Wow, it’s been almost six months since we updated the ole’ blog. I never even officially posted after starting at Riot, only to share the news that I had put in my notice.

Riot has been a breath of fresh air. Wizards had, in retrospect, really beaten me down. The lack of promotions, the carousel of managers, and the shift in the company since I started had really been dragging me down. I only realized it when I joined Riot and even then I still get shocked as I recognize where I had been low.

At the same time, Riot is a lot. Wizards was, honestly, a very easy job. I could casually walk with only occasional sprints, it was just a constant walk. Riot is much more work, longer hours, right now more travel; it’s a constant jog right now and it felt good to realize I can do it.

So, while the work is harder, I am also finding it more fulfilling. We’re doing a LOT of what will define how this game runs in the future. So Rachel and I are trying to take our learnings from Magic and fix what we didn’t like. We both do a lot saying, “I’m not saying this is how we should do it, but here is how we did it at Magic.”

At Riot, I’m one of the top 3 marketing leads for the game Riftbound which is a notable upward shift from where I was at Magic. Sure, I was the most senior member of the team, and I reported to the VP of marketing, but I didn’t hold the same sway I do here. I wasn’t seen the same way, when you are at a corporate job for long enough without meaningful upward progression you start getting judged. At least, I felt that way.

So, being the wizened marketing expert for TCGs, here doesn’t have the same perception and allows me to share a lot of knowledge and experience. Which, I do like being that resource.

My work ranges currently from the strategic down to the very tactical. Our team is too small and too junior to allow me to be solely high level, though it is something everyone wants. Today is a good example, I worked with a woman on the design side to edit and review a 7000 word article with updates to the game’s rules. And we did it in about six hours, creating a much better and clearer article.

The other thing I’ll say about the workload is while my hours are slightly longer, I have yet to feel the need to work a bunch outside of work hours. I’m not pulling an all nighter on anything. I woke up for a 4am publish one day to make sure it happened smoothly, and I have worked past 7pm only two times I can think of.

In any case, all this is to say that Riot is good; it can be a lot, but its good. I’m enjoying the work and looking forward to work (most days.)

Katie is, overall, doing well. The winter was a bit of a rough one for her with the dark hours and such, but she is doing better (aside from both of us having a cold a this week.) I actually was supposed to be in Europe for an event this weekend and this cold caused me to cancel on the trip.

I’m heading to LA next, and wow it would be fun to overlap if you’re still rolling on Jeopardy! I meant what I said, I’m just so proud to be able to brag about my brother on Jeopardy, and knowing the story and the years of you trying – it just is so amazing that you finally got on AND you (allegedly) won your episode! So so cool.

And man I’d love to overlap and try to get in to filming! I’m flying down from the 26th to the 1st. Tue/Wed is all-day meetings for my team. I’m staying with Liz and Jeff Wed-Fri before flying out Friday evening. (And, if you keep going, I’m back in LA in May!)

May’s travel is looking to be busier than I had anticipated. This time I’m going to be in LA for a marketing video shoot. But then I learned this week that I may be adding Korea onto that trip… but we’ll see, it isn’t confirmed. And at the end of the month we have an event in Vancouver, which I was planning to drive up for and stay in the city for it. If I go to Korea I may cancel my plans for Vancouver, we’ll see.

June is, supposedly, a trip to China; but I am also waiting on confirmed dates for that. I’m less convinced it is going to happen. And then July… I think my trip is at the end of the month to head to Gen Con in Indianapolis. Then, thankfully, after that the travel gets a bit slower until November/December which are likely going to be fairly active. I’ll likely still do one or two more trips to LA, including probably being there for my birthday. If that’s the case then we’ll bring Katie down for that one.

Right, I was talking about Katie. We had a really good trip to St. Louis in March for her birthday, the soccer game was great and seeing family was great. We are waiting for the travel for my year to settle and get more locked-in and then we’re going to try and find another time to get to St. Louis this year.

And… I should get back to bed and try to sleep again, love y’all.