Hey everyone!

I’m Kyle, Community Manager for Harmonix and I’ve been here since January initially as a Contract QA Tester where I worked on the latest Rock Band content patch! I’m still in the process of getting familiar with all of the different facets of what my new role includes but I’ll be handling a lot of the social media, blog posts, Discord admin and events stuff along with Zoe. I’m super excited to get to talk more directly with our players and friends and be able to nerd out about interesting new music and hopefully help people discover some new favorite artists.

Before coming to Harmonix I was an indie game developer and worked on some smaller games doing things like sound design and music composition, level design, production, and social media stuff all while working a full-time job in corporate AV. Once the pandemic hit and the disappearance of in-person events left me without a job, I took the opportunity to spend more time finishing up my indie game and apply to some studios. After many uncomfortable interviews with some other places, interviewing with Harmonix was a breeze and I remember telling my family “These are my people. I really really really want to work here” and was ecstatic when I got the opportunity to join as a QA Tester initially.

Since my time with Harmonix has only just recently started, the fact that I was able to get completely set up within a week while on the opposite side of the country from everyone else in the middle of a pandemic was a big feat for me.

Outside of Harmonix work, I’ve been learning how to play the drums on an electronic kit that I bought as my reward for getting hired in January. It’s been a super fun adventure so far especially since I can feel the improvements week after week. I also have been continuing to write music and continuing to release a new album of music each year. Oh! I’m also preparing to move across the country which is both incredibly exciting and completely terrifying. 

What is your favorite Harmonix game and why?

Rock Band will always hold a special place in my life. Sorry in advance to any HMX long-timers that I’m going to make feel VERY old with this statement. But I have amazing memories of playing Rock Band 1 at a friend’s house in 7th grade and ended up getting Rock Band 2 which I played so much it inspired me to pick up the guitar. It’s absolutely mind blowing to now work on the game that inspired me to start playing music 14 years ago.

What Rock Band instrument do you play?

Until recently it’s been guitar since that was the instrument I pretty much exclusively played growing up. But since learning the drums, it’s been super fun to play Rock Band drums to learn lots of cool new fills and patterns.

What's your favorite Rock Band song of all time?

“Afterlife” by Avenged Sevenfold. Was my first introduction to metal and was my favorite song around the time I got into Rock Band so that was the first DLC I bought.

Tell us about your outside-of-work music/artistic experience if any.

I’ve been writing music under the name “The Voice of Reason” since the 10th Grade and I’ve tried my hand at lots of different styles but usually stick to instrumental progressive metal with a small sprinkling of electronic on top. I absolutely love writing in odd time signatures and exploring interesting new sounds and scales.

What’s your wfh set up like?

It’s a perfect balance of music making and game playing and COMPLETELY ignoring the mess of devkits and Rock Band guitars that are conveniently out of frame.

Is there anything special or fun on your desk?

Definitely this custom painted Charmander card that my wife painted for me for Christmas a few years back.

Any funny or memorable moments from your interview at Harmonix?

I don’t remember specifics as much, but I remember it being the most fun I’ve had in an interview by a long shot. My wife tells me that she could hear me laughing from the next room over during my interview. Being able to just nerd out about cool music and weird instruments we have was what solidified Harmonix as a place I wanted to work.

What are you doing to stay sane these days?

Lots of fun weekend drives to the ocean or mountains (California is cool like that), online multiplayer games with friends and the occasional skateboarding adventure.

 If you could have a superpower, what would it be? Do you have any secret talents?

These are actually related; I have an uncanny ability to tell EXACTLY when a timer is going to go off. I will always walk into my kitchen right as my food is about to be ready or the timer is about to go off. Therefore, I am convinced my superpower would be some sort of control over time. Like being able to pause, slow, and speed up time to some degree.

Include any social media handles you'd like to share w/ the Harmonix community!

I go by KyleTheWynner basically everywhere. Twitter, Discord and Steam are the main ones. Feel free to send me any and all music recommendations, I enjoy basically everything but am particularly into progressive rock and metal