Alumni Spotlight — Dennis Yelito
Dennis, BADAS’19, is an Associate Development Manager for EA Tiburon, working on EA Sports titles. The Digital Worlds Institute helped him learn how to work with a group of people in different disciplines and step into his professional career.
Dennis participated in several 48-hour short film contests with people from the cohort while studying at Digital Worlds. He says his favorite memories are the late nights in the foyer, and meeting some of the most talented people he had ever worked with. “ Listen to your professors.” says Dennis, “ they really do care and want to help you.”
In what ways did your Digital Arts & Sciences (DAS) experience [at the Digital Worlds Institute] prepare you for your career?
I learned how to work with a group of people and, at times, people in different disciplines. I think that is the most essential part; whether you want to go into animation, games, or anything creative, you will most likely be working on a team. If you can work well in a team environment, you’re set!
What do you like most about your current career?
I get to work on some of the biggest games being made and work with really awesome people. I do not hate Mondays; I get really excited about starting my day and solving whatever problem pops up. I am an Associate Development Manager for EA Tiburon, working on some of the EA Sports titles. I am essentially a project manager/producer/scrum master. I basically make sure the game gets out on time, and we are meeting our milestones and completing our sprints. I help plan out the roadmap and handle the day-to-day things like running meetings, removing roadblocks for the team, hunting down solutions to people’s problems, and anything else to make sure we are on track. My main tools of the trade are Jira and excel/google sheets. My job title has been described as being the “Mom” of the team, and I would 100% agree.
What are your favorite DAS memories?
I have a fair bit to choose from. I would say doing 48-hour short film contests with people from my cohort, late nights in the foyer, and meeting some of the most talented people I have ever had the pleasure of working with. Just living the dream!
What advice would you give to current Digital Arts & Sciences students?
Work with each other, do little side projects together, help each other out whenever possible. This industry is all about collaborating and sharing knowledge, so start now. Y’all are going to be each other’s most significant asset when it comes to getting jobs. Also, listen to your professors; they really do care and want to help you. That means go to office hours and get feedback or pick their brain about animation, editing, or whatever. I would not be where I am right now without them!
