About
My name is Paul Merrill. I’m a freelance writer with over ten years experience writing content for video games, television and other types of media.
I specialize in writing funny, original scripts for games as well as tailoring dialog for high-profile franchises like Spider-Man, Power Rangers and Disney to make sure the characters stay on brand. I’ve also spent time consulting with game designers on storylines, character design and gameplay issues.
Recently, I’ve branched out into television and advertising, writing and acting for the Emmy award-winning PBS show Biz Kid$ and writing and starring in an online advertising campaign for Real Networks. I’ve also worked in stand-up comedy for several years, performing with the likes of Robin Williams, Patton Oswalt, Emo Philips and Tig Notaro.
If you have any questions, or would like to talk about an upcoming project, please contact me.
Video game and other writing credits
TELEVISION
Writer and actor on the Emmy award-winning PBS show Biz Kid$.
ADVERTISING
Wrote and starred in online advertising campaign for Real Networks.
BOOKS
Pups: The official Nintendo Guide to Nintendogs
Animal Crossing: Wild World — The Official Nintendo Guide
Battalion Wars : The Official Nintendo Guide
The Scarecrow Movie Guide (contributor)
VIDEO GAME WRITING
Here’s a not-quite-complete list of video games I’ve worked on:
Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? (2010), HMH
Disney Fairies (2009), Disney Interactive
JONAS (2009), Disney Interactive
Westward IV: All Aboard (2009), Sandlot Games
Ancient Secrets: Quest for the Golden Key (2008), GameHouse, Inc.
Cake Mania 2: Jill’s Next Adventure! (2008), Majesco Entertainment Company
Corey in the House (2008), Disney Interactive
Sunset Studio (2008), Reflexive Entertainment Inc.
Barbie Fashion Show: An Eye for Style (2008), Activision
Power Rangers: Super Legends (2007), Disney Interactive
Spider-man (2007), Jakks Pacific
That’s So Raven: Psychic on the Scene (2006), Disney Interactive
Backyard Skateboarding (2004), Atari, Inc.
Backyard Basketball 2004 (2003), Atari, Inc.
Backyard Hockey (2002), Infogrames, Inc.
Backyard Football 2002 (2001), Atari Europe S.A.S.U.
Backyard NBA Basketball (2001), Infogrames, Inc.
Backyard Soccer MLS Edition (2001), Infogrames, Inc.
Backyard Baseball 2001 (2000), Humongous Entertainment, Inc.
Backyard Football (1999), GT Interactive Software Corp.
WEBSITES
I’ve written, edited and/or created several websites over the years. Here are a few of the more popular ones:
Supersonicsoul.com (co-creator, editor, writer) – The #1 Seattle Sonics blog on the internet, Supersonicsoul has been featured in the New York Times, ESPN.com and Slam! Magazine.
SeattleComedyBlog.com (creator, writer, editor) – A popular guide to the wild Seattle comedy scene written by and for comedians.
Prokomedy.org (creator, writer, editor) – The official online home of the critically acclaimed comedy group, The People’s Republic of Komedy.
Writing Samples
Here are a few scripts I’ve written for film, television and video games:
Television:
I wrote a 30 Rock spec script called “Boy Trouble”, which was a semi-finalist in the Scriptapalooza TV writing competition.
I wrote an original TV pilot called Meat about a fellow with obsessive-compulsive disorder who works at a meat packing plant.
Film:
Grand Old Flag is a short film script I wrote about a true story that happened to me in a junior high gifted class back in the 1980’s.
Vikings vs. Hillbillies is a short monster movie script I wrote about, well, Vikings versus Hillbillies.
Games:
Here is an excerpt from a video game script I wrote for a Jakks Pacific Plug and Play Spider-Man game. It was a simple platforming action/adventure game, but the publisher required some snappy cut scenes that read like an authentic Marvel comic book:
This is from a video game script I wrote for Westward 4, a real-time strategy game set in the old west:
Resume
QUALIFICATIONS:
Ten years experience writing game text, scripts and dialog for video games, television and other media.
