Getting to Knowmade: Daisy-May Hutton

Daisy is, to many, the glue of Glowmade production. She is here, there and everywhere to make sure everyone feels heard and happy to crack on with building our game in style! You’ve never seen a woman with more strings to her bow, which she’ll probably somehow figure out how to crotchet if you’re not careful. With such a vast pool of knowledge and warmth at her disposal, it would be close enough to a crime not to get to know her - so let’s do just that!!

Dearest Daisy, what do you do at Glowmade?

So I'm a Producer! Also known as Jira Queen, Organisation Yoda, Team Mum! Just some of the titles I've been given which I can definitely resonate with!

Being a producer means I support & manage multiple teams, creating an organised and chaos free environment for them to be able to perform as best as they can! As part of this, myself and my team identify area's that need our support and devise new systems or implement new processes in order to resolve any high risk issues for our development to run as smoothly as possible.

Now how would your mum describe your job?

"She's in a lot of meetings, and does game stuff?"

How did you get to this point in your career?

Hard work, sheer determination, and most importantly, listening to & understanding how people work. Your greatest skill is always to listen, learn, & apply! I come from a project management background, but worked in a range of industries to really refine my skills. This included working in fashion & dressing windows, to working in a bakery making gingerbread, to even working in a nursery herding toddlers! (Although I'd like to think changing nappies is a skill that I will not be using any time soon!)

I'm proud to say that I don't have a games industry background. Something which I did not realise the importance of until later on.

When I first joined the industry I used to be pretty conscious of not having specific experience in games. I didn't work in QA, I didn't have a degree in computing or art, I didn't even know anyone in the industry to ask questions! Being an Oxford country girl I thought like I would stick out like a sore thumb! But looking back now I couldn't be more proud of the journey I took to get here.

I now know that no matter the industry, your transferable skills will always refine over time with experience. What matters is how dedicated you are into being the best working version of yourself. With this I knew that I thrived in being organised, driven, hard working, a people's person, and most importantly, I understood the value of what "good" communication is.

What made you want to pursue games?

To be honest, working in games felt like an unreachable dream, almost like when you wanted to be an astronaut or an actress as a kid! It was only when I noticed a post about an internship offered that was the light bulb moment. With no previous game experience needed, and encouraging people who wanted a career change to apply, I thought:

"Is there a shift happening in the industry? Are they really open for people who who want make a career change but have no specific games experience? Could this actually be my opportunity?...."

That was it. The goal had been set. The golden carrot dangled!

In that moment, I decided that I would give all my energy, mind, heart, soul to giving myself the best chance to get that internship! So for a solid 7 months I listened, I watched, I wrote, I learned, I used every tactic under the sun to improve my knowledge.

But simply understanding game development, the industry, the market & it's impact and the fundamental role of a producer would not be enough. As well as this, you have to put yourself out there, step out of your comfort zone, and find as many point of contacts to speak to people within the industry as you can! Networking is absolutely essential if you want a chance. This doesn't mean you have to be the most extrovert person, or wildly confident, but you want to build up a network of industry professionals who can advise and guide you, whilst also respect that they are giving away their time to help you, something which being in the industry now I realise is not always easy to spare! As much as you may want to help someone on their journey.

So after many hours researching, writing, and travelling for meetings, I had my biggest break in that I had a producer who was willing to mentor me. Someone who also didn't have a games background, having his guidance, support and an opportunity to for work experience at his studio really changed the game for me. Pun intended! It is from his kindness, dedication, and that of everyone who gave me their time that I have to thank for, and owe it to them for me to be here today!

However, it wasn't a perfect journey, as I in fact did not get accepted for the internship. At this point there was a high risk that all of this hard work for months was for nothing, and that it simply wasn't meant to be. But I knew I had come to far and worked to hard to let it all go. I couldn't do that to myself, and everyone who believed in me. I thank my lucky stars that I didn't walk away, because only a couple months later, I had multiple interviews with three studios! One of them being my wonderful Glowmade, and the rest truly is history!

So through hard work, ruthless determination and a flair for great chat! I made my dream a reality.

