Tech Spotlight: R. Byron Hord
Byron Hord is a consummate creator.
As a former writer and producer for household names such as Fox and the WWE, the founder and CEO of mobile gaming studio Untitled Interactive knows a thing or two about storytelling.
Born and raised in Columbia, Maryland, Hord grew up in a traditional household. His father, a top Xerox executive, and his mother, a government employee, instilled in him a strong work ethic and the need for a quality education and career.
“My parents didn’t really understand my creative spirit or the change in culture occurring during my childhood. They encouraged me to follow in their footsteps: graduate, get a good job, and keep that job forever.”
After high school Hord would relocate to Atlanta and enroll at Morehouse College and Georgia Tech in a 3-2 Industrial Engineering program. During this period Hord would get his first glimpse into the art world when he and his longtime friend, Aaron McGruder, teamed up for the creation and distribution of Aaron’s comic series, The Boondocks.
“I remember spreading sample strips of The Boondocks around campus. This was pre-internet, so it was really cool to watch it grow by word of mouth.”
While finishing his degree at Georgia Tech, Hord would land a job with IT giant Accenture and – much to the satisfaction of his parents – begin to utilize the engineering skills he had acquired in a professional setting. After a few years, however, the corporate environment at Accenture would prove uninspiring for Hord. His untapped creative spirit had begun to awaken, and he felt a radical lifestyle change was in order.
In 2000 Hord would move to Los Angeles and start Imajimation Studios with several friends in the film industry. It would be his first foray into writing and producing animation. Although few of the projects achieved mainstream success, his time there would confirm his belief that creative writing and producing were his true calling. It would also put him in the right place at the right time.
One day, while grinding away, something on a colleague’s unattended computer screen caught Hord’s eye. It was a message about the Fox Writers Program. On a whim, he applied for entry and got in. This serendipitous scenario would open several doors for Hord, including writing gigs for the likes of Cedric the Entertainer, Wanda Sykes, and Will Smith.
With several successful projects under his belt, Hord decided to open his own studio, Uneq Productions. The studio’s first project, a web-series entitled Being eddie Black, would allow him to comedically express his frustration with the stigmatization of black people in corporate America.
In 2010 Hord was recruited by Vince McMahon to write for the WWE.
“Vince taught me how to press people’s buttons to get them to act. He’s a master showman, marketing genius, and a next-level human chess player.”
Hord would work and travel extensively with the WWE for several years while continuing to write and produce his own projects. Eventually, after selling a movie script to video game company Sega, he would leave the wrestling world behind.
Following the Sega sale, Hord began to focus his attention on video games. While attending the world-renowned Electronic Entertainment Expo, or E3, in Los Angeles, Hord would connect with members of Lukewarm Media, an indie game studio based out of Henderson, Nevada. He would eventually team up with them and help produce the popular human versus dinosaur first-person shooter, Primal Carnage.
Since then, Hord has been fully immersed in interactive content creation and video game writing. He is contracted with Koch Media’s Deep Silver, writing narrative and dialogue for their AAA video games, along with JamCity, Eastside Games, Faceit, and Circle 5 Studios. His new studio, Untitled Interactive, is based in San Francisco and promotes social commentary through unique interactive experiences, designing low-overhead, highly immersive, social network infused, educational-based, comedic games. Untitled Interactive recently launched its flagship trivia-fighting game, Smack-A-Fool. Beloved by friends and family, Hord’s team decided to halt marketing of that inevitable mobile classic to pursue the transition of his properties to Web3.
“Web3 is akin to having a website. If you are a creative business not somewhat involved in crypto, NFTs, or the metaverse, you are so passe.”
Hord sees the community strength of Web3 and wants to bring that voice into a burgeoning universe. A few projects currently in development include Primal Carnage: Apocalypse, a sequel to the classic, for PC and consoles, SmackSquares (a comedic take on foursquare), Friday Night Fight Night (an education-based RPG), Smack Stickball (a comedic take on stickball), and Highway Robbery (think cops-and-robbers). His company is also partnering with super suave musician, Masego, for a video game venture aptly named Tadow, LLC (inspired by Masego’s hit song). They plan to turn the video gaming space into Sego City!
When he’s not writing or producing, R. Byron Hord enjoys traveling and connecting with other creators. He is currently a member and ambassador for The Supper Club and Summit Junto, two prestigious invite-only organizations which curate bespoke networking events and getaways. For the past few years he has called San Francisco and Miami home (earning him the moniker “Bi-Coastal B” among friends), but his work and love for travel keep him on the move.
For more information, visit https://www.untitledinteractive.com/
Follow R. Byron Hord on Instagram @retro.slang @smackafoolgame
Twitter @smackafoolgame