Over ten years copywriting/copyediting experience.
Extensive knowledge of media and popular culture.
TECHNICAL SKILLS:
Proficient with MS Word, MS Excel, Final Draft, Photoshop, Quark, and HTML
Familiar with both Windows and Mac operating systems
Experienced multi-platform gamer, including PC Games, Nintendo, Playstation and Xbox
WORK EXPERIENCE:
TELEVISION: Wrote for and acted in Emmy award-winning PBS show Biz Kid$ (2011).
ADVERTISING: Wrote and starred in online advertising campaign for Real Networks (2011).
GAMES: Over the past decade, I’ve done game design and written scripts for dozens of titles, including:
Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego (2010), HMH
Disney Fairies (2009), Disney Interactive
JONAS (2009), Disney Interactive
Westward IV: All Aboard (2009), Sandlot Games
Ancient Secrets: Quest for the Golden Key (2008), GameHouse, Inc.
Cake Mania 2: Jill’s Next Adventure! (2008), Sandlot Games
Corey in the House (2008), Disney Interactive
Sunset Studio (2008), Reflexive Entertainment Inc.
Barbie Fashion Show: An Eye for Style (2008), Activision
Power Rangers: Super Legends (2007), Disney Interactive
Spider-man (2007), Jakks Pacific
That’s So Raven: Psychic on the Scene (2006), Disney Interactive
Backyard Skateboarding (2004), Atari, Inc.
Backyard Basketball 2004 (2003), Atari, Inc.
Backyard Hockey (2002), Infogrames, Inc.
Backyard Football 2002 (2001), Atari Europe S.A.S.U.
Backyard NBA Basketball (2001), Infogrames, Inc.
Backyard Soccer MLS Edition (2001), Infogrames, Inc.
Backyard Baseball 2001 (2000), Humongous Entertainment, Inc.
Backyard Football (1999), GT Interactive Software Corp.
PRINT: Wrote “Pups: The official Nintendogs handbook”, as well as the official Nintendo player’s guides for Animal Crossing: Wild World (DS) and Battalion Wars (GameCube). I also wrote for Sound Magazine and had several movie reviews published in the Scarecrow Video Move Guide.
ONLINE: I co-created Supersonicsoul.com, the #1 Seattle Sonics blog on the internet, which has been featured in the New York Times, ESPN.com and public radio’s “Weekend America”. I also contributed to the official website for the Dreamworks film “Monsters vs. Aliens”, and designed several websites including www.prokomedy.org and www.paulmerrill.com .
COMEDY: I’ve been writing and performing comedy for over 20 years (!), working with the likes of Robin Williams, Patton Oswalt. Emo Phillips and Humpty Hump (!!). You can see videos of my act and where I’ll be performing next at www.paulmerrill.com.
Recommendations
“I hired Paul to write strategy guides for V Design for our client Nintendo of America. Paul was a great surprise for us, because he was a last minute replacement and we weren’t sure how it would turn out. It turned out so much better than expected we kept bringing him back. He brought new ideas to the project, was dedicated to the project and always creative and easy to deal with. I would definitely recommend Paul for freelance writing.” September 9, 2007
John Rice hired Paul as a Writer/Editor for V-Design/Nintendo of America in 2006.
“Paul wrote the script for the award-winning Backyard Skateboarding PC game. He understood our characters well, and delivered light-hearted dialog that was true to character. He researched a celebrity and adapted him convincingly to our fictional world. Easy to work with and highly recommended.” September 16, 2006
Dan Chang, Nintendo of America. Hired Paul as a Writer/Editor for Humongous/Atari in 2005
“Paul always strived to take the entire Backyard Sports gang to another level – he brought intelligence and humor to the many varied characters like no one else could. Great writing which was always right on and much appreciated!” August 24, 2006
Chris Klimecky, Producer, Surreal Software/Midway Games. Hired Paul as a Writer/Editor for Humongous/Atari in 2001
Contact
If you have any questions, or would like to talk about an upcoming project, please contact me.