Interview: Colin Johnson

How did Dynasty 11 Studios get its start?

I initially formed Dynasty 11 Studios to develop a science fiction series that I designed, codename: Project Stargazer - our next project. As I came to understand the totality of what it would take to develop this series, I realized that for the sustainability and stability of the studio, I needed to create something else first that would be both more feasible to develop and would lay the financial foundation for the studio. Enter: Player 2.

What prompted the creation of Player 2?

There were two primary motivators. First, at the time, I was playing a lot of Destiny, Battlefield, and

Halo, and was having terrible experiences with matchmade teammates, which really put a damper on

my gaming experience. I then kept seeing countless people sharing the same frustration on social media. The more I considered how to address this problem, the more I thought of ways to bring gamers

together beyond what already existed on streaming platforms, social media, or existing in-game

matchmaking. Those solutions became Player 2 - the Gamer’s Companion. 

Secondly, from a business perspective, I wanted to introduce Dynasty 11 Studios publicly as a company that brings more to the table than a good idea - we care about making the gaming experience more enjoyable. Player 2 is first and foremost a service created by gamers, for gamers. We strive to support the success of everything gaming, from AAA and Indie dev studios alike, to content creators, gaming communities, and everyday gamers of all types.

What do you do at Dynasty 11 Studios?

In a sentence, I do whatever I can to ensure that the members of my studio are empowered to do their best work. As CEO, I oversee the strategy, finance, and operation of the business. This side of my job is all about the “Mamba Mentality” - I relentlessly look for ways to improve myself and my contribution to the company. As Creative Director, I have the privilege of collaborating with some immensely talented and intelligent people, whether that’s whipping up our daily social media content, combing through every last detail of Player 2’s design, or conceiving the Dynasty 11 Studios logo with colored pencils!

What’s a fun fact about you?

I LOVE orchestral soundtrack music - nothing helps more to harness my creative and critical thinking. Here are some of my favorites:

Music for focusing:

1. Bear McCreary - Battlestar Galactica

2. David Arnold - James Bond, Independence Day, & Stargate

3. Blake Neely - DC/CW “Arrowverse” shows

4. Ron Jones, Dennis McCarthy, Jay Chattaway et al. - Star Trek: The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and Enterprise

Music for creative thinking:

1. John Williams - Where do I begin with this legend? Star Wars? Harry Potter? Jurassic Park?

Superman? His Olympic works?

2. Michael Giacchino - The heir to the John Williams throne, especially with Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

3. Marty O’Donnell & Michael Salvatori - Halo CE, 2, 3, ODST, & Reach

4. Michael Salvatori et al. – Destiny and Destiny 2

Bonus favorite:

D11’s very own Brian Sanyshyn. We’ve been working for some time on the Project Stargazer soundtrack, and it’s a shame to have to keep the extent of how brilliant a composer he is under wraps – for now. 

Any closing words of advice?

I am a huge fan of science fiction, and in particular Star Trek, so I’ll invoke the words of Star Trek

creator Gene Roddenberry, “. . . Humanity will reach maturity and wisdom on the day that it begins not

just to tolerate, but to take special delight in differences in ideas and differences in life . . .” These words

inform how we approach our creative process at Dynasty 11 Studios, as well as how I approach my life.

How did you get your start in music?

When I was three years old, I saw Star Wars for the first time and was instantly hooked to the opening fanfare. That iconic score led me to pick up the trumpet in fourth grade...the rest, as they say, is history!

What do you do at Dynasty 11 Studios?

Over the last year, I have worked on developing the D11 Theme, as well as the D11 Suite - a collection of four pieces of music akin to the adventure and spirit that D11 plans to bring to the gaming world in Project Stargazer. Additionally, I have worked on developing all things sound for our upcoming app, Player 2.

What excites you about Player 2?

The gaming community is one of the largest and most diverse communities of people, encompassing individuals of all ages from across the globe. I am excited that Player 2 will provide a positive place for this community to come together and share their passion for gaming as the industry takes some big steps into what is bound to be an exciting future.

Where can we follow you/learn more about your work?

On my personal website briansanyshynmusic.com, by following Player 2 and D11 social media, on dynasty11.com, and in a short time, on Player 2!

Any closing words of advice/quotes?

