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By Matthew King, July 24, 2010 1:13 am

Greetings and Salutations Everyone!

We just got back from an exciting event in Crystal River, Florida and literally have one day to catch up, and then we’re off to Grand Cayman!  We’ve definitely got some work ahead of us, but we’ve also scheduled some extra time for vacation while we’re down there.  You might think this is the R & R from the title of this blog, but it’s not.

The R & R I’m referring to is our all new Risks and Rewards stage game show designed for casinos.  We previously produced this show as Thrill or No Thrill for Harrah’s Casinos.  The response was incredible!  Now, we’ve given the entire show a facelift, adding exciting new technology, new graphics, new software, and even some new game play elements to make the show even more interactive than ever before!

Risks and Rewards Casino Game Show

Risks and Rewards will be hitting casinos this fall, debuting in Las Vegas and Wisconsin.  We’ve got an all new set that’s being constructed for this show, and we’ll be posting pictures as elements of the show are completed.  This all new show allows for a high turnover of contestants, with up to 50 people being able to win prizes at every show!  For player development and rewards programs, Risks and Rewards is absolutely perfect and is a definite REWARD for your casino’s bottom line.  Risks and Rewards…We’ll see YOU at the show!

Until next time, keep on playing!

Risks and Rewards is a trademark of Game Show America, Inc.

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By Matthew King, July 19, 2010 12:25 am

Greetings and Salutations Everyone!

We’re on our way to Florida for an event and I’ve got some updates to share with you…

The first update is with our game show murder mystery.  Our original tag-line (from my previous post) mentions nine celebrities.  We’ve already had some questions as to the size of the entire cast, so I wanted to make sure everyone knows what to expect.  For our clients who want our largest production, there really are nine celebrity impersonators, two actors portraying contestants, one actor portraying the game show host, one actress portraying the model, one actor portraying the cop, and a narrator – for a grand cast of 15 people.  Our standard production has two celebrity impersonators, with the rest remaining the same, for a total cast of eight people.  It all depends on your budget.  If you’re looking for something larger than life, our 15 member cast is just the ticket.  If you’ve never done a murder mystery before or are on a tighter budget, our standard production with a cast of eight is absolutely perfect.  We’ll be updating our website with information on both cast sizes.

The second update is about our Tic Tac GO! casino promotion.  The original concept rendering for this game had a game-board with a 3 x 3 grid.  We played this version of the game in-house over 100 times and determined that the promotion needed a little something extra.  So, we changed the game board to a 4 x 4 grid with some fun surprises.  After over 100 test games, we made some final cosmetic modifications and have our new concept rendering posted below.

Game Show America's Tic Tac GO!

The 4 x 4 version of Tic Tac GO! is literally ready-to-go.  The original concept had a total of ten video monitors to make-up the game board and scoring screen.  Our 4 x 4 version has everything on a single large projection screen.  The promotion comes complete with screen, projector, back-up projector, animated marquee lighting, and a large slammer button.  Tic Tac GO! will be making its debut in Las Vegas in November and in Wisconsin in early 2011.  For more information about Tac Tac GO! or to schedule a live demonstration of the promotion, call Game Show America today!

The final update is on our GSA Squares Light production.  There are two versions of this production currently available.  The first version utilizes nine 42″ LCD monitors and two sets of risers (4′ and 8′).  This production requires a room with a ceiling height of 12 feet or higher.  The second version utilizes nine 23″ LCD monitors and two sets of risers (2′ and 4′).  This production requires a room with a ceiling height of at least 9 feet or higher.  We’ll be posting some photos with the 23″ monitors in one of our August blogs, as we’ll be showcasing this production in early August for a corporate client in Minnesota.

We also have another new game in our portfolio to share with you.  I’m sure many of you have seen the show “Minute to Win It” on television.  This is a fantastic, hi-tech redo of the classic “Beat the Clock” game show which ran from 1950 to 1961.  It has since been re-vitalized in 1969-1980 in different versions, and again in 2002 and 2006.  While we don’t actually re-create “Minute to Win It”, we have received requests to do a game show with timed physical challenges.  Since Game Show America started in 1996, we’ve been doing physical challenges in many of our game shows.  For the past few years, these challenges have been carefully packed away, waiting for the right time to bring them back.  And that time is now!  We’ve now packaged over a dozen physical challenges into a single production, which, oddly enough, still does not have a name.  We let our clients name the game to fit the theme of their event.  Some of the challenges are timed, while others are a race to finish first.  It’s a wildly interactive production that brings exciting competition to your event.  We’ll be showcasing this production in mid-August for a corporate client in Minnesota.

