#166: From Film Sets to Board Games: Jason Serrato's Bold Move

#166: From Film Sets to Board Games: Jason Serrato's Bold Move

In this episode, we sit down with Jason Serrato, a 20-year veteran film and commercial producer who traded Hollywood sets for tabletop game publishing. Jason shares how skills from the entertainment world, including improvisation, team building, and navigating complex production machinery, translated surprisingly well into the indie board game space. We cover the real trade-offs between licensing your game to a publisher versus self-publishing, the genuine challenges of marketing as an independent creator, and how thoughtful visual design can make games more accessible to all players. Jason also previews two exciting upcoming projects: Cryptopedia, a cryptid-themed card game, and Cantankerous Dogs, a standalone companion to the studio's hit Cantankerous Cats. If you have ever wondered whether a passion for games could become a real business, this episode offers honest perspective and practical inspiration.

#165: From Side Project to Store Shelves: The Drawn Hungry Story

In this episode, Jason Hsieh sits down with Jordan Mishra Johnson, the artist and entrepreneur behind Drawn Hungry, a food-themed card game that blends the spirit of a cooking competition with the social energy of a classic party game. Jordan spent two years and over 1,000 hours illustrating all 320 cards by hand while juggling a career in PR and editorial work. She shares the real story behind her Kickstarter campaign, how she used media pitching to land a feature in Portland Monthly, and how in-person demos at food festivals became her best customer acquisition strategy. Whether you are building a product from scratch or trying to break into retail, this episode is packed with honest lessons on patience, creativity, and building a fan base one person at a time.

#164: Skip the Scale: Build a Game Company Your Way

In this episode, Jason Hsieh sits down with Marc Specter, founder of Grand Gamers Guild and co-winner of the prestigious Kennerspiel des Jahres award for Endeavour Deep Sea. Marc shares how a single trip to Origins Game Fair in 2005 changed the course of his life, eventually leading him to run event teams, found his own convention, and build a publishing company with over 20 titles. The conversation digs into what it really takes to run a lean, successful game company, the difference between chasing growth and building a life you love, and why mentorship might be the most underrated resource in the industry. If you have ever wondered whether you need a big team or big funding to make an impact, Marc's story will make you think again.

#163: From Raw Deal Fan to Game Founder: Steve Resk's 10-Year Journey

In this episode, Jason Hsieh sits down with Steve Resk, co-creator of Super Show the Game, the number one rated wrestling card game of all time on Board Game Geek for ten consecutive years. Steve shares how he and his business partner John Calace built SRG Universe from a few hundred dollars in card art commissions into a beloved brand with over a thousand playable characters and a community so loyal its members show up to each other's weddings. He breaks down the game design philosophy that keeps starter decks competitive, how their annual Grand Gathering event draws over a hundred fans for a full weekend of Royal Rumble tournaments and surprise wrestler appearances, and why they have never spent a dollar on social media ads. If you have ever wondered what it looks like to build a game company people truly love and not just buy from, this episode is for you.

#162: Roll the Dice: Quit Playing It Safe

In this episode, Jason sits down with Chrys Sellers, indie tabletop game designer behind Raccoon Sky Pirates and the upcoming Defy the Gods RPG, to unpack the real lessons behind building in the toy and game space. They cover everything from cancelling a $47K Kickstarter mid-campaign and relaunching it successfully, to discovering why Facebook ads flopped for a niche queer RPG while Tumblr actually moved the needle, to understanding when a platform like Launchboom fits your product and when it doesn't. It all closes with one sharp reminder: center the player experience in everything you make.