Walt Disney once said, “It’s kind of fun to do the impossible!” The gaming community is only limited by its own creativity -- let’s do the impossible!

How did you get your start as an artist?

I’ve always been a maker, but I’d have to say Bob Ross is what really got me started. I remember as a kid watching reruns of The Joy of Painting, and he made it look so effortless. I marveled at how he made whatever he imagined appear on the canvas. Not to mention his voice is so relaxing. That was my first introduction to painting and from there my interest in all things creative just grew.

What do you do at Dynasty 11 Studios?

As a concept artist here at Dynasty 11, I work to give a visual representation of ideas. I spend the majority of my time bringing the ideas for Project Stargazer to life, traditionally and digitally and create worlds, characters, buildings, and any other creative things that may be needed

What excites you about Player 2?

I love the camaraderie that you find when playing games, but sometimes finding a group is hard. At least for me, it was either convince someone I know to play or play alone, so this just opens up so many possibilities and gives people a chance to connect and network.

Where can we follow you/ learn more about your work?

I have a lot of my work on my website at www.reaganherndon.com , so feel free to check that out!

Any closing words of advice/quotes?

Bob Ross would always say “We don’t make mistakes, just happy little accidents.” I try to apply that not only in my own artwork but in life as well because “happy accidents” can lead to some of the most amazing things

How did you get your start in your field of expertise?

I've been playing games since I was little and have been wanting to make them ever since I first played Super Mario Galaxy at the age of 8. I was one of the lucky ones who had this dream as I discovered I actually enjoyed coding, and during high school expanded my skillset to include web development and general computer science. I've really enjoyed getting to essentially combine all three of these skillsets for my work at Dynasty 11.

What do you do at Dynasty 11 Studios?

I maintain both the Dynasty 11 site and Player 2 landing page, as well as work on some of the chat games that will be included in the app at launch.

What excites you about Player 2?

As both a streamer and game developer, I find the discourse around games more interesting than games themselves, and was ecstatic at the opportunity to develop an app for making that discourse easier.

Where can we follow you/learn more about your work?

I stream about twice a week on my Twitch channel at SuperCitrusTV, and checking out my current project called Palette Swap on itch.io would be a great help!

Any closing words of advice/quote?

"Sucking at something is the first step to being sorta good at something" -Jake the Dog

What do you do at Dynasty 11 Studios?

My primary focus currently is working closely with our CEO to make sure we execute our vision for

Player 2 as efficiently and effectively as possible. For the future, it’s my goal to help Dynasty 11 Studios

grow into an industry-leading model for sustainable business.

What unique perspective do you bring to Dynasty 11 Studios?

I view everything through the lens of sustainability – from how we approach energy and waste, to

work/life balance and employee happiness. Long work hours, high stress, burnout, and frequent

turnover are big problems in the game development industry. If we can solve these problems in this

industry, it will go a long way toward showing what’s possible for a holistically sustainable business.

What excites you about Player 2?

It’s gratifying to be working on a solution for gaming’s worst problem – toxicity. Player 2 can match you

with a compatible gaming friend, find you a competitive teammate, and help you enjoy games in new

and exciting ways with communities of like-minded Players. It’s my hope that these solutions will better

allow Players to simply have fun when playing their games!

Any closing words of advice/quote?

“We do not inherit the Earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children.” – Native American

Proverb

How did you get your start in your field of expertise?

Actually, credit goes to Juliana Johnson, D11 Operations Advisor. We've been friends since freshman year of college and she pointed out that I was always thinking of how to optimize things in my life and should consider an Industrial Engineering major. I met with the advisor and never looked back!

What do you do at Dynasty 11 Studios?

I'm the Business Development Advisor at D11, which I guess makes me a bit of a jack of all trades! I help out with anything related to setting D11 up for future business success.

What excites you about Player 2?

It's exciting to get to be a part of building something! Most of my career has involved trying to fix a process that is broken, so getting to build something from the ground up is really interesting.

What's your "shameless plug"?

City Year! It's an amazing AmeriCorps program that sends Corps members into under-resourced schools to help with things like improving attendance, classroom behaviors, and one on one tutoring in subjects where the student is struggling.

Any closing words of advice/quote?

"Confidence is 10 percent hard work and 90 percent delusion." - Tina Fey