If you had told me a decade ago that one of my biggest projects would revolve around a nearly 20-year-old video game, I’d have laughed. Yet here I am, running Donut Team—a community and hub for fans of The Simpsons: Hit & Run. It’s been an incredible journey, filled with lessons about creativity, persistence, and what it means to truly love what you do.
How It All Began
Donut Team started as a simple passion project that I co-founded with my best friend and business partner, Loren Goodwin. We both loved The Simpsons: Hit & Run for its unique charm, humor, and gameplay, and we wanted to keep its legacy alive. We started experimenting with the game's files and realized that we could make a mod. We initially started by creating a mod that made the game harder. What started as a shared hobby quickly turned into something much bigger—a community of like-minded fans who shared our love for the game.
Building a Community
At its core, Donut Team is about more than just the game. It’s about the people who make the community what it is. From the early days of releasing simple mods to the creation of our forums and Discord server, we’ve seen fans come together to share ideas, feedback, and enthusiasm. Whether it’s a new mod idea or just some fun Simpsons-related banter, the community’s energy fuels everything we do.
We've seen people form life-long friendships and even relationships through Donut Team, a testament to the community’s strength. At the same time, we’ve faced our share of challenges, including bitter issues with some users that tested our resolve. These experiences have shaped the way we approach community management and reinforced the importance of fostering a positive and inclusive environment.
The Challenges Along the Way
Running Donut Team hasn’t been without its hurdles. Balancing the technical side of creating tools and mods with the human side of running a community can be tricky. Getting our team on board has often been a juggling act, especially with the challenges of managing time differences between members. Our community has had its ups and downs, from the joy of collaborative breakthroughs to navigating difficult disagreements. But every challenge has been a chance to learn—about myself, about leadership, and about the importance of setting realistic goals (a lesson I’ve learned the hard way more than once!).
What Keeps Me Going
What keeps me going is the excitement of what we can create. Whether it’s continuing our work for a mod or the game ideas and concepts that Loren and I have fleshed out over the last ten years, it’s all about us getting past the finish line with one of these ideas. Seeing people light up when they discover a new mod or hearing stories of how The Simpsons: Hit & Run shaped their childhoods makes the journey even more fulfilling.
Looking Ahead
As we move into the future, I’m excited about the possibilities for Donut Team. There are always new ideas to explore, and while the focus started on The Simpsons: Hit & Run, I want to continue fostering a creative and welcoming space for gamers, developers and modders alike.
Donut Team has been a wild ride, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything. To anyone reading this who’s been part of the journey—whether as a community member, collaborator, or supporter—thank you. Here’s to many more years!