Meet Squanch Presents John Park!

Well hello there our little Squancheroos, welcome back to the Squanch blog for another installment of our Meet Squanch Series.

Join us today as we dive into the man behind the name "John Park." The man we know as a our People Operations Coordinator. The man we know as our resident DJ and all-around rock star (figuratively and literally). The man we know as, John Park.

Read on to learn more!

John Park, People Operations Coordinator at Squanch Games

What do you do at Squanch?

Though I worked as the Office Manager at Squanch’s west coast studio for the first couple years, I recently transitioned into a Coordinator role in People Operations; People Ops, or POps for short). It’s my job to help keep the proverbial wheels turning and implement solutions to improve morale while looking out for my fellow Squanchers, ensuring they’re equipped with all they need so they can bring their A-game and maximize productivity on the daily. I also handle a lot of the onboarding procedures and protocols for new hires joining the company, working closely with our Systems Administrator and Recruiter.

What got you into the industry?

Squanch is actually the first video game company I’ve worked for. Prior to which, I previously worked in the film industry for several years in the field with the camera crew (on primarily independent productions), as well as on the red carpet doing event coverage, and in more familiar office settings managing digital assets and media relations for various clients. 

For what it’s worth, I’ve worked my share of odd jobs too - handling social media for a prep school consulting firm, and slaving away in a warehouse doing order fulfilment. But the most random gig I’ve definitely had was being a shuttle driver for IndieCade. In retrospect, at the time it was definitely the closest I had ever gotten to as far as “working” in the video game industry goes. 

Despite that, I always had a strong desire to work for a game company but it often felt like such a difficult industry to break into, even more than the film industry. Like it really was just a matter of being at the right place at the right time, knowing the right people. Thankfully, two years ago, such an opportunity finally opened up and it’s been quite the wild and memorable ride since.

What is your favorite thing about Squanch Games?

The people here. Even though at the end of the day, work is work and working for Squanch is a professional job that puts a roof over my head and food on the table, there honestly actually hasn’t been a single day yet where I legit dreaded going to work, and I believe it’s largely because of the awesome, eclectic, talented, and indispensable group of people that make up our Squanch family. 

Of course, like any and every workplace, community, partnership, friendship, relationship, etc there will inevitably be highs and lows, good days, bad days, whatever - but it’s really motivating and reassuring knowing how diligent, passionate, and hardworking everyone here is, while also being receptive to collaboration and feedback.

What’s your favorite video game of all time?

Dark Souls. The first one. And honestly, the first time I played it, I hated it… and yet, I had to know what people loved about it, so I kept at it and soon enough it was ironically its difficulty that really drew me in, along with its melancholic medieval vibes, epic worldbuilding, and unique storytelling via lore gathered from loot and esoteric conversations with NPCs. Also, in a way, Dark Souls kinda felt like a life simulation game but not at all like The Sims or Animal Crossing, but rather in the sense of the game not really teaching you how to do things or how to win; you just gotta have patience and persistence, and figure it out yourself, and above all, keep moving forward. Before I knew it, I ended up playing and beating the game five times.

We know you DJ on the side, how did that start?

So I’ve only been DJing since like 2018, and it’s really just like a side gig to my main passion, which is producing music. Though I’m currently producing some form of electronic music, it’s still a relatively new project as it only began in late 2019. 

Prior to that, I was an indie rock solo artist (circa 2014 to 2019) writing songs and playing shows. And before that, I played in punk, grunge, and progressive rock bands for several years, usually as the vocalist and lead guitarist. But ever since I discovered house and trance as a kid in the late 90s, producing beats and synths is something I always wanted to do somewhere down the road. 

Rock was my first love, not to mention the voice of reason to the world around me growing up. It’s the kind of music I was so invested in creating for so many years, until I ultimately reached a point where I felt it was time to close that chapter and try something new.

What musicians have inspired you?

Well, for starters, my parents named me John after John Lennon and John Denver, so that definitely played a part in how music shaped my identity at an early age, despite the fact that John Park is an ultra common Korean-American name… But if I were to answer that question separately, based on my past in the realm of rock, and my present in the world of electronic, then the former would be bands like Led Zeppelin, Linkin Park, ONE OK ROCK, Oasis, Pixies, Rage Against The Machine, and Nirvana. As for the latter, even though my music sounds nothing like any of these producers, I still draw so much inspiration from producers such as ODESZA, deadmau5, Alison Wonderland, TOKiMONSTA, Rezz, Daft Punk, Lane 8, and Flume.

Can you share a link to your favorite set?

Here’s one of my favorite sets from Alison Wonderland, who is definitely one of my biggest influences as a producer. Can’t tell you how many times I’ve listened to this live set from her gig at The Lab LA back in 2015 but her infectious energy and dope mixes are second to none.

ALISON WONDERLAND Mixmag Lab LA (DJ Set)

What is the best halloween candy in the world?

This isn’t exactly a Halloween candy, though I’d imagine it’s probably given out on Halloween. And it’s probably most likely far from the best candy in the world but I love love love Hi-Chew, especially the sweet & sour ones! On a side note, I’ve always found it funny whenever people would get Hi-Chew mixed up with Chuhai. Despite both being fruit flavored and Japanese, they’re totally different. One being candy and the other being an alcoholic drink. Then again, perhaps for some people out there, Chuhai could be considered candy too. 

Tell us honestly, who is your favorite Disney princess?

It would probably have to be Belle, since not only does she have all the qualities of the girl next door -- sweet, unassuming, wholesome, honest -- but she has the common sense to reject superficial jerks like Gaston... as well as the ability to recognize that it’s the beauty that lies within that matters most. 

I mean, she did fall in love with a beast after all. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Plus, the fact that she was pretty much instantly accepting of talking, singing, and dancing furniture and kitchen utensils, how could you not appreciate someone with such a wild imagination?

Is there anything else you’d like to share about yourself?

I’ll see you at Coachella 2024! ☆*ヾ(- ∀・*)*+☆