Room Escape Artist

Show Notes

The show notes include the the episode summary, links to resources mentioned in the episode, the guest’s bio, and of course, the link to listen.

Season 10

• Episode 11: Yannick Trapman-O’Brien & Lyra Levin Play BLOT
• Episode 10: Comedy, Rap, and Crosswords: The Crossword Show with Zach Sherwin
• Episode 9: Disney Legend Imagineer Doris Hardoon
• Episode 8: The PuzzleTales of PostCurious with Rita Orlov & Lauren Bello
• Episode 7: The Best Escape Room in the World: Jonathan Driscoll and Sacha St. Denis of Escaparium
• Episode 6:  Play as Learning: Breakout EDU with Adam Bellow
• Episode 5: Ambitious and Unhinged: Stephen & Stevie Kristof of 60 to Escape
• Episode 4: Jim “The Oz” Olivia, The World’s Largest Trivia Contest
• Episode 3: Will & Kim Rutherford, Escape Artist Greenville
• Episode 2: Barry Joseph: Matching Minds with Sondheim
• Episode 1: Will Shortz, The Puzzle Master

Pre-Season for Season 10

• Spoilers Club Special Release: You’ll Never Experience This: The Nightmare of Eveline Shadow
• REPOD Special Release: S9 Best of Bonus Aftershow
• REPOD Special Release: S9 Key Moments, Editor’s Choice by Steve Ewing
• Bonus Content: Special Release from S9E6: Steven Medway, Creator of Blood on the Clocktower
• REPOD Special Release: Aurelius Whitlock’s Murder Mystery Museum’s Death of a Swinger And Other Mysteries (ft Reality Escape Pod)

Season 9

• Episode 12: Lockhill – Designing for Chaos
• Episode 11: Top Takeaways from 100 Episodes of REPOD
• Episode 10: Untangling Quantum Mechanics – Paul Kwiat of LabEscape
• Episode 9: Ye Olden Days of Escape Rooms with Amanda Harris
• Episode 8: The Rise of the Golden Idol, Color Gray Games
• Episode 7: Reinventing the Game, Omescape Sunnyvale
• Episode 6: Steven Medway, Creator of Blood on the Clocktower
• Episode 5: MyssTic Rooms: Challenges, Constraints & Creativity
• Episode 4: Magical Underworld of NYC, Great Gotham Challenge
• Episode 3: Mama Bazooka: Finding Your Muse
• Episode 2: Empirically Impossible: Neil Patrick Harris & Jonathan Bayme, Box Two
• Episode 1: MIT Mystery Hunt: James Douberley, Benevolent Dictator of Death & Mayhem

Pre-Season for Season 9

• REPOD Special Release: David on The ESCAPUZZLED Podcast
• REPOD Special Release: Season 8 Key Moments: Editor’s Choice by Steve Ewing
• REPOD Special Release: Imaginary Worlds: Unlocking the Door Between Escape Rooms and Immersive Theater
• Bonus Content: Special Release from S8E8: The Escape Ventures
• Throwback: CU Adventures S1E4 (ft. Anne & Chris Lukeman)
• PG’s Playhouse E3: Roadside Attractions (ft. CU Adventures)
• PG’s Playhouse E2:Y2K-The Apocalypse That Never Happened (ft. Tommy Honton)
• PG’s Playhouse E1: Is Die Hard a Christmas Movie? (ft. Tommy Honton)

Season 8

• Episode 12: The Wonder Factory: Francine Boon & Victor van Doorn of Sherlocked 
• Episode 11: Life Lessons from 3,000 Escape Rooms: Sera Dodd
• Episode 10: Elegance in Puzzles: Sandy Weisz, The Mystery League
• Episode 9: Mechanical Puzzles: Oskar van Deventer
• Episode 8: Move Fast & Make Things: The Escape Ventures
• Episode 7: Audience of One: Yannick Trapman-O’Brien, Creator of Undersigned
• Episode 6: Celebrating Ten Years of Room Escape Artist 
• Episode 5: Epic & Engrossing: Jeroen van Hasselt, Co-Creator of Demise of the Gricers
• Episode 4: Comedy & Collaboration: Brooke Breit, Creative Director at Jackbox Games
• Episode 3: The User-Centric Design of Boxaroo with Fro Myers
• Episode 2: Puzzles & Prestidigitation: Magician David Kwong
• Episode 1: Exploding Onto Netflix: Elan Lee

