Referrals
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2024
I worked with Chrystal on Overwatch. She reliably managed tasks and bugs for our Audio Designers. She was effective at scoping the audio needs for every patch. Over time, we grew confident that if anything was new or missed, she’d catch it. Leading up to Season 6 we were working on UI, story, ecology, events, and video post production, so our sound designers had little time. She aligned their needs with the producers of other disciplines and tanked meetings which allowed them to stay heads-down without missing any requests. I would love the opportunity to work with Chrystal again in the future.
Kanon Wood
Activision Blizzard
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2024
I was fortunate to have Chrystal join the production team for Overwatch 2. It’s a complex, ever changing project that requires a lot of agility and planning to manage, especially in audio and narrative areas she handled. Chrystal jumped in with the team and was immediately an advocate for them and the massive workload ahead of them. The complexity of Overwatch’s audio and narrative needs cannot be understated, there is a lot.
Chrystal, along with her fellow producers, dug into all the work and filled in the gaps, fixed process issues and improved visibility for everyone on the project. Managing schedules for the internal team, external voice talent against tight delivery deadlines, Chrystal took everything in stride.
Chrystal’s documentation style provided easy insight into the status of the work that was being taken on, and helped inform decisions around additional work, or re-prioritizing accordingly.
On top of all of the work, Chrystal would bring options to the table across the breadth of her area, seeking buy in from those involved in a way that made decisions efficient and streamlined.
Chrystal is amazing to work with and is a huge benefit to any team.
Clive Burdon
ProbablyMonsters
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2024
Chrystal was a joy to work with and kept the sound team informed and organized on a daily basis. She's proactive about solving problems and putting systems in place to help keep the team on track. She'd be an asset to any team.
Felipe de Mello Pereira
Activision Blizzard
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2024
My job as Principal Sound Designer on Overwatch 2 demands that I remain focused on maintaining the polished content that Blizzard expects, while leading more Junior sound designers to learn, grow, and help achieve this common goal. Balancing this objective with an ever-growing demand for production can results in less time available to design / lead and can ultimately result in a less desirable product. Our discipline is one that requires nuance and understanding that most others do not. Thus, it is sometimes hard for other team members to determine what-why-how we do what we do. To bridge this gap, an Audio Producer is vital to effectively communicate and correctly translate our needs to the team and to efficiently manage the multitude of audio requests, tasks, bugs, meetings and more.
Being an effective Audio Producer does not come easy, because it takes a commitment to understanding the sensibilities that drive decisions from a sound perspective. Music, Dialog and Sound Design can often involve unfamiliar terminologies, processes and behaviors that may be somewhat foreign to someone who is more familiar at interacting in a visual environment- which is every other discipline. This where Chrystal provides real value and drives measurable results that improve processes and efficiencies that ultimately benefit the team as a whole.
This isn’t a role one just jumps into. Chrystal has a deep understanding of the why/what/when of what we do and the sensibilities that drive those decisions. It is ok for a developer to not have the answers or to not know the “mystical” practices of audio development, because Chrystal alleviates concerns, opens opportunities and bridges those gaps as a sound advocate and as a knowledgeable point of contact. Chrystal excelled at filling this role and with her help / guidance we have proven results celebrated by game audio professionals world-wide, though our Overwatch 2 nomination for Best UI and Interactive Audio for the 2023 Game Audio Network Guild Awards.
Whether she’s tanking meetings, refining scope, tracking task and bugs, documenting resources, aligning team goals / costs, or communicating team needs or concerns, Chrystal is truly wonderful to work with and would surely be a force multiplier for any team that would be lucky enough to have her.
Shawn Minoux
Activision Blizzard
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2024
Chrystal was one of my producers on Overwatch and a powerful organizer and problem solver. Everything she worked on improved, and her foresight often solved issues before they'd begun. More importantly, she cared about the narrative team, the people in it, and their working conditions, and that had a tangible effect on the team and its morale, not to mention every task she took on. I would be lucky to work with her again.
Gavin Jurgens-Fyhrie
Activision Blizzard
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2024
As a new hire, Chrystal was a huge source of support for me. Her structured and organized approach provided me a sense of stability while onboarding. She was quick to answer questions I had and showed great interest in my growth and development. Aside from her abilities as a producer, she’s also a really fun person to be around and is easy to talk to. 10/10 producer/human being.
