Contact: ginamanola@gmail.com

Gina Manola writes about risk-takers and passionate dreamers who go to extremes—often using art—to reinvent themselves and cope with profound feelings of loss. Her erotic female-revenge thriller, CREATRIX was recently selected for The Black List’s, ‘This Week’s Must Read List, and as a Second Rounder at the 2025 Austin Film Festival.

Growing up in a rural Midwestern village of 900 people, Gina sat under an oak tree in her backyard and thought, I need to get the hell up outta here. She did—first earning an MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, then moving to New York City where she exhibited her art with the Steffany Martz Gallery and worked with world-class museums as the creative director of the publishing companies, Galison and Mudpuppy Press. Gina went on to invent and license several award-winning best-selling kid’s games sold all over the world.

After living for many years in Los Angeles, she began screenwriting and collaborating with filmmakers—now she calls Austin, Texas home. She is currently working on two feature length dramas as well as expanding her award-winning/best-selling IP, the cooperative children’s game, Feed The Woozle into digital entertainment channels.

Career Summary
A designer, marketing exec, and best-selling game inventor with over 15 years of experience, she leads the practical and creative process of bringing new ideas to market, blending an entrepreneurial mindset with creativity and emotional intelligence to produce meaningful experiences.

  • Award-winning creative director, designer, and children’s game inventor

  • Broad agency and in-house experience with product development, design, digital marketing, and campaigns

  • Experienced with entertainment, consumer, corporate, and policy communications

  • Conceptual and strategic thinker able to synthesize and simplify messaging for target audiences

Highlights

  • Invented the evergreen best-selling cooperative games, Feed the Woozle and Race to the Treasure both sold worldwide

  • Created the private-label game How Does Your Garden Grow? for Target

  • Invented the collaborative playPlay line sold nationwide in Toys R Us

  • Consulted on cooperative AR game Kody Kapow to coincide with launch of the Kody Kapow children’s series for Universal Kids

  • Created a new visual identity for Peaceable Kingdom (acquired by MindWare in 2017) in advance of their product category launch establishing them as the leading cooperative game brand in the U.S.

  • Published author of poetry and flash fiction

Honors & Awards

  • Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Gold Award for How Does Your Garden Grow?, a private label preschool game developed for Target

  • Branding Leadership Award, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

  • Rising Star Inventor of the Year Nominee: TAGIE Award

  • ASTRA Best Toys for Kids Award for the cooperative game, Feed the Woozle

  • Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Platinum Award for the cooperative games, Race To The Treasure and Feed the Woozle

Volunteer Work