Pre-Season for Season 8

• Bonus Content: Escape Room Adventures Summer Bonus Preview
• REPOD Special Release: Peih-Gee Law on Brentfast, Episode 100
• Bonus Content: Special Release from S7E7: Michael Borys of 49 Boxes
• Spoilers Club Special Release: Leaked! Sleep No More Part 1
• REPOD Special Release: Season 7 Key Moments, Editor’s Choice by Steve Ewing
• REPOD Special Release: The Wicker Plan – David & Peih-Gee on The Infinite Escape Room

Season 7

• Episode 12: Dreaming & Betting Big: Terry Pettigrew-Rolapp & Tommy Wallach of Hatch Escapes
• Episode 11: Everything Immersive: Noah Nelson of No Proscenium
• Episode 10: Unlocking the Secrets of RECON LA with Lee-Fay Low and Theresa Wagner
• Episode 9: Captain of Heartfelt Shenanigans: Andy Crocker, Immersive Performance Director
• Episode 8: Influential and Experimental: Luke & Madison Rhoades of Cross Roads Escape Games
• Episode 7: Game Design is Magic: Michael Borys of The 49 Boxes
• Episode 6: Engineering Fun: Al & Stacy Delcome of Confusion Escapes
• Episode 5: The Secrets of Wild Heart Ranch: Blake Hodges-Koch & Thomas Meston
• Episode 4: Design From the Heart with Jason & Marketa Richard of Steal and Escape
• Episode 3: Kooky and Creative Networking: Brett Jackson, Creator of Imagi-Ne’er Do-Wells
• Episode 2: Dystopian Desert Dreams: Jared Butler, Creator of Wasteland Weekend & Neotropolis
• Episode 1: Quirky & Compelling: The Ministry of Peculiarities with Adam Moody, Jonathan Berk, and Benjamin Berk

Pre-Season for Season 7

• REPOD Special Release: Peih-Gee’s Playhouse, The LA Edition
• REPOD Special Release: Season 6 Key Moments, Editor’s Choice by Steve Ewing
• REPOD Special Release: The Mind Behind the Who Killed Ickey Treasure Hunt, John Bromels
• Spoilers Club Preview: Peek Behind the Curtain
• Bonus Content: Special Release from S6E3: Going Viral with Christine Barger

Season 6

• Episode 13: Inside the Puzzler Podcast with A.J. Jacobs and Greg Pliska
• Episode 12: Wood, Wire, & Whimsy— Mike Dold and Rick George of Doldrick’s
• Episode 11: The Art of Game Flow with Summer Herrick of Locurio
• Episode 10: The Magic of Maximalism with Lonnie Hanzon of Camp Christmas
• Episode 9: Advent of Code: 25 Days of Programming Puzzles with Creator Eric Wastl
• Episode 8: The Puzzling Adventures of Master Word Nerd Eric Berlin
• Episode 7: The Analytics of Fun—Great Escape Room Design with Marie Huber and Nico César, Owners of Red Fox Escapes
• Episode 6: Nutcracker in Swing Time—Kellian & Brian Pletcher, Creators of Club Drosselmeyer
• Episode 5: Halloween Spooktacular Special
• Episode 4: Hey Riddle Riddle Plays The Shop of Theseus
• Episode 3: Pics or It Didn’t Happen with Christine Barger, The Haunt Girl
• Episode 2: Hard With Pain: Rich Bragg, Creator of TERPECA
• Episode 1: Replayability & Branching Narratives with Christian Vernon and Zac MacKrell, Creators of Doors of Divergence

