About the Panel
Thanks to either the 30-year retro loop of pop culture, the adult authority of the generation that lived it, or just the awesome aesthetic attitude that continues to inspire younger gens since, the 90s is an undeniably unique and radical decade that warrants being explored through its own narratives. This panel will bring together unique perspectives on the 90s: both from those who lived it AND those who have mastered its style through study; and we'll try to understand the universal appeal and challenges of exploring stories about, like, everything totally 90s that went into 'The Big Con'.
Panelists
Dave Proctor, Saffron Aurora, Yash Kulkarni, Corina Diaz
Dave Proctor
Dave Proctor is the sole director and founder of Mighty Yell Studios, and lead designer on The Big Con. His first shipped title, Runbow from 13AM Games, was a breakout hit on the Nintendo Wii U, and helped him gain the experience, reputation, and contacts to bring his ideas to any platform. He is a published author, and a professor of Screenwriting and Narrative Design at George Brown College. He is currently wrapping an interactive narrative consultancy on the upcoming mobile title Emergent Fates. His first full-length novel, Gross, is currently being adapted to a film.
Saffron Aurora
Saffron Aurora is a Eurasian-Canadian artist based in Toronto, Canada. She is Art Director at Mighty Yell, as well as Art/Design Lead on Pekoe at Kitten Cup Studio. She mainly works as an artist and art director for video games and comics, but also takes commissions or interesting side-gigs.
Yash Kulkarni
Yash Kulkarni is a Toronto based video game producer and narrative designer. He has an undergraduate degree in business from Mumbai University and a postgraduate certificate in screenwriting and narrative design from George Brown College. He worked in advertising for six years before working in the games industry. He currently works as a Jr. Producer at Mighty Yell Studios and as a Production Manager at A-Game Studios. His credits include The Big Con, PeoPoli and a yet unannounced project.
Corina Diaz
Corina has spent the past 10+ years working on marketing and community strategy in entertainment & games. She has developed social content and managed communities for multiple titles in indie games including A Fold Apart, Last Year and Night Lights. Corina has also been a speaker at the Canadian Gaming Expo, Interactive Ontario's iLunch series and Canadian Music Week, is a judge for the IGF awards, and has freelanced with several games media outlets.