READ EM & REAP TEAM
Meet the Team
Bob Crowl
Lead Designer/Programmer
Currently studying at Columbia College Chicago. I was born and raised in Cincinnati, Oh, but made the best decision ever and have lived in Chicago for many years.
When not obsessing over Metal Gear Solid and lamenting its demented demise, I can be found noodling on guitar, doodling on my notepad, and canoodling with my fellow students and game designers. I hope to someday be a part of an excellent studio focused on interactive storytelling, something wholly unique within our medium.
I write, design, and lead the production of Read ‘Em & Reap. I’ve always loved cinematic, interactive stories with branching choices, and tailored consequences. Re&R is my first proper foray into a fully-fledged adventure game, flavored with humor and heart. There’s a unique blend of disturbing, dark morbidity coupled with a childlike sense of wonder and hope, and I myself hope that you enjoy the game as much as the team has had putting it together
Robert Durden
Designer
Was born in South Carolina and lived there until I was 9 before moving to Cincinnati, OH and lived there until I moved to Chicago about ten years ago. Currently going to school at Columbia College Chicago.
Within those years I have played many videos games starting with Atari 2600 and arcade machines to, my personal favorite, Nintendo consoles starting with the NES. I have always loved the medium for it’s ability to tell a story but at the same time let your imaginations run wild, especially in the age when all you played were pixels. Now that medium can let you play interactive movies that feel like you are actually making all the decisions in the world.
I have always loved story driven adventure games from The Monkey Island series and The Longest Journey. Currently working as co-lead designer with Bob Crowl on Read ’Em & Reap. While he leads production I work with the 3D environments for the game and edit scripts. Creating Read ‘Em & Reap and working with an amazing team has been awesome and am loving every minute of it.
Amanda Hamrick
Lead Artist
I was not made to be subtle.
Nor to write bios.
Haxelle LeMonnier
Lead Jack of All Trades/ Programmer
I was never a video game kid. I didn’t grow up on pokemon and mario.
I’m a bookworm. I love stories. I love reading them, sharing them, and making them.
I used to want to be a writer, and an actor, then a filmmaker. Share the stories.
When I was in high school I dabbled in programming because I liked the idea of
being a techie. I picked it back up again in my sophomore year of college because
I needed to fill some credits. All that my school offered was Game programming.
I figured why not at first but then I realized how much pride I felt watching someone
play my super basic little text based game in that intro class. I could make lines of code into
stories in a way that people could interact with.
Sam Beatty
Designer
I am currently studying Game Design and Web Design at Columbia College Chicago. I have experience in a wide range of the different parts of the making of a video game and a website. I feel that my strengths are in Level Design, Graphic Design, Quality Assurance Testing, Website Design, and Game Development.
I would like to be able to graduate with job offers from different companies that are part of the Video Game Design, Graphic Design, or Website Design market. I have been intensively studying the language of Latin American Spanish for the summers of the recent past six years and I have traveled to Puebla, Mexico to continue to study the language when I have the time. I can proudly say that I am at a near working professional level in most areas of Spanish at this time.
Cassidy Lucas
Lead Sound Designer
Cassidy Lucas is a Sound Designer living in Chicago. She is working as a member of Resonant Sound, a team of three sound designers working on projects for the Interactive Arts & Media Department at Columbia College. She assisted primarily with creating sound effects and recruiting voice actors, as well as communicating between the project's leads and Resonant Sound. Her favorite types of games are the ones that utilize storytelling and sound/music to immerse the player in the world. Some of the games she has had the opportunity to work with included Read ‘Em and Reap, Fizz, and Archon.
Outside of the IAM department, Cassidy works in event planning and project management. She is currently the Managing Director of the pop culture conference & convention ColumCon; she assists with guest/speaker relations, volunteer coordination, vendors and artists, and programs related to game & animation. After graduation she hopes to combine her interests by freelancing in postproduction while working professionally in experiential/interactive arts event management.
Michael Ingargiola
Intern/Programmer
I am currently a junior studying Game Design and Programming at Columbia College Chicago. I am proud to be born and raised in Chicago.
My first encounter with video games is my most memorable and what has driven me to go toward the industry: playing Mortal Kombat on my brother’s SNES in kindergarten. Somehow I was able to shoot ice from Sub Zero to freeze my opponent. I worked countless hours trying to replicate that button combo. That intuition lead me down the path to play and master other famous games on Nintendo and beyond. Now, almost 20 years later, I am sharing that passion with my niece and nephews or going to beer arcades with friends and family. That is what I love about video games - the way generations can be connected through play and storytelling in such a vivid way.
I am looking to be a part of a team or studio where i can create memories for kids like me. I am proud to say I am a Game Designer, Entrepreneur and Family Man.
Kwaku Owusu-Ansah
Intern/Programmer
Kwaku is very passionate about programming, video games, and not writing bios.