Meet Squanch Presents: Jess Waddell-Lewinstein Kopp!

IT'S SQUANCH 101. Today's lesson? MEET SQUANCH!

Boy oh boy have you come to the right place at the right time. Grab a pen, take notes, bookmark this page, do whatever you gotta do to make sure this Q&A is ingrained in your thinking receptacle. What if there's a test at the bottom of this page? Is there? Isn't there? If there is maybe you'll get a prize for scoring 100%. Maybe not though. Not making any promises.

Internet world, meet Jess Waddell-Lewinstein Kopp, our extra squanchy Director of Marketing and Communications. Woop woop!

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Jess Waddell-Lewinstein Kopp, Director of Marketing and Communications

So what do you do at Squanch Games anyway?

I head up the marketing and communications team for Squanch, which includes things like public relations, creative marketing, advertising, licensing, sales management, community, and social media. 

What brought you to the video game industry?

I’ve always been a big gamer, so when I had the opportunity to combine my career with my love of games, I happily took it. At first, I worked on the agency side with clients such as NCSoft, Klei Entertainment, and Big Fish Games. As time continued, I went in-house; first for Gameloft, and then 2K, EA, PlayStation, and now Squanch. 

Over the course of my career (so far), I’ve supported over 60+ awesome games from franchises such as Guild Wars, Sid Meier’s Civilization, Borderlands, WWE, The Sims, and XCOM. While at Sony PlayStation, I also had the chance to work on actual hardware like the PS4 and PS VR, alongside their network services and eSports programs.

What's your comfort video game?

The Sims! #sulsul #motherload

If you could live in any fictional world, which one would it be and why?

There are a lot of fictional worlds that appeal to me, but they all have some massive problem they are facing or need to overcome - which probably is what makes the movies and books they appear in so interesting to watch in the first place. Can I pick a world, but take perhaps some parts out (e.g. Lord of the Rings minus Sauron, or Harry Potter minus Lord Voldemort and the Death Eaters, etc.?)

Remember that Twilight Zone episode where you can press a button and get a million dollars but someone you've never met in the world will die? Would you press that button?

Okay, so I haven’t met them - but do I know who they are? Do I get to choose the person? Are they a bad person? Regardless of who they are, would their family know what happened, and potentially blame me?! Could I be killed off by it afterward???

What happens if I “accidentally” break said button and quietly walk away?

What's the thing you're most proud of working on?

Probably introducing expanded gender customization options to The Sims. 

When I was a teenager, The Sims allowed me to create myself and my unique family within a game for the first time ever. This was huge because I was born to a lesbian mom and gay dad and always wished I could see a family like mine represented in literally any kind of entertainment.

So when I started working on The Sims as an adult and was given the opportunity to help support a new feature that enabled people to potentially tell transgender stories, it was awesome. It was my chance to give others the same opportunity I had to finally tell their own authentic stories through an interactive medium.

Who's your biggest hero? And do you think you could beat them in a fight (either mentally or physically)?

Honestly, my dad. He did sooo much in such a short amount of time. And while everyone talks about growing up to change the world for the better, I honestly believe he is one of the few who have actually achieved it. 

But in regards to fighting: He was an Olympic Athlete, Paratrooper and Doctor - while I spend most of my days sitting indoors, eating spicy Cheetos, and cowering away from the sun. Sooo, no. I probably wouldn’t beat him at ANY kind of fight (although I sure as hell would believe otherwise if I were a couple beers down).

Okay, let's say that Twilight Zone button gives you a BILLION dollars but someone still dies. How about now?

Yeah...  I’m not committing to anything until I get answers to my above questions.

What's your favorite Squanch memory so far?

That time I got pregnant, had a baby, and raised it for a year without anyone ever seeing either of us because of a global effin pandemic. #GetVaxxed

Do you have something about yourself you'd like an excuse to talk about?

I was once assaulted by a green clown on April Fools day while carrying a plate of delicious Korean street tacos through the Saint Stupids Day Parade in downtown San Francisco.