Exploding Kittens: Elan Lee. How cat-themed Russian Roulette changed game night forever

Exploding Kittens: Elan Lee. How cat-themed Russian Roulette changed game night forever

Exploding Kittens began as a jerry-rigged version of Russian Roulette — a deck of cards hastily modified with a Sharpie. But what happened next is one of the most improbable success stories in the creator economy: a $10,000 Kickstarter goal that ballooned into nearly $9 million, a community that rewrote the rules of crowdfunding, and a company that has now sold over 60 million card and board games.

Co-founder Elan Lee shares the story behind Exploding Kittens — from dismantling his brother’s toys as a kid, to helping design Halo, to walking away from Microsoft…twice. He reveals how burnout, curiosity, and an obsession with interactive storytelling set the stage for one of the most successful game launches of all time.

This is a story about the genius behind good marketing, and how creative storytelling can build a cult-like audience — without spending millions.

If you’ve ever wondered how a strange idea becomes a global phenomenon — this is that story.


WHAT YOU’LL LEARN:

  • How burnout can be a creative turning point
  • How a Sharpie and a deck of cards can unlock breakthrough ideas
  • The storytelling strategy that powered one of Kickstarter’s biggest launches
  • How to treat your fans like collaborators, not just customers
  • Why marketing should feel like play
  • Unit economics to die for: make it for $2, sell it for $20
  • How to power through the threat of a one-hit-wonder


TIMESTAMPS:

  • 00:08:30 — The physics teacher who changed Elan’s life
  • 00:10:35 — How Elan touched up the floating door scene in Titanic
  • 00:13:03 — “You’re the worst program manager I’ve ever seen” — and the pivot to game design
  • 00:15:33 — Meeting Spielberg, riffing on the movie AI, and inventing a new kind of storytelling
  • 00:21:42 — Promoting Halo 2 with payphones
  • 00:31:35 — The Hawaii getaway that sparked Exploding Kittens
  • 00:42:12 — The Kickstarter launch: most backers on record
  • 00:48:42 — Suddenly a real company — 700,000 decks and a manufacturing crisis
  • 00:53:45 — Marketing genius: a kitty-cat vending machine that dispensed burritos and more
  • 01:00:58 — New games that bombed — the one-hit-wonder dread
  • 01:07:04 — Throw Throw Burrito, and the road to stability
  • 01:19:05 — Elan’s 4-year-old daughter helps design new games
  • 01:30:31 — Small Business Spotlight


Hey—want to be a guest on HIBT?

If you’re building a business, why not get advice from some of the greatest entrepreneurs on Earth?

Every Thursday on the HIBT Advice Line, a previous HIBT guest helps new entrepreneurs work through the challenges they’re facing right now. Advice that’s smart, actionable, and absolutely free.

Just call 1-800-433-1298, leave a message, and you may soon get guidance from someone who started where you did, and went on to build something massive.

So—give us a call.

We can’t wait to hear what you’re working on.


This episode was produced by Sam Paulson with music composed by Ramtin Arablouei. It was edited by Neva Grant with research help from Noor Gill. Our engineers were Maggie Luthar and Kwesi Lee.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Jaksot(792)

Dermalogica: Jane Wurwand

Dermalogica: Jane Wurwand

Jane Wurwand moved to Los Angeles with a suitcase and a beauty school diploma. She started what would become Dermalogica, an international beauty empire that set the standard for skin care. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

24 Loka 201638min

Airbnb: Joe Gebbia

Airbnb: Joe Gebbia

A chance encounter with a stranger gave Joe Gebbia an idea to help pay his rent. That idea turned into Airbnb — a company that now has more rooms than the biggest hotel chain in the world. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

17 Loka 201641min

VICE: Suroosh Alvi

VICE: Suroosh Alvi

Suroosh Alvi was a recovering addict when he started a scrappy underground magazine in Montreal. It grew into VICE Media — a multi-billion dollar company that has shaken up the world of journalism. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

10 Loka 201635min

Clif Bar: Gary Erickson

Clif Bar: Gary Erickson

Gary Erickson asked his mom, "Can you make a cookie without butter, sugar or oil?" The result was Clif Bar, an energy bar named after his dad — now one of the most popular energy bars in the U.S. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

3 Loka 201627min

Radio One: Cathy Hughes

Radio One: Cathy Hughes

As a kid, Cathy Hughes practiced her DJ routine while her siblings banged on the bathroom door. As an adult, she founded Radio One, the country's largest African-American owned broadcasting company. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

26 Syys 201631min

Instagram: Kevin Systrom & Mike Krieger

Instagram: Kevin Systrom & Mike Krieger

Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger launched their photo-sharing app with a server that crashed every other hour. Despite a chaotic start, Instagram became one of the most popular apps in the world. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

19 Syys 201628min

Spanx: Sara Blakely

Spanx: Sara Blakely

At 27, Sara Blakely was selling fax machines and desperate to reinvent her life. So she came up with Spanx — hosiery that eliminates panty lines — and set to work building her business. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

12 Syys 201626min

Introducing: How I Built This with Guy Raz

Introducing: How I Built This with Guy Raz

Guy Raz interviews the world’s best-known entrepreneurs to learn how they built their iconic brands. In each episode, founders reveal deep, intimate moments of doubt and failure, and share insights on their eventual success. How I Built This is a master-class on innovation, creativity, leadership and how to navigate challenges of all kinds.New episodes on Mondays and Thursdays for free. Listen 1-week early and to all episodes ad-free on Wondery+. Join Wondery+ in the Wondery App or on Apple Podcasts.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

2 Syys 20161min

Suosittua kategoriassa Liike-elämä ja talous

sijotuskasti
psykopodiaa-podcast
rss-rahapodi
mimmit-sijoittaa
ostan-asuntoja-podcast
lakicast
rss-lahtijat
rss-laakispodi
oppimisen-psykologia
rss-bisnesta-bebeja
inderespodi
rss-neuvottelija-sami-miettinen
yrittaja
yrittaja-markkinoi
rss-yrita-oikein
rss-myynti-ei-ole-kirosana
rss-sensuroimaton-kukkonen-kausi-3
rss-paasipodi
rss-yrittajan-mindset
rss-metsanomistaja-podcast