Casey Karls, Co-Pilot of Wilder Games on Impractical Jokers and More!
What advice can you give to young entrepreneurs who are working on a new toy or game idea?
More than anything, you need to be relentless. Don't get caught up in the obstacles in front of you. You have to find a way around them. Most things aren't impossible, listen to yourself and carry on.
What was your life like growing up and how did that influence who you are today?
Our family is wild. Growing up we were never allowed to go on vacations with our cousins because our parents were worried we would all get arrested. Not for anything really bad or illegal, but because we would do ridiculous things together like pranking strangers, jumping off rooftops, or hamburger eating competitions. Each one of the cousins fueled the others, and together we were an invincible force. Just like the Impractical Jokers, we would compete in challenges to embarrass each other ... As fate would have it, 25 years later, here I am a co-founder of a game company and making a licensed game with the Impractical Jokers. It is a DREAM COME TRUE. (FYI for fans, the game is out now at Target and on Amazon.)
What’s your workspace setup like?
We call it The Playground. It's kind of like Dude Perfect's office set up but with a budget of $ 0.00. So imagine a giant empty warehouse with unfinished walls and nothing else inside but fun. The space gives us the ability to really spread out, and use our creativity to develop some epic games and wild activities. We race around on scooters (the old school kind), and have a giant mini putt hole. We took one corner of the warehouse and set up a "disco bowling alley" using pins and balls from our new game Gutterball releasing this fall. We then took a $12.99 disco ball from amazon, turned off the lights and voila our "office" is transformed into a disco bowling alley.
What’s a problem you’re still trying to solve?
The boring Saturday night. Wilder is here to reintroduce you to the fun you used to have. As adults, most of us are stuck in our routines and Wilder is here to break that with out-of-the-box ideas on our blog and epic party games.
How do you jumpstart your creativity when you find yourself stalled on a project?
Not sure these techniques will work for others, but I use mind maps and giant rolls of paper to lay out my thoughts. I also run 9 minutes a day every 3 days. If that doesn't work, I try to get out of the city and go on a canoe ride or something.
Are you named after anyone?
No, but Wilder Games our company is named after my son Henry Wilder.
What’s next?
Stay tuned over the next two months for 3 more insane party games released. They are sizzling hot so watch out. For more information, visit our website!