Pre-Season for Season 6

• Bonus Content: RECON Remote 23 Recap
• Guest Appearance: REPOD Special Release: SAW(LVE) Hey Riddle Riddle with Peih-Gee Law
• Spoilers Club Special Release: Exclusive Behind-the-Scenes Commentary from Not Another Escape Room’s Time Machine
• Guest Appearance: REPOD Special Release: Road to Reality with Peih-Gee Law
• Bonus Content: Theme Park Edition: Galaxy’s Edge, DASH, and… The Unhinged Rise of Mayor Law at Ghost Town Alive

Season 5

• Episode 12: Optimizing Throughput: Matthew DuPlessie, Founder & CEO of Level99 & 5 Wits
• Episode 11: Golden Lock Grand Slam: Game Designer Mark Larson
• Episode 10: Stick to Your Guns: Taylor Pfyffer and Josh Skidmore from The Exit Games
• Episode 9: Wishes and Well-Wishes: Celebrating 50 Episodes of REPOD with David Spira and Peih-Gee Law
• Episode 8: Boundless Escapes: The Vast Worlds of Escape This Podcast with Bill Sunderland and Dani Siller
• Episode 7: The Widest Audience Possible: Sina Bahram, Inclusive Design Consultant
• Episode 6: Step Into the Darkverse: Gijs Geers, CEO and Head of Design at DarkPark
• Episode 5: Putting the Fun in Fungi – Joel Head from Headlock Escape Rooms
• Episode 4: You Are All Terrible: Advice from Magician & Comedian Harrison Greenbaum
• Episode 3: Leroux Botha, Executive Producer of Survivor South Africa
• Episode 2: Nurturing the Experience Economy with Farm-to-Spaceship: Linda Klein and Brian Corrigan
• Episode 1: Groundbreaking Immersive with Nick Moran, Co-Creator of Phantom Peak

Pre-Season for Season 5

• Bonus Content: Special Release: S4E4 Bonus Episode – Alexander Gierholz from Logic Locks
• Guest Appearance: Nerding Out with David Spira and Riley Stock: REPOD goes on The Community Board Game Show
• Recap: REPOD Season 4 – Key Moments: Editor’s Choice by Steve Ewing

Season 4

• Episode 12: Season Wrap Up: Reflecting on a Season of Global Guests
• Episode 11: The Struggle for Greatness: Lukas Rauscher of Crime Runners, Austria
• Episode 10: Digging for a Pony: David Spigner, CEO of Boda Borg, Sweden(ish)
• Episode 9: Ukrainian Resilience: Tasha Tarkhanova, creator of Project Avatar, Ukraine
• Episode 8: Expansion & Hospitality: Mark Flint, CEO of The Escape Game, USA
• Episode 7: Fandoms & Foodies: Prolific Escape Room Designer Gai Bosco, Israel
• Episode 6: Blacklights and Blindsides: Dino Paulo, Survivor South Africa and owner of Hinthunt Africa
• Episode 5: Epic Proportions: Jonathan Driscoll and Sacha St.Denis, owners of Escaparium, Canada
• Episode 4: Holistic Game Design: Alexander Gierholz, creator of Amsterdam Catacombs, Netherlands
• Episode 3: The Doctor & The Alchemist: Creative Game Mechanics with Leanne Yong and Aaron Hooper of Next Level Escape, Australia
• Episode 2: Paradox Project, Greece: Dimitris Varelas and the Three Hour Escape Room
• Episode 1: Reconnecting with RECON

