MiniMonos Staff

How do I find MiniMonos staff on MiniMonos?

MiniMonos staff go on MiniMonos whenever they have spare time!

1. Look at popular locations such as: Castle Beach, Hana Cove or Info Center!
2. Sometimes staff hang out at their tree, if you’re lucky they might notice you!
3. Look for big crowds, usually when a staff member is online, a big crowd will form around them!
4. If you notice a small amount of people at popular locations when usually at the time there are more, this probably means a staff member is somewhere else on the Island!
5. Check on popular servers such as Star Tiger!
6. When MiniMonos throws a party, you can usually find staff members there!
7. MiniMonos or me sometimes tweet when they are online! Check: @MiniMonos or @TommyppMM for the best location!

CEO: Melissa Clark-Reynolds (“AlphaMonkey”)

Melissa is a mom, an environmental advocate and an entrepreneur.

Her passion for our planet is profound, and reflects in how she is raising her daughter, how she gives back to her community, and how she is growing her business. One of the first two New Zealanders trained up as an Ambassador for Al Gore’s Climate Project, Melissa has presented The Inconvenient Truth over 20 times to more than 2000 New Zealanders to raise awareness and motivate people to take action. MiniMonos is an opportunity for her to combine her dedication to sustainability with her 20 years of experience as a successful entrepreneur.

Melissa incorporated MiniMonos in 2009 out of a desire to create games that have a positive impact on children.

Email Melissa: melissac@minimonos.com

Chief Technical Officer: Greg Montgomery (“Monty”)

Greg is a passionate innovator, entrepreneur and tech monkey with 20 years in the Software industry. His obsession with computers and games kicked off as an eleven year old after writing his first game on the ZX81! This moment set him on a path towards a career in the software industry.

“Tech Monkey” loves the pace of change in the electronic entertainment industry and thrives on the opportunity to find innovative and engaging ways to play, have fun and learn about the planet.

Email Greg: gregm@minimonos.com

Community Manager: Natalya Mansell (“EcoMom”)

I have three kids- 2 boys and a girl (Strongmonk91, Zath, and Bananacrazy0); I love them though they are all bananas.

I was born and grew up in India (my parents taught there), although I am a Kiwi, until I was 13 and I came back here. I return there when I can- I took a gap year and volunteered there as a teen and then took my family back to work there (as a teacher) later on (the youngest was born there).

My family did lots of travelling, and I love visiting different places- in just over a week I am off to Africa for 3 weeks to do some volunteer work there!

I worked in IT, then taught IT, Classical Studies and English and finally came here to MiniMonos where I get to use all my skills.

My favourite MM game is cleaning the lagoon as it reminds me of snorkeling in India and Fiji and the coral reefs: how beautiful they can be when we look after them.

I also love the Eco Dome- it is so beautiful and I think everyone should do an eco-project because it is a nice place to go all the time!

My favourite food is Idli and Dosai – Yummy South Indian Food!

Email Natalya: natalyam@minimonos.com

Game Designer and Writer: Deb Todd (“Bulabula”)

Deb started her career writing Saturday morning cartoons for the Pink Panther and soon transitioned to becoming a world-renowned childrens game expert. She has worked with some very famous characters, including Curious George, Blue of Blues Clues, and all of the 101 Dalmatians, and has created many award-winning titles for children and grownups. Deb has 27 published titles in books, games, and television, and loves bridging the worlds of technology and entertainment and education, especially for kids.

Deb’s passion is designing fun education into games, and believes that playing games can be a great way for kids to learn!

World Builder: Paul Abrahams (“Badgerfox”)

Paul is one of our technical gurus and father to two gorgeous baby girls! His wife is helping him learn to appreciate where our food comes from by introducing him to the concept of a town garden (otherwise referred to as an edible oasis).

Paul is a complete gaming addict who’s been making game systems since he was 7 and building commercial software (SafeTsmart) for 10 years, and MiniMonos brings together his multiple passions—games, kids, and a passion for the environment—in one place.

Community Team Leader: Gwen Hooper (“Manx”)

Gwen leads our MiniMonos community and moderation teams. She believes empowering kids to help the environment is paramount to our future. Her journey in online gaming communities started over ten years ago; it’s one of the most exciting and rewarding paths she’s ever followed!

She likes discovering what our players love about MiniMonos (and what they don’t), and ensuring they have a safe and fun place to connect and play. When she’s not online, you’ll find her reading a book with a couple of cats, or out monkeying around in her garden.

Email Gwen: gwenh@minimonos.com

Moderator: Lilian T. (“Viper”)

Another one of our moderators, Lilian loves to help and meet as many kids she can on MiniMonos while keeping it a safe and friendly environment for everyone. She is passionate about playing on, and trying out new virtual world games since she first discovered them as a teenager.

Lilian adores kids and babies, and especially enjoys seeing how happy and innocent they are to all of the negative things in the world. She likes to be able to inform and help others about how we can treat the Earth with greater kindness.

Email Lilian: L.Tran@minimonos.com

Moderator: Aidan A. (“Kaputchin”)

Still not quite believing he’s a grown up, Kaputchin is another of our moderators committed to helping our monkeys on their way to finding friends and adventure on MiniMonos.

Growing up Aidan loved hearing of the latest scientific findings and curiosities from his grandfather. He has always been in awe of the intricate beauty and fragility of nature, and he hopes that through MiniMonos another generation is being filled with that same appreciation and passion for the universe around us.

Email Aidan: aidana@minimonos.com

Moderator: Ellen B. (“LittleStone”)

Ellen is our newest member of the moderation team. She loves playing on MiniMonos, making new monkeys feel welcome, and helping people stay safe online – she has been using the internet since it was invented!

She is passionate about making sure we take action now to protect the environment, by trying to be as sustainable and eco-friendly in her own life as possible, and by helping others learn what they need to do to help. When she’s not working, she enjoys knitting and sewing. Most of all, she likes dressing up in crazy costumes in real life, as well as on MiniMonos Island.

Email Ellen: ellenb@minimonos.com

Party Master: Jacob (“Bananatastic”)

Jacob has been involved with virtual worlds since the age of 12. From creating a blog with over 4.5 million impressions in less than two years to throwing the biggest parties in virtual world history, Jacob is well known on the largest virtual worlds on the web! As well as being an eco-friendly Party Master on MiniMonos, he’s also the president of the “Project Green” club at his high school.

Throwing parties and having fun is what Jacob does best! From competitions to theme weeks to hosting our weekly web show, Jacob plays a bananatastic role in the MiniMonos community.

Illustrator: Richard Lemmens (“Tuck”)

Richard is one of our illustrators and has been drawing cartoons since he found which end of the pencil not to stick up his nose. He loves to see any new artwork by MiniMonos fans up in the art gallery and to play pranks on Badgerfox in the office.

Illustrator: Alicia Zink (“Zinky”)

As one of our illustrators, Alicia draws a lot of monkeys (and many other awesome things!). She loves to draw and carries a sketchbook wherever she goes. She likes to chat to other monkeys on MiniMonos and her monkey, Zinky, can often be spotted in games of Monkey Fist.

Junior Developer: Luke Smith (“Chansu”)

As a junior member of the technical team, Luke helps to bring MiniMonos to life and keep it ticking over. Luke has been fascinated by games and virtual spaces since programming text adventures in the 90s, and this passion for play led him to qualifications in both computer science and digital media design.

Luke has a keen interest in the energy crisis, and likes to save energy in many small ways. Two things you are likely to hear him say are “that would make a great game!” and “take the stairs!” For Luke, working for MiniMonos is a rare opportunity to combine creative and technical challenges with making a positive impact on the planet.