Professional History
Game Designer - Hasbro Inc.
July 2018 – Present
Produced nearly 40 high performing games, generating millions in revenue as project lead.
Collaborates with designers, marketing partners, brand writers and engineers to bring great products to market.
Experienced with prototype creation, testing and product development.
Builds strategic visions by finding whitespace opportunities and identifying market opportunities, conducts and interprets market and field research on current trends.
Communicates with offices in Hong Kong and China to work with factory vendors to bring high quality products to market at the best possible price.
Trusted with classic Hasbro brands, such as Monopoly, Clue, Game of Life, Battleship, Twister, Simon, Operation, Perfection, Guess Who?. Hungry Hungry Hippos, Pretty Pretty Princes, Sorry and Trouble.
Collaborates with license partners, including Disney, Lucasfilm, Marvel, Viacom, Universal Studios, Mediatonic, and Epic Games.
Product Design Intern, Hasbro Gaming
2017
Collaborated with engineers and marketers in brainstorms and input ideas to develop high priority games for 2018, 2019 and 2020 releases.
Conducted research and analyzed current trends and used presentation skills to effectively communicate designs.
Responsibilities included: sketching concepts for innovative new games, drawing, rendering final designs, designing decals, constructed models, displays and prototypes.
National Park Guide, U.S. National Park Service
June 2012 - August 2016
Created detailed illustrations of the Roosevelt-Vanderbilt NHS (ROVA) locations, created archeological renderings of garden areas for the ROVA sites.
Designed the official ROVA Historical Association logos to be used on ROVA material.
Led groups between 2-75 individuals at the Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site on hour-long educational tours. Sought out by private groups to give presentations on the Gilded Age in America.
About
Matt Velardo grew up in upstate NY. He’s had an eye for design ever since childhood, spending hours outside building tree houses, forts and dams in the mountain streams. Matt’s favorite toys were wooden blocks as a preschooler, until he was introduced to LEGO at age 6. Matt also liked to design his own wooden toys, such as swords and shields, as well as creating his own entire castle playsets complete with knight figures and houses. By high school, Matt had realized that his dream was to be a designer. He studied drawing, illustration, sculpting, as well as some engineering and architecture at the local community college starting at age 15. In 2012, Matt was offered a job with the U.S. National Park Service where he gained experience in public speaking, research and graphic design. In May of 2016, Matt graduated from the Toy Design Program at the Fashion Institute of Technology with honors. From there, Matt worked at Hasbro in Pawtucket, RI with Hasbro Gaming. Matt’s goal as a designer is as follows;
“I wish to create quality consumer experiences that enrich the lives of children and families by delivering profitable products and brands that benefit the company and my coworkers.”
In the future, Matt wishes to continue designing great products that bring joy to kids and their families. In his spare time, Matt enjoys reading, collecting antiques, making historical replications, playing music and spending time outside.