{"id":7159,"date":"2013-03-14T06:58:25","date_gmt":"2013-03-14T11:58:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/halofanforlife.com\/?p=7159"},"modified":"2013-03-14T09:06:03","modified_gmt":"2013-03-14T14:06:03","slug":"343-spotlight-jessica-shea-community-manager-aka-bs-angel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/halofanforlife.com\/?p=7159","title":{"rendered":"343 Spotlight: Jessica Shea, Community Manager (aka BS Angel)"},"content":{"rendered":"

This is the first of a possible new series of articles featuring employees and personalities of 343 Industries. First up is the ever popular Jessica Shea, aka BS Angel, Community Manager. I say possible because I’m going to gauge responses to this article to see if I will continue the series.<\/p>\n

The following is a repost of an interview done of “Jess” on\u00a0comicsbulletin.com<\/a>. (I want to preface this by saying that I chose the color Pink<\/span> for Jessica’s name in the article as an homage to her former blog.)<\/p>\n

Jessica Shea: More Than Just a Hawty in the Halo Fan Community<\/h1>\n

A game interview article by:\u00a0Laura Akers<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

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In 2009, after an extended bout of unemployment, something wonderful happened to me. I was hired to work on\u00a0<\/em>Halo Waypoint<\/a>\u00a0as their editor. It was the strangest interview of my life. From the team leader\u2019s incredibly laidback style and the fact that everyone wore jeans, a t-shirt, and a hoodie to being asked to play\u00a0<\/em>Halo 3: ODST\u00a0in front of them (during which I spent most of my time running like hell from a Hunter\u2014oh, the shame!), you\u2019d think I should have had some insight into what this job would be like. \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

