Jonathan Dawson
Lake Forest, California, United States
594 followers
500+ connections
About
Jon Dawson has over 12 years of experience around business analysis, project…
Activity
594 followers
-
Jonathan Dawson reacted on thisThis week marks 20 years at Blizzard Entertainment; 5,000 workdays give or take. It’s difficult to wrap my head around that because I honestly still feel like the kid that walked into 131 Theory. The day I was hired was the definition of unreal. Azeroth, the Koprulu sector, and Sanctuary were franchises I loved long before I got the chance to help shape them. I feel as if I blinked once back in 2006 and now I've suddenly grown up here. What sticks with me as I dumbfoundedly stare at this milestone isn’t the work we've shipped across the years and franchises, even though I'm endlessly proud of what we built knowing how difficult it was to share with the world (or not in some cases). No, what stays with me today is the people. The old guard that remains. The lore friends that went elsewhere and even across the world. And especially those amazing souls that sadly are no longer with us. They are legends of this chaotic industry that somehow became my friends. These skilled creatives and collaborators challenged me, inspired me, and truly showed me what it means to shepherd stories that matter to tens of millions around the globe. Every lesson learned, every lore resource created, and even every late‑night/early morning debate shaped me into the narrative veteran I am today. For twenty years I’ve had the incredibly rare chance to help create lore that matters to millions. I’ve collaborated with intimidating, yet equally awe‑inspiring designers doing all I could to keep our stories cohesive, meaningful, and worthy of the lands so many inhabit. Every opportunity to help was a gift simply because others believed in me, invested in me, and truly trusted me. I still carry the faith they entrusted with me in all I do. Celebrating this difficult milestone is the definition of bittersweet. There is a sadness that drapes itself upon your shoulders like a blanket as you reflect on the years and people long gone. However, that sadness is paired with an immense gratitude that those years existed in the first place. Gratitude for every chance that I had to speak, teach, be quizzed, create, cheer and cry with my team, and most importantly to shape stories for every major Blizzard franchise. I’m still keeping the torch lit in my corner of campus, lore friends. Still doing everything I can to make others proud, still pushing myself in the daily efforts for those that lean on our many legends. You matter and are honestly the most important aspect of my story. For without you? None of it would have existed. Full stop. I cannot thank you enough for staying awhile and listening to our stories for all these many years. Truly and sincerely, lore friends: thank you. For the lore! "Esarus thar no’Darador. By Blood and Honor We Serve."
-
Jonathan Dawson liked thisJonathan Dawson liked thisAfter 27 years with Blizzard, I recently made the decision to depart so I can recharge and spend time with family. I plan to take at least a few months off and then reevaluate what comes next. It's been an incredible ride, and I'm extremely thankful to the Diablo team and all my friends at Blizzard who have made this an unforgettable experience. I'm so proud of the games we made together, and Ieave knowing that the future of Diablo is in good hands.
-
Jonathan Dawson reacted on thisJonathan Dawson reacted on thisToday's the day! Tonight at 11:30pm EST Diablo 4's Season of Divine Intervention goes live. This is the first release that I have been in charge of and I couldn't be prouder of the amazing team that brought it to life. If you haven't played D4 in a while, I'd hop back in tonight and check out the stuff this incredible team cooked up. I know you'll love it. Oh! And be sure to check out the Game Awards tonight. I have a feeling there could be some exciting stuff happening there. https://lnkd.in/gqbTtU2Y
-
Jonathan Dawson reacted on thisJonathan Dawson reacted on thisEveryone loves a good origin story. So I thought I could share mine. When I was twelve, I wrote my first piece of code on a graphing calculator and created my first-ever game. It might not have been very good by today's standards, but at the time, it was mind-blowing that something so simple could be so fun. I didn’t have a computer, and I didn’t know what “engineering” was. I definitely didn’t know that a calculator would shape my entire life. All I knew was that I loved games. So I started building little text-based adventures on that calculator. I had no idea what I was doing, but I knew it felt right. I started with very little, and I learned to build from whatever I had. When I got my hands on a real computer, I graduated from making games to programming applications. This eventually led me to meeting people who taught me what real engineering looked like. With the skills I’ve developed and refined over the years, I have helped teams of all sizes build incredible things from scratch. In that way, I still feel like a child at heart. I still get excited when I encounter a well-designed system. And I still chase the joy I found at twelve years old, holding that calculator, realizing that my imagination could create entire worlds. That’s the part of engineering that never gets old. And that's why I approach every opportunity with such curiosity. At the end of the day, while some things change, the kid with the calculator is still here. And I am grateful for every opportunity I have to use my imagination to create something real.
