Origin Profiles - Michelle Bratton

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Worlds Of Origin
Interview
with

Michelle Caddel

We were fortunate enough to meet Michelle through email this summer when she helped arrange time in Richard Garriott's schedule so that he could attend the barbecue we had during GenCon. She is a very nice lady and since she basically keeps Richard together and by doing so keeps Origin running, we thought the other Origin fans might like to get to know her a little as well....

WOO: What is your job title and description?

MB: Title: Executive Assistant; Description: I support Richard and his group of 43+ people.

WOO: How long have you been Richard Garriott's assistant?

MB: I started working at Origin 9.5 years ago as receptionist and support for all 7 employees in the Austin office. After about 2 years it was apparent that we needed to hire someone else to take over the reception and such to allow me to focus much more on Richard and his groups needs.

WOO: How did you get the job?

MB: Richard and I both attended a New Year's Eve party at a mutual friends house in 1987. During the party I found out from Richard that he was moving the product development side of Origin to Austin from New Hampshire and that they were looking for a secretary/receptionist. I thought it might be a good opportunity, and fun as well, so I did the basic interview routine and started on Feb. 4, 1987.

WOO: What did you do before?

MB: Well, let's see... I've worked at a daycare, Mrs. Bairds Bread, a tenant checking service (lots of phone work), receptionist then accounts receivable for a soft goods import/export company (all of these in Austin), then one year in Dallas as a receptionist at a division of General Electric.

WOO: What's the best thing about working for Richard Garriott?

MB: He is a fairly easy going person to work for/with and allows me a lot of flexibility in my schedule if I need it.

WOO: What's the worst thing about working for Richard Garriott?

MB: He has a very hard time saying no to people, which can leave me in a bind sometimes.

WOO: Are you a gamer?

MB: Not a computer gamer, no. But, I do enjoy some paper gaming.

WOO: What games do you enjoy?

MB: GURPS and AD&D are what I mostly play. I'm part of a group that really likes the role playing aspect which is what I really get into.

WOO: Where you a gamer before working at OSI?

MB: No.

WOO: Approximately how many fan emails/letters do you field for Richard Garriott in a week?

MB: I don't really do that anymore. We have a wonderful customer service department that takes care of most of that now. Every once in a while something particularly odd or nice comes through and they'll bring it up for me or Richard to answer. That only happens once every couple of months though.

WOO: How much would it take to bribe you to pass on Richard Garriott's private email address?

MB: Imagine a 'dumb blonde' look and tone: He has a private email address?

WOO: What's the most memorable event you can think of while working for Richard Garriott?

MB: Everything about working with him is either very mundane or very weird. There really isn't one thing that sticks out in my mind. sorry.

WOO: Do you do much websurfing in whatever free time you have?

MB: I don't really have much free time. I have managed to do some surfing and have found a few interesting sites. They mostly relate to horses or dogs.

WOO: Are you married (if not too personal)?

MB: (No, that's not too personal) As a matter of fact we will be celebrating our first anniversary this month. :-}

WOO: Is your husband a gamer?

MB: Yes. Actually we met here at Origin where he is a programmer.

WOO: What are your hobbies and interests?

MB: I really love dogs (we own 2 Belgian Sheepdogs) and horses (add 1 gray thoroughbred mare to the family equation). I ride Dressage and have just started showing my mare at Training level (this won't mean much to most people I'm afraid, : ) ). I also enjoy reading fantasy and scifi, and I've recently developed an interest in soccer. Too much to do and not enough time to do it!!

WOO: Anything else you wish to have us know about you?

MB: I'm an Austinite born and bred.

We asked some of her colleagues what their opinion of Michelle is and here's what they had to say:

Starr Long I am not sure what I would do without Michelle. Work I suppose. Seriously, Michelle is an invaluable asset to our group. She is always willing to do any task without complaint.

Brian Martin Michelle is to the Lord British group what Radar O'Reilly was to MASH: She makes everything run around here. On top of that, she manages to be very sweet and good natured. The place just wouldn't be right without Michelle.

Andrew Morris I wouldn't know how to begin summing up how valuable I think Michelle is not only to Lord British Productions, but to Origin as a whole as well. When it comes to making sure everyone -- regardless whether it's a producer or a runner -- has what he or she needs to get the job done. Michelle is efficient, courteous, helpful, and dependable (if she sounds like a boyscout, it's because they probably modelled their good deeds criteria after her). She knows when she has to apply pressure to help someone get motived, and when to backoff and let others blow steam. One of the early comments I heard about Michelle when I first started at Origin was that she was the reason Origin still existed as a company . In many ways, though perhaps with a different meaning, that applies more now than ever before.

Richard Steinberg Richard Garriott is a very busy person with many responsibilities--he's in and out of meetings, even in and out of the building. Sometimes a five minute chat with him can get a lot accomplished, but finding that five minutes in his schedule can be hard sometimes. That where Michelle comes in. She's very friendly, courteous, and always willing to go that extra mile.
I first got to know Michelle well last spring when I learned she was in on the "conspiracy" for Richard Garriott's Quest for the Jewel of Austin. (Actually, she was more like the mastermind!) It was then I learned how wonderful Michelle is and realized how lucky Richard was to have had her as a friend all these years.

