Jason Pollak

portfolio

USC Games

Below, you'll find my creative work sample, The Showroom, as well as a video portfolio and a written portfolio list with links.

Killer deals. no exit.

Creative Work Sample: The Showroom

all in one place

Video Portfolio

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Creative Portfolio

Potion Problems, Ongoing

Unreal Game. Position: game designer. Social deduction multiplayer game set in a magical school, based around crafting potions. Innovates on the social deduction formula by removing player elimination and prioritizing accessibility, player choice, and strategic gameplay. Produced for an Interactive Media MFA Thesis Project and Advanced Game Project, University of Southern California.

Game Design Document
Paper Prototype
Level Design Documentation

Pyramid3, Ongoing

Tabletop Game. Position: game designer. Abstract strategy game set in ancient Egypt. Created to bring modern design sensibilities and the third dimension to the core gameplay of Backgammon, evoking a thematic experience with simple mechanics. Developed in collaboration with Cogneo, Inc. Rules PDF and Game Board available to view.

The Cleanup Crew, November 2024

Dungeons and Dragons Live-Play Series. Position: game designer, writer, editor, game master, VFX artist, graphic designer. Collaboratively told comedy series about “The Cleanup Crew”, who clean up after fights between superheroes and supervillains in alternate reality Los Angeles. Centers on allegories for Hollywood exploitation, gentrification, and AI, as well as themes of systemic inequality, loss of community, and cultural obsession with violence. Produced in collaboration with Fables and Rumors Productions. Available to view on Youtube.

Where Within, June 2024

Theatre Production. Position: producer. World-premiere fantasy musical about a family lost in a forest reconnecting with help from supernatural beings. Produced as part of the 2024 Hollywood Fringe Festival in collaboration with Fables and Rumors Productions. Nominee of Zephyr’s Zest award and multiple LA Theatre Bites Awards. Available to view on Youtube. 

Egregore, May 2024

Unreal Game. Position: usability. First-person 3D adventure game set in modern-day Egypt about uncovering an occult conspiracy by manipulating nodes on a graph to shape reality. Produced for an Interactive Media MFA Thesis Project and Advanced Game Project, University of Southern California. Available to play on Steam. 

Alice is Missing: Camp Arroyo Seco, August 2023

Tabletop Roleplaying Game Module. Position: game designer. Unofficial expansion to popular roleplaying game Alice is Missing, incorporating a new setting and story to expand the game’s life. Print-and-play available to download. 

Valley of Light, June 2023

Theatre Production. Position: lead producer, actor. World-premiere musical set in a future Los Angeles about finding love and family after the end of the world. Produced as part of the 2023 Hollywood Fringe Festival in collaboration with Fables and Rumors Productions. Available to view on Youtube. 

Ship of Theseus, June 2023

Tabletop Roleplaying Game. Position: game designer. Pen-and-paper game featuring story-first mechanics based around ever-changing communities. Uses card drafting for quick character creation, and mechanics leveraging betrayal and death to drive stories forward with extreme drama. Rules PDF available to view. 

The Showroom, March 2023

Interactive Theater Production. Position: writer, producer, director, game designer. Murder mystery immersive theater production set inside a supernatural infinite IKEA store, where audience members are “trapped” inside and tasked with collectively solving a murder and escaping the store. Featured social puzzle solving, exploration, and branching storylines. Produced in collaboration with Last Call Theater. “Runs” of the performance available to view on Youtube.

Stardust, November 2022

Interactive Theater Production. Position: game designer, writer, director, producer, composer, sound designer. A dreamlike immersive theater production set in the “Hotel Dion”, where wayward souls go to make the hardest decisions of their life, going on a journey with and being influenced by the audience. Designed a new model of live storytelling to create a highly interactive and meaningful experience. Produced at the Sassafras Saloon in collaboration with Alterea, Inc.

Abandoned, November 2022

Interactive Theater Production. Position: game designer, writer, producer, performer. Immersive production set in a post-apocalyptic Los Angeles, focusing on intense performer-audience connection to create a sense of safety and belonging in a dangerous world. Produced in collaboration with Last Call Theater. “Run” of the performance available to view on youtube.

Isolation Room, May 2022

Screenplay. Position: writer. Screenplay for a short film about dreaming of connection while in self-isolation. Produced for Charles McNulty’s writing workshop class at the California Institute of the Arts. Available to read. 

Pass, January 2020

Theatre Production. Position: director, producer. World-premiere musical about a transgender man asked to play the female role he originated as a child actor, and his experience with identity, family, and art. Produced as part of the California Institute of the Arts’ 2020 Winter Lab.