About

Jeannie Novak

President & Co-Founder

Jeannie is President of Novy Unlimited and Kaleidospace (dba Indiespace) – and lead author/editor of the Game Development Essentials series. Jeannie has provided game consulting services for tech companies, developers, publishers, research institutions, and colleges/universities such as UC Berkeley, USC’s Information Sciences Institute, Alelo, and GameSalad. Jeannie holds a B.A. in Mass Communication from UCLA and an M.A. in Communication Management from USC’s Annenberg School. She has served on the Online Gameplay panel for the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences’ DICE Awards and the executive boards of Women in Games International and the International Game Developers Association. Jeannie is also a professional composer and performer.

Luis Levy

Vice President & Co-Founder

Luis is Vice President of Novy Unlimited. Prior to Novy, Luis was an account executive at a boutique firm in Los Angeles—where he represented game and high-technology clients such as Spacetime Studios, The Voxel Agents, Muzzy Lane, and TimeGate Studios. Luis has also worked in advertising, sales, film and television editing, and as a game tester at Activision and Treyarch (working on the Call of Duty series and Quake 4). He co-authored Play the Game: The Parent’s Guide to Video Games and Game QA & Testing with Jeannie Novak. Luis was born in São Paulo, Brazil and attended Fundação Armando Álvares Penteado (FAAP), where he received a B.A. in Film & Television. He also participated in the UCLA Extension Film & Entertainment Studies certificate program. Luis is the primary liaison between Novy and the media.

Steven Kasparek

Production Manager

Steven is a tinkerer and gaming enthusiast who has been working in games for nearly 25 years for companies such as D3Publisher and Quest Online (and in a much more freelance capacity, Sierra Online – back in the day). Steven has a deep love for troubleshooting and testing software – and he enjoys sharing that passion with others. Multiple QA roles have been the backbone of his industry work experience – but his love of interacting with people has also enabled him to work in support, community management, and production. His favorite genres are RPGs and platformers – and he’s especially swept up in great game music.

Веn Hartmaуеr

Technology Manager

Веn is a lifelong technology and gaming enthusiast, with experience working on everything from eCommerce to Community Management and eSports. Whether it’s maintaining servers or producing live broadcasts for competitive gaming tournaments, he’s usually behind the scenes somewhere to keep the show going. In his spare time, he’s often found tinkering with microcontrollers or trying to get through his ever-growing backlog of Steam games.