Some months ago, NADEO announced a new member for their big familly. Her name is Rockfell, the new community Manager that will handle the North America Shootmania's community. So we asked her to answer our questions and talk a bit about herself, as we all want to know who is hidding behind that name!
Hey, can you shortly introduce yourself to the community, what was your past work at Ubisoft, and before?
Greetings, earthling!
My name is Megan, aka "Rook Fell" and I am the new(ish) North American Community Manager for ManiaPlanet/ShootMania Storm. I've been with Ubisoft for about 9 months now, and before that I worked as a Community Representative for STAR WARS: The Old Republic. I have also worked on various independent or smaller game projects, the most notable being the independent game "Octodad".
Did you applicate by yourself or was it a real need from NADEO/Ubisoft?
I applied by myself - I was a contract employee with BioWare at the time, and when I saw the permanent position open at Ubisoft I knew I had to apply. It was right after E3 of last year, and I could not pass up the chance to work for them. I was hired in July of last year to work on Ubisoft's new F2P tactical-shooter "Ghost Recon Online", before being transferred to assist Xhane and Cerovan with ShootMania earlier this year.
Are you a full-time/part-Time NADEO employeer?
I am a full time Ubisoft employee. Because NADEO is a subsidiary of Ubisoft, they get to use me as they see fit. :O
Did you know NADEO before your community manager application? What do you think of them?
I was familiar with TrackMania, but since I've been moved to this project I've become a full-fledged fan. I love how invested the Development team is with their games, and how close they are to their players. Hylis, Fix, Aliona, and others always around - both online and in the games. You can really tell they care about the project.
You are the first american employeer of the full-French NADEO studio, are you not afraid? Do you think NADEO has a french touch on their work?
I can't boast that I'm a "first American employee" for NADEO - there are a lot of people within Ubisoft [both America and elsewhere] who are invested with ShootMania, and many of them have been with the game for far longer than me. Every big "North American" event or announcement [E3, PAX East, Steam] has had people from both Ubisoft and Nadeo working on it. I'm a little nervous [and have sudden interest to learn French], but everyone has been very welcoming [and thankfully bilingual].
As for the "French Touch", well, Ça va. 
Off course what do you think about Shootmania game?
It's awesome! The amount of community made content is absolutely amazing - my favorite game mode is "Obstacle", which isn't even an "official" game mode. I also love how easy it is to learn the game, but I'm far from being a Pro. It's fast, it's smooth, it's a lot of fun, and I really enjoy planning.
So, what will be your main goal and tasks for the US community?
As you mention later on, ManiaPlanet has historically had a stronger showing in Europe than North America. I'm hoping that I can help spread the word about ShootMania, and TrackMania to help both games continue to grow and garner a larger world audience, specifically in North America.
With the being said, the goal and tasks for the US Community is the same as elsewhere - get people in on the game! I'm looking forward to help plan and promote big events like PAX East, but also find and support smaller events and tournaments for ShootMania. We will have plenty of events and contests for everyone, everywhere in the up-coming months, so stay tuned!
In your opinion, what are the main websites where you will be able to enlarge and diffuse your influence about Maniaplanet, which US gaming community will you handle and take care of?
It's always great when a large news site [Kotaku, Polygon, IGN, etc.] writes a review or story, but my place is with the Community. The forums, Facebook and Twitter are our "big" social media outlets, but I'm also a huge fan of reddit and Google+, so I'd like to grow the community there. Since we're also now on Steam, their Community Hub is also another place I want to make sure receives some tender love and care.
However, it's important to note that sometimes the best influences are the "unofficial" sites - fans or internet personalities who talk about the game because they want to, and they're genuinely passionate about it. I'm also on the lookout for great videos, screenshots, or articles written by players to share elsewhere.
We know that Trackmania is not really played in US, will you concentrate on Shootmania or will you handle the Trackmania serie?
Right now the big focus is on ShootMania, but who knows what the future will bring! ShootMania and TrackMania are both amazing games, and with both Storm and Stadium in Open Beta and set to be released soon, I know there will be plenty of work that needs to be done!
Last but not least, can you say a little word to our community?
Small lexeme. /badpun
Hello [again]! Feel free to add me in game [rookfell] if you want to chat or play [as long as you don't mind me being a bit of a newb]. I'm always willing to check out new maps, modes, or get my butt kicked in Royale [or Elite, or Joust...]. If you ever need anything feel free to send me a message in-game or on the forum, and I'll try and help you out.
It's been great meeting everyone, and learning more about ShootMania, and I'm looking forward to more to come!