But nothing prepares you for working at 343 Industries. Nothing.\u00a0<\/em><\/div>\n
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There\u2019re the full-size Spartan statues everywhere. The guys who turned their work space into a machine-gun bunker, complete with camo-netting and machine-gun turret (plastic full-size gun attached to a file cabinet). The unbelievably intense arguments over every geek show\/comic\/movie\/book\/meme\/etc. out there. The way homemade food left in the kitchen unleashes a Flood-like frenzy (hardly surprising considering the sheer number of young, unmarried men at 343 who, apparently, can\u2019t cook). And you\u2019re working on\u00a0<\/em>Halo. There is nothing better.<\/em><\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/em><\/div>\n
But the best part of all of this is the people. When I started at\u00a0<\/em>Halo Waypoint, there were just a handful of us. There had never been anything like\u00a0<\/em>Waypoint\u00a0(a website-like presence on a console), and none of us really had much experience creating daily content. But there was a love, a drive, a work ethic unlike anything I\u2019ve ever seen. It was like being constantly in battle-mode in the war of fun. Long nights and living in each other\u2019s laps, trying to get content out to the world at midnight every night: we were manic, stressed, and having the time of our lives. \u00a0<\/em><\/div>\n
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Working together like that reveals a lot about those involved. And the one thing we all had in common was passion. Some of us were fans who were excited about working on\u00a0<\/em>Halo\u00a0in any capacity. For others, it was, and continues to be, the culmination of years of devotion and hard work. Over the next few days, I am sharing interviews with three of those superfans who helped to build\u00a0<\/em>Halo Waypoint. Two have moved on to other important positions at 343. One has stayed precisely where she belongs. All are my friends, my fellow soldiers and Spartans, and people whose love of and passion for\u00a0<\/em>Halo\u00a0still takes my breath away. And I wanted to share them with you.\u00a0<\/em><\/div>\n
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Jessica Shea,\u00a0<\/em>Halo Waypoint\u2019s Community Manager, is the conduit between fans and the franchise. She works tirelessly (often 10-12 hours a day) to make sure that fans don\u2019t merely feel heard, but are heard. While everyone at 343 cares about what the fans want, she is the one who listens most carefully and gives them voice in the studio. \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Laura Akers for Comics Bulletin: What did you do as aHalo\u00a0<\/em>fan before coming to 343?<\/span>\u00a0<\/strong><\/div>\n
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Jessica Shea:<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0Before I came to 343, I started (playing) the franchise in the days of CE, although I only played Campaign back then. When\u00a0Halo 2<\/em>launched, I started playing it on LIVE. I got really into it. Around the launch of\u00a0Halo 3<\/em>, I got so into it that I started two websites: a fan-site and a screenshot site. I did both of those for about three to four years. The main one was more of a personal video game blog, and while I covered all video games, I ended up having somewhere around 1,300\u00a0Halo<\/em>posts, which was approximately 60% of my content. That\u2019s not counting the screenshot site, too.<\/div>\n
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CB: And you were known as?\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/div>\n
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Jessica:<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0I was known as “Hawty McBloggy”, which I should mention I did not come up with that name!<\/div>\n
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CB: I think it\u2019s the best name ever. Who came up with it?\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/div>\n
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Jessica:<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0My husband came up with the name. One afternoon I said, \u201cI want to start a blog. What should I name it?\u201d and his response was, \u201cHawty McBloggy, that\u2019d be so funny!\u201d I thought to myself, \u201cThat is the stupidest thing I\u2019ve ever heard.\u201d And then, an hour or two later, I sat down, opened up WordPress to start my blog, and the very first field you have to enter is the name. You can\u2019t even get past that screen without entering a name, so I literally spent two hours staring at a blank computer screen. Then I typed in \u201cHawty McBloggy\u201d, and off I went. Haven\u2019t looked back since.<\/div>\n
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CB: So you did screenshots. You did blog posts. What is it about games that really got that much interest from you? What\u2019s your attraction to games?\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Jessica:<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0I think for me, I really like\u00a0Halo<\/em>, and on top of that, I really like what people do–above and beyond the game–with Halo. So I loved when people cared so much about the franchise that they got a tattoo, or they made a cake, or they made a video, or they wrote a song. I just really like that above and beyond, because it\u2019s that above and beyond that really shows just how passionate you are and how it\u2019s more than just a video game to you. So I think that drove the vast majority of the content\u2026just being attracted to the passion behind it, and all the different ways people express that. It\u2019s so fascinating seeing people\u2019s hobbies and how they morph Halo into them. I have always been impressed with that.<\/div>\n
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CB: So how has it been being a very public female in a really male world? The really maleHalo\u00a0<\/em>fan community? \u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/div>\n
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Jessica:<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0I try to not focus on that as much as possible. I try to pull gender out as much as I can, and really focus on the people because, quite honestly, I don\u2019t see how gender is relevant to playing a video game. It doesn\u2019t make me get more headshots; it doesn\u2019t make me get less headshots. It doesn\u2019t make me play smarter; it doesn\u2019t make me play dumber. I\u2019m going to play how I play because of who I am and that\u2019s not related to my gender.<\/div>\n
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CB: So that\u2019s what you do. \u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/div>\n
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Jessica:<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0That\u2019s what I do.<\/div>\n
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CB: What has been your experience, you know, in terms of how you get treated as a woman when you play or go to cons?\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/div>\n
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Jessica:<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>That is an incredibly complicated question.<\/div>\n
