Producer & Project Manager

Hi, my name’s Kelby Martin. I also go by Aina. I’m a Producer and Project Manager with 6+ years of experience leading global, multi-discplinary teams in the video game industry, between AAA, indie, and everything in between.

I’ve shipped 12+ games, expansions, and seasonal releases across console and mobile, and I love bringing my tinkering background to implement process, tools, and changes that keep teams well-oiled machines. I’ve built Jira workflows, created automated issue / live change intake reporting systems, and managed releases on world-class franchises, featuring hundreds of team members spread across the globe.

As a people-first producer, I highly value authenticity, transparency, candidness, and most of all: having fun! For each team I work with, regardless if its games, software applications, or activism projects, I dedicate myself to creating a culture of trust, honesty, and respect.

Because, after all: games are nothing without the people who create them.

Resume

I’ve Worked With:

Notable Projects

Effective project management values transparency, compromise, and foresight - but most of all: The Team.

Activision

Solid State Studio | Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile (Soft+Worldwide Launch)
Release Producer on Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile - WZ’s foray into the mobile sphere. Led release management of smooth worldwide launch to 250,000 concurrent players. Drove execution of key publishing and development duties including:
• Release Strategy, Protocols, Runbooks, and Strategy
• End-to-End Live Change and Issue intake process, including automated change/incident reporting
• Implementation of In-game Live Marketing Content and Player Messaging
• Cert Submission and Build Release War Rooms
…and more!
Activision

Raven Software | Call of Duty: Warzone Pacific Seasons 1-5
Live Ops Production Coordinator on Call of Duty: Warzone’s 5-season Warzone Pacific-era run, which tied directly into Call of Duty: Vanguard. Drove the team’s execution in:
• 1st Party Platform Submissions / Release Management
• Reviewing and Integration Developer Changes into Release Candidates
• Kicking and monitoring nightly release candidates
• Supporting Marketing Build for Cinematic and Gameplay trailers
…and more!
Deep Silver Volition

Combat Systems Production Intern | Saints Row (2022)
Production Intern for Saints Row (2022), embedded within the Combat Systems team. Delivered key team support in:
• Daily gameplay review notes, task generation, bug intake and triage
• Studio Liaison for Art Outsourcer Sperasoft of vehicles and weapons
Indie

Dollworx Interactive | Name Change Simulator
Producer, QA Lead, and Game Writer on Name Change Simulator, an interactive activism project made by a volunteer team of LGBTQ+ developers.
• Organized meetings and post-meeting notes, action items
• Debugged the game’s code, reporting bugs
• Wrote the entire game’s script
• Itch.io page setup and other publishing / release management operations
• Researched real-world legal name change forms to power the game’s marquee form auto-filling functionality
Omni

Project Manager | SABER, IFPM, Opservation Deck
Leading Project and Product Management for 3 applications developed for the U.S. Air Force. Driving execution on:
• End-to-end feature conception, scoping, and development
• Scrum ceremonies, Product Vision and Roadmap, and Budget management
• Team Management and Mentorship
• Live Stakeholder Demos on product vision, functionality
…and more!
Studio Whip

Producer | Flicker of Hope
Producer and Social Media Manager for Flicker of Hope (aka. Wick), a capstone student project from the Florida Interactive Entertainment Academy. Drove execution in:
• Tracking of team capacity, velocity, sprint health, and scope/priority of deliverables
• Management of social media presence of Flicker of Hope, causing the game to go viral in multiple countries. Was spotlighted by major names such as Epic Games, AlphaBetaGamer, and Kizuna AI.

Recommendations

Jason Rhode

Lead Producer (Warzone) - Raven Software
"It's rare that someone can not only juggle all the responsibilities and skillsets needed to cover their entire team but to also do it at a high quality, Kelby is one of the few standouts in this group who excels day in and day out. I have had the pleasure of managing Kelby for nearly a year on the Raven Live Operations team working on Call of Duty: Warzone.

From first starting at Raven I have been most impressed by Kelby's eagerness with not only helping the team but learning everything he can to best reduce his teammates workloads. He has always made it a priority to help his team, even if that means telling a dorky dad joke to bring a smile to everyone's face in the early morning meetings.

Kelby would be an immediately impactful team member and has my highest recommendation!”
Bryan Walker

Director of Production - Solid State Studios
“Kelby is a consummate team player, combining excellent attention to detail, a robust work ethic, and a strong understanding of process. Their professional, friendly, and accessible demeanor provides the kind of in-the-trenches examples that are the heart of any high-functioning team. In addition, Kelby's technical aptitude and versatility are force multipliers. Their resourcefulness has on many occasions been a key catalyst for efficient solutions against a fast-moving backdrop.

