It’s been a wild year. Filsinger Games is getting more and more exposure in the media and this is quite gratifying after over two decades of being in business.It’s another one of those overnight success stories that aren’t overnight at all but a long time in the making. It took a lot of blood, sweat and tears to get here but also a lot of fun.
I’ve been asked to be a guest on several radio shows and podcasts and I love talking about the history of Filsinger Games. We’ve posted links to some of these interviews at this site, but keep in mind there will be a test afterwards! Go here for the media links.
There’s a new one coming soon: An interview for a new web series called Chautauqua Tonight created by Paul Schermerhorn and the merry band of wild folks at the Spire in Jamestown. I support Paul’s vision of a web series focusing on the interesting things happening in Chautauqua county and I’m honored to be the main guest on his inaugural show. I’m also part of a crazy skit during the show so it’ll be a lot of fun and a chance for Paul and company to get their feet wet. I hope the series is a smash success!
Most interviewers ask me questions about my game company and upcoming releases but the part that winds up being the most fun for both of us is telling stories.
There’s the story I’ve told dozens of times but never tire of about how the games were developed in my boring math class in high school and how the page numbers of the math textbook became my dice rolls. Then on to the story of how I tried to sell the game to the WWE (then the WWF) in the 1980s, nearly meeting Vince McMahon in the process.
I’ve told many stories about the wrestlers who’ve worked with my company over the years and the crazy things that happened with them at conventions including the feud caught on video between Nikolai Volkoff and comedian Andy Malonakis at our table in Pittsburgh; or the time I had to chase down an inebriated Hacksaw Jim Duggan and tear him away from “the man who invented Monopoly” to play game tournaments with fans in Columbus, Ohio. That’s to say nothing of trying to stop the Iron Sheik from destroying everyone and everything in his path at a convention in Detroit when a huge bar tab for all the fun and merriment came due.
Sometimes people want to hear stories about my business association and friendship with Stan Lee and there’s plenty there also. It’s been an honor to work closely with a cultural icon and my all-time hero. That’s to say nothing of the wild time when I met Julie Newmar of Catwoman fame from the classic Batman TV show. She dumped Batman in Ohio to spend time with the Dark Menace.
What’s an interview without stories? I remember reading a book by a famous lawyer, Gerry Spence, who won many high-profile cases, and he said the secret of his success was weaving his cases into good stories. People get bored hearing facts heaped upon facts. A good story is the glue that holds it all together and gives people something to relate to or at least remember.
So I’m going to be out there spreading the word! It’s great that more people are noticing our wonderful little niche and seeing how much fun we’re having!
You’re invited, everyone is invited! The game room is open and the dice are hot!
