A Day in the Life of Jeff

This week, we launched the first part of a series of episodes showing our employees’ life in Quebec City. Jeff Skalski, Senior Producer, broke the ice. Today, he is giving a unique access to a day in his life. Enjoy

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A few things to note.

Every day for me is almost always different than the last, but a few common threads always exist. Meetings, reviews, planning, email, and playing the build. I spend a lot of my time ensuring the talented people around me know our vision and removing anything that might be getting in the way of them getting there. Mixed in with that is the time I spend with my family, my hobbies and good food. I’m a night owl. I rarely fall asleep before 1am and am usually up by 6am to get my kids fed and to school on time. I like to draw, paint, snowboard and play games. And by games I mean board games, TCGs and, of course, video games. Luckily, for me my kids share these passions while my wife and I enjoy travelling the world searching for our next favorite dish.

P.S. My apologies for the fuzzy photos in this article. Appears my iPhone is starting to tell me a new phone is about to come out.

7:00 am – I hear the treadmill

My wife is running and I probably should do the same, but today I’m up and brushing my teeth before preparing breakfast. It’s funny I absolutely hate eggs, but I’m the one who makes them for the family. As for myself I make a cappuccino, take a few moments to review my agenda for the day and gather my thoughts before heading off to take a shower.

8:00 am – Drive to work

I live 23 km from work nestled into the woods with no neighbours in site. I love it and on top of that, I have a 25-35-minute commute depending on when I leave in the morning. Being from Washington, DC, and having to cross the bridge every day going to work, this commute is nothing for me.

Our office is located in Saint-Roch, a neighborhood in downtown Quebec City. It has really grown on me over the years and shows no sign of stopping its constant evolution. Side note, my kids love the fact we’re located above the biggest toy store in QC.

Here is a picture of the button to our office from the elevator. I still laugh inside every time I read it. I find it very ironic we are located just above the administration for alcohol.

8:30 am – At the office

We are very lucky to have such a talented and dedicated team to make sure we work in an inspiring place. Here is the view of our atrium from our entrance. Ambient background music can always be heard. Everything from Fleetwood Mac to Kygo.

Before I get to my desk, I need some breakfast. This is my typical first stop. (I eat light in the mornings.)

Then I see these two guys. Mike Laidlaw, the Creative Director, and Fred St-Laurent, the Game Director of our little project. Being that we sit next to each other, we normally sync first thing in the morning.

9h00 am to noon – My morning

Throughout the day, I usually have several meetings, but when I have time, I try to squeeze in a few French exercises. No joke this is on my desk. I do a 2-hour course each week and have been for the last 5 years. Mon français est encore horrible mais ça s’améliore!

Noon – Time for lunch!

Wow, its noon already! Time to get some food! Today’s pick… hotdogs from William J. Walter on rue Saint-Joseph. The employee discount is also nice benefit.

Today’s order, however, is to go, because every Friday at lunch I play the most incredible board game ever made, Gloomhaven. I have been adventuring in this campaign since November of 2017 with the same three co-workers, having a lot of fun, and we still have so much more content to experience.

1:30 pm – Coffee break

Lunch is over and it is time for an espresso. These new Barista Chiaro capsules are great and convenient if I don’t have the time to walk over to Nektar.

1:30 pm to 3:30 pm – My afternoon fighting dragons (aka email)

Me trying to keep my email inbox below five. Thanks again to Ubisoft San Francisco for this great Rabbid plush! It really captures my emotion.

3:30 pm to 5:00 pm – Team meeting

Closing out the day with beer, chips and a team meeting to review our progress from the last six weeks. Wish I could share, but it’s a secret!

Around 5:30 pm – Time to head home

My workday may be over, but I still have half my day in front of me. No pit stops for today at the food market or local butcher, just a straight shot home on a gorgeous day.

6:30 pm – Dinner with the family

My wife is an amazing cook and I’m spoiled especially when it comes to Turkish cuisine.

7:30 pm – Playtime

No family movie planned for tonight, so my son and I start playing Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3 on Switch. Our dream team at the moment is classic Spidey, Iron Man, Deadpool and Dr. Strange.

10:00 pm – Game on

Typically, my evenings start around 10pm once all my family has settled in for the night. Most evenings you can catch me on my PS4 or Switch. Tonight, however, is a Monster Hunter World session with friends as we prep for the upcoming expansion Iceborne.

2:00 am – Time to sleep

Oh, look at the time! I probably should sleep. I have a whole bunch of things I want to do around the house this weekend and my goblins will be asking for pancakes in a few hours.

-Jeff Skalski, Senior Producer at Ubisoft Québec