Hidden Role: The Brains Behind Your Favorite Games

Robert "Bob" Fuhrer is for the toy industry what a producer is for the film industry; a mastermind who brings together creatives, engineers, and business minds to put out incredible toy products. In today's episode, he shares stories from his incredible career and advice for anyone who wants to succeed in the industry. --- Check out Nextoy: https://www.nextoy.com/ --- Hidden Role Podcast is also available on most major podcast networks! https://linktr.ee/hiddenrole --- Visit our website and sign up for our newsletter to get a sneak peak at our upcoming guests: https://www.hiddenrolepodcast.com/ --- Have an idea for someone who should appear on the show? Leave a comment below OR make a suggestion at: https://www.hiddenrolepodcast.com/suggestions

Adam Hocherman, AKA "Hock," shares his journey from tech, to business owner, to the toy and game industry. Hock has done it all, from invention, to product development, to manufacturing, to inventor relations. He's got his finger on the pulse of toys and games and gives us expert insights into how the industry has changed... and where it might be heading.

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Adam can be reached at his LinkedIn profile:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamhocherman/

--- Check out People of Play! https://peopleofplay.com/ --- Hidden Role Podcast is also available on most major podcast networks! https://linktr.ee/hiddenrole --- Visit our website and sign up for our newsletter to get a sneak peak at our upcoming guests: https://www.hiddenrolepodcast.com/ --- Have an idea for someone who should appear on the show? Leave a comment below OR make a suggestion at: https://www.hiddenrolepodcast.com/suggestions

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Dougal Grimes, the President of Inventor Relations and Innovation at Spin Master, has a vast knowledge of the toy and game space. Keith Grimes, Digital Health & Innovation Consultant, is an expert panelist on Artificial Intelligence. United, they are the "Brothers Grimes!" Though they're experts in different fields, they've come together to discuss their lifelong bonding over play and competition, and how artificial intelligence might change game development in the very near future....

--- Check out People of Play! https://peopleofplay.com/ --- Hidden Role Podcast is also available on most major podcast networks! https://linktr.ee/hiddenrole --- Visit our website and sign up for our newsletter to get a sneak peak at our upcoming guests: https://www.hiddenrolepodcast.com/ --- Have an idea for someone who should appear on the show? Leave a comment below OR make a suggestion at: https://www.hiddenrolepodcast.com/suggestions

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Karri Bean, Senior Manager, LEGO at Disney Consumer Products, shares the secret of leading with empathy, hilarious stories from her travels to Denmark, and how she oversees all the Disney franchises to transform them into iconic LEGO sets. --- Check out People of Play! https://peopleofplay.com/ --- Hidden Role Podcast is also available on most major podcast networks! https://linktr.ee/hiddenrole --- Visit our website and sign up for our newsletter to get a sneak peak at our upcoming guests: https://www.hiddenrolepodcast.com/ --- Have an idea for someone who should appear on the show? Leave a comment below OR make a suggestion at: https://www.hiddenrolepodcast.com/suggestions

In today's episode, Elizabeth Hargrave, the award-winning game designer behind Wingspan (the international sensation!), shares her game design philosophy, the story of the game's development, as well as the science behind her upcoming game, Undergrove. --- The Kickstarter for Undergrove launches in early November. Learn more and follow the launch: https://www.alderac.com/undergrove/ https://www.elizhargrave.com/games/undergrove --- Elizabeth is speaking at Hasbro's Women Innovators of Play on September 12. Register to attend the free virtual event: https://spark.hasbro.com/womeninnovators --- Visit Elizabeth's website and sign up for her newsletter: https://www.elizhargrave.com/

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Visit our website and sign up for our newsletter to get a sneak peak at our upcoming guests:

https://www.hiddenrolepodcast.com/

Have an idea for someone who should appear on the show? Leave a comment below OR make a suggestion at:

https://www.hiddenrolepodcast.com/suggestions

When Tom Dusenberry was the CEO of Hasbro Interactive, he negotiated the purchases of some of the today's biggest toy and game brands, from companies like Atari, Wizards of the Coast and Avalon HIll, to video games like Rollercoaster Tycoon. In today's episode, Tom gives us his insight from decades in the industry, including the secret of what makes a successful toy or game....

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Dusenberry Entertainment:

http://www.dusenberryentertainment.com/

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Visit our website and sign up for our newsletter to get a sneak peak at our upcoming guests:

https://www.hiddenrolepodcast.com/

Have an idea for someone who should appear on the show? Leave a comment below OR make a suggestion at:

https://www.hiddenrolepodcast.com/suggestions

Dive into the world of print on demand board game publishing with JT Smith, the wizard behind The Game Crafter. From prototyping to playtesting to publishing, JT gives us insights into the creator economy and how The Game Crafter is a powerful tool for both new and veteran game designers. --- Check out The Game Crafter: https://www.thegamecrafter.com/ --- Design game assets using automation with Component Studio: https://component.studio/ --- Learn more about Protospiel: https://tabletop.events/conventions/protospiel-madison-2023 https://tabletop.events/protospiel/home --- Follow The Game Crafter on their socials: https://www.youtube.com/thegamecrafter https://www.instagram.com/thegamecrafter/ https://www.reddit.com/r/TheGameCrafter/ https://www.facebook.com/thegamecrafter https://discord.com/invite/zA8gCrF

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Visit our website and sign up for our newsletter to get a sneak peak at our upcoming guests:

https://www.hiddenrolepodcast.com/

Have an idea for someone who should appear on the show? Leave a comment below OR make a suggestion at:

https://www.hiddenrolepodcast.com/suggestions

After many years in the toy and game industry, Scott Brown and Tim Swindle have teamed up to bring a brand new sport into the world... PaddleSmash! In this episode, we gain some fantastic insight into the challenges and thrills of launching a brand new product from inception to launch.

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Check out PaddleSmash:

https://paddlesmash.com/

https://youtu.be/azMf1g6Th9U

Follow PaddleSmash:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-NvHdB6xAhUZeNytDH87Ng

https://www.tiktok.com/@paddlesmash

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Visit our website and sign up for our newsletter to get a sneak peak at our upcoming guests:

https://www.hiddenrolepodcast.com/

Have an idea for someone who should appear on the show? Leave a comment below OR make a suggestion at:

https://www.hiddenrolepodcast.com/suggestions

Daryl is well known for traveling to most Toy and Game conventions every year, and in today's episode he tells us why attending conventions has been integral to his career as a board game designer. He breaks down why both inventors and companies benefit from attending conventions and gives advice on traversing the convention circuit to pitch your toy and game idea.

Keep up with Daryl:

https://twitter.com/darylmandrews https://www.facebook.com/darylandrews

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Visit our website and sign up for our newsletter to get a sneak peak at our upcoming guests:

https://www.hiddenrolepodcast.com/

Have an idea for someone who should appear on the show? Leave a comment below OR make a suggestion at:

https://www.hiddenrolepodcast.com/suggestions

Check out Paper Bag Creative: https://paperbagcreative.fun/

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Visit our website and sign up for our newsletter to get a sneak peak at our upcoming guests:

https://www.hiddenrolepodcast.com/

Have an idea for someone who should appear on the show? Leave a comment below OR make a suggestion at:

https://www.hiddenrolepodcast.com/suggestions