Resume

codeSpark (acquired by Begin Learning), Pasadena CA
Co-Founder & Chief Product Officer, 2014-present

  • Co-founded a venture backed learning game startup
  • Leading design and development of codeSpark Academy – an app that introduces computer science concepts to kids aged 5-8. Launched internationally on mobile and web in November 2014.
  • Acquired by Begin Learning in 2021

Shochet Studios LLC, Santa Clarita CA
Founder & CEO, 2013-present

  • Interactive design and development studio for games, theme parks, education, VR, and more. Notable clients include Disney Imagineering, Intel, Masterclass, and University of Southern California.

Rebel Entertainment, A Division of IAC, Burbank CA
Co-Founder, Vice President of Creative, 2010-2013

  • Created and released Dungeon Rampage on Facebook, Kongregate, and web – a highly rated free-to-play mid-core dungeon crawler with over 12 million players worldwide
  • Held a senior role in all aspects of development: project leadership, design, monetization, metrics analysis, gameplay programming, tool creation, scheduling, and team management.

Hangout Industries, North Hollywood, CA
Creative Director, 2009-2010

  • Created Superstar City, an innovative viral Facebook game with a Unity3D virtual world, customizable avatars, real world brands and music, mini-games, and virtual items
  • Responsible for leading game design, art direction, and contributed to client programming
  • Strong focus on analytics, agile development, and lean startup principles

Walt Disney Internet Group, North Hollywood, CA
Creative Director, 2003-2009

  • Oversaw creative execution of virtual worlds, casual games, and franchise websites
  • Managed community team, art directors, and game designers
  • Led design and programming on Pirates of the Caribbean Online
  • Developed concept and pitches for new projects, including World of Cars Online

Walt Disney Imagineering, Glendale, CA
Designer and Programmer, VR Studio, Research and Development 1997-2003

  • Led game design, game programming, and level design on Toontown Online
  • Game design and programming on three interactive theme park attractions for DisneyQuest
  • Created theme park architectural visualizations and ride simulations for Disney California Adventure and Tokyo Disneyland
  • Developed R&D prototypes of emerging technologies including virtual sets, interactive characters, and virtual reality

User Interface Research Lab, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA
Researcher, 1994-1997

  • Developed Alice 3D graphics prototyping API and real time 3D texture painting tool
  • Researched cutting-edge virtual reality interfaces and applications

Skills

  • Expertise: game design, game programming, free-to-play, subscription, mobile, social, casual and mid-core audiences, massively multiplayer, tool development, scripting languages, team management, analytics, online child safety, virtual and augmented reality
  • Programming: C#, Python, C++, Java, JavaScript, Scheme, Smalltalk
  • Technology: Unity3D, iOS and Android, MongoDB, AWS, REST, Unix, Panda3D

Completed Projects

2014      codeSpark Academy (codespark.com)
2012      Dungeon Rampage (Facebook, Kongregate, DungeonRampage.com)
2010      Superstar City (Facebook)
2009      Disney XD Game Portal (disneyxd.com)
2008      Disney Princesses Franchise Site (disneyprincess.com)
2007      Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean Online MMO (piratesonline.com)
2003      Disney’s Toontown Online MMO (toontown.com)
1999      Pirates of the Caribbean: Battle for Buccaneer Gold (DisneyQuest Theme Park Ride)
1998      Pooh’s Hunny Hunt Attraction (Tokyo Disneyland Ride Visualization)
1998      Hercules in the Underworld (DisneyQuest Theme Park Ride)
1998      Aladdin’s Magic Carpet Ride (DisneyQuest Theme Park Ride)
1997      Alice 3D Programming Environment (alice.org)

Awards

  • Cool Tools Award, Edtech Digest, 2020 – codeSpark Academy
  • Reimagine Education, Educational App Gold Award,, 2018 – codeSpark Academy
  • Digital Children’s Book Fair, Digital Ehon Award Prize, 2017 – codeSpark Academy
  • Casual Connect Indie Prize, Best Kids and Family Game, 2016 – codeSpark Academy
  • Best App or Product for Younger Children – KAPi Awards 2016 – codeSpark Academy
  • Academics’ Choice Award Winner – Brain Toy 2015 – The Foos
  • Tech With Kids Best Pick Award for Exceptional Design 2015 – The Foos
  • Tillywig Brain Child Award Winner 2015 – The Foos
  • Serious Play Silver Award 2015 – The Foos
  • Parents’ Choice Gold Award 2014 – The Foos
  • Children’s Technology Review Editor’s Choice 2014 – The Foos
  • Verizon Apps for Class Winner 2014 – The Foos
  • Named Pioneer Redefining Play and Re-imagining Learning 2014 by Lego Foundation
  • Games.com Best Social Game of 2012 – Dungeon Rampage
  • Facebook Top Rated Social Games of 2012 – Dungeon Rampage
  • Computer Gaming World, 2003 MMORPG Game of the Year – Toontown Online
  • Webby Awards, 2003 People’s Voice Award, Kids Category – Toontown Online
  • Parents’ Choice Foundation, 2003 Silver Honor – Toontown Online
  • Children’s Software Review, 2003 All Star Software Award – Toontown Online
  • Themed Entertainment Association (THEA) Award for Excellence in Themed Entertainment 2001, Pirates of the Caribbean: Battle for Buccaneer Gold.
  • Web3D Roundup Siggraph 2001, Golden Lasso Award – Toontown Online.

