#MeetIronGalaxy – Leo Rodriguez

Today, we are speaking with a lead of our Production department. Hailing from Iron Galaxy Orlando, we have a father with 10+ years of game development experience. Both playing and making games has taught him to have a deep respect for time management and his teammates. Let’s learn more...


Iron Galaxy: Who are you and what would you say you do here at Iron Galaxy?

Leo Rodriguez: My name is Leo Rodriguez and I’m a Senior Producer here at Iron Galaxy. My goal is to ensure our partners are happy and our projects are sailing smoothly from start to finish. Production acts as a touchpoint for all team members; both a barometer for the overall success of the project, but also to provide insight into the health of all the individuals in our team. We care not only about how we get things done, but who gets them done and how they are doing.


IG: Thanks for being the glue between our teams and partners! Now, what would you say is the most challenging part of being a producer?

LR: Foretelling the future! High level production work not only needs to be concerned with the day-to-day delivery of a project, but the high-level timelines and roadmap to our goals. Estimations, looking at things from the top down, and sussing out where the problems will arise before they do is a big part of the job. Once you do, you must put an effective plan in place to tackle the problem at its root and if necessary, put processes in place to ensure it doesn’t crop up again.


IG: You sound like the ideal teammate to press the emergency meeting button in Among Us, assuming you aren’t the imposter yourself. What’s one skill you learned growing up you’ve found helpful in your career?

LR: Being a Dungeon Master. No really, I’ve DMed for almost 15 years now and it teaches you not only time-management, but how to read a room, how to care about others before yourself, and adapting quickly to changing situations. It’s interesting to see just how easily many of those skills carry over into the role of being a Producer. All of them apply to running a project, forcing you to be organized and competent in a fast-paced dungeon cr- I mean project.


IG: Like DMing, you have a lot of responsibility when overseeing a team! Tell us about your proudest moment here at IG.

LR: Has to be the launch of Rumbleverse. Helping the team get to the finish line on a project that big was inspiring. Seeing how happy everyone was to see the game come out to be quickly picked up and played by people all around the world made me glow with pride for the endless amount of work and effort put in by our amazing team. Rumbleverse held a special place in the heart of IGers and the project will have a positive effect on us for years to come.


IG: Thanks for being a part of such a special project of IG’s growth. What would you say is unique about your job when comparing it to others in the industry?

LR: Infinite variety. It’s rare at IG to be working on a project for more than a year or two at max. You’re going to get exposed to the best the game industry (and beyond) has to offer very quickly compared to work at other studios. AAA studios from around the world come to IG for our experience, professionalism, and skill. You’ll be part of a port or remaster one project, then you’ll be part of a support project the next. One thing is for sure, you won’t get bored of the same old thing working here.


IG: That’s truly a pretty unique aspect of IG. If you were on a panel at GDC about production and were asked “How can I become the best producer I can be?” What would you say?

LR: Learn from everyone you can. This industry is small, but infinitely vast when it comes to how people approach game development. Open yourself to how different people do things, find a mentor who will help you get started, ask questions, then ask more questions. I don’t know how many times asking a question that may have seemed simple led to a new idea or new approach that helped the team.


IG: What’s the best thing about working in game dev?

LR: Being surrounded by a bunch of nerdy, smart folks. There are so many shades of gamer that you’re bound to find folks who love the same stuff you do. Even if at first you don’t, you’ll find avenues into new experiences and hobbies you’ve never even thought to explore before. It’s great to hear about everyone’s passions, and why they love what they love. Heck, I’m not even into card games and I watched a MTG tourney play out in the breakroom the other day.


IG: Gamers always gotta game. What’s a favorite perk of yours at work?

LR: It changes depending on which project I’m on. One of the projects I am working on-site for currently is in a really cool area of Orlando, behind the scenes where not many people get to go. When I was working on Rumbleverse I got to work directly with Studio Leadership on the weekly, which was awesome. It’s the variety and new experiences that I really enjoy.


IG: Checks out with your earlier mention of infinite variety. You frequently talk with members of different teams. What’s it like working with others just on the Production team

LR: The Production team as a whole meets once every two weeks to get the latest and greatest of what is going on around the studio from the Production perspective. Also, IG is great at setting up all sorts of fun events that bring folks from all parts of the studio together. Shout out to our Ops team!


IG: What’s the most rewarding aspect of creating games that other people get to play?

LR: Hearing about how much they enjoyed playing it gives you the warm fuzzies. Had a friend of mine that I knew was into fighting games but had no idea he was a Rumbleverse fan. He was so excited to tell me how much he liked the game I worked on. Just feels good to be part of someone’s life like that, even if it’s just for a few hours.


IG: Players of our games definitely hit close to home. What’s an impactful story you can share of the significance video games can play in someone’s life?

LR: I used to play MMOs with a tight knit group of friends back in the day. Two of my friends ended up getting married and have quite a few children now. They are living their best lives, and it wouldn’t have happened if video games hadn’t forged that connection with them when they were in some dark times in their lives. Video games have the potential to bring so much joy both in and out of game. I’ve seen it play out again and again.


IG: MMOs tend to have those special personal stories, don’t they? Congrats to your friends and their growing guild! You’ve been a Producer on multiple projects at IGS now. What’s most important when approaching a new project with a new group of developers?

