About

I learned the free-to-play playbook while it was being written.

Now I work on the products it doesn’t cover. Senior Design Producer and Lead Designer at Zynga, on FrontierVille and CastleVille. Producer on Ubisoft’s CSI games, including CSI: Crime City on Facebook. Independent since 2012.

Today the work is narrower: what a product sells, how it’s priced and how paying feels, when the usual answer doesn’t fit.

Bright Black

2017–present

Founder and principal. Direct work with client teams on what a product sells, how it’s priced and how paying feels. For Warner Bros., long-running product strategy, feature reviews and monetization decisions on Heads Up!.

Independent consulting

Since 2012

Began as Lead Mobile Game Designer and Senior Monetization Consultant with Adrian Crook & Associates, then founded my own practice. Clients include Warner Bros., The Pokémon Company, Electronic Arts, AMC Networks and Nickelodeon.

Zynga

2010–2012

Senior Design Producer and Lead Game Designer on FrontierVille and CastleVille. On FrontierVille, I led the creative team and guided the story and design roadmap through ongoing content releases.

Ubisoft

2006–2010

Associate Producer, Producer and Senior Producer. The CSI games, Just Dance: Kids and others, plus the original concept and production leadership for CSI: Crime City on Facebook.

NovaLogic

2003–2006

Associate Producer and Producer. Producer on Delta Force: Black Hawk Down and Writer on Joint Operations: Typhoon Rising.

Disney Interactive

1999–2000

Production intern, on Tron 2.0 among others. Where the games work started.

Talks and press

Featured in & on stage

Nordic Game

2026 · Talk

“Why the Best Games Are Winning by Squeezing Less.” Making spending feel worthwhile, and cutting the friction that costs revenue.

Digital Dragons

2026 · Talk

Product value and monetization.

PocketGamer.biz

Monetizer Mavens

Contributions on pricing, retention, business models and product decisions. Acquisition, retention and monetization, in order →

App Masters

Interview

Building a successful game and the decisions behind it.

Conversations with people who make games about their creative decisions, work and careers.

Reuters

2008 · Quoted

On prime-time TV shows becoming video games, from the CSI years at Ubisoft.

GameStop TV

2007 · Interview

On CSI: Hard Evidence.

Recommendations from people I’ve worked with, on LinkedIn →

What’s the decision in front of you?

Tell me about your product and the call you have to make. A few sentences is enough. Smaller budget? Growth Mode is the monthly membership.