Nicholas Yochum
Activision Blizzard
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2024
Chrystal was a producer that I always wanted to have on the projects that we worked on together. She knows how to keep projects running smoothly, how to scope responsibly, how to manage deadlines even in tight schedules, but most importantly knows how to communicate directly and respectfully even when conveying risks to relevant stakeholders. If there were ever problems that would've risked making the workload higher than necessary, I knew I could count on her to keep the workload manageable. She will be a tremendous asset to your team.
Zachary Hart
Activision Blizzard
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2024
I had the pleasure of working with Chrystal in a professional capacity in both my day job on Overwatch and our extracurricular event planning for Blizzard. There are few people as dependable as Chrystal. If you are looking to add value to your team day one, I can't recommend Chrystal highly enough.
Lauren Soanes
Activision Blizzard
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2024
Chrystal is a fantastic producer and I loved working with her. She champions not only those she works directly with, but everyone on the team. If I ever had a problem, was blocked, or needed her help in communicating with other disciplines, Chrystal was on top of it and resolved it as quickly as possible. She is downright magical with process and Jira. Most of all, I appreciated her always protecting my time and shielding me when it looked like I was starting to get overwhelmed. Any team would be lucky to have her!
Dreen Lee
Activision Blizzard
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2024
Chrystal is an amazing producer and I'm sure any team would be happy to have her! She is highly professional, excellent communicator, always ready to go above and beyond. I appreciate Chrystal for contributing to many projects of a AAA title, fostering collaboration and transparency, caring about improving efficiencies and establishing healthy working environment in her team.
Kateryna (Kate) Levshova
Activision Blizzard
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2024
Chrystal is just an incredible person and producer. Not only was she always on top of keeping me organized, I knew she always had my back when I needed it. I don’t know anyone who would fight harder for their team and I can’t recommend her enough.
Joshi Zhang
Activision Blizzard
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2024
While it's been a few years since I worked directly with Chrystal, she was such an amazing human we continued to stay in touch and I was able to watch her evolve her role and responsibilities in amazing ways through her career at Blizzard. It does not matter what it is, Chrystal will figure out how to do it and how to do it amazingly well. Her organization skills, communication skills, and the quality of her work make her a powerful addition to any team. On top of all this, Chrystal has an amazing personality that just makes her a delight to work with. I know that she will excel wherever she is, whatever she is doing, because I have seen it happen repeatedly in my relationship with her.
Nikki Crenshaw
Activision Blizzard
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2024
Chrystal was a force to be reckoned with on the Overwatch team. She was always informed on the latest changes and upcoming problems. She thought ahead and managed a large team with many parties with incredible effectiveness. She excelled at keeping stakeholders informed and organized regardless of the complexity of the issues.
In addition to all of that, she contributed to the culture of the team in a powerful way that is difficult to quantify and impossible to replace. She helped organize and participated in social events that lifted the spirits of the entire team. She was the definition of what a great producer should be, the binding force that holds a team together and allows them to push forward. Chrystal is an excellent addition to any team in need of a skilled producer.
Daniel Duffin
Activision Blizzard
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2023
Chrystal is a valuable producer: organized, efficient, a clear communicator, and able to handle high stress, high volume periods. She creates healthy, happy teams and great games and features!
Kyungseo Min
Activision Blizzard
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2022
Chrystal is an amazing coworker that always gives her all to any task that she is assigned and exhibits a friendly, professional, and positive attitude through all her communications. She has greatly improved upon processes for which she is responsible and kept those processes well documented for other team members. It is always a pleasure working with Chrystal and she has been a huge help to our team the past few years.
Paul Rubin
Activision Blizzard
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2022
Chrystal is the most diligent, focused, and disciplined worker I have ever had the pleasure to collaborate with. She has time and time again taken on seemingly impossible tasks with stride. Her organizational skills allow her to dive deep into projects, understanding them inside and out to churn out something better than anyone anticipated. What I value most about Chrystal is her work ethic. She has been onboarded onto incredibly daunting projects that will take months to complete, but she never lets up - her determination to not just finish the project but complete it to perfection is astonishing. I have never worked with anyone as detail oriented as Chrystal, and she has been an incredible asset to every project we have collaborated on. Every team she has worked with has benefitted greatly from her drive and consistency, and it is truly an honor to work with someone like her.