And with that…I bring this post to a close.  Until next time, keep on playing!

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By Matthew King, June 28, 2010 5:13 pm

Greetings and Salutations Everyone!

Very quick post this time…and very exciting too!

What do you get when you have nine celebrities, two contestants, one model, a host…and a body?

The answer is – The Great Game Show Caper!  GSA has collaborated with one of the leading murder mystery companies in the United States to bring you The Great Game Show Caper, a hi-tech, interactive murder mystery that will leave you in stitches!

The Great Game Show Caper

The mystery begins in Studio 51 – where no one is who they really seem to be – and where you’ll find more questions than answers…and how did that body get onto the set anyway?  Utilizing wireless audience response technology, the entire audience plays along with this one-of-a-kind show, brought to you exclusively by Game Show America.

So – nine celebrities, two contestants, one model, a host…and a body.  The only question is…whodunnit?

Call Game Show America today for more information on this exciting new production!

Until next time…keep on playing!

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By Matthew King, June 18, 2010 12:08 pm

Greetings and Salutations Everyone!

It’s so nice to be able to call any place I travel to “my office.”  Yes, I do have an actual office in Baraboo, Wisconsin, but as we serve all 50 states, I need to make myself as mobile as possible.  Wherever I travel, that place becomes my temporary office until I get back to Wisconsin.  I realize my last post stated that I would be talking about our new video podiums, and I will mention them in this post  - but that won’t be the main focus.  We’ve been doing some software tweaks and design modifications in our shop, and I wanted to wait until we had a final design all set to go before I featured them here.

This post’s content is a little more introspective.  Since our last event, I’ve been working behind the scenes on two major projects for GSA.  One project has absolutely nothing to do with producing game shows and is a more personal project for me.  The other project has everything to do with game shows, and any free time I’ve had has been dedicated to working on it.  This is why sometimes it is so nice to get away from my main office and be able to work in a completely different environment.

Today, I’m sitting outside at a little wooden table at The Coopers Tavern on the Capitol Square in Madison, Wisconsin.  I just ordered a fabulous grilled cheese sandwich with chips and a Hobgoblin (an awesome dark English ale).  I’ve answered about a dozen emails so far and am now able to sit back listening to the sounds of the city – which is what prompted me to write this blog in the first place.  The best part is – I’m working, but I’m totally relaxed.  I’m officially in my office, outside, eating lunch, and having a beer.

While I’m not advocating that you have a beer at lunch (depending on your job, you could get in trouble for that), I am advocating that you take some time to do your daily work away from your usual place of business.  Just for a change of scenery, a change of pace, and to see things from a different perspective.  Much of my job involves creating games and developing new technology that enables GSA to provide the best game show productions on the planet.  In a setting like I am in today, my creativity has opened up, and in about an hour’s time, I’m putting the finishing touches on Game Show America’s next corporate game show.  A little change of pace might just be the thing that helps you achieve that “something great” at work.

For the past few years, our Quest for the Best show has been one of our best selling productions.  Because we have quite a few repeat clients every year, they are always asking, “What do you have that we haven’t seen before?”  Most often, our clients start with something like our Q & A show, because it’s familiar to them.  Then, they move to something like Corporate Feud, followed by Quest for the Best, and then top it off with GSA Squares.  Once they’ve gone through these major game formats, we need to get creative and produce a show unlike anything they’ve ever seen before.

It’s with that, that I introduce you to “Out of the Question.”  The original concept for this game was created by Terrance Martin – a game show veteran with many ties to the game show industry in Hollywood (and soon to be a contributing author on the GSA Blog).  The concept for the game was originally created as a TV game show (and will be coming to TV this fall).  When the concept was presented to me, it completely caught me off guard.  It is one of the best game show concepts that has ever been pitched to GSA.  I immediately started thinking of ways to fine-tune the show to be the next great game show for corporate events.  That process has taken quite a bit of time, but it’s finally done, and we look forward to offering this exciting new game show to our corporate clients.

