What exactly do you do in the industry?

I own and operate All Things Equal, a Miami Beach-based board game company I started in 1997 when I drove around the country for 16 weeks selling my first game, Loaded Questions, out of the trunk of my car.

What is your claim to fame in the industry?

I might be best/infamously known for a 15’ banner I hung at my Toy Fair booth featuring yours truly in Burt Reynolds’s iconic naked centerfold pose with a Loaded Questions game strategically placed to keep me from being arrested.

What are you working on now?

I just launched my new Worst-Case Scenario Card Game and am working on a Loaded Questions Greatest Hits edition to celebrate the brand’s 25th Anniversary.

What words do live by?

“It’s just a game, man.” - The Dude, The Big Lebowski

How did you settle on your company name?

My company name, All Things Equal, has three meanings::

(1) I believe all people are equal;

(2) When I first started selling games in 1997, I was told there was no way to compete with the larger game companies. I pictured a level playing field where "all things are equal”.;

(3) All my games are equally great!

What’s a problem you’re still trying to solve?

There are actually three problems I’m currently trying to solve:

(1) How to get games from my overseas factory to my warehouse quicker;

(2) How to stay in shape;

(3) How to navigate the emotions of my two teenage daughters.

How do you recharge or take a break?

I enjoy the great outdoors- kayak, paddleboard, tennis, frisbee, swim, run, walk, the beach, etc.

Are you the creator of Awkward Family Photos and how do you get all those pictures?

I am not the creator of Awkward Family Photos! But, I invented two successful games around the brand and forged a lasting license agreement with the two guys who were smart enough to start the brand. AwkwardFamilyPhotos.com receives thousands of photo submissions from families across the globe every year. Many of those images are licensed for consumer products, like the Awkward Family Photos games I started selling in 2013.

What is the last time you did something for the first time?

My younger daughter and I did e-foiling (the electric surfboard that hovers over the water). It was awesome…and I have the bruises to prove it.

What was your favorite toy or game as a child?

I collected baseball cards and loved Stretch Armstrong, card games and Match Box Cars. Today, my Funko Pop collection helps keeps me young.

What was your life like growing up?

I grew up playing sports, collecting baseball cards, playing games with my family, and watching as much Diff’rent Strokes, Welcome Back Kotter, Family Ties (and other sitcoms) as possible.

What is your favorite night out?

An always funny/entertaining game of Hearts with my wife and daughters followed by a great movie or a stand-up comedy special is my idea of a great night. If we were post-Covid and I actually dragged myself out of the house, I would hope to find myself at a great comedy club or a fun concert.

Who is the person you most admire?

I most admire the game buyers /owners of every major retail chain and specialty store in North America. (To whoever is reading this: Please forward this Q&A to every buyer /store owner you know.)

What’s your favorite TV show?

I currently love Dave (Lil Dicky’s show). In terms of all time, I love Chappelle Show, Game of Thrones, Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul, Key & Peele, and It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia.

Do you have any kiddos?

I have two teenage daughters who play-test all my new games, including Major Woody’s Wild Foursomes and Happy Endings. (Please don’t judge…and don’t call child services.)

Do you have any guilty pleasures?

I often enjoy a little Bailey’s in my coffee.  

What’s the first thing you usually notice about people?

Their face. (I have a terrible sense of smell.)

Do you have any special talents?

I can eat tacos on command.

Everything would have been different if…

I invented Monopoly, Exploding Kittens, Cards Against Humanity, Settlers of Catan, and What Do You Meme.