‘I Love My Job’: A Collaborative Culture That Has Enabled Me to Grow Into a Vice President of Art

Welcome to I Love My Job, the series where we hear from real women who really love their jobs. In this edition, we sat down with Nubia Mora, the Vice President of Art at Zynga, a global leader in interactive entertainment with a mission to connect the world through games.

During her seven years at the company, Mora tells us that she’s learned “there is a lot to love about Zynga.” “The talent and human social aspects of my daily work are really fulfilling,” explains Mora, who also loves the “creativity and the fun nature of game development.” 

As part of her work, Mora gets to see talented artists across Zynga come together to take previously unknown ideas and “turn them into something that's living and that really connects with our players,” explains Mora. The secret to this game-design magic is the support and training Zynga provides for each and every employee.

In the video below, Mora tells us more about why she loves working at Zynga. We also provide lightly edited highlights from the video discussion in the following article.

Can you tell us more about your work and journey to Zynga?

I started as a senior concept artist at Zynga back in 2015, and I've been on this incredible journey through a lot of different titles — from lead artist, to art director, divisional art director, senior divisional art director, and, now, vice president of art. [This is] something that I'm very proud of, and it's going strong.

What do you find most exciting about your work at Zynga?

What I find most exciting about my job is  being able to construct an infrastructure to help our team succeed. Game development is a very complex pipeline that requires high levels of creative vision cooperation between our teams. It inspires me to wake up every morning and do my best to unblock and support my team. From coordinating art workshops to strengthening our art community, it all plays a role. It allows us to bring our A-game to the table and deliver some of the best player experiences in the market.

Being part of that level of innovation and talent is beyond words for me.

How would you describe the culture at Zynga?

I would describe the culture at Zynga to be very personal and grounded in learning. It's a culture that enables you to grow as an individual and as a professional. We give each other a lot of constructive feedback. As a team, we're always looking for ways to do it better next time. That really allows us to develop our principles and our best practices to continue evolving to the next level.

How has Zynga supported you in your career?

I've never felt so supported by a company before... When I joined Zynga, it pretty much hit a new level of support. I saw them supporting not just me, but everyone around me. I have not seen that before. I'm very supported by my managers, by my colleagues, by anyone that I work with across teams and collaborations. We all have this we're-all-in-this-together type of mindset because that’s the nature of our work. Every pipeline is complex; we need concept artists, animators, tech artists, engineers, and producers. 

We've got all these heads coming together, and if one isn't able to function properly, we won't be able to deliver the best that we can. So, Zynga provides a lot of resources and materials to get us there. The paid time off and working from home benefits have restored a lot of balance in our daily lives, especially right now in the pandemic. Zynga also offers a lot of opportunities for mentorships, workshops, and training and development as a professional… It's one of the reasons why I've been here for so long, and why I've been able to move from role to role and team to team.

What advice do you have for women looking for jobs at Zynga?

My advice to other women is to prepare by building your network and portfolio…

Ultimately, I think it comes down to believing in yourself. We work many years in our career developing content, problem solving, and really putting our best self forward. Sometimes, we get stunned when it's a new opportunity, a different role, or just a change. We're sometimes left fearful or nervous, and we just back out. In my experience working at Zynga, we have a lot of opportunities that happen and show up overnight… And the best thing you can do is just go for it.

Fairygodboss is proud to work with Zynga. Find a job there today!

Check out other posts in the ‘I Love My Job’ series:

• ‘I Love My Job’: ‘Everyone Brings Their Best’ and We Are Passionate and Always Eager to Help

• ‘I Love My Job’: I’m Empowered to Bring the Philosophy of ‘Believing in Better’ Into Everything I Do

• ‘I Love My Job’: At My Company, Opportunity Grows Every Day — From a Preschool Teacher

• ‘I Love My Job’: We’re Intentionally Creating a More Inclusive, Diverse and Ever-Learning Workforce

• ‘I Love My Job’: I’m Empowered to Be a Great Mom and an Executive Who Changes Peoples’ Lives