Š1996 Worlds of Origin


WOO:	What is your job title and description?
MB:	Title: Executive Assistant; Description: I support Richard and his group of 43+ people.

WOO:	How long have you been Richard Garriott's assistant?
MB:	I started working at Origin 9.5 years ago as receptionist and support for all 7 employees in the Austin office. After about 2 years it was apparent that we needed to hire someone else to take over the reception and such to allow me to focus much more on Richard and his groups needs.

WOO:	How did you get the job?
MB:	Richard and I both attended a New Year's Eve party at a mutual friends house in 1987. During the party I found out from Richard that he was moving the product development side of Origin to Austin from New Hampshire and that they were looking for a secretary/receptionist. I thought it might be a good opportunity, and fun as well, so I did the basic interview routine and started on Feb. 4, 1987.

WOO:	What did you do before?
MB:	Well, let's see... I've worked at a daycare, Mrs. Bairds Bread, a tenant checking service (lots of phone work), receptionist then accounts receivable for a soft goods import/export company (all of these in Austin), then one year in Dallas as a receptionist at a division of General Electric.

WOO:	What's the best thing about working for Richard Garriott?
MB:	He is a fairly easy going person to work for/with and allows me a lot of flexibility in my schedule if I need it.

WOO:	What's the worst thing about working for Richard Garriott?
MB:	He has a very hard time saying no to people, which can leave me in a bind sometimes.

WOO:	Are you a gamer?
MB:	Not a computer gamer, no. But, I do enjoy some paper gaming.

WOO:	What games do you enjoy?
MB:	GURPS and AD&D are what I mostly play. I'm part of a group that really likes the role playing aspect which is what I really get into.

WOO:	Where you a gamer before working at OSI?
MB:	No.

WOO:	Approximately how many fan emails/letters do you field for Richard Garriott in a week?
MB:	I don't really do that anymore. We have a wonderful customer service department that takes care of most of that now. Every once in a while something particularly odd or nice comes through and they'll bring it up for me or Richard to answer. That only happens once every couple of months though.

WOO:	How much would it take to bribe you to pass on Richard Garriott's private email address?
MB:	Imagine a 'dumb blonde' look and tone: He has a private email address?

WOO:	What's the most memorable event you can think of while working for Richard Garriott?
MB:	Everything about working with him is either very mundane or very weird. There really isn't one thing that sticks out in my mind. sorry.

WOO:	Do you do much websurfing in whatever free time you have?
MB:	I don't really have much free time. I have managed to do some surfing and have found a few interesting sites. They mostly relate to horses or dogs.

WOO:	Are you married (if not too personal)?
MB:	(No, that's not too personal) As a matter of fact we will be celebrating our first anniversary this month. :-}

WOO:	Is your husband a gamer?
MB:	Yes. Actually we met here at Origin where he is a programmer.

WOO:	What are your hobbies and interests?
MB:	I really love dogs (we own 2 Belgian Sheepdogs) and horses (add 1 gray thoroughbred mare to the family equation). I ride Dressage and have just started showing my mare at Training level (this won't mean much to most people I'm afraid, : ) ). I also enjoy reading fantasy and scifi, and I've recently developed an interest in soccer. Too much to do and not enough time to do it!!

WOO:	Anything else you wish to have us know about you?
MB:	I'm an Austinite born and bred.


Starr Long	I am not sure what I would do without Michelle. Work I suppose. Seriously, Michelle is an invaluable asset to our group. She is always willing to do any task without complaint.

Brian Martin	Michelle is to the Lord British group what Radar O'Reilly was to MASH: She makes everything run around here. On top of that, she manages to be very sweet and good natured. The place just wouldn't be right without Michelle.

Andrew Morris	I wouldn't know how to begin summing up how valuable I think Michelle is not only to Lord British Productions, but to Origin as a whole as well. When it comes to making sure everyone -- regardless whether it's a producer or a runner -- has what he or she needs to get the job done. Michelle is efficient, courteous, helpful, and dependable (if she sounds like a boyscout, it's because they probably modelled their good deeds criteria after her). She knows when she has to apply pressure to help someone get motived, and when to backoff and let others blow steam. One of the early comments I heard about Michelle when I first started at Origin was that she was the reason Origin still existed as a company . In many ways, though perhaps with a different meaning, that applies more now than ever before.

Richard Steinberg	Richard Garriott is a very busy person with many responsibilities--he's in and out of meetings, even in and out of the building. Sometimes a five minute chat with him can get a lot accomplished, but finding that five minutes in his schedule can be hard sometimes. That where Michelle comes in. She's very friendly, courteous, and always willing to go that extra mile. I first got to know Michelle well last spring when I learned she was in on the "conspiracy" for Richard Garriott's Quest for the Jewel of Austin. (Actually, she was more like the mastermind!) It was then I learned how wonderful Michelle is and realized how lucky Richard was to have had her as a friend all these years.