Having a ball at REDspace
Jeremy McCurdy originally came to NSCC for a bit of upgrading before pursuing a career as a writer. Although he writes code now and not novels, the IT Web Development grad says he’s found his calling in the tech sector.
“Faculty member Sean Morrow (Truro Campus) pointed out my aptitude for programming and encouraged me to focus on it,” says Jeremy who is a two-time NSCC grad. “That strong connection and insight from the instructors is why I ended up with the incredible career that I have.”
Today, Jeremy is a Game Development Manager at REDspace — a firm working to connect household brands like MTV, IBM, Nickelodeon and Sony with their audiences via entertaining, interactive digital experiences.
At 32, Jeremy is considered the “old man” to his young team. Leading a group of eight programmers, two managers and co-leading a games team of 19, Jeremy works to pitch ideas to clients, design games, conduct research, create prototypes and seek out new and exciting opportunities for the company.
Jeremy is an incredible example of the world-class talent coming out of NSCC. We’re lucky to have him, and over 50 other NSCC grads who are passionate about doing great work. They’re innovative problem solvers and are constantly looking for better ways to serve our clients.
Creating new markets
One opportunity he recently explored, with great success, was Virtual Reality.
"Around Christmas, when things slow down a little bit for us, the executives encourage us to be creative, do cool new things and create ways to show off our abilities to clients,” says Jeremy.
He adds, “I’ve long had a passion for VR and I knew I wanted to make a game that used a gun but wasn't violent in any way. This was my time to do it.”
The result was Gunball — “a ridiculous sports game where you serve balls up into the air with one hand, and then shoot them out of the air with the other.”
Jeremy says that while anyone with the proper VR headset can purchase Gunball through Steam, the intention of the game wasn’t to become an income generator. Rather, it was envisioned as a showpiece that could demonstrate the company’s skills in the VR space to potential clients.
“We're starting conversations with all kinds of companies and groups that we haven't worked with before,” says Jeremy. “We also licensed it all throughout South Korea in VR arcades.”
While there’s no immediate plans for a Gunball II at this point, Jeremy says that no matter what his next project is, he’s well prepared to succeed.
“At some point along my career, I've used everything that I've learned at NSCC. The Web Development stream teaches you to be a good programmer, but it doesn't mean that you can only become a web developer. You’re given the skills for many more options too. I don't think I would’ve gotten that kind of an education anywhere else.”
Fast Fact
Today, approximately one third of REDspace’s ever-expanding staff are NSCC graduates, with the majority coming from Truro Campus.