It was an honor, truly, to have worked with Kelby.”
Hideo Hikida

Principal Producer, R&D - Scopely
“I personally hired and managed Kelby for almost their entire time at Activision and they were awesome to work with. Kelby is absurdly detailed oriented and has the capability to intake and process information and context at an extremely high level - something we relied on heavily due to their ability to connect the dots and surface risks and dependencies that nobody else on the project were capable of doing at their speed.

One thing that I truly admired about Kelby was that they didn't stop at just raising flags, but they also took the initiative to think about solutions / mitigations that made sense in a highly collaborative fashion. Most folks that I've come across at this stage in their careers are single-solutions oriented people that tend to think in a "how can I fix this problem"; but Kelby exhibited a lot of maturity and thought about "how can we collectively solve this problem" and went about this in a really great way considering how big and confusing the Activision and game studio organization can be.

Kelby was an integral and critical piece of how we as a studio and game operated and any place that hires them will immediately understand the massive value add they are to not only productivity but culture as well.”
Sebastien Olscamp

Senior Associate Producer - Beenox
"I had the privilege to work closely with Kelby for about a year on Warzone Mobile. I discovered not only a talented and competent Producer but a fantastic human being who thrives on coaching others and making everyone around the team better by using positive reenforcement, guidance and empathy. Kelby's undeniable qualities and competence helped the team achieve great quality and ensured team performance under stress and pressure with a positive attitude and a winning mindset.

Kelby would unquestionably bring tremendous value to any team, project and company. I would personally repeat that experience in a heartbeat.”
Patrick Benassi

Senior Producer (Warzone) - Raven Software
“Kelby and I have worked together on Call of Duty Warzone, live operations. He jumped in to an area that is high stress, highly volatile, and knocked it out of the park. Over the past year that I've worked with Kelby, I've seen him take on anything the team needs support on. He became knowledgeable in all aspects of our team and in doing so was able to fill in during unexpected outages without issue. It's rare to find someone so versatile on such a high stress team.

Kelby has the mindset, demeanor, and knowledge for production. He has an analytical mind, and quickly excelled at anything we could throw at him for live ops on top of his own responsibilities.

Kelby would be an incredible asset to any team, and I truly hope to work again with him in the future.”
Cole Schoneman

Brand Marketing Manager - Riot Games
“Kelby is one of the most talented producers I had the pleasure of working with on Warzone Mobile. They bring a level of professionalism and positivity to the position that made it a joy to join meetings and problem-solve with them every week. They are perfectly equipped to put out any fires that occur in a live operations setting and would be the perfect fit for any workplace”
Thanasi Chalkiadakis

Growth Lead - ARB Interactive
“I had the pleasure of working alongside Kelby Martin as a Release Producer at Solid State Studios during our collaboration on Warzone Mobile. Kelby's attention to detail was truly remarkable, ensuring that every aspect of the project was meticulously managed and executed flawlessly.

Their time management skills were nothing short of a masterclass, consistently delivering on deadlines and keeping the team on track even in the face of tight schedules. Kelby's communication skills were also exceptional, fostering a clear and collaborative environment where everyone felt informed and empowered.

Beyond their professional expertise, Kelby is a genuinely humble individual who always puts the needs of the team first. Their dedication and positive attitude were an inspiration to all of us.

I wholeheartedly recommend Kelby for any role requiring a skilled Release Producer. Their combination of attention to detail, time management prowess, communication skills, and team-first mentality make them an invaluable asset to any organization.”
Greg Hahn

Sr. Mission Operations Engineer - Anduril
“I had the pleasure of working with Kelby at Raven software on Call of Duty: Warzone. From day one Kelby dug in and started filling gaps where the live operations team was struggling to keep up. Kelby is humble, competent, and always puts the mission and the team first. I was glad to have Kelby on my team, and would love to work with him again!”
Kyle Lanphere

Producer (Warzone) - Raven Software
“I had the pleasure of working with Kelby in a couple different areas at Raven. He's always eager to tackle new tasks and learn new roles even when they're daunting with no easy solution in sight. In the same vein, he was just as eager to polish and streamline processes once they have been established. I watched him take over and vastly improve processes I helped establish and then become a jack-of-all-trades on the live-ops team at Raven, which was no easy task. Kelby will absolutely be an asset to any team he finds himself on!”