Alumna launches weather game app with Al Roker

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Provided

Katie Linendoll ’05 (information technology), left, teamed up with weatherman Al Roker and interactive media designer and animator Steve Lunny to create Al’s Weather Rokies app.

A 2005 information technology graduate created an app with NBC weatherman Al Roker.

Alumna Katie Linendoll, an Emmy Award-winning TV host and technology contributor to the Today show; Steve Lunny, an interactive media designer and animator; and Roker made Al’s Weather Rokies app.

The app is a cartoon-style game that incorporates real-time weather. The game is based on a real-life event: In 2013, Roker overslept one morning for the first time in his almost 40-year career. The premise of the game is to wake up the weatherman so he does not miss his first show of the day —Wake Up With Al on The Weather Channel.

Players flick quirky characters, called “Rokies,” at matching icons in Roker’s dream to clear a path to his alarm clock. The goal is to break through the weather “Rokies” in order to strike the alarm clock and wake up Roker. The game also incorporates the player’s local weather forecasts.

Linendoll and Lunny have published two iOS games together, starting with 2012’s SPLATRPULT.


“I’ve absolutely loved working with Al since I started as a contributor at Today years ago,” Linendoll said. “We’re both super techie, love cartoons and everything cutting edge, so developing a new app was a no-brainer and an exciting opportunity to further collaborate.”


Linendoll launched her television career on RIT’s SportsZone program. That led to a co-op at ESPN and a permanent position after graduation. She won an Emmy Award for her work as an associate producer on ESPN’s SportsCenter. Linendoll also regularly contributes to CNN and recently completed filming a series on innovation for The Huffington Post. She’s the former host of All Access Weekly on Spike TV and A&E’s We Mean Business.

Al’s Weather Rokies app for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch is available for 99 cents at the Itunes Store.

In Al’s Weather Rokies, players flick quirky characters, called “Rokies,” at matching icons in Roker’s dream to clear a path to his alarm clock. The goal is to break through the weather “Rokies” in order to strike the alarm clock and wake up Roker.