Our Team

Alen : President/ Creative Director
Alen is an artist and designer trapped in a business-driven world. From an early age, he wanted nothing more than to successfully render spaceships, robots and comic book characters. In 1993, after receiving degrees in Industrial Design and Metalsmithing from the University of Michigan School of Art, he started his first consultancy servicing architects and designers with graphic and computer-aided design. In 1995, after receiving a Master's in Education from RISD, he worked for several years as a concept designer and consultant for the gaming and new media industry, contributing to projects for Blizzard Entertainment, Sierra Online and LEGO. During this time, Alen founded ToyboxDX.com, an online community celebrating antique japanese robots of the 70's and 80's that receives over a million visits a month. The robots are "power- objects that have reforged the link to memories of his cross-cultured childhood travels between Jersey and Taiwan." Really.

His primary interest continues to be data-driven user interfaces for education, gaming and publishing. He currently resides on the North Shore with his true love Cheryl, 3 kids, a stray cat, a fat pug and several hundred robot friends.

José : CEO
José manages and oversees all client delivery services and daily business operations at the Factory. He has worked at Thomson/Heinle, Business Lab and Leading Indicator Systems. José brings an international style to the office, having worked as an interpreter during the Olympic games of Barcelona in 1992, attended the University of Paris Jussieu in France and obtained a BA in both English and Spanish. He enjoys soccer, gardening, cooking, playing classical guitar and views his family as his major personal accomplishment.

Cheryl : Account Executive
Cheryl holds a BS degree in Economics, with a minor in Mathematics from Plymouth State University. Prior to joining Interactive Factory she was at Corey McPherson Nash and Big Blue Dot, where she gained several years of experience developing and managing entertainment and educational products for both print and broadcast. Cheryl has a wide range of knowledge about the elements of multimedia and web site production. Her clients include MIT, Lego, Pearson Education, Addison-Wesley, Reuters NewMedia among others. During the course of a project, Cheryl is an advocate for both the client and Interactive Factory, ensuring that project objectives, quality of work and established scope remain consistent. Cheryl is also responsible for maintaining long term client relationships, as well as forging new ones.

Dan : Senior Software Engineer
While some people discover their destinies later in life, Dan's penchant for coding began with his DNA. Even before earning his BS and MS in Computer Science from Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Dan has fine-tuned his skills throughout the industry at Sun Microsystems, dotcoms, and other freelance gigs. Addicted to improvement, Dan works on bettering how things are done at iFactory in both client and internal projects.

David : Producer
With nearly a decade interactive experience behind him, David has always made it his mission to stay on the leading edge of interactive technology. An expert in DHTML, JAVA and other languages, he works closely with the creative team to develop websites and interactive solutions that function as perfectly as they look. From creating best-case architecture, to recreating a creative design on the web, to ensuring the stability of a web site on various platforms, he makes sure it all comes together flawlessly. David has worked on projects for a broad range of clients, including the National Turkey Federation, Ocean Spray, Pfizer and Boston Acoustics. He holds a B.S. in Computer Science from Brandeis University.

David : Senior Producer
David has over 20 years experience in project management and marketing. A skilled team leader and problem solver, he fosters open communication and collaboration among all parties working on a client engagement. David has been producing websites since 1999. His work over the years includes financial institutions, higher education, manufacturing and non-profit. David has been a Senior Producer with iFactory since 2007.

Evin : SysAdmin / Webmaster
Evin comes to iFactory with an intense curiosity and engineering talent that had him building his own PC and home network at the age of thirteen. While there were some late nights and frustrations for an adolescent, his perseverance and energy delivered a working product. Evin's love of computing led him to study CS at the University of New Hampshire and while earning his BS, he worked for a physics professor administering a large research cluster. He was early to discover the benefits of Linux and was noticed by Daystar in Portsmouth, NH, where he was hired as Programmer and Principal Linux Administrator. He returned to UNH after this experience intrigued by the business aspect of the industry to earn an MBA from the Whittemore School of Business.

Studying and working in this field mesh nicely with his lifestyle as outside of work, Evin spends time researching new "geek" ideas and recreationally surfs the net. Don't be fooled, however, he is not your typical geek. Evin enjoys racquetball, snowboarding, trying unique foods, discovering new music, meeting interesting people and above all else, satisfying his curious nature. Evin also holds a Marksman's Medal in Beirut.

Faun : Information Architect
In previous incarnations Faun worked as an independent multimedia designer, designing the front-end of websites and creating a variety of printed collateral materials. She previously worked as a User Experience Manager at Integrity Interactive in Waltham, managing a team of user interface designers, and as a User Experience Specialist at Six Red Marbles in Cambridge. Faun oversees and produces functional requirements, wireframes storyboards and use cases, and translates requirements and learning objectives into user-centric design solutions. Prior to her IA role, Faun held such titles as Senior Producer, Web Developer and Interface Designer.

