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By Matthew King, August 29, 2010 10:49 am

Greetings and Salutations Everyone!

We just got back from a week on the road in Virginia (12 performances).  We had a fantastic time at NEXCOM, the Navy Exchange’s International Trade Show (kind of like CES, except exclusively for the Navy and Coast Guard), where Game Show America took the Best of Show Award for the 2nd consecutive year.  This year we introduced GSA Squares, which was an even bigger hit than last year’s Corporate Feud.  The big question for us was, “What have you got planned for next year?”

To that question, all I can say at this time is – it’s going to be huge.  We’re going to take our presence at NEXCOM to a whole new level.  We can’t wait to see everyone next August.  Be prepared to have a lot of fun!  A big THANK YOU goes out to National Electronics Warranty for bringing GSA back to this spectacular event.

Stepping away from game shows for a moment, I wanted to share some public speaking news with you.  This fall, I will be once again going to colleges with my keynote presentation, “On Stage, Off Stage…”  Last year, I made my speaking debut at my alma mater, UW-Oshkosh.  A few months after my speech, I was notified that I was the highest rated speaker that semester.  This news told me that I was doing something that the students liked.  Over the summer, I’ve fine-tuned my speech, added some new visuals, and have some wonderful new celebrity stories to share with my audiences.

Matthew King, "On Stage, Off Stage..."

The message behind “On Stage, Off Stage…” is one of responsible communication, customer service, and always being aware of your audience.  Today’s generation uses social media as a real-time autobiography for an up-to-the minute look at everything that happens in their lives.  This can be good and bad.  The question is – do you really want people to know everything that your doing?  It all comes down to responsible communication.  It’s a fun and interactive presentation that includes some of my adventures with celebrities, Game Show America, and personal customer service experiences.  For college students, it’s an inspiring message, and one that so far, has impacted a number of students, inspiring them to employ critical thinking about responsible communication.

If you are responsible for selecting speakers for your college, company, or group, and are interested in learning more about “On Stage, Off Stage…” please email me at events@gsapro.com and put On Stage Off Stage in the subject line.

And now for some exciting Game Show America news…

We are currently building our new Risks and Rewards set, debuting in November at a casino in Wisconsin.  We’ll be posting some photos of the set and technology behind this interactive new show in a future post.  What’s exciting about Risks and Rewards is that it is being filmed for a TV pilot.  Emmy Award winning Videographer and Director, Marv Turner will be heading up our TV crew for these shows.

Risks and Rewards Logo - (c) 2010 - GSA, Inc.

What’s also exciting for Game Show America is that everything from the set aesthetics, to the contestant podiums, to the game software is all being built in-house.  We designed everything new from the ground up to look amazing on television AND in front of a live audience.  Keep checking our blog for more show updates.

And that’s all for this post.  So until next time, keep on playing!

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By Matthew King, August 13, 2010 9:30 am

Greetings and Salutations Everyone!

On August 12th, we had almost every GSA staff member present at a single event.  Typically, we send our teams out in smaller crews of three or four staff, but this production required 12 people.  For the event, there were ten Challenge Stations around the room.  Our client’s group was divided into ten teams, and they rotated their way around the room to compete in the challenges.  Each station required a referee to officiate the challenge.  An emcee facilitated the entire event, and a production technician oversaw all of the computer graphics, music, and sound effects for the event.  It was an absolutely FANTASTIC production that our client stated, “…far exceeded all expectations!”

I couldn’t produce an event like this without a great crew – and the GSA crew is simply the best! THANK YOU to everyone who helped make this event a HUGE SUCCESS!

Matt, Mike, Bill, Markee, Dave, Rick, Tom, Jennifer, Michael, Dan, Mike, and Scottie

In future blogs, there will be a Spotlight Series on a different crew member so our clients can get to know the GSA Team.  The one thing that all of our clients agree upon that makes GSA stand out – our service.  We strive to go above and beyond what our clients expect, which helps us achieve our mission, “Game Show America is committed to providing professional, quality productions and outstanding customer service.  Our goal is to provide our clients with the best game show productions on the planet.”

So to my crew, THANK YOU!!!  It’s truly an honor to work with you, and with a crew like this, it makes going to work A LOT of fun!

Until next time, keep on playing!

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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 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, 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!