Curator of The Week: Juan Vaca
1. How did you get started in Gaming? What's been your career road map?
After leaving the Marines, I knew if I was going to work at a desk, I’d want it to be in gaming, but I didn’t know where to start. Relying on my family’s advice of getting an education, I started at my local community college and eventually transferred to USC. My curriculum was a mix of animation, film, game design, story-telling, and visual effects. I made a lot of student games and then entered the industry at Telltale Games, then went to a start-up, and most recently led all the interactive stories at Netflix. I led the project that won this year’s Emmy for Most Outstanding Interactive Media. I’m currently the Story Director at The Coalition and I look forward to many more years telling stories in games.
2. What has been an important, perhaps the most important, lesson you’ve learned in your career so far?
It’s okay to make mistakes, get things wrong, or fail with projects. It’s all part of the learning process. The most important thing is to listen to feedback and understand what isn’t working, so that you can pivot and grow. Being open to feedback is scary but an important path to take for your personal growth.
3. What inspires your creativity? What is your creative process like?
The world around me is my inspiration - I believe in the universal stories that we all share through emotion. We like to laugh and cry, sing and dance. I’m also a musician, and I like to get lost in the performance of playing music and jam, and improv with my band. Music connects me and I build harmony with the world.
My creative process involves a lot of research - I like to really understand the balance of systems and how things work. I keep my ideas light and share small samples, once I have too much to track - I write it down and turn it from a thought to a thing. Then I let my ideas incubate and usually pull them out when I’m looking for solutions to creative problems.
4. If you could go back in time, what would you have told your younger self?
Believe in yourself more - Everyone out here is trying something new for the first time. The secret truth is we’re all lost and have no idea what we’re doing - might as well make the most of it and live without fear.
5. What’s the most interesting thing you’ve read or seen this week?
An article that went down a rabbit hole of how a CEO claimed to be the 2nd ranked Wii Tennis player in the world. After a lot of research of many generalizations being made, it explained how the myth and misconception aligned. Spoiler alert: he wasn’t.
6. Any closing thoughts you want to share with the ThinkLA Members?
You are on your own path and timeline. Don’t compare yourself to others, focus on what you can do and trust yourself, it’s never too late to pivot into the life you want to build. The unknown is scary but if you don’t change, how are you growing; and if you stay the same, then where are you going?
Want to know where you can follow Juan on social media?
Twitter: @juancow
Twitter: @LatinosinGaming