Gina : Designer
Prior to joining Interactive Factory, Gina was an Interactive Designer at Boston University. She has several years experience designing and developing websites. But enough about work, in her spare time, Gina enjoys the New England Patriots, Japanese anime and eating chocolate (though she didnt specify what kind of chocolate or if she's a chocolate snob). She studied design at the Massachusetts College of Art and has almost perfected her Inazuma Double Lightning Kick. So look out.

Greg : Interactive Media Designer
Greg has worn many professional hats over the years and now finds himself happily nested in the world of interactive design. He likes to create things for the computer that move, make noise and respond in interesting ways to user input, as well as coming up with innovative ways of organizing and presenting information. He is fond of using the “wet blanket” approach to coding and if that doesn’t work, he resorts to the elegant and beautifully organized variety. Outside of work, he is seriously involved in painting and playing classical cello. Greg has an MFA in Painting from The Massachusetts College of Art.

Jeremy : Art Director
As a member of iFactory's design team, Jeremy is tasked with idea generation, interface design and production for a variety of clients. Rooted in the heritage of graphic design and fluent with technology, his work is known for its creative excellence and attention to usability standards.

Before joining iFactory, Jeremy was the interactive designer at G2G, a small agency in the Boston area focused on work for higher education and cultural institutions. While at G2G, Jeremy designed award-winning projects for clients such as MIT, Boston College, the Baltimore Collegetown Network, Steinway & Sons, Dooney & Bourke and Prentice Hall.

Jeremy received his BFA from the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT). He is actively involved with AIGA Boston, serving on the board and managing the chapter's web site, developing it as a destination for the design community of New England.

An avid reader and music fan, Jeremy enjoys spending free time away from the computer, outdoors preferably, and also seeking out little-known corners of art and culture.

Joe : Producer
Joe "Joey G" graduated Notre Dame as an English major with some basic HTML editing skills and decided it would be easier to create websites for a living and write fiction on the side than vice versa. After working as Webmaster for Thomson/Heinle he became a Technology Project Manager at Thomson Higher Education where he project managed educational media for Developmental English, Composition, Literature and Study Skills markets. He discovered how technology and print could combine to educate people on new concepts and completed three continuing education courses at the Art Institute of New England to further his print and web design skills.

Joe tempers his passion for yoga, Pilates and crazy dancing to 80's music with a love of Pho, Italian, Chinese take-out and just about any combination of bread, meat and cheese.

Lao : Account Executive
As an Account Executive at iFactory, Lao’s primary focus is to engage prospective customers and work with existing clients in order to match their needs with iFactory’s service offerings. Lao works closely with the iFactory team and her clients to define solutions and to insure that expectations are consistently met or exceeded for each and every engagement. Through her years with iFactory Lao has developed relationships with clients such as the Ad Club, Ford Foundation, Oxford University Press, Theatre Communications Group, Yale Law School and many more. Before taking on the role of Account Executive, Lao previously worked as a Producer at Interactive Factory with clients such as American Institutes for Research for the U.S. Department of Education, Harmonix Music Systems, Harvard Center for Cancer Prevention, Lotus and Mulberry Childcare. Through the years Lao has been an active participant with area organizations such as the Cyber District, MIMC and the Ad Club. Lao has been with Interactive Factory since 1997 and prior to this, worked at Brandeis University’s Office of Academic Affairs and Study Abroad. Lao is currently attending Cambridge College and is working towards a Bachelor’s of Science in Management Studies.

Lisa : Producer/Project Manager
Lisa is a resourceful producer/project manager at iFactory, a compulsive organizer and note-taker. During her many years with Ticketmaster she worked on many internal application development projects including work on the ticketing applications that were used for the Olympic Games in Athens, Greece (in 2004, not 1896). She has worked as a project manager, database administrator, business analyst and has created her fair share of charts of accounts. Not one to say "I should have (fill in the blank) when I had the chance," Lisa has backpacked through Europe, explored the Greek isles, skydived over the north shore of Hawaii and participated in a 200 mile running relay race. She also is a proud parent to her dog, an obedient servant to her cat, and an avid gardener.

Marc : Senior Software Engineer
Marc has worked on projects ranging from back-end transaction processing for a hotel reservation site to on-line diversions for a consumer product launch. He has been doing work for the Web since 1994 and using XML since 1999. He has a BA in Latin from Carleton College and maintains the Web’s canonical site for contemporary Latin poetry. Marc is also interested in puzzles and linguistics.

Mike : Software Engineer
Mike has always had a love for computers and programming. From his first big programming project as a teenager (a space asteroids shooter game)- to his bachelors degree in Computer Science (from Worcester Polytechnic Institute)- to his first software engineering job at eBay, computer science has been a big part of Mike's world. Mike is happy to continue that trend at iFactory. While he loves being a full time software engineer, Mike also keeps himself busy with several other hobbies. When he's not "coding up a storm", you might possibly see him strumming some guitar, singing a capella with friends or juggling in the corridors of the office. If you are especially lucky, you might stumble upon his elusive web comic, Team Stormcast, which he and his brother publish twice a week.

