← Morning Briefs
Tuesday, March 17, 2026
☀️ Morning Brief
UX is Fine · Jason Schklar
Tuesday
March 17, 2026

📋 Today at a Glance

Big day post-GDC: Riot Games just dropped SOW 6 for review via Ironclad, and Cat is asking you directly to sign the Zynga contract — both need same-day decisions. Nintendo's NTD team sent a formal Service Provider questionnaire to Ashley after today's meeting, which is a strong buying signal and needs a prompt, polished response. You have three back-to-back meetings this afternoon (2:00–4:00 PM) including Cat/Dave ops sync and two external 1:1s (Ivan YL Chan and Michael David Thompson). The 2K RFP is in motion with active timing discussions, and Ashley is moving Yojoyco Studios forward with a bid prep call tomorrow.

🔥 Act Today
SIGN NOW Zynga Contract — Cat is waiting on your signature

Cat messaged in #deal-zynga-ui-test yesterday: "@Jason Schklar would u please go ahead and sign the zynga contract? tyvm!" — this is a direct ask, contract is ready and waiting. Action: sign today.

REVIEW Riot Games — SOW 6 Draft Received via Ironclad

Aaron Bitzer (Riot) sent a draft of SOW 6 to Ashley & team today via Ironclad. Sent to bizdev@uxisfine.com and ashley@uxisfine.com, cc'd jeyang and kverbii at Riot. Review the attached draft — if it looks good, they'll send it out via DocuSign. This is a contract-stage deliverable; don't let it sit.

RESPOND Nintendo NTD — Service Provider Questionnaire Received

Natalia Landazuri from NTD sent Ashley a detailed Service Provider questionnaire following today's meeting — "here are the Service Provider questions we would like to know about your company to see if you would be a good fit." Ashley created the Nintendo Master Doc Template and folder in Drive today — coordinate with Ashley to prepare a strong, polished response. This is an active qualification step.

TIMING 2K RFP — Grand Reveal In-Person? Active Discussion

Active conversation in #deal-2k-uiux-imp-rfp yesterday: Ryan asked whether to still send materials on Tuesday or save the "grand reveal" for in-person. Cat bumped the team call an hour to 2PM PST / 5PM EST. Loop in on the decision — do you present materials remotely or hold for the in-person meeting?

TOMORROW Yojoyco Studios (Poglings) — Bid Prep Meeting Scheduled

Ashley scheduled time with Ryan Wolper and Matt Laverty tomorrow to review materials and determine what to ask before creating a bid. This is proactive pipeline management — no action needed today, but be aware it's in motion.

FYI Creative Assembly — Paused for Now, Ashley Following Up

Ashley posted today: "update from CA - sounds like they don't want to work with us just yet. I will follow up with Jon Kay to see if I can get any insights." No action required, but worth knowing as context for the pipeline.

