Why did you decide to become a mentor?
I’ve always enjoyed mentoring and sharing what I know, both in my professional life and as a lecturer. Watching my students progress every day was incredibly rewarding, and I wanted to extend that support beyond the academic world. Throughout my career, I’ve worked across multiple industries, which has given me unique insights. Each industry has its requirements and expectations, and breaking into a creative role can feel overwhelming when you’re just starting. There’s often a lot of nuanced information that isn’t obvious right away.
I wanted to help others avoid the same mistakes I made early on. Having the right guidance can fast-track your progress, and mentoring is a key way to discover those shortcuts. I’ve been fortunate to have great mentors throughout my career, and I truly believe that finding the right help can prevent you from falling into common pitfalls.
When I came across MentorCruise, I wasn’t sure what to expect. But after seeing other mentors succeed, I realised I could make a difference too. I wanted to help creatives worldwide, not just those who could access a university education. So far, I’ve had the privilege of mentoring people across four different continents, all working toward their own unique goals and projects. I’ve been able to do this without any marketing or outreach, MentorCruise has made it easy for mentees to find me.
How did you get your career start?
During my final year at the University of Portsmouth in England, I had the unique opportunity to work directly with a real-world client, the Royal Navy. Portsmouth, being a coastal city, has strong ties with the Navy, but only a few of us on the course were lucky enough to be chosen to work with them as a client. Throughout this time, I was fortunate to have multiple mentors in the form of my lecturers. They provided invaluable guidance, helping us understand the industry techniques required to plan a long-term project professionally with a client.
Our project that year was to develop a VR training simulator, modeled after a four-story Navy training ship that already existed in the real world. This gave me hands-on experience, and after a year of virtual sea sickness and close collaboration with the Navy, our team successfully presented the simulator to over 200 people, including the heads of the armed forces. It was a high-pressure but thrilling day. Coincidentally, someone from the VR industry was in the audience. Following the presentation, I was invited to interview, and this led to my first role as a VR Artist in the Visual Effects industry.
I’m a big believer in creating your own luck. If I hadn’t had mentorship throughout University I would never be in a position to capitalise on that luck when it presented itself.
What do mentees usually come to you for?
Every mentee has their own different and wonderful life goals they come to me for. Some are looking to secure their first role in games or the wider creative industries, while others want help turning their concepts into fully developed projects. I always try to spend the first few sessions understanding each mentee's specific needs and how best they like to learn. Everyone is different, so to get the best out of people you need to listen and identify what their requirements are, on a case-by-case basis.
For example, if someone prefers direct step-by-step instructions I will ensure they always have clear goals to achieve. Every week we’ll revisit if we are on track for their goals or if we need to pivot. Whereas if a mentee prefers more individual self-study I'll let them take the reigns and I can provide more generalised guidance when they need it.
Sometimes mentees are already on track for their goals and they just need an extra layer of accountability to help speed up their progress. I think having someone else to bounce ideas off and keep you accountable to your goals is the main benefit of mentorship. That accountability is key to working faster than if you are just grinding away on your own.
What's been your favourite mentorship success story so far?
Funnily enough, it was my first mentee. Uli came to me in late 2023 with a completed tech demo of a game he had been developing in Unity. What was impressive about Uli was that he had already released this game on Steam and had real customers. He was seeking mentorship as he planned to recreate this demo in Unreal Engine from the ground up, ensuring it was using proper workflows and industry practices.
This was a perfect case study to test mentoring through MentorCruise. After getting to know Uli over a video call I realised I had a lot to offer him in terms of industry guidance and best practices. Throughout our mentorship, I saw Uli’s confidence and approach towards games development shift from amateur to competent professional. It was incredibly rewarding to see the game become more and more fleshed out with every meeting we had. I need to add that Uli was the perfect mentee, turning up to each meeting with all the previous week's goals completed and more.
The mentorship has enabled Uli to gain the knowledge to develop his game to a professional level and also provided him with the confidence to manage his small team of artists independently.
You can find the early access Unreal version of “The Hallway - Escape Room” on Steam right now. It would mean a lot to me and Uli if you could go download and play it!
What are you getting out of being a mentor?
Since I started mentoring, my confidence and approach to life have shifted. I’ve become much more intentional about my own goals and aspirations, which I think comes from regularly helping others reflect on what they want and creating actionable steps to get there.
In the future, I plan on running my own startup. I feel that my main takeaway from mentoring is a better understanding of different people’s needs and how best they work. I want to use what I’ve learned in mentoring to improve my team's approach to work and long-term thinking in a more mindful way. Not enough companies bother to stop and think about how they can help their teams improve just by talking to them as a human. The intimacy from mentoring has shown me that sometimes people just need an hour a week to vent which will allow them to see their problems clearer. It’s a fine line between being a mentor and a therapist. I think the most important quality to have is to be more of a listener than a “guru”.
Mentoring has also given me the flexibility to work remotely on my schedule. This was especially valuable when I spent several months travelling in 2024. It’s been a great way to keep my skills sharp while maintaining my freedom. Whilst at times it’s been hard to juggle 7 different time zones, I’ve always enjoyed seeing that “lightbulb moment”. When my mentee has been working hard on a problem and they finally make that breakthrough, it never gets old.
