish in an instant. The work featured here is some of my best, but alas, most of it has been obliterated. All that remains is what you see here. Feel free to ask me about any of them.

Breakthrough -
National Geographic Channel

Producers Ron Howard and Brian Grazer wanted a web experience as innovative as the technologies featured in their series, and we delivered. This project ultimately won a prestigious SXSW Interactive Award in a highly competitive year. I researched and wrote hours' worth of informative, easily digestible content that supported and supplemented the show themes. It was a lot of work, but it was also one of my favorite projects.

Watch the overview video

Rise of the Robots -
Smithsonian Channel

While there's an argument to be made for a terrifying future in which robots run amok, this TV special chose a more optimistic route. I researched and wrote roughly 100 content pieces for this "sci-fi history of mechanical men and hybrid humans." It lived online and in an interactive kiosk in the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. Once again, my inner fanboy was tickled when actor Bruce Campbell, whom I had included in the content, shared links to the experience via his socials, not once, but TWICE. Groovy, indeed.

Watch the teaser video

Soldier of Steel -
Army National Guard &
Warner Bros. Pictures

Anticipation was high for Henry Cavill's first outing as Superman, and the United States Army National Guard asked us to team up with the Man of Steel to create a recruitment tool. I wore a lot of capes on this project, writing the game copy and promo materials, serving as a creative director, and helping land the gig in the first place. As an unabashed nerd, the fanboy in me was delighted to participate in this project.

Watch a playthrough

Legends of the Hidden Temple -
Nickelodeon

Designed as one of the very first interactive Instagram adventures, this quick game had players exploring the hidden temple in search of the great Olmec and his treasures. I had fun writing the game and the social media campaign supporting it. Pre-teen Jason would have been impressed by older Jason's promo script being performed by the voice of Olmec himself.

Watch the teaser video

American Blackout -
National Geographic Channel

What would happen if America lost electricity for an extended period of time? Research suggests that chaos would ensue in less than a week. The research I conducted to write everything in this content-rich interactive experience almost surely resulted in my addition to any number of government watchlists. I even served as a featured model in one of the scenes. As I recall, I was toting a pair of gas cans across the wasteland. So very glamorous.

Oak Island Dig! -
History Channel

Even if you don't believe a cursed treasure still waits to be discovered on Oak Island, this retro game we created to promote History Channel's long-running series is more fun than you'd expect. I researched and wrote all the copy for the game and its promotion, and I lived to tell the tale unscathed.

The Story of God -
National Geographic Channel

Actor Morgan Freeman (please read the rest of this in his voice) set out on a personal journey around the world to explore his faith. Each episode was full of interesting facts and opinions, and our interactive episode companion highlighted some of the best and examined them further. As with most of my projects with NeoPangea, I wrote the highly detailed pitch deck that won this job, as well as all of the content in this respectful, digital pilgrimage.

Make Mars Home -
National Geographic Channel

By far, this was the most ambitious project in which I participated at NeoPangea. A prestige series by Ron Howard and Brian Grazer, "Mars" was a hybrid series that blended the fictional account of the first crewed mission to Mars with real interviews featuring some of the brightest scientific minds of the day. To promote the series, we created an alternate reality recruitment edutainment experience so convincing that I had to write an extra webpage explaining that the recruitment drive wasn't real. I was immersed in space science content for an entire year, writing game instructions, educational content for the main site, fictional social media posts from the crew and mission control, etc. The mission was a success, even at a tragic cost. Ask me about it...

Keystone Vintage Lumber

This vintage lumber boutique was in search of an identity and a unique way to tell its story. I got to know the craftsmen a bit and helped create a narrative that articulated their core motivations with a touch of nostalgia and a wisp of whimsy. While I wrote most of the copy on the site, I suggest you check out the "Tree Tales" page for a quick story that may convince you to buy some aged wood products.

Explore the site

Savage Kingdom -
Nat Geo WILD

Nature can be both brutal and poetic, and my copy reflected that in this series companion experience. I provided gripping summaries of series action and character profiles, deftly mimicking the tone of the show. Since we were granted rare access to the series narrator and "Game of Thrones" star Charles Dance (Tywin Lannister), I wrote dozens of unique lines that were performed by Mr. Dance exclusively for use in our experience. I managed to slip a fun nod to GoT into the work... "There be dragons."

Reading Museum

When our local public museum reached out for help modernizing its aging web presence, we stepped up. I grew up visiting this museum on countless school field trips, and I got married in its planetarium under the stars, so I knew it well. I used my fond memories and intense site visits to reimagine the museum's unique attractions and offerings, and I re-wrote the majority of the site content. (Just between you and me, getting married in a planetarium under the stars is romantic and memorable, but it makes for lousy pictures. My wife was not amused when we got our photos back.)

American Genius -
National Geographic Channel

"American Genius" dramatized the lives and accomplishments of exceptional Americans, including the Wright brothers, Thomas Edison, Smith and Wesson, and more. As with many of these National Geographic Channel projects, much of the content that I wrote repackaged and reinterpreted story beats from the show, but the overall experience was a rich extension of the series that was ripe for classroom use. This was also one of the rare projects on which I had a few writing partners, and given the depth of the content on this one, they were most welcome collaborators.

Rule the '90s Trivia Machine -
National Geographic Channel

While there was no literal "machine," I did research and write a ton of '90s trivia for a show-related competition that ultimately awarded the best trivia whiz a "Mortal Kombat" arcade machine. As a Gen Xer, this one was a blast to write. It was equal parts nostalgia, fact, and good-natured snark.

Dr. Pol Vet Rescue -
Nat Geo WILD

This fun, casual game gave fans of "The Incredible Dr. Pol" a way to relax and learn at the same time. My copy helped guide players through their adventures with instructions and helpful animal facts. Who doesn't want to help protect adorable kittens? Only soulless monsters, that's who.