Out of the Question Logo

The game can be played by an individual, a team of people, or multiple teams of people.  The game also works as an all-inclusive show where the entire audience can play along with the game.  The content of the game can be completely customized to include your company content, which makes it great for company training.  Call GSA today for detailed information on “Out of the Question.”

Something else I wanted to mention in this post is the cost of our productions.  I was talking with a client recently that stated the photos on our website gave them the impression that our productions were too expensive for their budget.  That is definitely not the case.  Yes, we do produce high-end game shows for clients, but we also have scaled down versions of our shows to fit almost every size audience and budget.  If you’re interested in a game show production, call us.  Let us know what type of budget you have to work with and you’ll be pleasantly surprised at what we can provide – without sacrificing quality.

That’s all for now.  So until next time, keep on playing…

“Out of the Question” is a registered trademark of of Terramar Productions.

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By Matthew King, May 31, 2010 1:56 pm

Greetings and Salutations Everyone!

This past week was a busy one for GSA.  We had our annual Texas Rangers event in Dallas, followed by an audience response event & game competition in North Carolina.  At the same time as these two events, we were wrapping up our Bank or Bust promotion at Potawatomi and had a game show rental in South Carolina.

Below is a picture from our Texas Rangers event that shows you the difference in the “classic” style game show podium, and our new Video Podiums.

Game Show America Video Podium

For this event, we chose to utilize our classic podiums for the contestants and feature one of our video podiums for the host.  The podium displayed the event logo, complete with an animated background.  When the video podium is used as a contestant podium, it displays the contestant name, player score, and the game or company logo.  When our clients call us for a game show production that requires contestant podiums, they have the choice of using the classic podiums with the LED digits or the video podiums.  There are definite advantages to both types of podiums – it just depends on what you need them to do.  Our next blog will showcase the features of our video podiums.  They truly do take our productions to an entirely new level.

Because of the addition of our video podiums, it has allowed us to add ten classic LED podiums to our rental department.  Our client in South Carolina rented three LED podiums for a simple Q & A contest.  Our LED podiums pack nicely into a 26″ x 20″ box that we can ship everywhere.  With many clients being budget conscious, sometimes an equipment rental is the best solution.  It’s more of a do-it-yourself game show solution, but it is incredibly effective when the event doesn’t require a turnkey production.

For our event in North Carolina, our task was to think outside the box – literally.  As a set design, we assembled a backdrop of equipment boxes provided by our client.  They had boxes of all shapes and sizes that enabled us to create an amazing backdrop that assembled like a giant puzzle.  With some large photographs, a rear projected video screen, LED bars and LED backlighting, we transformed a simple ballroom into a dramatic corporate theater setting.

Backdrop created from boxes

This was an incredibly creative way to create a spectacular backdrop and save quite a bit of money in the process.  This allowed our client to put a stronger emphasis on other aspects of their event.   The event theme was “Playing for Keeps.”  The unifying element across the three-day conference was a series of games that challenged the attendees in numerous ways – building things, searching for things, answering questions, performing, speaking, taking photos, participating in team activities, and exercising.  Each of the activities focused on a specific skill.  In all, there were six regions all competing, with the winning region receiving a check in their name to donate to a charity they selected at the beginning of the competition.  All of the activities were carefully crafted to allow for maximum individual achievement, which in turn, contributed toward their overall region score.  It was a full three days of some of the greatest participation we’ve ever seen from a corporate group.  For an event like this, our audience response was the key component that allowed us to ask questions and keep track of their scores over all three days.  Each day, we displayed a scoreboard from the previous day’s competitions.  The data gathered and overall return on investment for the client was priceless.  The entire event was such a success, we were asked to repeat this production for another division of the company in October of this year.

Our Bank or Bust promotion at Potawatomi was also a huge success.  We are currently talking with Potawatomi about bringing our Tic Tac GO! promotion to the casino and discussing dates for our Thrill or No Thrill show for their VIP events this fall.

That’s all for this post.  Check back soon for our next post on our video podiums.  We’ve also got two HUGE projects that should have some very exciting updates in the coming few weeks.  We’ll definitely keep you posted!

Until next time, keep on playing!

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By Matthew King, May 7, 2010 5:15 pm

Greetings and Salutations Everyone!

Just a quick update on what’s going on…

Game Show America is at Potawatomi Bingo Casino for the month of May with our BANK OR BUST Casino Promotion.

