2025 Speakers
Carl Varnado, Resident Faculty, Rancho Solano
Carl Varnado is an author, educator, and content creator who is deeply committed to the development and growth of young people around the world. He is currently CEO of Knarrative.com, a web portal that focuses on helping descendants of the African diaspora grow and learn about their history. He has served as a writer and cultural consultant to EA Games.He is the creator and producer of the Black in Gaming Awards. He has assisted Epic Games in Curriculum Design for their innovative Unreal Engine. He is a contributor to the book “Narrative Tactics for Mobile and Social Games.”He also serves as the Minister of Media Arts at Rancho Solano Preparatory School in Scottsdale AZ where he teaches Film and Production, Screenwriting, Game Design and WorldBuilding. In his outreach work, serves as the Executive Director of Black in Gaming, an an organization dedicated to increasing African American participation and influence in the interactive media industries. He is an advisor to the Black Collegiate Game Association, and a contributor to the Black Heroes Matter movement. He is a frequent speaker at the Game Developers Conference and San Diego Comic Con. In his spare time, Mr. Varnado spends his time writing screenplays and designing video games. His upcoming projects "Black Dragon" and "The Last MC" will be released exclusively on Knarrative next year.
