Sean Barton - Game Developer

My First YouTube Appearance with Disney Epic Mickey

31 July 2010

Hi there! This is an old post that may reference technology or views I now consider outdated - or maybe even a little embarrassing. Enjoy at your own risk.

I’ve worked booths at E3 and Comic Con before in my career, but something that made this year’s event drastically different for me happened when someone from Disney public relations approached me with a camera crew in tow and asked me to do an interview for a press outlet.

“Sure, why not?”

I probably did 3 or 4 of these a day at E3, as did my fellow Junction Pointers that attended the show. Now doing a presentation for any group of strangers is one thing, but there’s something about having a microphone and camera in your face that has the potential to crank your nerves up to eleven.

But to be honest, I enjoyed the experience, and welcomed any interview I could get. That’s probably unique for a programmer-type-of-guy.

Now, I wish I could claim to be a gifted speaker with nerves of steel but anyone who knew me growing up would remember that kid with the cracked voice and bright red face who fell apart in front of a crowd. No, sadly, public speaking is something I have to work at every week.

But I can do it now - which is an amazing feat for me, and probably most other people.

Anyway, one of the interviews I did for Disney Epic Mickey at E3 is available on YouTube. It was with Gavin Greene and Elder-Geek.com and as far as I know, this is my very first video appearance on the intertubes …

There’s some stuff on there that makes me wince a bit. Most notably, I should have said the title of the game, Disney Epic Mickey, instead of “this game” in my introduction. I also struggled to find the right word a couple of times as I spoke.

But I can watch it and not want to die - and that’s a BFD for me.

For folks looking to grow in this way I give Toastmasters International my highest recommendation. I’ve been a member for several years now and believe it’s the single most important thing I’ve done for my confidence and career. If you think your inability to comfortably speak in front of a crowd is holding you back then why not find a club near you?

(Thanks to Gavin Greene and Elder-Geek.com for the interview.)

Seanba

Hi! My name is Sean Barton (aka Seanba).

I’m an American-Canadian software developer working in Austin, Texas where I never have to shovel snow. :fire:

My career focuses exclusively on video game software and tools. You can read more about me here.


Aseprite2Unity

Aseprite2Unity imports sprites and animations for use with your Unity projects. Like all my tools it is available for free or name your price.

Get Aseprite2Unity.


SuperTiled2Unity

SuperTiled2Unity is a collection of Unity scripts that import Tiled Map Editor files to your Unity projects. You can download for free or name your price.

Get SuperTiled2Unity.

(Note that regular Tiled2Unity is now deprecated.) :zzz:


Seanba

Like my tools? Consider making a donation as a way of thanks!