ABOUT US
Create Neptune was founded in 2015 by Mike Leighton and Mike Pandolfini, best friends who grew up loving video games on Neptune Avenue in Brooklyn, NY. Today our team builds cross-platform games and apps for Fortune 500 companies like Mattel and The New York Times, academic institutions like Boston College and Highlands Community Charter and Technical Schools, and pharmaceutical companies like Atentiv and Wise Therapeutics.
MIKE PANDOLFINI
Chief Creative Officer
Mike cofounded Create Neptune in 2015, where he has served as team lead, working on all aspects of games and apps from the concept phase to post-launch marketing. Mike has published several dozen apps and games across platforms, specializing in mobile (iOS / Android) games. Before founding Create Neptune, Mike was a private equity investor and a math teacher. Mike holds a BS from Cornell and an MST from Fordham. His favorite game is Final Fantasy IV.
MIKE LEIGHTON
Cofounder
Mike cofounded Create Neptune in 2015, where he has served in various capacities including Chief Technology Officer. Prior to founding Create Neptune Mike worked in the investment management industry, managing networks for some of the largest hedge funds in the world. His favorite game is Final Fantasy VII.
BEN HADERLE
Senior Developer
Ben is a contract developer who began working with us in 2021. Ben's work has ranged from building a metaverse app to directing a team of 30 to produce a 3rd-person historical skiing game. He holds a BFA in Game Design from NYU and a MS in Computer Science from USC. His favorite game is Metroid Prime.
SAM VON EHREN
Senior Developer
Sam is a contract developer who began working with us in 2022. Sam has created games in collaboration with Viacom and The Metropolitan Museum of Art. He previously worked as a game designer at The New York Times, building out their portfolio of new games and their game prototyping process. His body of work includes analog games, digital games, VR, AR, installations, and wearable games. Sam holds an MFA in Game Design from NYU. His favorite game is Guilty Gear.
ROSHAN BELLARY
Senior Developer
Roshan rejoined Create Neptune in 2023 as a senior developer after working with us as a contractor previously in 2021-2022. He has built numerous games and apps across platforms, including a holographic AR app for mobile, a cricket game for consoles, and horror games for the Oculus Quest 2. Roshan holds a Master of Science in Computer Science from Northeastern University (Specialization in Game Design). His favorite game is Horizon Zero Dawn.
MICHAEL COSGROVE
Senior Developer
Since first working with Create Neptune as a contract developer in 2021, Michael has helped us architect and program a number of cross-platform apps, including two that used augmented-reality and two metaverses. Michael graduated from Brown with a degree in computer science. His favorite game is Metroid Dread.
ANDY CARRERA
Senior Developer
Andy began working with Create Neptune as a contract developer in 2022, after working as a senior developer at Toyota in its robotics and research arms. Andy has helped develop a variety of games at CN, ranging from digital therapeutics to quiz games. He has a B.S. in Computer Science and Mathematics from Vassar.
DENNIS CARR
Senior Developer
Dennis is a veteran game designer and programmer who has taught game design at the college level, led a team producing playable ads for a tech company, and released numerous games, from educational titles to experimental first-person shooters. He began working with us as a contract developer in 2023. Dennis has an MFA in game design from NYU and a BFA in Studio Art from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. His favorite game is Doom (the 1993 original).
SPENCE SYNDER
Designer / Animator
Spence began working with Create Neptune as a contract artist in 2021, bringing a storied design career in AAA games and apps to the team. Spence has worked on EA Games' The Sims (The Sims 3 and The Sims 4, The Sims Medieval) franchise, as well as for Maxis on Spore. He has also done art and design work for Yahoo!, 2K, and Intuit. Since joining Create Neptune Spence has served as a triple-threat game designer, UI / UX designer, and artist.
UTI AZULAY
Developer
Uti began working with Create Neptune as a contract developer in early 2022, and since then has helped to design and program a number of educational games. Uti graduated from NYU with a degree in game design. His favorite game is Yume Nikki, but he usually tells people it's Earthbound to avoid confusion.
MIMI SUAREZ
Developer
Mimi began working with Create Neptune as a contract developer in 2022, right after graduating with a degree from MIT. She brings a wealth of game design and programming experience from her work at the MIT Game Lab. Her favorite games are Bloodborne and Dark Souls 3.
PARKER CRANDELL
Developer
Parker recently graduated from NYU with a BFA in game design, where he also developed several novel ecology and puzzle games. Since he began working with Create Neptune as a contract developer in 2022 he has produced and made major updates to a number of cross-platform mobile apps. In addition, Parker has designed several interactive brand experiences. His favorite game is Chibi-Robo.
JD CALVELLI
Developer
JD recently graduated from Brown where he studied Political Theory and Modern Culture and Media. While working with us as a contract developer, he is also currently pursuing his MFA in Game Design from NYU. In addition to his work on a number of production mobile games, JD has worked on interactive art pieces ranging from installation work to sound art. His favorite game at the moment is This War of Mine.