The people behind the Academy

Grant K Schatzman

Founder & CEO

Grant is an educator, writer, learning designer, and technology specialist based in Philadelphia. Grant brings over a decade of experience in public, private, and informal education contexts, combined with team-running experience in the publishing and GenAI industries. Grant first dreamed up My Pixel Academy while teaching in Philly public schools, where there was never enough time in the day to create the kinds of learning experiences students deserved.

A multilingual learning-lover, Grant has a penchant for travel, the outdoors, the performing arts, and all things games.

Michael Dratch

Technical Lead

Michael is a developer with a background in sociology and farming, experience in both front- and back-end development work, and a sharp mind for both the abstractions of data structures and the prophetic pathways of user experience and design interfaces. Since earning his master's degree in computer science, Michael has worked as a software engineer and volunteered on civic technology projects with Code for Philly.

Reid Bartholomew

Advisor, Writing & Fundraising

Reid is a non-profit development professional in the conservation sector, currently serving as the Mission Advancement Coordinator for The Prairie Enthusiasts and Vice-Chair on the Board of Directors of the Wisconsin Prescribed Fire Council. An interdisciplinarian at heart, Reid uses his experiences in startup ventures, persuasive communication, and managing strategic relationships to spark organizational growth. He is excited to bring his talents to the business development and storytelling sides of My Pixel Academy.

Reid can't go too long without being outdoors, and outside of work you can often find him volunteering on public lands with a chainsaw, a drip torch, or a bucket full of native plant seeds in hand, talking someone's ear off about translation theory or his most recent read.

Trevor Taylor

Composer & Creative Consultant

Trevor is a seasoned maker in the museum world, having designed exhibits for young people at Boston Children's Museum, the New York Hall of Science, and Science Museum Oklahoma. Trevor is increasingly involved in critical AI- and technology-oriented exhibit design as the artist-in-residence at Science Museum Oklahoma, leveraging smart rapid prototyping to generate powerful, mission-driven experiences for visitors.

A talented musician with a penchant for the fantastic, Trevor composes the musical score for My Pixel Academy.

Artemis Schatzman

Narrative Designer

Artemis is a recent graduate of the Video Game Design program at St. Edward's University in Austin, TX, with a particular love of level, sound, and character design. Her years of deep thinking about narrative in the context of games bring a key perspective to My Pixel Academy.