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CB: Yeah, but if I asked it when I interviewed Jacob [Benton;<\/span>\u00a0interviewed here<\/a>], it wouldn\u2019t have made any sense. \u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n
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Jessica:<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0[laughs] Yeah, yeah. I would say sometimes I probably get treated differently. Sometimes it\u2019s in a good way, and sometimes it\u2019s in a bad way. So I do believe that it all evens out.<\/div>\n
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CB: So what was your reaction when you were first approached by 343? You\u2019d already been working with\u00a0Waypoint<\/em>, for quite some time [High-profile fans and fan groups are occasionally approached to contribute fan content to\u00a0Waypoint<\/em>. Jessica had been working with\u00a0Waypoint\u00a0<\/em>in this capacity for months before she was hired], but when they said \u201cHey! Come on in an interview,\u201d what was that like?\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/div>\n
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Jessica:<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0It was exciting, and it was frightening, and I wasn\u2019t sure it was something I wanted to do and take on for a job. It\u2019s completely different than when you have it as a hobby, and I had lovedHalo\u00a0<\/em>for eight or nine years before I had it as a job. So part of me, that instant it was offered, was all \u201cOh my god, yes. Best dream job ever!\u201d The realistic part of me really had to sit down and think, though, was this something I wanted? I never had any aspirations to be in the video game industry, so it\u2019s not as if it was something that I\u2019ve always been working toward. It was something that just happened. Now that I\u2019ve done it, it\u2019s crazy. I compare it to a roller coaster: it\u2019s this insanely awesome ride, and I\u2019m just going to ride it for as long as it\u2019ll have me. That\u2019s been my philosophy the whole time. Didn\u2019t expect to get on this ride, don\u2019t know when I\u2019ll get off, but here I am, enjoying every second of it.<\/div>\n
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CB: So what were your first impressions of life at 343? \u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/div>\n
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Jessica:<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0My very first day\u2026I started on the day that\u00a0Reach\u00a0<\/em>launched. So of course, I came in and there were tons of launch events, both internal and external. I spent my first week doing nothing but launch parties. I found myself thinking, \u201cWow, this is pretty much the greatest job ever! Party, party, party!\u201d Another thing that happened was when I started, nothing game-wise had been announced. All that was known was\u00a0Reach<\/em>.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
So I came in, and the first thing I heard about was\u00a0Anniversary<\/em>. I about pooped my pants. The next thing I heard about was\u00a0Halo 4<\/em>, and so then, of course, I definitely pooped my pants. My head exploded so many times on that first day!<\/div>\n
As far as the studio goes, I think what was apparent in the early days was just how much everybody loves\u00a0Halo<\/em>, and I think that\u2019s one of the coolest things about 343.\u202f Bungie created\u00a0Halo<\/em>. They created this legacy, and they did such an incredible job, and we got the honor of continuing it. So when people come here, they\u2019ve come here to work on\u00a0Halo<\/em>. They haven\u2019t accidentally stumbled upon it. Everybody that\u2019s come here, this is what they want to do. They want to do\u00a0Halo<\/em>, so I think it\u2019s very unique in that regard where the passion runs incredibly high for what everybody\u2019s working on.<\/div>\n
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CB: So you\u2019re a very public part of\u00a0Halo<\/em>, but people\u2019s perceptions based on your public persona, it\u2019s not really an accurate reflection of what it is you do here. So what is your job title, and what do you do in any given week?\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/div>\n
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Jessica:<\/strong>\u00a0<\/span>My job title is Community Manager, and if you ask the community what I do every week, they will tell you I have a five-minute work-week, four minutes of it spent looking at cat pictures, and one minute of it spent posting on Twitter.<\/div>\n
\u202fWhile I do probably spend four minutes looking at cat pictures, I spend much more time posting on Twitter (LOL). I also manage anything having to do with the community and everything that it entails. So that\u2019s everything from social media, to blog posts, to the content on\u00a0Halo Waypoint<\/em>, to all of the behind-the-scenes stuff. I go to meetings about the website, where we discuss everything from how it\u2019s being redesigned to if it\u2019s having issues, and how to fix those issues. The website, the forums, the console app, the game–for every experience a community member has, I am in the relevant meetings. I am a part of those decisions, and my job is to represent the community. I tell various teams what the community thinks, what they want, what\u2019s okay, what\u2019s not okay, and basically fight for them when needed. That involves a whole lot of fun stuff, and then that also involves more of the daily grind.<\/div>\n
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CB: So what have been some of the challenges from somebody in your position, in these months leading up to the release of the new game, 343\u2019s first entirely original creation?\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/div>\n
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Jessica:<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>My biggest personal challenge was when we made the very first\u00a0Halo 4<\/em>\u00a0announcement at E3 (in 2010), and then how long we waited before we shared any information about it. It\u2019s really hard to stay quiet about something, especially when the fans are clamoring for new information, and then not being about to give it to them because there\u2019s a greater plan in place.<\/div>\n
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There were numerous dates set up for all the various announcements, we had very special things planned, and we had a very special cadence to make the biggest impression possible on everybody, and to just give them this really great experience. Of course, when you\u2019re on the other side, when you\u2019re a fan, you don\u2019t know any of that is going on. When you want more information, that\u2019s all you want. You don\u2019t care about the rest. So it\u2019s really hard being that middle person, and me knowing all the great things that are coming, them not knowing all the great things that are happening and will happen, and trying to balance that.<\/div>\n
