Podcasts about fourth wall studios

  • 9PODCASTS
  • 9EPISODES
  • 1h 4mAVG DURATION
  • ?INFREQUENT EPISODES
  • Sep 9, 2025LATEST

POPULARITY

20172018201920202021202220232024


Latest podcast episodes about fourth wall studios

Think Like A Game Designer
Elan Lee — Building Exploding Kittens, Marketing as Design, Retail Pitches, and Playing to Sell (#90)

Think Like A Game Designer

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 9, 2025 77:32


About ElanElan Lee (@elanlee) is the co-creator and chief executive officer of Exploding Kittens, a leading gaming and entertainment company. Under his leadership, Exploding Kittens has expanded its portfolio to nearly 30 different games with more than 60 million games sold in more than 50 countries since its founding in 2015.Before founding Exploding Kittens, Lee was the chief design officer at Xbox Entertainment Studios, where he led the Interactive Entertainment Portfolio. Prior to that, he was the founder and chief creative officer of Fourth Wall Studios and co-founder of 42 Entertainment. He began his career at Microsoft Games Studios as a lead designer on the original Xbox.Lee has won a Primetime Emmy for the series Dirty Work; Game Innovator of the Year for Exploding Kittens; a Peabody Award for the world's first alternate reality game, The Beast; and an IndieCade Trailblazer Award for a distinguished career in interactive entertainment, among others.In this episode, Elan and I discuss into how his company built their rigorous playtesting culture, why marketing is inseparable from product design, and how pitching to Target and Walmart is just another kind of game. Whether you're trying to break into retail, sharpen your viral marketing instincts, or simply design games people can't stop playing, this conversation will give you both insight and inspirationAh-ha! Justin's Takeaways* Execution is the Superpower: From manufacturing to social media strategy, Elan's team treats execution as part of game design. Elan explains why 80% of his company are marketers, producers, and logistics experts, all aligned around making games irresistible to discover and play.* Marketing is Product Design: At Exploding Kittens, marketers have veto power. A game might be hilarious to play in the room, but if it can't be captured in a five-second social video, the game never makes it out of the room. Elan shares how his team tests hundreds of games at design retreats, then filters them through a marketing lens to ensure the product is not only fun but also instantly communicable and shareable.* Play to Sell: When pitching to Target or Walmart, Elan doesn't “sell” games—he plays them. He gets buyers into the experience, proving the fun directly. This approach yields extraordinary success rates, with most of Exploding Kittens' pitched games picked up for retail. Elan reframes pitching as playing with new friends, making joy the ultimate sales tool.Show Notes"She said, ‘I just want you to take a moment and take a breath and realize you built this thing.'" 00:04:46It's easy as creators to focus on what's broken or what needs fixing (I know I fall into this mindset myself) but sometimes the most powerful thing you can do is step back, practice gratitude, and recognize how far you've come. Elan's wife reminded him of this during a board meeting, and it's a lesson all of us can use to cultivate more joy in our creative journey."It doesn't matter if it's the best game in the world. If they don't know how to sell it, it is not worth wasting our time on." 00:15:15Sometimes as game designers, we feel like the job ends once the mechanics click. Marketing can seem like an afterthought, but the truth is that it's part of product design. Elan bakes this into his process by giving his marketing team veto power at design retreats. It's a powerful reminder: if you want your game to succeed, you must think not only about how it plays but also about how it will be discovered. For Elan, that means asking whether a game can be sold in five seconds on social media. He shares stories of projects he loved that never made it to market because his team couldn't find a way to sell them. This strategy is tied directly to reaching the casual gameplay audience, which demands this very specific approach."All I do is I talk to my friends about how much fun they are about to have, and then I prove it." 00:32:25Elan's approach to pitching games is radically simple: instead of talking, play the game and let the experience do the work. Whether you're pitching to Target or teaching your prototype at a convention, the best way to win people over is to let them feel the joy for themselves. Hearing this made me rethink my own approach, as I've often been guilty of trying to “sell” too much instead of simply playing.“[Poetry for Neanderthals] is, in its purest form, a tool set to let you talk to other people in the room." 01:04:01Elan describes his games as tool sets that let players entertain each other, which is why games like Poetry for Neanderthals or Codenames can stay fun even after dozens of plays. My philosophy takes a different angle: I aim to design games that last a lifetime, so my team thinks deeply about what the 100th play will feel like, something Elan admits he never has to think about with his own games, designed for his casual gaming audience.Whether your players stick around for ten plays or a hundred, the real secret is the same: Whether they're crushing their opponents with clever plays or laughing together as they stumble through ridiculous challenges—great games create space for players to shine. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit justingarydesign.substack.com/subscribe

