Learning & development · Video producing · Train the trainer

Training that people want to finish.

Instructional designer and content leader for tech and EdTech. I use AI-assisted workflows to write, storyboard and direct learning experiences, from courses and video to data-driven products, and I lead the team that builds them. Comedy, characters and data make required training stick.

Learning & Development150+ hours delivered

Scenario-based, mobile-first training and curriculum for drivers and fleets.

Video ProducingHundreds of videos

Lesson, character, marketing and pitch videos for products sold in all 50 states and around the world.

Train the TrainerArmy · CDL · EdTech

Train-the-trainer courses and instructor guides, plus live, virtual and in-person training, with objectives, notes, exercises and practice tests.

The DriverZ animated cast standing in a training facility

Core skills

Instructional Design
AI-Enabled Content Workflows
LMS and SaaS Platform Design
Product Management
Cross-Functional Team Leadership
Behavioral Science and Data-Driven Learning

Tools

Claude
ChatGPT
Gemini
Articulate Storyline
Rise
SCORM
Vyond
Synthesia
Unity
Premiere Pro
Blender
Jira

Content developed for

Product

Geotab: from driver data to the right lesson.

A product has to prove itself with data. For Geotab, I designed the behavioral scoring engine behind NEURO IQ, which reads telematics, scores each driver and assigns the training that fits.

Product design & management

Audience: fleets and safety managers

The scoring engine and NEURO IQ

NEURO IQ reads driver behavior from telematics and turns it into a personal profile, then assigns the training that fits. I defined the requirements and scoring logic, built the engine with AI-assisted development, and worked with product and engineering to test and refine each release. It is now being piloted with large fleets across North America.

Role: Defined requirements, designed the scoring logic, tested releases
Team: Product and engineering partners

Learning & Development

Training built on story, practice and data.

Scenario-based, mobile-first learning for drivers and fleets. I write the story, design the interactions and lead the team that builds the course.

Formats I produce

Corporate training
Microlearning
Scenario-based courses
Video and animation
Simulations and games
Assessments
Workbooks and instructor guides
Localization into any language

Any of these can be built with AI-assisted workflows and human review.

Instructional design & storyboarding

Audience: fleet and adult drivers

Fatigue Management microcourse

Drivers often say they are fine when they are not. This mobile-first course takes one driver, Joe, from a roadside stop through a sort, a slider and a reflection, so the learner reaches the conclusion before the course states it.

The law has an opinion (branching scenario)
Paperwork isn't a shield (driver sort and reveal)
Do the math (fatigue slider)
The closer (ungraded reflection)

Role: Story, script, storyboard, interaction design
Team: Course build and animation by my content team

Fatigue Management storyboard across four sections — Storyboard, 20 scenes across four sections

Simulation & gamification

Stopping-distance simulator

A physics-based Unity game where learners pick a speed, road surface and vehicle, then see how far a truck needs to stop. The settings come from research, so the result teaches the real numbers.

Role: Concept, research direction, project lead
Team: Subject matter experts, 3D artists and programmers

Scenario design & visual storytelling

Audience: fleet staff and drivers

The Chain: who owns the safety check?

A scenario series built on one idea: a truck passes through many hands before it rolls, and responsibility changes at each one. The mechanic, the last driver, dispatch and the driver today each get a face, so learners see where a missed check turns into a crash. Each scene shows a real check (the 4 AM inspection, the dispatch clearance, the signed DVIR), and the series ends on the learner with the regulation, §392.7, on screen.

Role: Concept, script, storyboard and art direction
Team: Course build and video editing by my content team

Gamification & interaction design

Practice that feels like play.

Hazard spotting, a rear-view motorcycle game, a dock challenge and character-led interactions all do the same job: put the learner in the seat, let them make the call, then explain it. Points, timers and unlockable powers keep the practice moving.

Video Producing

Video, from lesson to launch.

I have created hundreds of videos for products sold in all 50 states and around the world. It started with 100+ educational and marketing videos and live broadcasts at American Jewish University, plus commercial and TV work through First Ascent Productions. At IMPROV I script, storyboard and direct, and my team produces and edits. The videos below are a sample.

Lessons and course video

Short lessons that open a module or teach one skill.

InstructionalWhat is Defensive Driving, Part 13:11

Lesson video, captioned

Watch on Vimeo ↗

InstructionalSample course video2:38

IMPROV course sample

Watch on Vimeo ↗

InstructionalEco Driving3:51

Lesson video

Watch on Vimeo ↗

InstructionalDriver Attitude3:20

Lesson video

Watch on Vimeo ↗

InstructionalVisual Search with S.P.I.D.E.R.1:15

Your 360-degree safety net

Watch on Vimeo ↗

InstructionalWelcome to Defensive Driving0:56

Course intro

Watch on Vimeo ↗

Music video

The S.P.I.D.E.R. cast, in song.

Music videoSay Spider2:00

Character music video

Watch on Vimeo ↗

Marketing and promo

Product demos, promos and a sales pitch built to explain fast and get a clear next step.

MarketingNEURO demo: Netradyne0:59

Product demo

Watch on Vimeo ↗

MarketingNEURO demo: Geotab0:59

Product demo

Watch on Vimeo ↗

MarketingStill Waiting?1:59

Marketing video

Watch on Vimeo ↗

MarketingTech promo

Title to be added

Watch on Vimeo ↗

MarketingPigeon Reviews NY Laws0:33

Vertical social video

Watch on Vimeo ↗

Sales pitch as a website

A cinematic proposal page for a property-film studio, built to replace the slide deck: one idea, proof, process, a booking link and a clear ask.

