Jeannie Novak is the founder of Indiespace--one of the first companies to promote and distribute interactive entertainment online, where she consults with creative professionals in the music, film and television industries to help them migrate to the game industry. In addition to being series editor and lead author of the Game Development Essentials series, Jeannie is the co-author of three pioneering books on the interactive entertainment industry--including Creating Internet Entertainment. Jeannie is Online Academic Department Director of the Game Art & Design and Media Arts & Animation departments at the Art Institute Online. She has consulted for UC Berkeley's Center for New Media and UCLA Extension's Entertainment Studies department. She has also taught game development courses and has been a curriculum advisor at UCLA Extension, Art Center College of Design, Academy of Entertainment and Technology at Santa Monica College, DeVry University, ITT Technical Institute and Westwood College. Jeannie has developed or participated in game workshops and panels at Macworld, Digital Hollywood, and iHollywood Forum. She is a member of the International Game Developers Association (IGDA) and has served on selection committees for the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences (AIAS) and the ALT+CTRL Festival of Independent & Alternative Games. Jeannie was chosen as one of the 100 most influential people in high-technology by MicroTimes magazine -- and she has been profiled by CNN, Billboard Magazine, Sundance Channel, Daily Variety, and the Los Angeles Times. She received an M.A. in Communication Management from the University of Southern California (USC), where she focused on games in online distance learning. She received a B.A. in Mass Communication from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)-- graduating summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa. When she isn't writing and teaching, Jeannie spends most of her time recording, performing and composing music.