Meet Chris Hernandez – SHOUTOUT LA

We had the good fortune of connecting with Chris Hernandez and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Chris, do you have any habits that you feel contribute to your effectiveness?
• Keeping goal-oriented. Every day, different challenges come up, with some being bigger than others, but as long as you have a goal, making small steps toward it goes a long way. • Resilience. No matter how often you get knocked down, always get back up. Take the learnings from the missteps and apply them to your next endeavors. To that, also never let anyone define who you are. Only you can define that, so be true to yourself every day.
• I am finding inspiration in everything. Cartoons, comics, and games were some of the biggest influences growing up. I remember spending hours as a kid grinding the same game levels to get a better time, following that with a summer vacation filled with popsicles and hours of TV. Sure, the seeds of inspiration were in media, but now my inspiration comes from experiences. A new place to visit? That’s an idea! New food to try? Another big story there! Meeting new people? Practically a novel! Getting out and living life adds a unique perspective I wouldn’t find anywhere else.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
A lot goes into managing the lore for Sonic the Hedgehog, and the path to get there had more twists and turns than Green Hill Zone. The starting line was playing Sonic the Hedgehog on SEGA Genesis. It was the first game I ever played and influential in making me who I am today. The sprint after the starting line was made up of studying abroad in Japan to learn Japanese, going to college for Animation, working freelance as an animator, becoming a video game tester, working as an account manager for Twitch Prime, and moving to the Los Angeles area all the while consuming every bit of Sonic media I could get my hands on. I ultimately came across a Kotaku article titled “SEGA’s hiring a Sonic lore master…” and knew I had to apply. SEGA was looking for someone with business experience as a manager who worked in video games, had creative work experience, could speak Japanese, was local to the area, and had an encyclopedic knowledge of Sonic the Hedgehog. The stars aligned on this one; having acquired all the experience and skills needed to make my dream a reality, I could finally cross the finish line.
I learned a lot on my path to where I am today. As much as I pride myself on being resilient, there is a flip side to being stubborn. The learning came in taking the energy I would spend hitting myself against a wall and instead finding a path that would work better for me. It took a lot of trial and error, but that strive to keep doing better kept me going.
There’s so much to be proud of, yet it feels like I’m just starting. So far, one of the biggest ones would have to be the release of Sonic X Shadow Generations. The original Sonic Generations game was one of my favorites, and I spent hours and hours learning the optimal routes to speed-run it. Now, being a part of the lore development for the newest entry? It’s an absolute dream. Hard work went into it, long hours ensuring everything came out at its best, but it was all worth it. Through it all, though, I love being able to talk to professionals just starting their careers and wanting to know how to get started. Spending time to understand their perspective and offer up my own experience in a way that helps them solidify their direction in life. I’m proud of supporting and encouraging the next generation of professionals.
Was it easy? Not at all. The turmoil and struggles along the way were valleys in between the peaks of the experience obtained. Through it all, the things keeping me going at super sonic speeds is my go-getter attitude and a resolve to always get back up. What you see is what you get, just a guy who loves adventure!

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
It has to be food spots! I keep a massive list of different food places to visit based on the time of day and style of food. Do you want tacos? It has to be Brother’s Cousins Tacos in West LA. The tent on the side of the road by the Ralphs is so unassuming, but they’re a must for anyone in LA.
Oh, how about Italian? Forma Restaurant & Cheese Bar in Santa Monica is incredible. Having your pasta cooked in a giant cheese wheel is such an insane concept; you really can’t go wrong.
Are you in the mood for vegan delights? I hope you’ve got a sweet tooth because B Sweet in Sawtelle is my go-to. Do you think I will say no to a donut pumped full of vegan Ube ice cream? But if we’re on the topic of ice cream now, then Wanderlust needs to bring back their yuzu creamsicle flavor. Please, I’m begging here.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Many, many years ago, I made a group of friends at an artist’s meetup. I was new to the whole scene, having just entered college around this time, so I was pretty awkward at making new friends. Not knowing what to do or how to say hi to people, I found a group playing Super Smash Bros Brawl together and decided to join in (I main Sonic, of course). I expected to play a few rounds, but that moment led to lifelong friendships. It’s interesting to look back at that time, from all of us just starting as young and scrappy animators to now working professionally in our respective fields. Ed, Nat, Dan, Jeremey, Vanessa, Chelsea, and Hayley, thanks for your love and support throughout everything; cheers to the future!