 Research Grants

  • National Science Foundation (NSF) CSforAll Grant. Teaching Computational Thinking to Prekindergarten Students in Underrepresented Communities, 2021-2023. In partnership with RAND and Head Start.
  • Institute of Education Sciences (IES) STEM Education Grant. Identifying Young Children’s Computational Thinking Processes In Visual Programming Environments Using Telemetry-Based Evidence Collection Methods, 2019-2022. In partnership with CRESST at UCLA.
  • Institute of Education Sciences (IES) Small Business Innovation Research Phase I. Learning to Code with a Pretend Play Storytelling Model, 2018.
  • Institute of Education Sciences (IES) Small Business Innovation Research Phase II. Story Mode for Teaching Cross-Curricular Coding Projects, 2019.

Publications, Lectures, and Patents

  • Dr. Markus Iseli, Ms. Tianying Feng, Dr. Gregory Chung, Ziyue Ruan, Joe Shochet, Dr. Amy Strachman. Using Visualizations of Students’ Coding Processes to Detect Patterns Related to Computational Thinking, ASEE Annual Conference, 2021.
  • XPrize Connect Future of Learning Lab, invited lecture, 2020.
  • Joe Shochet, Grant Hosford, Joe France, Chris Avellis, Win Kang. Patent #10786737: Level editor with word-free coding system. codeSpark, Inc. 2016
  • Joe Shochet. Empowering Young Creators. iKids invited panelist, 2015.
  • Mike Goslin, Joe Shochet. 10 Ways to Make Your Game Appeal to Teens. GDC Austin Lecture 2009.
  • Joe Shochet, Darren Ranalli, Jesse Schell. Patent #036807: A Multi-User Interactive Communication Network Environment. Disney Enterprises, Inc. 2004
  • Mike Goslin, Joe Shochet, and Jesse Schell, Toontown Online: Building Massively Multiplayer Games for the Masses.  Massively Multiplayer Game Development. Charles River Media. 2003
  • Mark R. Mine, Joe Shochet, Roger Hughston, Walt Disney Internet Group VR Studio. Building a Massively Multiplayer Game for the Million: Disney’s Toontown Online. ACM Computers in Entertainment Volume 1 Issue 1 October 2003.
  • Joe Shochet, Jesse Schell. Kid’s Communities: What Works, What Doesn’t. GDC Lecture 2002.
  • Jesse Schell, Joe Shochet, Designing Interactive Theme Park Rides, IEEE Computer Graphics and Applications, Volume 21 Issue 4, July 2001.
  • Joe Shochet, Noah Dudley. Building an LBE Attraction: Hercules in the Underworld, A Case Study. GDC Lecture 1999.
  • Jeffrey S. Pierce, Steve Audia, Tommy Burnette, Kevin Christiansen, Dennis Cosgrove, Matthew Conway, Ken Hinckley, Kristen Monkaitis, James Patten, Joe Shochet, David Staack, Brian Stearns, Chris Sturgill, George H. Williams, Randy F. Pausch. Alice: Easy to Use Interactive 3D Graphics. ACM Symposium on User Interface Software and Technology (UIST), 1997.
  • Joe Shochet, Randy Pausch, and Matt Conway.  On-The-Fly Behavioral Culling in the Alice System. Siggraph 1995.

 Volunteering

  • First Lego League Coach, 2011-present. Teaching programming and STEM concepts to elementary aged students using the Lego Mindstorms robotics platform.
  • Project Linus: An organization that hand makes blankets for critically ill children.

Education
University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA
Bachelor of Science in Computer Science, 1997

  • Dean’s List, Intermediate Honors with High Distinction
  • Barth Gilchrist Engineering Scholar
  • William B. Fitzgerald Foundation Scholar