🎯 Focus Topics
Auto-saved per day
📮
30
drafts in Gmail
Open Drafts →
📼 Monday, March 16
Google Chrome Meeting — 3:02 PM
March 16 · ~10 min · Internal
⚠️ Krisp Internal
⚠️ Krisp: Unassigned speakers detected — review & assign →
Key Points
  • Short informal call with unidentified speakers (Speaker 2, Speaker 3)
  • Discussion of a situation involving problematic workplace behavior at a studio — context suggests an industry peer connection
  • Krisp noise canceling was not working correctly; audio quality issues throughout
  • Call ended early due to Krisp/microphone troubleshooting
Jason + Dave Inscore — 3:11 PM
March 16 · ~15 min · Internal
⚠️ Krisp Internal
⚠️ Krisp: Audio quality issues (background noise, noise canceling off) — review in Krisp →
Key Points
  • Dave asked about the 2K situation — Jason confirmed Cat has it all handled and Ashley is managing it
  • Dave asked to be included in 2K channel/updates for visibility
  • Jason noted the 2K engagement has been proceeding casually — more comfortable now that Ashley is clearly in charge
  • Extended audio troubleshooting; Krisp noise canceling was off causing background pickup
📅 Tuesday, March 17
2:00 PM – 2:50 PM · 50 min · Google Meet · Recurring
Cat // Dave // Jason — Studio Operations & Financial
Weekly internal ops sync with Cat Chapman Smith and Dave Inscore. Good opportunity to align on the Zynga contract signing, 2K RFP timing decision, and Nintendo Service Provider questionnaire response.
Prep Internal ops sync
3:00 PM – 3:25 PM · 25 min · Google Meet
Ivan YL Chan and Jason Schklar @ UX is Fine
External 1:1 with Ivan YL Chan. Review Copper and LinkedIn before the call for context on relationship history and any open opportunities.
3:30 PM – 3:55 PM · 25 min · Google Meet
Michael David Thompson and Jason Schklar @ UX is Fine
External 1:1 with Michael David Thompson. Review Copper notes and LinkedIn profile for context before the call.
📧 Email
Aaron Bitzer (Riot) — CONTRACT SOW 6 Draft
via BizDev@uxisfine.com · Today 17:39 · cc: jeyang, kverbii@riotgames.com
Draft of SOW 6 attached for review. If everything looks good, Ironclad DocuSign will follow. Review now and confirm with Ashley — don't let this sit.
🎮
Natalia Landazuri (Nintendo NTD) — LEAD Service Provider Q's
natala02@ntd.nintendo.com → ashley@uxisfine.com · Today 18:23
Sent a formal vendor questionnaire to Ashley following today's meeting — "to see if you would be a good fit for our [program]." This is a formal qualification step. Coordinate with Ashley on response; Ashley already created the Nintendo Master Doc Template in Drive today.
Ariel Calliste (Google) — Multiple Bench Mentor Calendar Invites
calliste@xwf.google.com → jason@uxisfine.com · Today
4 calendar invitations from Ariel Calliste for Google Play Apps Accelerator bench mentor check-ins (April–May, every 4 weeks). Also received a Skarvo <> Google Accelerator weekly invite (Mar 23–Jun 1). Accept or decline as appropriate.
Google Play Accelerator — Wed Mar 18 Squad Check-In Updated
calliste@xwf.google.com · Today 17:09
Updated invite for tomorrow's Anchor Mentor + App Success Manager Squad Check-In at 9:00 PM CDT. Shiri Sivan also shared a Google Doc (meeting notes) and a Google Slides deck for the Wed Mar 18 bi-weekly check-in.
Dropbox Advanced Plan Renewed — 18 Licenses · 92,160 GB
no-reply@txn.dropbox.com · Today 17:41 · Renewed by Cat Smith
UXIF's Dropbox Advanced plan renewed by Cat. 18 active licenses, 92,160 GB storage. FYI only, no action needed.
🎮
Ashley → Jesse Sosa (Gearbox) — GDC Follow-Up Sent
ashley@uxisfine.com → jesse.sosa@gearbox.com · Today 13:10
Ashley sent GDC follow-up to Jesse Sosa at Gearbox, sharing the FROG [deck]. She noted candidly mentioning the disconnect between outsourcing and the Montreal studio. FYI — Ashley is managing this thread, but loop in if needed.
📁 Google Drive
📋 Nintendo_ Master Doc Template
Created today by Ashley Conley · Google Doc · Nintendo folder
📁 Nintendo (folder)
Created today by Ashley Conley · Client folder set up for Nintendo NTD engagement
📋 Second Dinner BoN — 2025
Modified today by Ashley Conley · Active client doc
📋 Notes — Anchor Mentor & App Success Manager Call [Google Play Apps Accelerator]
Modified today by Shiri Sivan (Google) · Squad shared doc — prep for tomorrow's check-in
📁 Language Innovation LLC (folder)
Modified today by Shiri Sivan (Google) · Google Play Accelerator related
💬 Slack
⭐ VIP Unreads · 🔥 Priority · 🎯 Strat-pris
⚠️ Named Slack sections not configured. Add channel IDs to Claude/Reference/morning-brief/slack-channels.json to enable VIP Unreads, Priority, and Strat-pris monitoring.
🔥 Deal Channels (4 active of 20 scanned · last 72h)
🔥
#deal-zynga-ui-test ACTION
1 message · Cat → Jason directly
