Sep 16, 6:00 am
“Who we are cannot be separated from where we’re from.”
― Malcolm Gladwell, Outliers: The Story of Success
None of us would get very far without the support of others, and I am no exception. I have been blessed with an incredible network of friends, family, and coworkers. This is my attempt to thank some of those who have helped me throughout my seven year journey with Ubisoft.
Kurtis Buckmaster and Chris Mancil:: for being my first community management role models and giving me the courage to apply my first CM position.
Josh Milligan:: for giving me a chance as a passionate gamer fresh out of college, despite my lack of marketing experience. Thanks, too, for the years of guidance and mentorship long after giving me that first chance.
Ron Meiners:: for being my first manager and mentor in the game industry, as well as for being a happy sounding board for my academic musings.
Mike Jeffress:: for your valuable (if joking) contributions during the conjuring of the idea for the Frag Doll team.
Nate Mordo:: for founding the team with me in 2004, being our first brand manager, and believing in this idea long before anyone else could really take it seriously. Your friendship, support, and creativity were all crucial to the creation of what turned into an amazingly unique project.
Michael Beadle:: for being our first and most cherished PR manager. Along with Nate, your friendship, support, and wisdom have been essential to the success of the Frag Doll team throughout the years.
Paul Caparotta and Jeff Dandurand:: for your direct supervision and guidance. Managing a hothead like me is never easy, but you both handled the task with patience, grace, and humor.
Jill Steinberg and Tony Key:: for supporting the Frag Doll team throughout all of the ups and downs of the past seven years. I believe that we would not have thrived under the supervision of anyone else in the game industry.
Melanie Desliens:: for being a powerhouse and role model. Thanks, too, for being such an inspiration and dear friend during (and ever since) our co-management of the team.
Adam Chun-Avila:: for being a patient but steady balancer as my co-manager for the past few years. Yours is a voice of reason that has been and will continue to be a blessing for the team.
Jasmine Ianneo:: for creating the Frag Doll look and logo, and for championing the team’s badass spirit within the company.
Whitni Radar:: for making us look good in photos and on the web ever since our inception.
Ryan Yount
Justin Landskron
Izaac Russo
Dave Macachor
Owen Grace
Alex Oliver-Gans
Phil Shpilberg
Anita Brey
Josh Ostrander
Amy/Valkyrie: for being the most passionate, competitive, and driven part of this team from Day 1. Thanks, too, for letting yourself trust me so much that we could become life-long friends.
Brooke/Brookelyn: for being a fun and vibrantly beautiful energy for a long as I’ve known you. Thank you for being a constant inspiration and source of a special kind of courage, whether you knew it or not.
Ashley/Jinx: for being an invaluable source of smarts, hard work, and sincere geekery during the first crucial years of the Frag Dolls.
Emily/Seppuku: for being our cool-headed, smooth-dancing, comic-loving fashionista. We could always rely on you for your wisdom and reason, as well as for your delightfully edgy aesthetic and creative sense. You brought style to the Frag Doll team.
Theresa/Eekers: for helping us hold true to our competitive roots during a first year, and for being a dedicated and delightful member of our community for the years since you were on the team.
Kat/Katscratch: for lending us your keen insights about the industry, and for helping to show that female gamers can be hardcore, knowledgeable enthusiasts, as well as kick-ass business women.
Alyson/Calyber: for being a wonderfully impossible blend of silly, competitive, ferocious, and fun. The Frag Doll team was deeply blessed to have you as a member during our years of rapid growth. You helped to keep us going and pushed us forward.
Renelly/Psyche: for being the most eager and indomitable spirit. Thank you for your thirst to learn and grow. You brought the rest of the team up to the next level, and have continued to be a role model for the rest of the Frag Doll family.
Alexis/Mischief: for always being the center of the most fun that anyone on the team had ever had. Every “best story ever” has Alex in there somewhere, and for that, I thank you! 
Marcella/Pyra: for being a reliable support for our team before and during your tenure as a Frag Doll. Thank you, too, for being a voice for PC gaming competition despite a team full of loud Xbox competitors. You always helped to lend us balance.
Faith/Phoenix: for being a relentless source of energy and ideas. You provided an infusion of optimism and enthusiasm that the team needed, and you have continued to be our most valuable source of fun and vision.
Anne-Marie/Spectra: for being a content creation powerhouse, and for being able to share your sense of wonder and genuine love for video games in such a relatable way. Your talent for expression on camera is unique and irreplaceable.
Lanai/Fidget: for helping to reinstitute our competitive edge, and for turning into our surprise dance pro. Thanks, too, for growing into the Frag Doll team so well, and for now helping the team to grow with you.
Krystal/Siren: for being utterly reliable, while also managing to be unpredictable and fun. I keep telling them that you’re the mischievous one, but nobody believes me…
Sarah/Glitch: for being a sweet and uniquely creative addition to the team. Thank you, too, for being a dedicated community member before your induction to the team, and for becoming a dear friend through the years.
Edelita/Pixxel and Kim/Sabre: though I haven’t gotten enough time with either of you, thank you both for being so incredibly awesome despite all the ups and downs of the past couple of months. Your resilience in the face of so much change bodes very well for the team’s future.
Expo
BCA
tooth
Nutty
Borfase
Mookel
NinjaKnight
Stan
Lambda
Ukyo
jon
Gypsy816
RedCoatKezz
SlickRick
Stonelance
Brimtown
Pino
CRM
Butta
Calistah
Steel
Marcus/ERRR151
SeductivPancakes
Warholism
Special love to babycheeses and gtz
I would want to thank ALL 60 of our Cadettes!
I also want to specifically call out those female gamer friends that we have known for a long time, many of whom were Pre-Cadettes and helped to inspire the Cadette academy:
Jamie King
Daniela Lao
Tunesha Davis
Ashton Williams
Carolyn Glatz
Sarah Gordon
Kathleen Grohman
Kari Toyama
Melonie Mac
Megan Perry
Kristen Maloney
Heather Hooks
Jennifer Wadella
Special love to my little Cadette sisters: Daniela, Jaspir, HeyCheri, Lireal, Elisa, Jodi, Lauren, Sheena.
Special Acknowledgements
Amber Dalton
The PMS Clan
Yvonna Lynn
Kathleen Sanders
NerdPoker
Personal Support Team
Mom
Dad
James
Kallah Maguire
Sasha Doppelt
Alexander Jackson
Grace Jeong
Elham Mireshghi
and of course, my Joe Dodson
I couldn’t possibly thank every deserving person here, but know that I feel blessed to have been a part of your lives, and look forward to our future adventures together.
Until the next one… cheers!
And remember...
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