Melanie de Arakal
Activision Blizzard
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2022
I initially met Chrystal when she was a senior administrative assistant. She was so helpful, sweet and always smiling. We were not directly working together but had lunches with a mutual friend. I started seeing the kind side of her. I loved her passion for work and fact that she was nice and kind to everyone she met. Fast forward she was assisting the Growth Marketing team with Data Protection efforts which I was managing. Please believe me when I say, she was amazing. She understood how important data protection was and went above and beyond to provide us with the right deliverables as needed. She is an excellent team player, and her work ethics is spot on.
Sidi Buari
Blizzard Entertainment
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2022
Over the course of 4 years, I’ve had the pleasure of working with Chrystal at Blizzard Entertainment. Though her roles and responsibilities have changed and grown, her dedication to her craft, attention to detail, and ever-positive attitude have remained steadfast. Chrystal is able take on any new challenge, stretching her job duties well beyond the job description. Her ability to pick up new skills has quickly made her an invaluable Swiss Army-like member of the team. She was able to bring much needed organization to the inflow and outflow of our team’s media expenses — ensuring an ever-behind organization never missed a payment. She’s stepped in to spearhead our team’s data privacy and governance needs — a task that is incredibly complex for a team with a global remit. Most recently, she has taken the role of PM, with numerous flawlessly executed paid media campaigns already under her belt. I have little doubt that Chrystal would be an invaluable member of any team she is on.
Koosha Diba
Blizzard Entertainment
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2021
I've worked alongside Chrystal for about 2 years now, and she never ceases to amaze me. Since starting at Blizzard, Chrystal has been a valuable resource for any question or any guidance needed. Chrystal is very friendly, personable, and ready to help others, even outside of her direct org. I'm glad to have met her, as she's guided me through some tricky situations that I otherwise would have been utilizing a lot of unnecessary time to navigate through myself. I've worked in different companies in different orgs as an Admin, and I've yet to meet another admin as helpful as Chrystal is. She's great!
Missy Hall
Blizzard Entertainment
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2019
Every team needs a Chrystal. Optimistic, funny, attentive, loyal, authentic. She knows when to say “no,” but loves when she can say “yes” to you. You can tell that the act of serving others gives her energy, rather than drains it away. She brings a warmth to the office that restores even the most tired, burnt-out team.
She deserves a team that respects her judgment, pays attention to the work she does, notices the small thoughtful things she didn’t have to do, and speaks their appreciation of the quality and attention to detail she brings to each task.
Chrystal is the type of person you don’t soon forget, even after you’ve been off the team for a long time. I feel bad for anyone that loses her to another opportunity.
Elisabeth Bridges
Outlier
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2018
Passionate with a solid work ethic, Chrystal is a motivated individual that aims to ensure completion in her work day. Chrystal is engaged and keeps the morale in the office high. She goes above and beyond the expectations of a traditional admin and understands the needs of the multiple teams she supports. Chrystal is a joy to work with and continually pushes our group forward.
Stephen Brenish
Blizzard Entertainment
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2018
Having worked closely with Chrystal for a year and a half, I have been continually impressed and inspired by her leadership, organization, commitment to excellence, and commitment to quality.
Her focus, drive, and vision have led her team through many situations where committee gridlock or indecision threatened a project with cancellation or even just mediocrity.
Her ability to form mutually beneficial relationships among people of disparate backgrounds and interests has led to stronger teams and more connected people. When I first started working with her team, I didn’t know anyone really well and Chrystal, because of who she is, quickly made me feel integrated and welcomed onto the team.
Because of her sociable and professional personality, I would have no reservations at all in hiring her. Any team would be better off with her on it.
Alan Wickersham
Blizzard Entertainment
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2018
Working with Chrystal closely to launch the Blizzard Hackathon was a fantastic experience. Chrystal approached this 6-month project with an open mind and an eagerness to execute. She quickly understood the project vision and was the glue that held together this large initiative. Without Chrystal's support in this project, there's no way that we would have launched this program or that it would have been as successful as it was.
On a day-to-day basis, Chrystal is a fantastic force to have in the office. She helps ensure that things are taken care of and teams can focus on their work. She does a great job of keeping the bottom line in mind as she still helps facilitate team-building activities and gives support to a large group of personalities without bringing her own ego to the table.
