Manda Farough
Multiclasser at the Intersection of Creativity & Business in Video GamesAward-Nominated Producer & Writer
Available for Work: September 2025
Hi, I'm Manda
I'm an independent game developer who works at the intersection of creativity and business. I work across disciplines as production leadership, as well as in narrative design and writing.
Press
Snippets of my conversations with members of the media, as well as a list of the talks I've given over the years.
Portfolio
Samples available upon request. (Why I don't link my work directly anymore.)
Other Work
(under construction)
Award-Nominated Multiclasser
What I Can Do For Your Studio
Every piece of my career, from journalism to production, business, and narrative, shape the way I approach every single project that I work on, regardless of my role(s). Bringing me into your studio gives you access to my 15+ years of experience in this industry in every facet.I'm best suited to helping independent game studios, especially new ones, sort out operations and production processes and define both design and narrative structure. If you don't know what you need for your studio, I'm the best person to help you figure it out.
How I Do What I Do
I believe that the game development process needs to be people centric, ensuring that the team has a strong production foundation with clear boundaries and expectations communicated with an abundance of compassion and transparency.Games are made by people, not systems, so establishing psychological safety for a team is one of the most important things a good producer can do. Sure, managing scope, deadlines, and budget ensure that the game gets shipped, but if you have miserable developers, the game is going to feel miserable when it ships.Not every developer thrives in person, so much of what I do as a producer centers around building inclusive systems that take into account contractors, part-time workers, timezones, and asynchronous check-ins.Clear communication doesn't end in production, either. It extends to thoughtful, player-centric narrative design that prioritizes player agency, which in turn rolls into pithy dialogue, emotionally resonant character work, and enrapturing worldbuilding. And, y'know, I write killer documentation from GDDs to SOPs.
Mini CV
If you're looking for my shipped games, go here!
| Company | Role(s) | Year(s) |
|---|---|---|
| WDR Studios | Narrative Designer, Writer | 2024-Present |
| Strange Scaffold | Executive Producer, Writer | 2022-Present |
| Redstart Interactive | Narrative Designer, Writer | 2022-Present |
| F-Squared | COO, Consultant | 2020-Present |
| Hakjak Games | Producer | 2023 (Closed) |
| Robot Teddy (Thunderful) | Co-Director of Strategic Partnerships | 2022-2023 |
| GameDaily & SuperParent | Editor-in-Chief | 2018-2020 |
| Mic.com | Editor | 2017 (Closed) |
| Various Indie Media Outlets | Freelancer Journalist | 2009-2018 |
Game Development Skills
I'm a collaborative storyteller and designer, with a focus on creating believable characters and living worlds. Additionally, I'm a detail-oriented leader (and team player!) with a strong track record of aligning project success with team well-being.
Narrative implementation in Unreal Blueprints and Unity (datatables)
Yarnspinner, Twine, Inkle
Arcweaver, Articy
Branching dialogue
Worldbuilding
Character Development
Scriptwriting
Mapping character and story arcs
Story-design maps (working closely with designers)
Project scoping (to ensure cohesion and shipping on-time/budget)
Feature sizing and task management
Go-To-Market strategy
Managing project budgets and hours
Coordinating external vendors
Team cheerleader!
Conflict management
Psychological safety for teams
Clickup, Trello, Jira, Asana, Notion
Education
Although I'm not as focused on "traditional" education, I am well-trained through a combination of post-secondary and online coursework.Coursework
The Narrative Department (Masterclass I, Masterclass II, Game Design for Writers)
ELVTR (Game Writing with Adam Dolin)
Simon Fraser University (School of Interactive Arts & Technology)
Thompson Rivers University (Computer Systems: Operations & Management)
Certifications
Agile in Jira
Fundamentals in Jira
Shipped and In-Progress Games
While I'm listed on a number of other games on MobyGames, these are the games that I directly contributed to (or am actively contributing to) as writer, narrative designer, and/or producer.Not listed here: Pigeon Simulator at HakJak Studios (cancelled), where I was the studio's producer and worked partially on the writing team.
| Title | Studio | Role(s) | Release Year | Genre |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TMNT: Tactical Takedown | Strange Scaffold | Executive Producer, Writer | 2025 | Strategy, Tactics, Licensing |
| Terrible Lizards | WDR Studios | Narrative Designer, Writer | TBA | Horror, Action |
| Unannounced | Redstart Interactive | Narrative Designer, Writer | TBA | Adventure, Platformer, Comedy |
| I Am Your Beast | Strange Scaffold | Operations | 2024 | FPS, Action |
| Life Eater | Strange Scaffold | Operations | 2024 | Horror, Interactive Fiction |
| El Paso Elsewhere | Strange Scaffold | Operations | 2023 | Horror, Third-Person Shooter |
| Yndurvaetra (TTRPG) | Daylite Publications | Writer | 2023 | TTRPG, Science Fiction |
| Sunshine Shuffle | Strange Scaffold | Lead Producer, Additional Writing | 2023 | Card Game, Visual Novel |
| El Paso Nightmare | Strange Scaffold | Operations | 2022 | Horror, Third-Person Shooter |
| Witch Strandings | Strange Scaffold | Operations | 2022 | Adventure, Simulation |
Panels & Podcasts
Games For Change Roundtable: "Gaming Across Generations" (2025)
All My Maidens Podcast (2025) - Link
PAX East Panel "Yellow Paint Good Witcher 3 Bad: Our Worst Gaming Takes" (2025)
PAX East Panel: "Breaking in and standing out in non traditional careers in games" (2025)
GDC Panel: "Multiclass Your Game Career" (2025)
In my former career as a game journalist, I started appearing on panels at PAX West and East in 2017, many of which I moderated.
Regular Podcasts
Press
How one Canadian is shaking up video games as a multiclasser, MobileSyrup (2025)
How to uplift Canadian game makers? We asked them, MobileSyrup (2025)
How Strange Scaffold Mashes Up Beat 'Em Ups And Tactics To Great Effect, Game Informer (2025)
Why I No Longer Link My Work Online
Search engines are now scraping websites to train their large learning models (LLMs) for use in generative AI tools. As a professional writer of more than 15 years, I never consent for my work to be used in this way. So, my portfolio is now offline.Yes, it means that it's an extra step to see my work (unless you play my games!), but please email me and I'd be glad to send you PDF versions of:
Cutscenes
Barks
Character Profiles & Arcs
Story Maps & Flowcharts
Audio Logs
Collectibles
Journal Entries
Environmental Story Design