The Tim Ferriss Show
#653: Elan Lee, Co-Creator of Exploding Kittens — How to Raise Millions on Kickstarter, Deconstructing Mega-Successes, Secrets of Game Design, The Power of Positive Constraints, The Delights of Craftsmanship, and The Art of Turning Fans Into Superfans

The Tim Ferriss Show

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 2, 2023 128:53


Brought to you by Athletic Greens's AG1 all-in-one nutritional supplement, Helix Sleep premium mattresses, and Shopify global commerce platform providing tools to start, grow, market, and manage a retail business. Elan Lee (@elanlee) is the co-creator and chief executive officer of Exploding Kittens, a leading gaming and entertainment company. Under his leadership, Exploding Kittens has expanded its portfolio to nearly 30 different games with more than 20 million games sold in more than 50 countries since its founding in 2015. Before founding Exploding Kittens, Lee was the chief design officer at Xbox Entertainment Studios, where he led the Interactive Entertainment Portfolio. Prior to that, he was the founder and chief creative officer of Fourth Wall Studios and co-founder of 42 Entertainment. He began his career at Microsoft Games Studios as a lead designer on the original Xbox. Lee has won a Primetime Emmy for the series Dirty Work; Game Innovator of the Year for Exploding Kittens; a Peabody Award for the world's first alternate reality game, The Beast; and an IndieCade Trailblazer Award for a distinguished career in interactive entertainment, among others.Please enjoy!This episode is brought to you by Shopify! Shopify is one of my favorite platforms and one of my favorite companies. Shopify is designed for anyone to sell anywhere, giving entrepreneurs the resources once reserved for big business. In no time flat, you can have a great-looking online store that brings your ideas to life, and you can have the tools to manage your day-to-day and drive sales. No coding or design experience required.Go to shopify.com/Tim to sign up for a one-dollar-per-month trial period. It's a great deal for a great service, so I encourage you to check it out. Take your business to the next level today by visiting shopify.com/Tim.*This episode is also brought to you by Athletic Greens. I get asked all the time, “If you could use only one supplement, what would it be?” My answer is usually AG1 by Athletic Greens, my all-in-one nutritional insurance. I recommended it in The 4-Hour Body in 2010 and did not get paid to do so. I do my best with nutrient-dense meals, of course, but AG further covers my bases with vitamins, minerals, and whole-food-sourced micronutrients that support gut health and the immune system. Right now, Athletic Greens is offering you their Vitamin D Liquid Formula free with your first subscription purchase—a vital nutrient for a strong immune system and strong bones. Visit AthleticGreens.com/Tim to claim this special offer today and receive the free Vitamin D Liquid Formula (and 10 free travel packs) with your first subscription purchase! That's up to a one-year supply of Vitamin D as added value when you try their delicious and comprehensive all-in-one daily greens product.*This episode is also brought to you by Helix Sleep! Helix was selected as the #1 overall mattress of 2020 by GQ magazine, Wired, Apartment Therapy, and many others. With Helix, there's a specific mattress to meet each and every body's unique comfort needs. Just take their quiz—only two minutes to complete—that matches your body type and sleep preferences to the perfect mattress for you. They have a 10-year warranty, and you get to try it out for a hundred nights, risk-free. They'll even pick it up from you if you don't love it. And now, Helix is offering 20% off all mattress orders plus two free pillows at HelixSleep.com/Tim.*For show notes and past guests on The Tim Ferriss Show, please visit tim.blog/podcast.For deals from sponsors of The Tim Ferriss Show, please visit tim.blog/podcast-sponsorsSign up for Tim's email newsletter (5-Bullet Friday) at tim.blog/friday.For transcripts of episodes, go to tim.blog/transcripts.Discover Tim's books: tim.blog/books.Follow Tim:Twitter: twitter.com/tferriss Instagram: instagram.com/timferrissYouTube: youtube.com/timferrissFacebook: facebook.com/timferriss LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/timferrissPast guests on The Tim Ferriss Show include Jerry Seinfeld, Hugh Jackman, Dr. Jane Goodall, LeBron James, Kevin Hart, Doris Kearns Goodwin, Jamie Foxx, Matthew McConaughey, Esther Perel, Elizabeth Gilbert, Terry Crews, Sia, Yuval Noah Harari, Malcolm Gladwell, Madeleine Albright, Cheryl Strayed, Jim Collins, Mary Karr, Maria Popova, Sam Harris, Michael Phelps, Bob Iger, Edward Norton, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Neil Strauss, Ken Burns, Maria Sharapova, Marc Andreessen, Neil Gaiman, Neil de Grasse Tyson, Jocko Willink, Daniel Ek, Kelly Slater, Dr. Peter Attia, Seth Godin, Howard Marks, Dr. Brené Brown, Eric Schmidt, Michael Lewis, Joe Gebbia, Michael Pollan, Dr. Jordan Peterson, Vince Vaughn, Brian Koppelman, Ramit Sethi, Dax Shepard, Tony Robbins, Jim Dethmer, Dan Harris, Ray Dalio, Naval Ravikant, Vitalik Buterin, Elizabeth Lesser, Amanda Palmer, Katie Haun, Sir Richard Branson, Chuck Palahniuk, Arianna Huffington, Reid Hoffman, Bill Burr, Whitney Cummings, Rick Rubin, Dr. Vivek Murthy, Darren Aronofsky, Margaret Atwood, Mark Zuckerberg, Peter Thiel, Dr. Gabor Maté, Anne Lamott, Sarah Silverman, Dr. Andrew Huberman, and many more.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Break It Down Show
Jay Bushman Novel Advice: Practical Wisdom for Your Favorite Literary Characters