View the page ↗

Train-the-trainer

Instructor guides that trainers can teach from.

I have built train-the-trainer courses for the Army and for CDL programs. The CDL Control Systems Dashboard Training guide is one example: 423 pages across 29 chapters. Each chapter opens with learning objectives tied to the federal rules, then gives instructors notes, trainer tips, demonstrations and a practice test with an answer key. Courses can ship with video, workbook guides and assessments alongside it.

29chapters, from orientation to trip planning
423pages of learner content and instructor support
Rule-linkedobjectives mapped to the FMCSA regulations

Request the full guide

Inside the Behind the Wheel chapter

Four tested maneuvers share one structure: purpose, instructions, the free moves a student gets, and exactly where points come off. Each has a layout diagram, and the guide adds examiner notes and a road-training lesson.

Forward Stop

Goal: Judge the front of the vehicle and stop with it inside the stop box.
Allowed: One stop only.
Points off: Front-most part of the vehicle is not within the stop box.

Straight-Line Backing

Goal: Back straight through the alley until the front clears the last cones.
Allowed: One free pull-up and one free look outside the vehicle.
Points off: Extra pull-ups, touching cones or boundaries, wrong final position.

Forward Offset Tracking

Goal: Steer into the opposite lane with the rightmost rear tire between the cone and the line.
Allowed: No back-ups and no leaving the vehicle.
Points off: Any back-up, encroachments, or the rear tire leaving the track.

Reverse Offset Backing

Goal: Offset back into the alley and finish with the rear within three feet of the end.
Allowed: Two free pull-ups and two free looks outside the vehicle.
Points off: Extra pull-ups, encroachments, or finishing outside the three-foot box.

Every exercise ends the same way. Set the parking brake, shift to neutral and sound the horn, so students learn one routine for all four.

Character design

The audience decides the character.

Teens want a crew they could join. Fleet drivers want someone who has sat where they sit. Same goal, safer drivers, so I design a different cast, in a different style, for each.

Teen drivers ed

2D, stylized, a team to belong to

Bold outlines, comic-book color and a youthful crew in racing jackets. The look says "this is for you," so rules and risk arrive from characters their age.

Fleet and adult drivers

3D, grounded, someone who gets the job

Warm, realistic 3D characters in real cabs and docks: a bearded veteran, a bobblehead coach and a spider mascot. The look says "this is your day," so the lesson feels like peer talk.

2D character & world design

Audience: teen drivers ed

DriverZ: animated drivers ed for teens

A 2D animated cast built for teen driver education. DriverZ gives young learners a team to belong to, so rules and risk come from characters their age instead of a lecture. The same cast carries the S.P.I.D.E.R. lessons onto a phone screen.

Role: Character and world direction, scripts, storyboards
Team: Art production and course build by my content team

3D character design & animation

Audience: fleet and adult drivers

NEURO, Joe, Professor Graymatter and the Spider

A 3D cast for fleet and adult driver training. Each character has a reference sheet that fixes their look, build and wardrobe, so they stay consistent in every lesson. Joe is the driver learners see themselves in, NEURO is the coach on the dash, Professor Graymatter guides the Academy Archives mobile course, and the pink S.P.I.D.E.R. mascot makes visual search memorable.

Role: Character and world direction, scripts, storyboards
Team: 3D animation and course build by my content team

Experience

Seasoned content leader.

Director of Content Development · IMPROV® Learning, Remote / Los Angeles · June 2020 to July 2026

I ran content strategy and delivery from first idea to launch for insurance, government and enterprise clients, and I led the team that built it.

Leads global, cross-functional teams

Manages instructional designers, content specialists, engineers and subject matter experts across four countries, and delivers 150+ hours of digital training and curriculum. Works with an overseas engineering team on the learning platform: requirements, priorities, issues and release testing.

Builds AI-assisted content and voice workflows

Moves projects through subject matter review, instructional design, behavioral science and screenwriting, with generative AI and human review at every stage. Casts and directs synthetic character voices line by line.

Ships products, not just courses

Builds a driver behavioral scoring engine on Geotab telematics with AI-assisted development, now piloting with large fleets. Conceptualizes a physics-based Unity stopping-distance simulator.

How I work with my team

Depending on the project, I can lead a team to deliver it, or design and build it myself.

I design: Strategy, scripts, storyboards, interaction design, character and world direction, and product requirements.
I lead the build: On larger projects my team handles course builds, animation, video editing and engineering, and I direct and review the work.
I build it myself: When a project needs a fast first version, I prototype it directly: interactions, scoring logic and AI-assisted tools, taken far enough for people to react to.

Before IMPROV

Film and video producer. Founded First Ascent Productions (2015 to 2019) and produced 100+ educational and marketing videos and live broadcasts as senior managing producer at American Jewish University.
STEM educator. Founded five summer STEM camps and taught math and physics at the University of New Mexico for six years.

Contact

Let's talk about your training.

Send a note about the project, the audience and the deadline. I reply within a couple of days.

pfriedma86@gmail.com

Email me · LinkedIn ↗