Season 3

• Episode 12: RECON Boston 22: All About the Reality Escape Convention
• Episode 11: The Puzzler: Best-Selling Author A.J. Jacobs
• Episode 10: Environmental Storytelling: Jeff Leinenveber and Jarrett Lantz Creators of The Nest
• Episode 9: The Mailbag Episode
• Episode 8: Chris Waters: The Architect of Constructed Adventures
• Episode 7: Adrenaline Mapping and Escape Room Design with Tommy Honton, creator of Stash House
• Episode 6: Hillary Manning: Puzzle Design Expert on Create The Escape
• Episode 5: Matt Leacock: Creator of Pandemic
• Episode 4: The Nerd Whisperer: Gabby Pascuzzi of Survivor David vs. Goliath
• Episode 3: Interactive Narrative: Kathryn Yu of No Proscenium
• Episode 2: Pushing Boundaries Safely: Johanna Koljonen & Nordic Larp
• Episode 1: Art Meets Gameplay at Immersia Escape Games

Season 2

• Episode 8: The Cinematic Delusions of Jon Braver
• Episode 7: The Puzzletales of Rita Orlov, creator of The Light in the Mist
• Episode 6: Puppets, Haunts, & Pranks—Brian Corbitt, Creator of Miss Jezebel
• Episode 5: RECON Rising: A Look Behind the Scenes at the Reality Escape Convention
• Episode 4: The King of Smash – Ken Hoang on Competitive Gaming
• Episode 3: Creative Alchemy: Sarah Zhang & The Pursuit of the Assassin Artist
• Episode 2: Nick Moran: Reinventing Escape Games with Innovative Structures
• Episode 1: The Curious Mind of Neil Patrick Harris, Creator of Box One

Season 1

• Episode 8: Season Finale Wrap Up with Room Escape Artist Puppetmaster: Lisa Spira
• Episode 7: Chris Lattner: The Gordon Ramsay of Escape Rooms
• Episode 6: Anthony Robinson on Immersion, Larp, & Survivor
• Episode 5: Six Artists & One Programmer – Barry Meade on Creating The Room
• Episode 4: Escape Room Storytelling Through Spectacle, CU Adventures Anne & Chris Lukeman
• Episode 3: Juliana Moreno Patel and Ariel Rubin (Wild Optimists, Escape Room in a Box)
• Episode 2: Survivor Challenge Consultant Myles Nye (Wise Guys Events)
• Episode 1: Trailblazing Game Designer Elan Lee (ARG, Exploding Kittens)
• Episode 0: Blastoff! Room Escape Pod Launch 🚀

About REPOD

Welcome to The Reality Escape Pod, your lifeline when you need a getaway from the real world.

With this Podcast, your hosts David Spira & Peih-Gee Law explore immersive gaming from all angles, alongside guests with incredible experience in this realm.

Our guests have made awesome stuff: ARGs, puzzle hunts, tabletop games, and of course, escape rooms… to name a few. Our aim is to bring together different segments of the gaming world and share ideas between them.

Co-Hosts

The Reality Escape Pod is brought to you by co-hosts David Spira and Peih-Gee Law.

Room Escape Artist readers already know David. He’s one half of the driving force behind REA. They likely know Peih-Gee as well. She started writing for REA as a Hivemind reviewer early in 2020, and she hosted the Q&A sessions for RECON ‘20 Global.

David and Peih-Gee met, appropriately enough, when they both appeared as guests on No Proscenium’s podcast to discuss immersive gaming and Survivor (which Peih-Gee considers the world’s greatest immersive game). Peih-Gee is a former two-time contestant on Survivor and also an enthusiastic ambassador for the immersive gaming community.

In the course of working together on REA and RECON, David and Peih-Gee enjoyed countless conversations about the escape room industry, trading war stories and opinions on everything escape room related. And then it clicked… these conversations were the foundation of the podcast David had been eyeing.

Structure

The Reality Escape Pod is produced as a season of episodes. Each podcast is a structured 45-75 minute interview with a knowledgeable guest.

While in-season, episodes are released once a week for free wherever you listen to podcasts.

Bonus companion episodes (for each weekly episode!) are available exclusively for REA Patreon backers.

In addition to our episode sponsors, we are also supported by our listeners, many of whom back us on Patreon. We are so thankful for the support from our Patreon community. Please consider joining.