LR: Get to know your team! Make sure they know you’re on their side, and that you’re there to support them and make their lives easier. Opening the dialogue early will allow folks to feel like they’re in a trusted environment; and can come to you with all their concerns or potential issues. You don’t want anyone to feel worried about coming to you with some news that may not be positive. People trusting you enough to tell you so you can help them work through it is the goal. Every project will have challenges, and it’s how you work through them together that makes or breaks hitting your goals.


IG: Leave it to a producer to strive for open and clear communication. Do you have any pro-tips for working from home?

LR: As cliché as it sounds; get up and move around. You don’t have to be glued to your desk all day. When you’re in the office, you take little breaks to chat with folks or go to the break room. Designate one space in your house that is less traveled as your ‘break room’ and take a small coffee break there. Or just take a little time to reflect. Then do a lap around the block (or walk on the treadmill if you live in Florida like me during the summer).


IG: Looking out for the heat we see. Good call. Aside from playing video games, what’s a favorite hobby of yours?

LR: As someone who plays a lot of tabletop games, I recently got into painting miniatures. Putting on an audio book, then playing with colors, shades, and washes is a zen-like experience. I don’t worry too much about how professional it looks, I just let the brush take me where it will.


IG: Awww snap! Any pics to share?

LR:

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IG: What’s something you feel everyone must do once in their life?

LR: Retail or Food service. I feel like the time I spent working as a driver and waiter at Pizza Hut really helped me grow a sense of empathy for people who work in those industries. It can be unforgiving work, and putting yourself in those shoes is a must for every person on earth.


IG: Ahhh the work approach. Those experiences can certainly ground a person for the better. While off the clock, do you have any favorite destinations to travel to?

LR: Way too many awesome places to choose from; but Madrid will always hold a special place in my heart. The delectable food, the friendly people, and the culture was fantastic. I love a place that has a good mix of old history and new-world experiences. Madrid had all of that in spades.

IG: Those sandwiches look ridiculously tasty. Make sure to bring some back to Iron Galaxy Orlando next time you visit. What’s one place that you hope to see one day?

LR: Earth from orbit. I don’t think there is an experience that could stack up to looking down on the earth from orbit and thinking about just how insanely small we are in this great wide galaxy of ours.


IG: Clever thinking Galaxian. If you could pick a song to play every time you entered the room, what would it be?

LR: Probably the song that played when I walked down the aisle during my wedding, The Imperial March. No further explanation needed.

IG: Vader’s impressed and jedi must have been trembling as you walked down those stairs. What game have you played more times than you can count? And if you were to guess, how many hours have you put in?

LR: Mass Effect Series. I think I’ve played through the trilogy at least three times, Mass Effect 2 I’ve played through almost six times, Mass Effect 3 four times. I even played Andromeda 2 times through. I probably have over six hundred hours poured into that series.

I guess I can’t get enough of the sci-fi universe that they put together for it. There is no other cast of characters from a video game that I’ve felt closer to than the crew of the Normandy.


IG: Science-Fiction does an excellent job of commenting on society today, without making it overwhelmingly obvious to the average consumer. What’s a scene from a movie that makes you cry every single time you watch it?

LR: The scene from Coco when Miguel sings to his grandmother. I’m tearing up just thinking about it.


IG: Oh, we Remember. What movie have you seen the most times?

LR: I have seen the movie Bolt more times than I care to ever see again. I don’t usually get to pick the movie when my kiddo is around, but this is the only movie I veto when I can.


IG: Haha. So, we know your kid’s favorite. How about your favorite series to binge?

LR: It would have to be Parks & Rec. I still binge watch the series every couple of years. It is one of the few series that manages to make absolutely every character in it redeemable and relatable in some way. Everyone in the series has faults that make them all the more believable when you learn how they’re good people in the end, just flawed.


IG: We’re sure in another timeline, Leslie Knope is Pawnee’s Lead Game Producer, somewhere out there. What’s one superpower you’d like to have?

LR: Portals! If I could create a portal to any place, I would travel wherever I wanted instantaneously, and take anyone/anything I wanted. After I’m done visiting every cool place on earth, I could help ferry food to needy people or something. Make myself useful.


IG: A superpower to do super good stuff. Nice choice. If you had a single wish to be granted, no holds barred, what would you wish for?

LR: All children grow up with all their essential needs met. Becoming a parent changes you, man.


IG: True that. What fictional universe would you choose to live in over our own?

LR: I’m not the biggest Star Trek fan but it’s unequivocally the best fictional universe to live in. The quality of life would be high, and everyone would have a chance to live their dreams. Plus, space exploration!


IG: You’d get to “Live long and prosper.” If you could have dinner with anyone in the world, who would it be?

LR: I think I’d like to have dinner with Jack Black. He seems like the type of guy who would just be fun to hang out with, and it wouldn’t be some sort of dinner where he thought I expected something of him. We would just be able to sit and talk about our kids, about what we find funny, and have an all-around good time.


IG: Pick a historical figure you’d want to show the modern world. Who would you choose and what would it be like?

LR: The Tyrannosaurus Rex. There would be some panicked roaring followed by panicked people. Maybe I would get it a muzzle first.


Dangerous choice Leo! We’re fairly sure the entertainment industry has shown us what it would be like if T-Rexes were out and about in nature. We’d all be fine though thanks to your parental approach to caring for the average kid and thoughtful approach to supporting a team. Just be ready for that call at a moment’s notice!

The Production team is hiring for a Lead Game Producer right now. Have the mind for production just like Leo? We’re searching for a leader to slot right into our production department. Visit our Careers page to apply or check out our other openings.

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