Michael : Engineering Director
Mike is responsible for setting technical direction for the company and providing technical leadership on projects. He also oversees and provides programming support in a variety of programming languages, databases and other tools and systems including Java, Perl, ColdFusion, C++, JavaScript, ASP/VBScript, Apache, IIS and SQL. Mike has an AB from Harvard University and an MS from the MIT Media Laboratory where he concentrated on computer vision and image processing. Before joining Interactive Factory, Mike was Principal Software Engineer at Digital Equipment Corporation’s Cambridge Research Laboratory, where he was responsible for website development and indexing a digital audio/video archive for search and retrieval.

Robert : Front End Web Developer
Robert comes to iFactory from west of the Mississippi, having received degrees from Utah Valley State College and Brigham Young University. He has previously worked for UBS Warberg, Campus Life Consulting and Miller Systems.

Ryan : Software Engineer
So Ryan opted to fill out a questionnaire and request that JB fill in his own opinion where applicable. So I get his questionnaire and I thought I would instead give a play by play as I went through it. Ready? Here we go: Hmm... blah blah blah, lots of words and no pictures. "Ryan's a software engineer with no specific specialties or duties". Well, that may be true. We don't really like to be categorized in boxes here. Let's see... he was a programmer/analyst for other companies... did other stuff... worked other places... didn't do anything he felt was of particular note there. Hmm, in high school he "worked for a company that set up inflatable play equipment for kids' parties". Well! That is interesting. How does one get into that business exactly? Do you have to like kids or just the mayhem? Anyhoo, a BS in Mathematics and Computer Science (double major) in NY (wicked smaht) and it was cold there. Blah blah blah, he runs, he's solved the Rubik's cube and he liked Transformers as a kid. Hey! That's great, 'cause way too many people considered Thundercats to be "good" or even "better", but I always thought that even Starscream's long range cannons and missiles would totally decimate almost any Thunderan. Rock on.

Sean : Interactive Sales
Prior to joining iFactory, Sean was a founding employee and ran sales and strategy for Campus Marketing Services, a profitable alternative channel marketing firm specializing in the youth demographic. Prior to CMS, Sean was a General Manager of TASP International, a management development and consulting firm based in Washington D.C.

Sean has a Masters of Business Administration from Northeastern University and a BA in Economics from St. Mary's College of Maryland. Sean is an avid saltwater fly fisherman and sailor; he owns and races an International 210, a 30 foot one-design keelboat. Sean lives on the South Shore of Boston with his wife and son.

Scott : Technical Project Manager
Having worked for both a Fortune 500 and an international IT startup company, Scott knows his systems. A graduate of St. Lawrence University with a degree in Math/CS and Physics, Scott is the resident IT administrator for RDW, balancing his time between the agency's three offices. An adamant golfer, Scott even worked at a golf shop while living in Anchorage, Alaska. How's that for teeing up in poor conditions!

In his spare time, Scott enjoys (in no particular order): taking people to Alaska, meat and bacon pizza, his status as office Neo Geo Cup champion, steak pizzaioli from Viga, The Notebook, genadmin time, raindrops on roses and/or whiskers on kittens, Rampart, the Portuguese Rooster, General Chau Chau's, the memory of those who died in a knitting accident, The Urban Sherpa and Big Bear Band, the lady who intones "Mind the Gap" on the Tube and The Economist.

Siobhan : Senior Producer
Siobhan spent the past few years at Sametz Blackstone as a Director of Client Services and Digital Media. In a previous life, she also was a financial consultant at both Sullivan Kreiss Financial and AXA Advisors, and worked with a few creative agencies like ZEFER. On her off time she is a classical double bassist and enjoys knitting, kayaking and gardening.

Tara : Executive Producer
In her 9+ years at IFactory Tara has led engineering and design teams in the execution of client projects from concept to completion, concentrating on customer satisfaction. She has worked on a variety of projects spanning complex web solutions to interactive CDs. Tara especially enjoys working with publishing and educational clients such as Oxford University Press, Rosen Publishing and Boston’s Museum of Science.

She has studied business at Boston University and visual and media arts at Emerson College.

In all her time at the factory she has not been able to come up with an interesting bio because she is busy working to satisfy clients and her internal teams ... or perhaps she is just a bit boring.

Tina : Studio Manager
Helping RDW always put their best foot forward, Tina is iFactory's public liaison. Always looking on the bright side of things and ever eager to help, she expands her wide range of skills when assisting all departments. Tina has a BS in Art Education and in her spare time, watches movies, plays guitar, piano, softball, etc.

Tom : Vice President / Engineering Director
As Engineering Director, Tom is responsible for technical leadership on our projects and of our engineering group. He also oversees and provides programming support in Java, SQL, Perl, C++ and multimedia authoring tools. Tom has a BA from Harvard University and an MA in Computer Science from Brown University where he concentrated on 3D graphics. He has worked in the industry for over 18 years on everything from decision support software, to Disney and Hasbro titles and a real-time strategy game, "Extreme Tactics". At iFactory, Tom has worked on numerous websites including the American National Biography and Dictionary of National Biography for Oxford University Press, the interactive SkyChart for Sky & Telescope magazine, as well as many other projects. When not working on his computer, Tom is an amateur potter.