Break It Down Show

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 13, 2021 52:17


Jay Bushman Novel Advice: Practical Wisdom for Your Favorite Literary Characters - Jay works at the intersection of traditional and emerging formats, reinterpreting and reimagining classic stories in new ways. He won an Emmy for his work as a writer and transmedia producer on the groundbreaking series ‘The Lizzie Bennet Diaries,” an interactive adaptation of Pride and Prejudice. He was the co-creator and co-showrunner of the sequel interactive series, “Welcome To Sanditon.” As a writer and producer at Fourth Wall Studios, Jay helped to create the Emmy-winning series “Dirty Work,” and wrote and created the show “Airship Dracula." For the  of this episode head to Get Jay's book: Novel Advice: Practical Wisdom for Your Favorite Literary Characters at Jay writes for many kinds of media, TV, BOOKS on and on…he's also a well-educated literature head who's ready to battle Pete A Turner character for character!  Goethe's Werther...oh ya.  We go there. Listen and maybe you'll find out what Batman and Hamlet have in common. Get more on Jay's work at Please support the Break It Down Show by doing a monthly subscription to the show  All of the money you invest goes directly to supporting the show! ​Haiku He's all characters Practical wisdom to share Batman to Hamlet Similar episodes:  -   -   -    Join us in supporting Save the Brave as we battle PTSD.  Executive Producer/Host: Pete A Turner  Producer: Damjan Gjorgjiev  Writer: Dragan Petrovski  The Break It Down Show is your favorite best, new podcast, featuring 5 episodes a week with great interviews highlighting world-class guests from a wide array of shows.