Cat Chapman Smith: "@Jason Schklar would u please go ahead and sign the zynga contract? tyvm!" — Contract is ready, waiting on your signature.
#deal-2k-uiux-imp-rfp TIMING DECISION
3 messages · Ryan Wolper + Cat Chapman Smith
Cat bumped team call to 2PM PST / 5PM EST. Ryan asked: should they still send materials Tuesday, or save for the in-person "grand reveal"? Active decision pending.
🎮
#deal-yojoyco-studios-poglings BID PREP
1 message · Ashley Conley
Ashley scheduled time tomorrow with Ryan Wolper and Matt Laverty to review materials and determine what to ask before creating a bid. Pipeline moving forward.
#deal-creative-assembly-ui-ux-imp PAUSED
1 message · Ashley Conley
Ashley: "update from CA - sounds like they don't want to work with us just yet. I will follow up with Jon Kay to see if I can get any insights." Paused but not dead.
⚠️ Overdue Follow-up tasks — most from Oct–Dec 2025
Check in with Rogers mid September
Due Oct 9, 2025
DDM Follow Up
Due Oct 9, 2025
Follow up from Gamescom
Due Oct 9, 2025
Follow up w/ David Bisceglia
Due Oct 9, 2025
Follow up with John and schedule a chat
Due Oct 9, 2025
Marcus Foon | New role at Google
Due Oct 9, 2025
Send post Gamescom Follow Up
Due Oct 9, 2025
Send post Gamescom follow up (2)
Due Oct 9, 2025
⏰️ PHB Follow up: Testimonial for internal Hasbro project?
Due Oct 9, 2025
Follow up on LinkedIn Message to Thomas
Due Oct 15, 2025
Send Deck, Trailer, Youtube vids
Due Oct 23, 2025
Need to ask around about Paul Grimes at TCPi
Due Nov 4, 2025
Check in with Matt S in the fall
Due Nov 5, 2025
Touch base - strategic
Due Nov 11, 2025
Follow up w/ Look North
Due Dec 9, 2025
Derek Rees - Follow up Post Gamescom
Due Jan 20, 2026
💼 Work Recent + GDC follow-up tasks
Marcus - General Catchup
Due Feb 3, 2026
Intro Venessa to Ash
Due Feb 20, 2026
Follow up w/ Ro
Due Feb 23, 2026
Get Warm Intro to Tim Stuart
Due Feb 25, 2026
Follow Up with Mark Day
Due Feb 26, 2026
Intro Teresa to Ash
Due Feb 26, 2026
Ashley: Follow up with Brendon to push for an Amazon face-time meeting at GDC
Due Feb 27, 2026
Ashley: Meet with Matt to create GDC Figma sandbox and add staffing ramp model visual
Due Feb 27, 2026
Ashley: Reach out to Tyler (Pokémon) to lock in pre-GDC meeting
Due Feb 27, 2026
Ashley: Request Figma edit permissions from Dave or Matt via Figma comment
Due Feb 27, 2026
Ashley: Send SAA contact (ex-Sega) the UXIF services deck + relevant case study link
Due Feb 27, 2026
Jason/Ashley: Decide on XDS hotel block — book 3 rooms, set refund deadline
Due Feb 27, 2026
Jason: Discuss AI policy with Mike regarding use of Krisp transcripts in external AI tools
Due Feb 27, 2026
Jason: Send DICE follow-up emails — prioritize Brendon and Tyler first
Due Feb 27, 2026
Follow-up with Jay Minn (WotC) — GDC prep / vendor relationship
Due Mar 3, 2026
Synced from Copper CRM · Last updated Tuesday, March 17, 2026 · 31 open tasks
🧠 Skills
SkillDescription
copper-crmPull live data from Jason Schklar's Copper CRM — tasks, notes, contacts
docxCreate, read, edit, and manipulate Word documents (.docx files)
game-analysisSonar-style player sentiment analysis reports from Steam, YouTube, Reddit, and gaming press
morning-briefDaily 7-tab HTML briefing from Krisp, Copper, Gmail, Drive, and Slack
pdfExtract, merge, split, create, and fill PDF files
people-briefEnriched contact briefings from calendar, Gmail, Copper, or Krisp
process-krisp-meetingPost-meeting workflow: Krisp → Copper CRM notes, tasks, Drive doc, Gmail draft
pptxCreate, read, edit, and manipulate PowerPoint presentations (.pptx)
scheduleCreate scheduled tasks that run on demand or automatically on an interval
skill-creatorCreate new skills, modify existing skills, run evals, benchmark performance
xlsxCreate, read, edit, and analyze Excel spreadsheets (.xlsx)
youtube-scrapeFetch YouTube transcripts for game analysis (run locally — YouTube blocks datacenter IPs)
⏰ Scheduled Tasks
TaskScheduleLast RunStatus
morning-brief Mon–Fri at 8:00 AM Mar 17, 2026 · 12:36 PM CDT Enabled
✅ Claude To-Dos
🤖 Claude Improvements
Edit text & save back to Copper/Doc — ability to edit AI-generated summaries and push changes back to Copper CRM notes or Google Docs
Participant error-checking — Krisp sometimes mis-transcribes names; reconcile attendees against Calendar + Email + Copper, flag uncertain matches
Quick Krisp jump link — from any meeting card, one-click to open that Krisp conversation
Add missing Slack sections to daily brief — VIP Unreads, Priority, and Strat-pris (right-click channels in Slack → Copy Link → share IDs)
CTA button skill (general) — reusable data-cta-* attribute system across all reports
Inline editing + done/archive skill (general) — SKILL.md at Claude/Reference/inline-edit/SKILL.md; execution ready, pending review
Source: Claude/TASKS.md
📋 Deal Channel Pipeline — Full Scan (March 17, 2026)

