About
My name is Paul Merrill. I’m a freelance writer with over ten years experience writing content for video games, the internet, 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.
I’ve created several popular websites as well, including CLOG! The Seattle Comedy Blog and Supersonicsoul: The Sonics Blog, which has been mentioned in the New York Times, ESPN, and NPR.
Recently, I’ve branched out into writing for film and television, as well as writing and performing stand-up comedy.
If you have any questions, or would like to talk about an upcoming project, please contact me.
Credits
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)
GAMES
Here’s a not-quite-complete list of games I’ve worked on:
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.
Samples
Here are a few scripts I’ve written:
Television:
Film:
Grand Old Flag (short film)
Vikings vs. Hillbillies (short film)
Games:
Resume
QUALIFICATIONS:
Ten years experience writing game text, scripts, and other copy for video games
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:
GAMES: Over the past decade, I’ve done game design and written scripts for dozens of titles, including:
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.