Featured Employee: Kayla Belmore

Here’s why we think Kayla is swell:

Director of product development Tim Gerritsen: Kayla is so relentlessly positive that you can’t help but find yourself suddenly smiling when around her.

If I could have written the perfect recipe for my personal assistant, she would be it:

• Two teaspoons funny
• One teaspoon spaz
• One tablespoon geek
• 1/3 cup energy
• Add a pinch of relentless
• Throw in a dash of cosplayer
• Blend until amazing

I never had a personal assistant before Kayla, so it’s been a journey of discovery for both of us.  I don’t know how I got by before her–she gets me where I need to be, keeps me scheduled, and is the perfect foil for my witty banter.

Plus, I’m apparently stuck with her since, like a puppy, if you feed her once she just keeps coming back.

Your title is “Administrative Assistant.” What does that mean?

Kayla Belmore: My job here at Irrational has two parts. First and foremost I am the assistant to Tim Gerritsen, our director of product development. That means I manage Tim’s schedule, book his meetings, and make sure he has all the things he needs to be awesome. The second part of my job is the administrative part. I help out all around the studio doing things like booking travel, logging tasks, and taking notes.

What games have you worked on?

KB: BioShock Infinite is the first game I have worked on. I’m pretty excited about it.

Describe life at Irrational in three words or less.

KB: Amazing, challenging, experience.

What is your favorite game of all time?

KB: It’s definitely a tie between Silent Hill 2 and Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly. I refuse to choose between my two greatest gaming loves.

Name a game everyone should play once in their life.

KB: I think everyone should give Portal a try. It’s a great game for people of all levels of gaming experience, and I have yet to play anything else with such fun and witty dialogue.

What is your favorite movie?

KB: I have a shameless passion for Japanese cult slasher movies. My current favorite is “Vampire Girl vs. Frankenstein Girl.” Here’s my synopsis without giving away too many spoilers: What happens when the most popular brat in school is crushing on you AND the mysterious transfer girl gives you a suspicious chocolate on Valentine’s Day? Maybe the Kabuki mad scientist and his assistant the sexy school nurse can help resolve this cat fight….

What are your hobbies outside of work?

KB: Playing video games, cosplay, running, and bento. [Some of the fruits of Kayla's cosplay expertise were on display during last year's Halloween Spooktacular, which included Kayla and fellow Irrational employees Sarah Rosa and Phil Frechette dressed as BioShock splicers.]

Explain what you mean when you say one of your hobbies is “bento.”

KB: Bento is a Japanese style packed lunch, usually in a fun container called a bento box. I started getting into bento-making because I wanted to start eating balanced non-frozen meals but hated the idea of cooking.  When I saw bento boxes on the Just Bento blog, I thought, “These adorable boxed lunches don’t seem at all the same as the unsavory chore of cooking.”

My favorite things to make are fun-shaped onigiri (rice balls) with colored furikake (savory rice sprinkles). My favorite ingredient to cook with is Sake (although not all of the Sake ends up in the food). I watch a lot of Iron Chef America, so admittedly I do dance around my kitchen pretending to be Chef Morimoto.

Tell me your favorite story about life at Irrational.

KB: As an assistant I get to go on some fun adventures as part of my duties. My favorite so far has got to be working our booth at PAX East this year. I got to stand next to the giant Songbird statue, take wacky photos, throw t-shirts, and talk to fans.

It was pretty amazing, and I got to meet some really swell people.  I had the opportunity to work the whole weekend at the booth meeting people and having a great time (and occasionally sneaking down to the show floor to buy dice). Every so often I’d just smile and think, “OMG, this is my job.” It’s a pretty great feeling.