Justin Woodward started out as one of the small cogs in the big wheel of the game industry. He studied game art and design in college. Then he got a job at a triple-A game company as a 3D background artist.
But he decided he would rather be a game designer instead of being one among many 3D artists. He started his own graphic design studio, doing tasks like logo design that could connect him with entrepreneurs. He learned how to fund projects and create businesses. He went on to create an indie game studio. He stayed on that path.
He eventually started The MIX, the Media Indie Exchange, to help game startups get noticed at big events like the Game Developers Conference. He picked up a lot of expertise along the way and now reviews more than 700 pitches a year while trying to find the best startups that deserve attention. In our session at GamesBeat Summit 2025, we did a fireside chat about his experiences. And we delved into the hidden ways that developers can find money, whether it’s through Kickstarter, platform companies, publishers, VCs and other means.
Here’s an edited transcript of our interview.
Justin Woodward runs The MIX, or the Media Indie Exchange.
GamesBeat: Our session today is “Game Funding Diversification for Indies.” I’m glad to be here with Justin Woodward, who has a long history in the game industry. I’ll have him go through some of it here. Can you talk to us about how you got going in the indie space?
Justin Woodward: I’ve been in the game industry for about 15 years now. I went to college for game art and design. Went to triple-A shortly after that as a 3D background artist. After that I really did not–during that time I really didn’t dig being a 3D artist. I wanted to be a designer. That’s what I went to school for, and a producer. As I started to figure out my own path, I started a graphic design studio where I used that to do graphic design, websites and logo designs, for entrepreneurs, in order to learn how to fund projects, learn how to create businesses, that kind of thing. And then right around that time, when I started the graphic design business, I started a master’s program in game production management. I started an independent game studio.
He stayed on that path and got to meet a lot of mentors in the game industry.
GamesBeat: When did you encounter that first need to go and get something from somebody?
Woodward: I was super broke. I was sleeping on the floor during my master’s program. I was looking into what it takes to get angel investment. This was 2009, around that time. Kickstarter had just started. We were one of the first Kickstarters, and we failed, which was very interesting. But every time there was an opportunity, we used that pitch to push it further. All the folks that took me under their wing, I used their mentorship to learn more.
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