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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, 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, 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 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…

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By Matthew King, February 24, 2010 10:44 am

Greetings and Salutations Everyone!

It’s been an absolutely crazy February so far this year, so no complaints, all things considered.  We came back from Denver at the end of January, then it was off to Vegas for a huge event for Dell Computer, held at the new ARIA Casino and Resort inside the new City Center (Aria is a must-see next time you are in Vegas), and we just returned from New Jersey, trekking through some pretty horrible weather, although Iowa was definitely worse on the way to Denver.

This week we are continuing construction of our Bank or Bust casino promotion (more details on this coming soon), and are putting the finishing touches on our new GSA Squares software, which is scheduled to debut mid-April.  We’ve also just finished constructing our new 30-foot set that is making it’s inaugural voyage to Texas at the end of this month.  This new set will be part of many of our game show productions.  Pictures will be posted from our Texas event in a future blog.

And for our final item in this post – GSA is proud to announce the opening of our new west coast office in West Covina, California.  Our Wisconsin office is in the perfect location for shows in the Midwest and on the East Coast; and we already have a warehouse in Las Vegas.  Because of our involvement with Shuffle Up and Deal, we needed a location on the west coast that we could call home.  This will benefit our west coast corporate and casino clients, as it will minimize the amount of travel required for GSA to get to their events.

So…that will do it for this post.  Like I said, it’s been crazy around here – and that’s a good thing.  Last year we were on the road almost 200 days.  This year looks to be about the same, and with that much traveling there’s always a story – which means plenty of things you’ll be able to read about in our blog.

That’s all for now…so until next time, keep on playing!