Bad Reading
"Rocky" with Joe Manente

Bad Reading

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 17, 2020 58:33


"ADRIANNNNN!" Happy Friday once again, which means this week we have another episode for you. Today, we're featuring Joe Manente, human firecracker (EXPLOW!) and founder of the Fourth Wall Studios, which are comedy clubs that are popping up all over LA. Joe has chosen Rocky for his IP of choice, which is already a ridiculous franchise, so Atlas and Nick have to go deep for something that will make their guest question their sanity in choosing to come on this week.Read the full story here!Follow Joe Manente @fourthwalltv on Instagram!Follow Atlas @atlasnovack on Twitter or Instagram!Follow Nick @millennialcomic on Instagram!Follow us @badreadingpod on Twitter or Instagram!Check out our other episodes on our Youtube channel or anywhere you find your podcasts! And don’t forget to leave a rating as it helps the show out.Recorded at Third Wheel Podcast Studios in Los Angeles, CA.

Home Schooled Podcast
#100 Live Show (Podcast) "The Matinee"

Home Schooled Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 4, 2018 90:21


The 100th episode of Home Schooled Podcast recorded in front of a live audience at Fourth Wall Studios in North Hollywood. To celebrate the 100th episode we had a Saturday afternoon pizza & beer party where we invited previous guests from previous episodes to perform stand up comedy for the audience and a brief chat with me & Co-Host Kevin Lyons. Performances/guests include Agostino Zoida, Kevin Lyons, Shawn Halpin, Adam Ferrara, Vinnie Falcone, Lee Syatt, Irina Skaya and Darren Carter. I hope you all enjoy and thank you for helping us get to 100! Please rate & comment on iTunes and don't forget to visit http://bullymake.com/?ref=199 get get you your pet a box of treats and toys delivered to your door, use promo code "HOME' to get $10 off your order. @agostinozoida @therealkevlyons @DarrenCarter @leesyatt @theonlyskaya @vinnie__falcone @shawnhalpin @adamferrara

Radio ITVT
Radio [itvt]: Emmy Nom - Fourth Wall Studios / Dirty Work

Radio ITVT

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 27, 2012 45:41


Fourth Wall Studios / Dirty Work

awards dirty work fourth wall studios
Updates, Interviews and More - J.C. Hutchins
Podcast: StoryForward, Episode 010 -- Jackie Turnure

Updates, Interviews and More - J.C. Hutchins

Play Episode Listen Later May 3, 2012 68:48


Veteran transmedia producer Jackie Turnure (Fourth Wall Studios) joins J.C. and Steve in this jam-packed episode. Their discussion spans her past Alternate Reality Game projects for LOST, Flash Forward, Salt and more, and leads up to an in-depth conversation about Fourth Wall Studios’ just-released project, Dirty Work and their new transmedia platform, RIDES.

SHIFT Radio
SHIFT Radio Episode #47: Fourth Wall Studios

SHIFT Radio

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 16, 2009 30:39


Fourth Wall Studios joins us on this episode of SHIFT Radio! Together, Co-Founders Jim Stewartson, Elan Lee and Sean Stewart build immersive, trans-media entertainment using the real world as a storytelling platform that allows characters to reach out via email, phone, SMS, and social networking sites. Jim Stewartson, President and Executive ProducerElan Lee, Chief DesignerSean Stewart, Chief Creative

SHIFT Radio
SHIFT Radio Episode #47: Fourth Wall Studios

SHIFT Radio

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 16, 2009 30:39


Fourth Wall Studios joins us on this episode of SHIFT Radio! Together, Co-Founders Jim Stewartson, Elan Lee and Sean Stewart build immersive, trans-media entertainment using the real world as a storytelling platform that allows characters to reach out via email, phone, SMS, and social networking sites. Jim Stewartson, President and Executive ProducerElan Lee, Chief DesignerSean Stewart, Chief Creative