sean keough

Bio (or something like that)

I'm Sean Keough. Like most people, I was born. Sometime later I attended Miami University for my Bachelor of Art in Interactive Media Studies where I graduated with Cum Laude honors. In my time at Miami, I focused my studies on production and management through personally learning and engaging in the production pipelines involved in programming, art, and design. I then went back to Miami University and earned an MBA in Business Management from the Farmer School of Business.

Somehow, life took me to Discord, where I started as a Trust and Safety Analyst and yeeted people who are up to no good into the sun.

My experience in events and with communities led to the Community Moderation Team which would soon join Discord Policy as the Policy Programs team. It was my home for just over a year as I oversaw and nurtured the Discord Moderator Discord as my main role.

That leads to now. The door has closed on Discord, but there are so many other doors that have opened because of my time there. All ends are beginnings y'know? The career trajectory so far has been what some would call unconventional, but to me, that's how adventures are had. Whatever adventure comes next, I'm looking forward to it.

The Past Bio

The above is the short version and my recent professional experience. You can read more specifically about my work at Discord on the Discord Moderator Discord, Discord Moderator Academy, and Discord Policy team either by following the linked text in this sentence or by hovering over "Projects" in the navbar.

Below is some of what I did in and learned while in college. Thought I should keep a bit of record on the past somewhere on the site, even if it isn't exactly representative of where I am now. Always good to remember where you came from.

I specialize in communications and project management, with intermediate knowledge of various programming languages, game engines, and art software. I have managed and led small interdisciplinary teams across multiple game projects.

In late 2020, I acted as project manager on a game jam game called Lumpy Pillows, a PvP "simulation" game about a parent trying to put their child to bed and a child that vehemently refuses to go to sleep.

I also spent 2020-2021 as project manager and lead for a senior capstone project called Signal Found. Signal Found is a narrative exploration game taking place on a derelict and forsaken planet called 13 Tenebris B, where forgotten secrets lay hidden in the dark below the surface. My role in Signal Found was to ensure that members in the team were communicating clearly with each other, collaborating, and making their voice known during design meetings. I had to employ problem-solving and decision-making skills to keep the project moving and morale positive. I was awarded Miami University IMS's Outstanding Senior in Production award for my work on Signal Found and with Larian Studios.

In my personal projects, I have worked in C# with Unity, in IDEs with Java, and with GML in GameMaker. I've worked on art assets in ZBrush and Maya as well and have made animations with them.

From January 2018 to March 2020, I accompanied Larian Studios to almost every PAX convention and to E3 2018 to help with marketing and running live operations at their booth. I've assisted in official press relations at E3. I've helped market a newly announced title. I've been a part of the team that showcased the worldwide gameplay reveal of Baldur's Gate 3 at PAX East 2020. I now moderate Larian Studios' Discord server of over 30K fans as well as the official Twitch channel.

The Omnipresent Bio

The part that always remains and stays the same.

I focus on the experience and the things that really matter to the player. I believe that games can be more than just pixels on a screen. They can be transformative in thought and belief while also providing unmatched entertainment. Games can inspire people to achieve unimaginable heights and accolades. My goal with games is to provide an experience for audiences that lead to such inspiration.

In my free time, I enjoy co-op games, exploration games, way too much Destiny 2, exploring nature, photography, and listening to a disproportionate amount of Swedish metal and rock bands (seriously Sweden, leave some metal for the rest of us).

Most recently, I have been playing Outer Wilds after 3 years of hearing the highest praise for the game. As I sit here listening to the OST for it (and totally not tearing up), I can confidently say that Outer Wilds is perhaps one of the greatest games I've ever played and hits everything about why I want to make games that I stated above. You should go play it.