-
Jonathan Dawson reacted on thisJonathan Dawson reacted on thisMy time at Blizzard has come to an end, and I’m leaving with a full heart. Working in VO production has been such a rewarding experience—I’ve learned a ton, met so many wonderful people, and had the chance to work with two truly great managers who always had my back. I’m especially grateful for the friends I’ve made along the way (you know who you are ❤️). This chapter will always mean a lot to me, and I’m excited to see what comes next. Let’s stay in touch! Catch you in the credits!
Experience
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Education
-
-
-
Licenses & Certifications
Projects
-
Configurable Report Application
• Launched an application that provides users the ability to create custom reports from data sets
• Serves as the foundation for data feeds into other applications, dashboards, etc. -
Platform Report Migration
• Migrated over 200 reports to a secondary server for a performance gain on the main server
-
External Payment Application
-
• Leveraged existing external cash platform to expand Fund Services cash features to end users, allowing them to create, view, and manage expense payments
-
Financial Reporting Software Delivery - Morgan Stanley
-
• Responsible for mitigating costs for a two-phase defect release around a major upgrade
• Delivered releases on time and 20% under total budget
• Maintained change log, project plan, and weekly status meetings with the client to ensure project transparency -
Change Advisory Board - Delivery Department Representative
-
• Responsible for representing the delivery department in UAT and go-live compliance checks for major projects
• Assessed project readiness for migration to minimize go-live production issues
• Improved compliance process by streamlining required materials and presentation points -
Financial Reporting Software Delivery - Bank of New York Mellon
-
• Established a long term enhancement plan for client's document reporting site to consist of over 6 major release over a year and a half
• Oversaw requirements development and FSD drafting for custom enhancements requested by the client
• Led and maintained project plan, change log, project KPIs, weekly status meetings and ad hoc requirements meetings with the client
• Worked daily with internal team to mentor them on software delivery best practices -
Business Continuity & Disaster Recovery Plan - MFA Financial
-
• Conducted a series of SME interviews to reconcile existing process information and identify gaps or improvement opportunities
• Created deliverable cataloging all information related to entering, working in and exiting a disaster event to ensure business continuity
• Collaborated to develop testing procedures for a "dry run" of entering and exiting continuity -
Database Migration - FedCap Rehabilitation Services
-
• Responsible for collecting and transforming over 4 years of poorly maintained data within 5 months; initial round of conversion yielded over 90% accuracy
• Liaised with client and vendor SMEs to establish process and prepare data prior to execution
• Drove client/vendor meetings to develop a deliverable for future state database process flows -
RFP - Bridgewater Associates
-
• Crafted requested business case answers (built process flows, established high level process, created document)
• Assisted in resource planning and project plan creation -
Financial Reporting Software Delivery - J.P. Morgan
-
• Produced over 12 sprints in 10 months, salvaging an ailing project with consistent delivery
• Technical SME/business analyst for Agile project; liaised between business and engineering
• Documented business requirements, support documentation and unit/test cases for each sprint
• Implemented/migrated all functionality; developed SQL queries for reports and site views
• Logged, tracked, investigated and resolved all functionality issues
• Established and executed training…• Produced over 12 sprints in 10 months, salvaging an ailing project with consistent delivery
• Technical SME/business analyst for Agile project; liaised between business and engineering
• Documented business requirements, support documentation and unit/test cases for each sprint
• Implemented/migrated all functionality; developed SQL queries for reports and site views
• Logged, tracked, investigated and resolved all functionality issues
• Established and executed training program to transition role at the end of the project -
Database Vendor Evaluation/Readiness Assessment - Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America
-
• Client provided testimonial for excellence and commitment to high caliber of work for this project
• Conducted a series of SME interviews to assess current state BAU and future state needs
• Reconciled vendor options against client needs to identify the best solution for the client
• Created a deliverable containing vendor research, interview details and recommendations -
PMO Initiative, Mobile Division - American Express
-
• Constructed a set of weekly KPI reporting packages on over 40 active projects for 12 months
• Audited all project information weekly to ensure report integrity
• Created documentation and training aids to drive transition period at the end of the project -
Process Improvement & Desktop Procedure Implementation - RBS
-
• Conducted a series of SME interviews to establish current state process; identified gaps
• Created process flows in software program to serve as auditing aids and desktop procedures
• Created training aids and presented to end users for software transition and usage
Recommendations received
5 people have recommended Jonathan
Join now to viewOther similar profiles
Explore top content on LinkedIn
Find curated posts and insights for relevant topics all in one place.
View top contentOthers named Jonathan Dawson
311 others named Jonathan Dawson are on LinkedIn
See others named Jonathan Dawson