Hey Blitzers, happy International Women’s Day! We have so many amazing, talented women who work every day to make Disney Emoji Blitz the fun, Blitzy game you know and love! In honor of International Women’s Day, we spoke to our incredible coworkers – artists, marketers, developers and more – about what motivates them to work on Disney Emoji Blitz, and what advice they have for other women!
In our YouTube video, Emoji Tiff, Emoji Lucy, and I shine a spotlight on our incredible female peers. We share a little about their roles on the team, their favorite Emoji (of course), and a quote or phrase they wanted to share with you, just for fun!
Let’s now take a closer look at the different positions that women hold on Disney Emoji Blitz!
Leadership
Our Studio General Managers concentrate on finding ways to set our games and talent up for long-term success.
Nacia, Studio Co-General Manager
- Work Example: She pitched the original game concept and lead the team that launched the game back in 2016!
- Favorite Emoji: Genie from Aladdin
- Quote: “Building Disney Emoji Blitz has been a highlight of my career. I’m so proud of the game and the brand that we made. It’s been an honor to lead such a hard-working, creative and passionate group of people over the last six years!”
Artists
Artists are essential in making our Events and Emojis really shine in-game. From Event Maps to Items to Emojis, they create every visual you see and experience in-game!
Alex, 2D Artist
- Work Example: Prince John Emoji from Robin Hood
- Favorite Emoji: Fancy Beast from Beauty and the Beast
- Quote: “You can’t pour from an empty cup.”
Emily, Associate Artist
- Work Example: Sisu Emoji from Raya and the Last Dragon
- Favorite Emoji: Pascal from Tangled
- Quote: “When you feel as if you’ve been working hard but not making any progress, you might actually be about to gain enough experience to reach that next level.”
Jenn, Senior Artist
- Work Example: EVERYTHING! Jenn has been with us since the beginning!
- Favorite Emoji: Nemo from Finding Nemo
- Quote: “Disney Emoji Blitz has been a part of my life, every day, for over 5 years. It is more than just a game to me, it is the anthem of my growth as a professional artist. The most important lesson I feel I have learned over those years is this: It is human to doubt yourself, but it is super-human to never give up on yourself.”
Designers
Designers create the blueprints that guide artists and engineers in bringing the game’s vision to life. Their focus is on giving players a balanced, fun gaming experience. Designers are responsible for design specs, sound effects, tuning, Emoji power-ups, events, economy, and much much more.
Lucy, Associate Game Designer
- Work Example: Be on the lookout for something you can see and hear on April 1…😜
- Favorite Emoji: Tinker Bell from Peter Pan
- Quote: “Women in the gaming industry often feel like we have to hide our love for games that are considered feminine or girly. Don’t ever let anyone tell you the games you love aren’t “real games!” They are just as “real” as every other kind of game. Make what you love!”
Tiff, Lead Game Designer
- Work Example: She decides exactly what blueprints our Designers will create!
- Favorite Emoji: Hatbox Ghost from Disneyland’s Haunted Mansion Ride
- Quote: “I love working collaboratively to create something that players love! It’s also a joy for me to be able to empower my teammates to come up with creative ideas that continue to improve the game.”
Engineers
Engineers are the architects of the game. They build the fun, high-quality features based on the blueprints from the Designers. Their code brings the Artists work to life in-game. They also create tools, fix bugs, and many other essentials for a healthy game.
Stephanie, Software Engineer
- Work Example: Item Card Collections and maintenance of the overall look and feel of our screens.
- Favorite Emoji: Yzma Kitty from The Emperor’s New Groove
- Quote: “Starting over doesn’t mean you lose all your progress. It means you gained experience to find the right answer.”
Marketers
Marketers handle every consumer-facing representation and communication of the brand. This includes our presence in the App Store and Google Play, social media, fun campaigns and partnership, and so much more.
Christie, Product Marketing Manager
- Work Example: Our app icons!
- Favorite Emoji: Sugar Bowl from The Sword in the Stone
- Quote: “There are very few problems that can’t be solved, and somehow, you’ll find a way to just get it done.”
Julia, Community Management Intern
- Work Example: She spends a lot of time learning about what our community wants to see more of by reading through the comments on our various channels. She notices a lot of you wanted to know what our favorite Emojis are, so she proposed we share in this article!
- Favorite Emoji: Jasmine from Aladdin
- Quote: “For young women starting out in games: ask for help and advice when you need it! Don’t be afraid that you’re wasting someone’s time or asking too much – people want to help you!”
Producers
Producers make sure our game develops smoothly and efficiently by getting every developer on the team what she or he needs to get their job done.
Natasha, Executive Producer
- Work Example: She works with Disney on what new Events and Emojis we should develop!
- Favorite Emoji: Tiana from The Princess & The Frog
- Quote: “Try to enjoy the journey, there are lessons to be learned around every corner – even when you hit a rough patch.”
Sarah, Associate Producer
- Work Example: She gathers details to ensure all the Emojis we make are true to their characters!
- Favorite Emoji: Edna from The Incredibles
- Quote: “Darling. Luck favors the prepared.”
We hope this was inspiring, helpful and fun to read about! I truly am honored to have been able to feature the Blitz-tastic women behind Disney Emoji Blitz in celebration of International Women’s Day.
As for me, I love that my job is all about connecting gamers with developers, basically being the bridge working towards a better player experience. For advice, I would say that when data fails, trust your instincts. Especially as a gamer, you may know already what people want and how they want to interact with a game. Finally, as you all probably know, my favorite Emoji is Joy from Inside Out. One of her quotes in particular really resonates with me: “You can’t focus on what’s going wrong. There’s always a way to turn things around.” In short, all I can say is trust yourself and remain positive!
We loved celebrating International Women’s Day with you today! For more Behind the Scenes content, check out our News! Until next time, Happy Blitzin’!
Emoji Jenny
