Heard was born in Nice, France, on March 9, 1957, to his French mother and U.S. Navy officer father.

"[1] Heard loved to travel, so he studied hotel management and worked as a concierge in both France and San Francisco.

When Pickens was promoted to Editor of Strategy & Tactics, Heard became Games Acquisitions Coordinator, in charge of contracting freelance writers.

Heard also did some game design, including adventure modules CM7, Tree of Life; M1, Into the Maelstrom; and co-authorship of DL12, Dragons of Faith.

[1] In 2013, Heard decided to self-produce The World of Calidar, a completely new setting with no reference to a specific ruleset, but with some flavor similar to Mystara and the Princess Ark.