Today we’d like to introduce you to Ali Kellogg.
Hi Ali, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I was born and raised in Los Angeles and my path in life has been a bunch of zigzags.
I was a professional musician for many years before realizing I wanted to pivot towards more of a STEM-focused career. I went to UCLA for anthropology and then did my MA in archaeology. I had the opportunity to live and study in Central America, where my research focused on ancient Mayan agricultural practices and how they influenced their religious systems. I had intended to pursue my PhD and stay in archaeology professionally but I was fortunate to have some advisors and mentors that encouraged me to explore other things before making the long haul commitment of a PhD.
After graduating, I worked for a few years as a history teacher which was an incredibly rewarding, challenging and humbling experience. Teaching is a hard life primarily because of the pressure and low pay. I realized I would be in for a really rough ride financially if I remained a teacher, and the nature of the subjects I was teaching to kids (world war two, the Holocaust and social justice) were highly volatile and politicized which made the job feel even more daunting.
I’ve been a gamer my entire life, and video games have always been the things that feels like it’s always there for me, if that makes sense. I’ve always resorted to escapism through video games and storytelling. 2010-2018 was a really incredible time for gaming as cinematic RPGs became super en vogue. My first exposure to game development technology actually happened when I was working in archaeology since we use a lot of the same tech like LiDAR cameras and 3D modeling software. Even the narrative development aspects of both game development and archaeology feel the same – taking tiny pieces of a world and assembling them into one.
I decided to become sober in 2016 and to help with my recovery I needed something to completely pour myself into, so I started taking online classes in game engines, coding, 3D modeling, animation and game theory. After getting some online certifications under my belt and working odd jobs in tech, I felt like I got in my groove and now I’ve been fortunate to work on some incredible projects, games, movies and TV shows.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
No not at all haha. Like I said, my path has been a zig zag. I’ve had many moments of crippling self doubt and a total lack of belief in myself, many period of deep depressive states where I felt like I didn’t belong anywhere. I’m grateful to have had support from both my loved ones and my peers to keep going.
The biggest challenge for me professionally has been the volatility of the tech and games industry. I can’t count how many times I’ve been laid off after overdelivering on a project, or being completely burnt out and overworked only to have my income suddenly rugpulled. No matter how hard you work or how many sacrifices you make in your personal life to bolster an enormous company and their output, tech and entertainment are entirely built on algorithms and gambling on fads.
Fortunately that also means I’ve trauma bonded with a lot of people in my world, and I’ve learned a lot of hard lessons and I’ve made some of my closest friends since layoffs and burnout are a shared experience.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I bring a wide blend of skills that bridge the gap between art and technology. My role often floats between being a technical producer and creative/art director, and I’ve also worn the hats of director, writer, and designer throughout my career.
On any given day, I might be deep in a game engine, coding and solving problems alongside my team. Other days, I’m managing schedules and budgets to ensure we have the resources to see a project through. Sometimes, I’m hands-on in the physical world—crawling through server rooms fixing hardware or hanging from a ladder running cables on a green screen stage.
The titles “producer” and “art director” are nebulous and can mean very different things at different companies, but what truly defines my work is this: I use complex technological solutions to tackle creative challenges, driving the creation of immersive, compelling art experiences.
What sets me apart I guess is my ability to seamlessly integrate technical expertise with experimental creative vision, making me a versatile problem solver who contributes at every level of the production pipeline.
I think “immersive art” is a sort of bullshit term that’s overused now for things like marketing activations. A room full of projectors will have a $75 price tag to walk through it for 20 minutes, as will a photo opp geared towards content creators. This dampens the very core human level experience of art as both a creator and a consumer. I’m not so much proud of any one particular project as I am of partaking in the act of delivering very high-quality immersive experiences that push boundaries and bring storytelling to life in a total sensory and emotion-driven way.
Do you have recommendations for books, apps, blogs, etc?
I believe escapism (in healthy moderation) is a form of mental wellness. It’s obviously easy to spend all your time with some piece of media that will totally consume you, but the practice of dipping in and out is tremendously helpful to me.
My favorite app lately is called Radio Garden. It’s an interactive 3D map of the world with pins for all the music-based radio shows available all over the world. I love music and discovering music from other cultures so I’ll just sit on the couch and spin it around and check out what people are listening to in other parts of the planet.
My favorite book lately has been Piranesi by Susanna Clarke. I’ve already read it a few times and can’t get enough. It feels like a dream, mixed with a Christopher Nolan movie. Other books I’ve enjoyed recently are How to Be a God: A Guide for Would-Be Deities by Jared Dees (about game design theory) and The Death of Truth: Notes on Falsehood in the Age of Trump by Michiko Kakutani.
I love PBS’s “podcasts” you get access to as a monthly supporter – now is a great time to become a PBS member!
And of course, I require a good video game at all times to provide my imagination an escape route from daily life. I recently played Clair Obscure: Expedition 33 and South of Midnight and loved both.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.sistercalypso.com