Nathan Hillen
Blizzard Entertainment
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2018
Chrystal Blackwell was a wonderful asset to Battle.net during my two and a half years with the department. Engineers are a fickle bunch, and it’s no easy task making sure everyone in such a large department is accommodated and taken care of, but Chrystal always went out of her way to do so and did it with a smile. It didn’t matter what you needed or how busy she was at the time, she always made you feel like the thing you were concerned about mattered and was always willing to do what she could to help.
Our team events were always fun, well organized, and well executed. Chrystal never failed to do a great job of communicating what she needed from us in terms of RSVPs and dietary restrictions and by when she needed to know. She always made sure to give us plenty of friendly reminders, too.
It’s been a pleasure working with Chrystal. I can only imagine that the pressure and demands placed upon her by the team and management were tremendous, but you’d never know from talking to her. She always handled it with grace and composure and simply got the job done. It is my sincere belief that she will be a valuable member of any team.
Matt Gollob
Blizzard Entertainment
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2013
Chrystal was an exemplary student while at Silverado HS. As Principal I had the opportunity to work with Chrystal through our student leadership program. She was responsible, enthusiastic, and organized in all of the activities planned by ASB. She consistently took on a leadership role and was well liked and respected by her peers and highly regarded by her teachers. I am confident that Chrystal will continue her pattern of success throughout life.
Barry Lietz
“
2012
Chrystal is a hardworking and steady performer. I worked with her on several projects, and found she was always on time, thorough, and willing to do more than she was asked. She has a great sense of teamwork and morale and strives to be a well-rounded member of any team.
Ryan Belanger
“
2012
It was truly a pleasure to work with Chrystal on my team. Chrystal is a dynamic individual who always set goals and accomplished those goals time and time again.
Chrystal is one of the most positive people I have met. She helped drive a very positive team environment and would always be sharing best practices and helping those around her. As a Game Master, Chrystal was very detail-oriented in helping out the player community and would always receive very high praise from those she helped. It was through her attention to detail that she would find great solutions and was always willing to go the extra mile no matter the situation.
Chrystal was also a leader on the team and in the department and was instrumental in helping to get many programs up and going. She was very successful in managing many aspects of the “CS for A Day” program, which brought together many other departments and shed light on what our organization did on a daily basis. Chrystal played a large role in the continued success of this program!
I would highly recommend Chrystal! She is motivated, dedicated to always improving and has demonstrated an absolute ability to be a team player and produce results.
Roger Stokes
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2012
Chrystal is fun, open to new ideas, and hardworking. Chrystal is always looking for ways to improve and revolutionize business, whether that is improving on a current process or coming up with a completely new and fresh idea. Given the opportunity Chrystal would provide the social glue to bring a team together and the process improvement to take them to new heights.
Daniel Flannagan
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2012
I've known Chrystal since she hit the Blizzard GM Floor back in 2009 where her passion and professionalism set her apart from most of her peers. Chrystal has an unrelenting drive for improvement not only for herself, but her teammates, department, and company. She brings an aura of motivation and passion to every team she has been on, many of which I had the pleasure of watching her grow and succeed firsthand.
Chrystal is proactive and highly organized, at work early and ready to give it her all with a genuine infectious smile on her face. Just one example of her success is her contributions to the "CS For a Day" program to open new communications between the various Blizzard teams and Customer Service. As part of the original team of “Ambassadors,” she not only ensured task completion and proper documentation, but also became a beacon of information on the development, evolution, and daily operations of the program for all levels of the overseeing management as well as her fellow Ambassadors.
Chrystal brings a unique blend of charismatic interpersonal skills, passionate work ethics, and vision for the future that would make her a valuable addition to any team she chooses to work with. I would work with her again without question!
Aaron Yasukochi
“
2012
Chrystal was a highly invested and positive member of the various teams that she found herself on at Blizzard. As a Game Master, she contributed to her team as an approachable and confident point of contact for arcane and complex issues. In addition she was selected to represent the Customer Support organization as an Ambassador in the "CS for a Day" program, which oriented the rest of the company to the structure and daily efforts of the Customer Support teams. In this role she was the face and voice of our department to fellow employees ranging from our President, CEO, and Directors of each development team, down to members of every other department in the company. She took initiative in planning and executing activities and events for these and other CS functions, and was instrumental in the overall success of the program. I would recommend Chrystal to any organization looking for an organized, positive, and engaged team player.
Donald King