🔥 Active (4 channels — messages in last 72h)

ChannelSummaryLast Activity
#deal-zynga-ui-test Cat asking Jason to sign the Zynga contract directly Mar 16 · 8:26 AM CDT
#deal-2k-uiux-imp-rfp Active RFP discussion — timing of materials send vs in-person reveal Mar 16 · 10:02 AM CDT
#deal-yojoyco-studios-poglings Ashley scheduled bid prep meeting tomorrow with Ryan + Matt Mar 17 · 7:17 AM CDT
#deal-creative-assembly-ui-ux-imp CA passed for now; Ashley following up with Jon Kay for insights Mar 17 · 7:45 AM CDT

🔇 Silent (16 channels — no activity in last 72h)

ChannelCreated
#deal-gg-sparkle-foshizzle-182ggaFeb 5, 2024
#deal-luna-games-ux-prototypingMar 3, 2026
#deal-yellowbrick-uxJun 16, 2025
#deal-focus-uxOct 20, 2025
#deal-sony-mobileOct 1, 2025
#deal-pokemon-tcglive-198pokAug 18, 2025
#deal-looknorthworld-uxNov 3, 2025
#deal-probably-monstersJan 28, 2026
#deal-scopely-uiMar 2, 2026
#deal-riot-tft-unreal-197rioAug 21, 2025
#deal-nintendoMar 3, 2026
#deal-riot-league-live-195rioMay 1, 2025
#deal-playformantJan 15, 2026
#deal-csi-decarb-202csiAug 12, 2024
#deal-koboio-ux-uiFeb 19, 2026
#deal-mission42-ux-193misMay 13, 2025
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