GSA's Bank or Bust Casino Promotion

The promotion runs Tuesdays at 7:00 pm and Thursdays at 1:00 pm.  Ten players are selected.  Nine players will win $500 cash.  One player advances to the Bank or Bust game show, where he/she has a chance to win $5,000!  Visit the Potawatomi website  www.paysbig.com for full details on the promotion.

Game Show America’s casino division, GSA Casino Promotions offers many interactive game show promotions for casinos and other promotional events.  From simple game boards to elaborate full-stage game show sets and everything in between, GSA Casino Promotions brings TV game show excitement to your casino.  Below is a photo from our Cash or Consequences Game Show.  This show ran for two years at Harrah’s North Kansas City (they called it Thrill or No Thrill) and had an average audience of almost 1,000 people!

GSA's Cash or Consequences Casino Game Show Promotion

Our newest promotion is Tac Tac GO! This promotion includes a 14′ wide by 8′ high game board and fits perfectly on your casino floor or lobby, featuring a total of 10 video monitors (all operated by a single computer), a large slammer button, animated LED marquee lighting, and custom music & sound effects.  The object of the game is simple – get tic tac toe and win as much money as possible – but watch out for the Danger Zone!  The minimum and maximum payout amounts are completely customizable to fit your promotion budget.  In addition to the game, the computer can be programmed to display your casino logo, additional advertising, and promotion dates.

Tic Tac GO! Casino Promotion

For all of our casino promotions, we offer complete delivery, set-up, and training.  We also provide you with the game logo and graphics to incorporate into your marketing and advertising – plus T-shirts to hand out to everyone who plays the game.  Once the promotion has concluded, we’ll break down the set and take care of the return shipping.  We take care of you every step of the way!

Watch for more casino promotion information in upcoming blog posts.  We’ve got quite a few new promotions that we will be offering in the coming months – so stay tuned!

That’s all for this post…so until next time…Keep On Playing!

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By Matthew King, May 1, 2010 12:08 pm

Greetings and Salutations everyone!

Some very exciting news for this post.

Game Show America is in the running for a $250,000 grant from Pepsi to produce an educational game show for schools across America.  From this grant, we are awarding $50,000 in scholarships for the best performing students.  To cast your vote, visit the Pepsi Refresh website.

Being able to do an educational game show tour has been a dream of mine for many years.  Winning this grant from Pepsi will make this dream a reality – and more importantly, help so many students achieve their dreams.

The idea for Game Show America actually started in a classroom in Edgerton, Wisconsin at Oaklawn Academy.  I taught middle school English and Speech.  I wanted to do something interactive with my students to review for quizzes and tests.  One day, I was digging through the A/V room and came across a dusty box that had QUIZZER written on it.  I brought the box down to my room and found an electronic box that had a number of buzzers wired to it.  It was a simple lockout device  - the first student to buzz in locked everyone else out.  Knowing my students were very competitive, I set up a quiz show in my classroom.  I drew a Jeopardy board on the chalkboard and had five different categories with five questions in each category.  The categories were all topics for the upcoming test.

The students LOVED the game – and the competition was fierce.  The room was divided into four teams.  So not only were the students playing for their own individual score, they were also contributing to their team score.  In addition, I awarded extra credit points for their scores – which really helped many students’ grades!  The funny part was – it was more about the competition than it was about the extra credit points.  All of my students really wanted to play and win – which meant they had to know the content – which meant that they actually studied the material to win the game – which meant that their test scores were out of this world!

It’s now 14 years later – and it’s time to bring that excitement back to schools.  This time though – an entire audience of students can compete utilizing our wireless audience response keypads.  The top scoring students will then come to the stage to participate in a Grand Finale – with scholarships being awarded to those that perform the best.  On the Pepsi Refresh page, you will see photos of our Quest for the Best game show.  This is the production we will be bringing to the schools.  We’ve come a long way since the days of QUIZZER – but the overall message and goal has remained exactly the same.  In my heart, I’m a teacher – and this is one of the most effective ways to help students want to learn and retain information.  We take the content from their curriculum and turn it into an all-inclusive game show – where the reward is a scholarship to help them further their education.  For me, being able to provide that reward to students is the most rewarding jobs in the world.

Thank you so much for your vote.  Together, we can make this dream come alive…

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By Matthew King, April 13, 2010 3:09 pm

Greetings and Salutations everyone!

