Creative Director +
Experience Designer
@EMPALOX
WORLDS PORTFOLIO '26

Emily O'Neal

Creative Director & Experience Designer with a decade of experience creating worlds you can step into.

Classroom ·Cross-platform
01

Nano

Nano key art: the NanoBot inside a cell
Company
Lighthaus · 2023

Putting protein synthesis in students' hands

Responsibilities
Creative direction
Experience design
Classroom research
Company
Lighthaus · 2023
Theme park ·Phygital
02

Backlot Club

Hands holding a phone showing the Backlot Club welcome screen
Company
Forward Studio · 2025

Connecting digital quests to real places

Responsibilities
Experience strategy
Systems design
Guest journey
Company
Forward Studio · 2025
Waterparks ·Location-based
03

Ballast

Guest floating face-down in a pool wearing a Ballast VR headset
Company
Ballast · 2020–2021

Building ride-through worlds for water slides and pools

Responsibilities
World building
Narrative design
Beat mapping
Company
Ballast · 2020–2021
Game ·Narrative
04

High on Life VR

High on Life VR key art
Company
Flat2VR · 2027

Translating Squanch Games' comedy shooter into a fully embodied adventure

Responsibilities
Creative direction
Interaction design
Team leadership
Company
Flat2VR · 2027
Clinic ·Research
05

Allergy Test VR

Campsite scene with the forest nymph character
Company
Stanford VHIL · 2018–2020

Finding where technology can ease pediatric anxiety

Responsibilities
Need-finding
Journey mapping
Prototyping
Company
Stanford VHIL · 2018–2020
Launchedexperiences
06

Shipped Titles

Ocean II: a humpback whale gliding through a coral arch
12 shipped titles in 8 years

Every experience I've helped launch, from waterparks to VR ports

12 shipped titles in 8 years
Nano key art: the NanoBot inside a cell

Nano

Putting protein synthesis in students' hands.

Lighthaus · Creative Director
Hands holding a phone showing the Backlot Club welcome screen

Backlot Club

Connecting digital quests to real places.

Forward Studio · Experience Designer
Guest floating face-down in a pool wearing a Ballast VR headset

Ballast

Building ride-through worlds for water slides and pools.

Ballast · Experience Designer
High on Life VR key art

High on Life VR

Translating Squanch Games' comedy shooter into a fully embodied adventure.

Flat2VR · Game Director
Campsite scene with the forest nymph character

Allergy Test VR

Finding where technology can ease pediatric anxiety.

Stanford VHIL · Researcher & Designer
Ocean II: a humpback whale gliding through a coral arch

Shipped Titles

Every experience I've helped launch, from waterparks to VR ports.

12 titles · 2020–2027