Ed Saxton is the vice president of production for Schell Games. His responsibilities include supervising the production team and setting the tone for the production style for the company.

I'd like to know how your road got started, before reaching this leadership position. What’s been your weirdest job?

I grew up in the theme park industry, so I have had all types of weird jobs and responsibilities. One job that sticks out is when I worked for a theme park that had a big-top circus and was responsible for helping to choose the acts for the circus.

No way?

Yes. I received VHS tapes and DVDs of circus acts, saw trapeze artists, ‘wheel of doom’ acts, jugglers and more. During that job, I learned more about hula-hoop acts than I thought I’d ever know. I saw a bunch of weird acts.

After a while, I actually came to enjoy it. There are a lot of crazy talented performers out there.

From the theme park industry, and rising the ranks there, how did you jump into the video game industry, and Schell Games?

While I was in the theme park industry, I had the opportunity to manage and lead a lot of different projects, especially capital projects. During that time, I heard about Schell Games. I was intrigued with the diversity of its projects like Water Bears, I Expect You To Die, Happy Atoms, and location based experiences as well. Joining a studio that provides opportunities to manage and produce a wide variety of projects was very interesting to me.

I Expect You To Die is a VR game developed by Schell Games

While being involved in a wide variety of projects, where do you see the video game industry going?

To me, it looks like the video game industry is pushing faster towards immersiveness in both story and on platforms, with virtual reality (VR) being a platform generating a lot of interest.

As a manager, your attention shifts from being in the ‘trenches’ so to speak, to a more bird’s eye level. How do you stay on top of your discipline?

One thing I’ve realized about production is the emphasis on “soft [people] skills.” With that being said, I dedicate time reading and listening to audio books (they help make my commute productive) that cover those topics.

Which ones have you finished recently?

The last one I finished was called Thanks for the Feedback by Sheila Heen. Before that I finished Scrum: The Art of Doing Twice the Work in Half the Time by Jeff Sutherland. And an interesting one about teamwork was called The Boys in the Boat, a true story about a U.S. rowing team and their trials in forming a team and competing in the 1936 Olympics.

So what are your takeaways from reading those books?

I try to focus on team-building practices and different aspects of leadership. When interacting with my team, I constantly try to remember that I’m a part of the team too. We all try to overcome mistakes, and I try to implement the lessons I’ve learned to have those tough conversations when they come up.

Okay, so you take in a lot of experts in leadership and your discipline. That’s cool. But what’s been one aspect about leadership you’ve learned ‘on the job?’

There are different ways we can learn good leadership- we can learn practices that we want to emulate, or we could see poor leadership in action and decide not to model that practice. One experience I had falls in the latter category. At a different company, I had a leader in that organization who I really looked up to and respected. One day while I was in their office, an Team Member came in and had a request. The leader told the Team Member exactly what they wanted to hear, and left the office. Later, a second Team Member came in with a request, and again, the leader told this second employee exactly what they wanted to hear.

The thing was, these two requests were in direct conflict of each other and resulted in a larger conflict between those two Team Members. Instead of having a tough conversation with one of the Team Members, this leader- a person whom I respected- decided to put their Team Members on a collision course.

Well, that’s not cool.

Not at all. From that experience, I learned that I can’t always look to be the person everyone likes. Sometimes you have to have difficult questions. You have to think about ‘what’s the best decision for the betterment of the team?’

How is it being on the leadership team of an indie studio like Schell Games?

I love the company culture and the pillars of our mission statement. Being on an involved leadership team, I get to see the culture and adherence to our pillars (amazing team, amazing fun, amazing transformation) on a daily basis and it’s inspiring. Being an indie studio, we get a chance to build an eclectic team and make sure we create a “proud to work here” environment. It is rewarding to see team members being comfortable going to anyone for help or if they have a question about something.

The talent in the studio is definitely something.

Yeah. We have such a diverse group of people who can blow your mind on the projects and achievements.

Culture isn’t just the company, but also where the company is located. What are your thoughts about Pittsburgh?

I am born and raised in greater Pittsburgh (Latrobe), and I share the same hometown as Fred Rogers, Arnold Palmer, so I have nothing but great things to say about this city. I grew up loving Mister Rogers Neighborhood, and a proud alum of the same high school as him.

Pittsburgh has done some changing right? Calling it the “Steel City” is really an ode to its past.

True, it is cool to see how [Pittsburgh] has transformed itself into a tech center. It is really trying to reinvent itself. I like it because it isn’t very big, but it has enough resources to make it feel big. I also like how the different neighborhoods of Pittsburgh have their own personality. Also, having three major rivers converge downtown is pretty neat.

Did you play video games when you were growing up in Latrobe?

A specific video game has a special place in my heart. When I was growing up, my parents owned a video store and slowly brought in video games as part of their offerings. Well one day, my mom showed me that they got a copy of Super Mario Brothers 3. Now, this was one of the first games that I was actively seeking out. I ended up taking the game home but forgetting to take the box off of the shelf at the store. Sadly, Mario 3 was never available to rent for the other kids in the neighborhood.

Nice. What did your parents do?

I didn’t really bring it up, but I figured that my parents knew I had it. Maybe one year for Christmas I will get them a copy to make up for it.

Any games in particular that you are seeking out now?

I’m a huge fan of interactive experiences that makes the user “forget” -even if for a moment- exactly where you are. Being a father of three young boys I often lose the controller or keyboard when I start to play games nowadays. It is fun to see them get excited about games and coach each other on how to get better.

Back to studio leadership. What, in your opinion, makes the Schell Games’ leadership team tick?

The fact that the entire leadership team believes in amazing fun, team, and transformation and our mission to make good games for people and companies we like to make the world a better place. The leadership team is here to support all the teams in the studio and help them achieve more. We try hard to adopt a ‘servant leadership’ philosophy and want to ensure the project teams are happy and enjoy coming to work.

Almost done. What advice do you have for people trying to get into the video game industry?

Make games! Make anything! Find a group of people and work together to make something. People don’t make great things by themselves, they make them together. Getting really good at working as a part of a team is important. For production specifically, there are a lot of great resources on Team Building, Leadership, and Production processes out there. Be a sponge. Absorb them all.

(Read Max’s post about things he learned about getting in the video game industry.)

Last question: if you had unlimited resources, time, and no restrictions, what type of project or experience would you like to see come out of the studio?

I am all for making games or experiences the teams here are excited about. When a team is really passionate about a project it is amazing to see what they make. We have super creative, smart and passionate people here, so being able to support every project someone is passionate about would be fun to see.