Jenny Caplan and the logo of her company, Wee Tattie Studios

As the CEO and founder of Wee Tattie Studios, Jenny Caplan ’22 has turned her passion and education in game art and entrepreneurship into a thriving entrepreneurial venture. Her unique studio model has created a space for recent graduates and aspiring game developers to collaborate and gain invaluable experience bringing games to life. And as the game industry and its job market continue to evolve, Wee Tattie Studios’ mission only becomes more important. We sat down with Jenny to learn more about her journey, her innovative studio model, and the lessons she’s learned along the way.

 

Q: Excited to have you join us today. To get started, can you share how you found yourself at Champlain?

A: I’m originally from the countryside of Scotland, where I developed a love for art and engineering. I was looking for a way to put those two likes together and came to game art. I started at Abertay University in Scotland and did an exchange program at Champlain College. I liked it so much that I decided to transfer. At Champlain, I majored in Game Art and took additional classes in entrepreneurship, graduating in December 2022.


Q: How did you start your career after graduation?

A: After Champlain, I moved to Los Angeles to try to get a job in games, but the industry was really hard to get into. I decided to live in Bangkok, Thailand, and I was talking to some of my Champlain friends and that’s when I started Wee Tattie Studios.

Wee Tattie Studios is a volunteer incubation game studio designed to help recent graduates gain hands-on experience in making and finishing games, which they can add to their portfolio. The name “Wee Tattie” actually means “small potato” in Scottish!


Q: So you started Wee Tattie Studios after talking with Champlain alumni. What about these conversations led you to launch Wee Tattie Studios?

A: In the beginning, it wasn’t just to start a business, it was also to collaborate with people and work on my game art portfolio to support finding a job. But now, for me, it’s more about running the studio. I’m currently the only full-time member, but I hope to expand the team in the future. We use hour-based royalties, so when games generate revenue the developers will be paid for their time.


Q: Owning a business and being the only full-time employee can bear a lot of weight. What keeps you going? What makes it all worth it?

A: I always feel like it’s worth it. When I’m interacting with the teams I see that everyone is so enthusiastic about it or so passionate about the game that we’re making. They want to get sucked into it, they have so many ideas that they want to put in the slides or the sheets and I’m like, “go for it.” And it’s really nice to see people so motivated. It makes you feel good inside that everyone is passionate about this game that we’re all working towards together.


Q: The unpredictable state of the game industry is no secret. How has that impacted Wee Tattie Studios, if at all?

A: People are ready for any experience that will help them build up their portfolio or so they can say, “I worked on this game, my name’s in the credit for this game.” The more games you have under your belt, the higher the chances you have of getting a job in the industry.

We are filling a market gap where there are fewer entry-level positions available because of all the layoffs in the industry. I started the studio after experiencing this for myself. Wee Tattie creates a space for developers to gain industry-relevant experience, build up their portfolios, and stay motivated in their job search. A lot of people are using this opportunity to keep up their motivation and keep applying for jobs since everyone’s in the same boat.

There’s More!

Check out Instagram to watch a portion of this interview with Jenny Caplan.

@champlainalumni

Q: You mentioned you took additional classes in entrepreneurship at Champlain. How did those inform your entrepreneurial journey? 

A: One of the classes was an entrepreneurship class in the business school where I was able to work on building a real business. I learned and revisited my knowledge in marketing and how to put together a brand pack or a business model canvas. This is a really important skill to have so you can understand the business you’re trying to create and your target audience. I also took a game entrepreneurship class where I learned how game publishers work and how to pitch a game to get funding.


Q: Are there any specific experiences at Champlain that impacted you personally or professionally and how has that contributed to where you are now with Wee Tattie Studios?

A: Champlain helped me understand how the industry works. While at Champlain, I received the Freeman grant for an internship in South Korea. Champlain’s high expectations in the Game Art major helped prepare me for the high standard they looked for at my internship. I was even able to teach the other artists some tricks I had learned at Champlain such as shortcuts in Maya and Photoshop for better workflow. 

I was also an Eco-Rep at Champlain which helped me learn more about sustainability, and is a big component in some of Wee Tattie’s games.


Q: That’s a great example of how seemingly unrelated experiences can impact your entrepreneurial journey. Can you tell me more about sustainability in the games?

A: In Will Without Wings, a gamified fashion brand, you can buy all the fashion in real life. To support more sustainable fashion, players can create a 3D avatar, in which they put in their exact measurements, so they can try on the clothes virtually before they buy them since 90% of returns are due to wrong sizes.

Another game, Wild Wonderlands, is all about environmental sustainability. You’re in a beautiful world and you help manage the ecosystem there.


Q: Do you have to do a lot of research for games like that or does the team generally have someone more of an expert in the field?

A: We outsource professionals or people we know are involved in that topic to provide advice on things we’re looking for. For Wild Wonderlands, we took on two writers who were also Eco-Reps at Champlain College. 

Our newest game is a VR game based on Scottish archeology. So, we’re partnering with the Scottish Society of Archeology to help us with the historical accuracies, showing us the tools they use for doing their work.


Q: Hearing how much variety there is in Wee Tattie’s games, I’m curious how you decide what each game will be.

A: We actually did it Champlain style. Everyone on the team pitched a game and then the team voted on it. I feel this method works the best because it has to be something the whole team is passionate about doing for it to work. For some of the games, I came up with the original concept but then handed over product ownership.


Q: Embarking on an entrepreneurial path is both exhilarating and challenging. What advice would you give to aspiring entrepreneurs or business owners?

A: Network and follow up. These two things go together. A lot of people just network, but you’ve got to follow up and keep those connections. I stayed well connected with a well-known game publisher and when I was at the Montreal International Game Summit (MIGS), he invited me to a VIP event with investors. You never know who you will see or meet at different events.

Also, know that it’s normal not to break even for at least two years. Have a plan on how you will stay financially stable while starting up a business. 

The last part of advice, which is the most important, is always own at least 51% of the equity. This ensures you have creative control and the final say.


Q: Coming to the end here, are there any professional or career-related accomplishments you’re particularly proud of?

A: Last year I was fully funded to attend the Game Developers Conference (GDC) in San Francisco as a Women in Games International (WIGI) mentor. I also got to showcase Wee Tattie Studios on the expo floor as part of a partnership with the International Game Development Association (IGDA). It was really nice to meet some of the developers in my studio in person at the Champlain Connect event that happened during GDC. 

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Brianna Newman
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