We’re on our way back from Nashville where we had one of the best GSA Squares shows ever!  Our digital version was a huge hit – and we’re already planning our next Squares show.  Below is a photo from the event.

GSA Squares "Digital Edition"

This morning I picked up a USA Today newspaper and in the Money section was an interesting article on meeting planners cutting back on meeting expenses.  Here is a link to the article:

http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/travel/2010-04-13-conventions13_CV_N.htm

There are some great money saving ideas in this article.  Having your event at a less fancy hotel – cutting back on extra snacks and drinks – opting out of extensive decorations (chair covers, etc.) – and really focusing on the heart and soul of the meeting.  While a game show is something that many would perceive as “something extra” – it is one of the best training and motivational tools you can have at an event.

Because we realize that budgets are tighter and that every line item is being more closely looked at, Game Show America is doing our part to save our clients money.  Why spend extra money on additional audio-visual equipment or audience response?  At GSA, we include audio-visual with most of our productions, and we have a variety of audience response options available if you want 100% participation.  All of our shows come complete with on-site production staff and a professional game show host, making for a very efficient event.

Our next stop is Chicago for an exciting event with our new ARS Keypads, and then it’s off to California for a casino promotion.

That’s all for now!  Until next time…keep on playing!

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By Matthew King, April 11, 2010 3:29 pm

Greetings and Salutations everyone!

We’re on our way to Nashville to showcase our new GSA Squares technology, but I wanted to do a quick blog post to show everyone a photo of our new audience response keypad.  The keypad is just under 6″ long and weighs in at just under half a pound.  There will a lot more to post about this exciting new technology at the beginning of May.  We have an event at the end of April in Chicago that will showcase all the features of this revolutionary new keypad.  It is truly an innovation in wireless audience response technology that is unlike anything you have experienced before.

Game Show America Wireless Audience Response Keypad

In addition to surveys and voting, here are a few key features:  Photo personalization, text messaging, scanning technology, email, map and location (find other participants), individual reporting, meeting agenda, and much, much more!  We’ll have photos from the April event in our May blog.

Until next time…keep on playing!

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By Matthew King, April 5, 2010 7:41 pm

Greetings and Salutations Everyone!

We’ve been on the road quite a bit since my last post, and we’ve got a lot of things going on behind the scenes too.  Here’s a peek at what’s been going on…

In March, we showcased our new set in San Marcos, Texas.  This is a fantastic new set that is now being offered with all of our turnkey productions.  It comes complete with two 9′ x 12′ or two 6′ x 8′ video screens and our new translucent backdrop with LED backlighting.  This set was built in-house and is standard with all of our turnkey game show productions.  The entire set is expandable from 40 to 60 feet wide and 9 to 12 feet tall.  Believe it or not, this all fits into a single road case – and it’s included at an investment that won’t break your budget.  For our clients who want to see the set in action, we have video footage available of the screen and backdrop animations.

GSA's Complete Set - Offered with all of our turnkey productions

GSA Deluxe Set - Large Venues

GSA Casino Set

Announcer and Host - Randy West

For some exciting hosting news…GSA has added a new celebrity host to our already incredible lineup of talent.  We are proud to have Randy West as a featured host of Game Show America!  Randy’s credentials include announcing for The Price Is Right (both on television and live in Las Vegas), Deal or No Deal, Weakest Link, Supermarket Sweep, and Card Sharks.  He has written a book on the famous Johnny Olson titled, “Johnny Olson – A Voice In Time”, and he is currently the announcer for The Newlywed Game in Hollywood.  It’s great to have Randy as a part of Game Show America.  Randy’s TV experience is guaranteed to add an even higher level of fun and excitement to GSA’s game shows!

Onto more show news…

We’re off again this week to Oshkosh, Wisconsin to entertain a class of graduating seniors.  Next week, we’re down in Nashville showcasing our brand new GSA Squares set (we’ll have photos of that show in our next blog).  At the end of April, we’re hitting the casinos in California for some exciting game show promotions.  May takes us back to Wisconsin for more exciting casino promotions – plus we’re headed to Texas for our annual Texas Rangers event.

As I stated above, there’s also a lot going on behind the scenes.  We’ve got some amazing new technology coming out soon – something that is sure to turn the audience response world upside down!  Information and photos also coming soon in future blogs.

That’s all for now!  Looking forward to seeing YOU at our next show!  Until next time, keep on playing…