FIX YOUR LINKEDIN
BEFORE GDC
A hands-on, 3-hour workshop where you'll rebuild your LinkedIn profile
— with expert guidance —
so you show up right when it matters most
GDC is right around the corner.
You're about to be in rooms — virtual and real — with exactly the people who could change your career. Studio leads. Hiring managers. Creative directors. Potential collaborators.
And when they meet you, the first thing they're going to do is look you up on LinkedIn.
What will they find? A headline that says "Aspiring Game Writer"? A summary you wrote three years ago? A bare-bones profile with no projects, no recommendations, and no reason for anyone to keep the conversation going with you?
This workshop fixes that — in one afternoon.
Sunday, March 1st, 2026
2:00 – 5:00 PM Central Time | 3 hours | Live on Zoom
Sam S
Professional Narrative Designer, Game Designer, and Simulation Designer
“No exaggeration, Mario is a LinkedIn wizard. One meeting with him made me look at the whole site differently. He was great at guiding me on how to improve my profile, whether it was big picture content I was missing or small wording changes that helped enhance my profile. I’m way more confident in using the platform after meeting with him.”
In This Workshop, You'll:
- Rebuild your headline and summary so they actually say what you do — and make people want to know more
- Set up your Featured section to showcase your best work (shipped games, writing samples, design docs, videos — whatever makes you look like a pro)
- Fix the Experience section so it reads like a career, not a résumé dump
- Learn what recruiters and studio leads actually look at (it's not what you think)
- Get feedback in real time by someone who's done this successfully — not a "LinkedIn coach," a working game developer
- Walk out with a profile that's GDC-ready — not "someday I'll get to it" ready, but this week ready
Learn clearly, apply immediately
"Mario completely changed my LinkedIn for the better. I didn't even realize what was possible!" - Sam S
Perfect balance of learning and doing
"I loved the balance between learning new concepts, doing quiet individual work, and talking with other participants - it was perfect!" - Rue T
Think deeper, apply faster
"The multiple sections where we had to take what was taught and implement it. Made me think a lot more about the concepts and how they're applied in writing." - Tiago
Who This Workshop Is For
This workshop is for game writers, narrative designers, and game developers who know their LinkedIn isn't doing them justice — and want to fix it before GDC.
You should attend if:
- You haven't updated your profile in months (or years) and GDC is making you nervous about it
- You're not sure what to put in your headline, summary, or Featured section
- You've seen other people in the industry with great LinkedIn profiles and thought "how do they do that?"
- You're job hunting, freelancing, or just want to be findable when opportunities come up
- You want to walk into GDC (or GDC week online) knowing your LinkedIn is solid
You should probably skip this if your LinkedIn is already dialed in and generating conversations. (But honestly — if you're not sure, it probably isn't.)
Who's Leading This Workshop
Mario Mergola
Quest Designer at Beast Burst Entertainment
Mario is a working game developer with 7+ years of experience, multiple shipped titles, and a track record in open-world and RPG games. He's served as Narrative Director at Miami Avalon Ltd, Lead Game Designer at Small Loan Studio, and currently designs quests for Scars of Honor at Beast Burst Entertainment.
LinkedIn is how Mario got his current job. He'd been sharing videos about his work on LinkedIn. When Beast Burst's Design Lead posted that he was hiring, Mario reached out. The Design Lead's first words in the interview? "I watched some of your videos on LinkedIn so I felt like I already knew you." He didn't just hire Mario — he fought to hire him despite timezone differences.
That's what a LinkedIn profile that works looks like. 2,000+ followers, 18,000+ impressions, 500+ connections, a Featured section full of shipped projects — and real conversations that lead to real opportunities.
Mario's not a "LinkedIn coach." He's a working game developer who figured out how to make LinkedIn work for him. And on March 1st, he's going to show you how to do the same thing.
Hosted by Susan O'Connor
Founder, The Narrative Department
Susan has 15+ years in game writing (BioShock, Tomb Raider, Far Cry 2) and has been helping game writers build their careers through TND since 2022. She'll be hosting, keeping the energy up, and making sure everyone walks out with a finished profile.
Do I need to already have a LinkedIn profile?
What if I can't attend live?
Is this just for people going to GDC?
Will this work for people outside of game writing?
What do I need to bring?
Sunday, March 1st, 2026
2:00 – 5:00 PM Central Time
Live on Zoom
P.S. — GDC is March 9th. That gives you exactly one week after this workshop to let your new profile do its work before the biggest networking event of the year. Don't wait.
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