Hello ghosties,

Spring is coming and, with it, a new cohort of studios will be embarking on our Cooperative Foundations program. We’re so excited to welcome the following teams into our program:

• Clip Through Interactive

• Misfit Theories

• Mistik Studios

• Studio Mopot

• Void Blob Worker Coop

Baby Ghosts is made possible thanks to the support and guidance of our board of directors. Today, we’re featuring Elisabeth Rose Astwood, an interdisciplinary storyteller, researcher, and arts leader, as well as Baby Ghosts’ fearless treasurer.

Tell us a little bit about who you are and what you're working on right now:

I have been working in games since 2018 and have been working in creative leadership roles for 16 years now. Before games, I worked with an aerial dance company that creates off the side of skyscrapers and old-growth forests, in collaboration with Indigenous peoples. I also founded and ran a multidisciplinary arts nonprofit in Vancouver, BC called The Purple Stapler Arts Society.

Multi- and cross-disciplinary work is something that has always attracted me and games are a fabulous way to continue that passion. Right now, I'm working on several games:

• my own personal project, Embers — a cozy fantasy journal — via my production house, Studio Lazulite;

• Shards Between Us, a fairytale-inspired plant-puzzler made by Queensguard and supported by WINGS Elevate with Netflix;

• and a new project with Superbrothers, the developers of Sword and Sworcery.

You do a ton of community work: You're a Women in Games Ambassador, you organize industry events through Pixels and Poutine and the Montreal Game Developers Society, you mentor for GAMERella's mentorship program, and you speak on DEI-informed narrative design. What drives you and what are you most excited about?

I believe in community. The people.

We're all so intertwined and that is our strength. That is how change grows. I keep finding myself collaborating with nonprofits that match my values because of that core belief and the desire to do my part, learning and sharing that knowledge between the communities I intersect with. These are also the spaces [where] I meet the most inspiring people and friends. They remind me to keep going and rest when I find myself overcommitting. 

What made you decide to be a Baby Ghosts board member? What do you hope to do while here?

I practice social entrepreneurship, which focuses on aligning the financial reality of our present world with social causes like education and representation and protecting the environment.

Co-ops are a really interesting example of bringing together workers’ rights with the business world. Here at Baby Ghosts, I felt like I could stand behind the mission and values of the people. This is the type of community I want to see thrive. I hope to help by contributing to and disseminating the knowledge gained from research conducted through Baby Ghosts' programs. 

To support Baby Ghosts’ mission, consider becoming a donor. Every little bit helps us further our impact and grow our communities.

Don’t forget to wishlist Elisabeth’s beautiful projects on Steam, and we’ll be back next month with even more to share.

- eileen & Jennie