(This is the most marvellous answer I’ve ever received - so many details!! When’s the book dropping, because I’m front in line!)

Share something you love doing outside of everything video games.

Watching streams of indie horror games! I'm always fascinated by different trends of horror and what developers do to break the regular formula.

Also cooking! I'm a big foodie, and often experiment in the office kitchen to see what I can make. Take my (very obvious) advice - Don't cook fish on the panini machine, you'll never hear the end of it!

But the big one is that I'm a secret cowgirl at heart! Any chance to even pet a horse and I'm there! Boots an’ all!

(Well now I feel guilty for always using tuna in the panini press…)

Who or what inspires you?

I'm always inspired by people who have worked from the ground up, who dedicate so much of themselves to not only doing what they love, but to help others along the way. Especially those who have fought the hardest journeys of being judged for who they are and what they represent.

What game do you wish you could’ve developed?

Oh, eeaasy question! Hands down Red Dead Redemption 2. Or perhaps Unpacking - it’s an organiser’s dream!

Share something you appreciate about yourself. Give yaself a pat on the back, why don’t ya?

I'm proud of knowing that people of all ages, genders and backgrounds feel naturally inclined and comfortable to open up to me. Even when I could be absolutely rushed off my feet, it's important to be able to take a pause, and be that listening ear and guidance for someone.

Giving someone your time to listen is more important than anything.

“Be proud of the journey that made you who you are today.”

— daisy-may hutton, producer

What's the best thing about working at Glowmade?

I know everyone will probably say this but it really is the people! And actually I feel that is one of the most important elements of working on a long term project. It's a little bit like a play! It is only successful if everyone learns their lines and works together!

The best games are not just the one's that make the most money or are the most popular, but they are the one's that are built by studios who can look back at the full journey and say "You know what? We went through some really tough times and also some great moments! But we worked through them all together and supported each other as a team to do as best as we could"

It's the people that shape the right success of a studio.

Anyone on the team who stands out as a role model, or source of inspiration, perhaps?

Fi Harvey, our Finance & Operations Manager, who has been with Glowmade since the beginning! She is truly our heroine who deserves the limelight. She works so incredibly hard and is so dedicated to making sure we all feel listened to and cared for. She is the glow in Glowmade!

(1000% correct. Fi deserves a La La Land-style song and dance number every single day. Most of us do suck at dancing though, so probably for the best it’s not happened yet…)

What do you want from your career? What goals are you looking forward to vaulting past?

I would love to manage the production of a project right from the start, although that is every producers dream! However what I would really like to achieve in my career is to elevate my public platform and talk about the importance of mental health & understanding people within games. How it is so important to not only look after ourselves, but to also understand the differences of the people around us.

Travelling and giving talks to inspire others in this area is my biggest goal!

What are your top tips for someone looking to get into games?

Perseverance, hard work & thinking outside of the box.

Don't feel any shame in reaching out to people on LinkedIn. You may have one reply in ten, but at least that one reply may lead on to an opportunity for questions, or a meeting, or even work experience! Just remember to always be safe.

It's a long road, and not an easy one. So set yourself small goals each day and remember that no time or effort is wasted. Your chance to work in games can come at any time in your life, it happened later for me, so keep at it and don't lose faith!

And if you do find your ideal role in your dream studio then always think, there could be at least three hundred other people applying for the job that you want, all with an equal shot at getting an interview. So what are you going to do to standout? Do your research and think outside of the box!

In your opinion, who is the cutest Glowmade pet?

Oh, it has to be our resident superstar, Tuna! She is easily the biggest distraction when she graces us with her presence and we love her!

If you had to pick one game to play for the rest of your life, what would it be?

Red Dead Redemption 2, I basically have a second life in that game! Whether I'm fishing or hunting or riding my horse across the grizzlies, I can live out my cowgirl dreams there!

What's your guilty pleasure?

Truffle dust! If I could be reincarnated as anything it would be a pig. A big. Truffle. Pig.

There's one biscuit left in the tin and it's your favourite... what is it?

Ginger nut - give me all that spicy goodness!

(Yeeeess….. YEEEEEESSSSSS!!)