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As a studio, I think our biggest challenge has been following in Bungie\u2019s footsteps. They are, in my eyes, one of the most beloved developers out there, and I know millions of people that feel the same way. So trying to follow them is a very big challenge. I\u2019ve been very proud of 343, as far as how far we\u2019ve kept the very core of\u00a0Halo\u00a0<\/em>intact. At the same time, we haven\u2019t been scared to take it to the places that we believe it should go.<\/div>\n
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CB: How is being a wife and a mother impact what you do, and how does this job impact you being a wife and mother? \u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/div>\n
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Jessica:<\/span>\u00a0<\/strong>That\u2019s a big, loaded question. I would say being a mother has been a big benefit to this job, because I kind of see our community as this great collective being that I just want to take into my arms, hold them close, and take care of them. So it\u2019s very much a nurturing thing for me. I care about what they think, and I want to take care of them, and I want them to be happy. So I imagine those two roles are really similar. [I can testify to the truth of this. Jessica has been a passionate and very successful advocate for the fanbase. She goes to amazing lengths to take care of them and represent their concerns and desires, and she does it out of love.]<\/div>\n
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CB: And you occasionally have to discipline. \u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/div>\n
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Jessica:<\/strong>\u00a0<\/span>[laughs] Occasionally. Maybe.<\/div>\n
As far as the other side goes, I think if there were awards for being the coolest mom ever, my children would probably grant me a few of them. They are very excited to see me do something that I\u2019m so passionate about. How many people get to do a job that they love, that is pretty much their dream thing? I understand that every day, and I wake up every day, knowing that, and knowing, walking through these doors, that I\u2019m very, very blessed.<\/div>\n
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CB: What are you most excited about in relation to the game or the launch or both?\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/div>\n
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Jessica:<\/span>\u00a0<\/strong>I am most excited to be able to play the game with my friends that I\u2019ve had for years. It\u2019s a blast playing with people in the studio. We have play tests all the time, we trash talk, we have a great time, and we also work, of course. [laughs] I should probably say that we work.<\/div>\n
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But I\u2019ve been on Xbox LIVE for six years now, and I\u2019ve had the same people on my friends list since\u00a0Halo 2<\/em>. So I cannot wait for the day that I can go play it with them. So I\u2019m very excited about my own personal social aspect, and being able to play this game with the community, the very people that have been waiting so long to play this game.<\/div>\n
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CB: So can you tell us about a fan moment that has really impacted you? \u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/div>\n
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Jessica:<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0I\u2019ve had numerous incredible experiences with our fans.\u00a0Halo\u00a0<\/em>is very blessed with its community. It\u2019s so big, it\u2019s so passionate, it\u2019s so vocal, it\u2019s so talented. Some of my most special moments have been with the Make A Wish kiddos that we work with. We work with them a lot, and that\u2019s always difficult, but incredibly special. Kind of like how things are with life in general. I think the most special things are often times the most difficult.<\/div>\n
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Then I also have just super great moments with specific fans. There is this one person who I\u2019ve come to know over all of the conventions, and every time I see him now, he brings me a bag of chocolate-covered espresso beans. Just because I\u2019m always talking about how much I love when they fill up our food troughs–I get so excited when they give us chocolate-covered espresso beans. So every time they do it, I go on Twitter and say, \u201cOh my god! I have chocolate-covered espresso beans! I just ate ten of them!\u201d and I\u2019m all hyper and excited.<\/div>\n
It\u2019s the little things like that where I feel like I\u2019m not just a person in a job, but I feel like people really take the time to get to know me as a person and the things that I like outside of\u00a0Halo<\/em>, and I think that\u2019s when I\u2019m touched the most. And it goes both ways: I enjoy when I get to know people the same way. When I see someone and I can say, \u201cHey, how\u2019s school going?\u201d \u201cDid you get that promotion you wanted?\u201d \u201cHow\u2019s the wife and kids?\u201d That\u2019s what I really like.<\/div>\n
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I love getting to know everybody on a real level outside of\u00a0Halo<\/em>. \u2018Cause we\u2019re all people. Everybody that\u2019s behind a controller is an actual person, and I want to get to know every single one of them.<\/div>\n
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\/End Copy\/Paste<\/strong><\/span><\/div>\n
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This next part is from Jessica’s own <\/span><\/strong>blog<\/span><\/a><\/span>. It’s her final post and it relates to her position with 343<\/span>.<\/strong><\/div>\n
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The Future of Hawty McBloggy: A Website\u00a0Announcement<\/h1>\n
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september 9, 2010\u00a0by\u00a0bs angel<\/a>\u00a0460 comments<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Over three years ago, on one particularly fateful day, I started this crazy, little website. I\u2019ve always loved video games as well as the written word, so the melding of the two was a very natural progression. Because I\u2019m frequently traversing the virtual world of the internet, I\u2019ve happily shared numerous fan-made projects, entertaining videos, hilarious pictures, and pretty much anything video game-related that\u2019s worthy of your time. I\u2019m immensely proud of not only what I created but also the fact that I\u2019ve always stayed true to my one main passion: Halo. It\u2019s because of that love that I\u2019ve decided to venture down a new path, one where my dedication to all things Master Chief will reign supreme. I\u2019ve accepted a position with\u00a0343 Industries<\/a>, and thus Hawty McBloggy, my baby that I will always hold near and dear to my heart, is officially closing its doors. I\u2019m thrilled to be joining the likes of Frank O\u2019Connor, Alison Stroll, Cocopjojo, Vociferous, David Ellis, and numerous others whom share my passion for the constantly-expanding Halo universe, and I\u2019m beyond excited that my focus will be solely on community management. I adore each and every one of you, and you will continue to be my number one priority.<\/p>\n

Some things are changing, and other things are not, so let\u2019s start by addressing both.<\/p>\n

Things that are changing<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n