Transcript
Speaker: Thanks for tuning in to the Loser Kid Pinball Podcast.
Speaker: We're on episode 61 with me, my co-host as always.
Speaker: Scott Larson.
Speaker: And it has been a minute.
Speaker: We've been kind of slacking lately.
Speaker: Scott, what's up with this?
Speaker: Well, okay.
Speaker: This was mainly my fault.
Speaker: I actually took a vacation with the family.
Speaker: And so that was what was going on there.
Speaker: Well, then I took a vacation with the family right at the end of the vacation with your family.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: And it was kind of awkward that you were like on my family vacation.
Speaker: But other than that, you know, it kind of worked out.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: Not only partners in pinball, but partners in family vacations.
Speaker: Okay.
Speaker: So that really didn't happen.
Speaker: But yeah, no, it's just summertime gets a little crazy, as we all know.
Speaker: We're all trying to get our things in.
Speaker: So I appreciate people coming back.
Speaker: And a few people have messaged us and said, sorry, you ended the podcast.
Speaker: And we're like, that's not really happening.
Speaker: But anyway.
Speaker: Stop believing poor men.
Speaker: They want us out of the running for whatever award's coming up next.
Speaker: Exactly.
Speaker: No, it's all good.
Speaker: So let's get our sponsor of the show out of the way.
Speaker: So if you need a new pinball, go ahead and check out Zach and Nicole Minney at Flippin' Out Pinball.
Speaker: A great place.
Speaker: And Zach is actually a good friend, but he's also a good resource.
Speaker: I will actually tell you that I had an issue with my Teenage Mutant Ninja Trolls, the premium.
Speaker: where the glider stopped working and this is actually a promo for both zach and both stern because i sent a message last night um to just stern support and they said yeah it sounds like a servo contact zach and he'll get you covered and that was under 12 hours so just in case you're wondering that's how you do customer service right
Speaker: Yes, definitely.
Speaker: And Zach actually messaged me too.
Speaker: He said, yeah, we'll take care of that.
Speaker: So anyway.
Speaker: Well, and I'm always the tire kicker.
Speaker: Like I feel bad for Zach because I'm always like, so what you got in stock?
Speaker: Like just randomly on a, you know, a Saturday evening.
Speaker: And he's always Johnny on the spot.
Speaker: He's like, don't worry.
Speaker: It's no biggie.
Speaker: He sends me over the list and that list is small.
Speaker: So if you're looking for a new pinball machine,
Speaker: Uh, good luck.
Speaker: I don't know.
Speaker: Okay.
Speaker: I actually do know what to tell you because they know like what gets on the line and what, and what the schedules are.
Speaker: So I actually have a Iron Maiden premium.
Speaker: That's going to be made this summer.
Speaker: And I know that the Jurassic park, the next run is going to be in December.
Speaker: So they actually do have an idea of when things will be available.
Speaker: So even if it's not available right now, um,
Speaker: You know, they he he will know exactly when the run comes up.
Speaker: So, yeah.
Speaker: Anyway, so pick up a new pinball machine as well, trying to come out of covid and practice up for those tournaments that are coming up.
Speaker: And speaking of things that are coming up, Josh, who do we have on the show today?
Speaker: This man has been in the pinball industry for quite a few years now.
Speaker: He is one of the original pinball convention creators.
Speaker: We're all excited for COVID to be finally over, and I think a lot of us are celebrating by going to Pinball Expo, and this is the man who puts it on every year.
Speaker: Please welcome Rob Burke.
Speaker: How are you doing, Rob?
Speaker: Good, guys.
Speaker: Thanks for allowing me to speak today.
Speaker: Definitely.
Speaker: Absolutely.
Speaker: Great to have you on.
Speaker: It's not too often, you know, being from Ohio, not too often you talk to people from Utah.
Speaker: So this is a very rare occasion.
Speaker: We're all part of the flyover state, so we kind of have to stay together, right?
Speaker: Yeah, I never knew they had pinballs in Utah.
Speaker: Only a few.
Speaker: It just became legal last year.
Speaker: There you go.
Speaker: All that Mormon talk, we had to convince him it wasn't gambling anymore.
Speaker: Well, we had to get Roger Sharp to come out here and make a shot, too, and show it wasn't really...
Speaker: it wasn't degrading all of the morality of the people.
Speaker: So, Rob, you've got to tell me, how long have you been doing Pinball Expo now?
Speaker: Well, this is going to be our 37th year.
Speaker: So, you know, it's a passion that got out of control, guys.
Speaker: And it's been a lot of fun.
Speaker: It's been a long ride, but I just hope to keep it going.
Speaker: It's been a lot of fun.
Speaker: I think we can all relate to a passion getting out of control with pinball.
Speaker: Well, even as a collector, you know, I recently was having a discussion with a friend of mine.
Speaker: He says, how many games do you have?
Speaker: I said, you know, I don't really know.
Speaker: So I asked my right hand guy, Tony, that works for me.
Speaker: I said, hey, Tony, give me a count, will you?
Speaker: And he came back to me the following day.
Speaker: He said he calls me Roberto.
Speaker: Roberto, as close as I can guess, you got about 1,200.
Speaker: Wow.
Speaker: So that's pretty crazy.
Speaker: Holy crap.
Speaker: Where do you keep all these games?
Speaker: Well, I used to keep it in the family.
Speaker: We have a family business here.
Speaker: I used to keep it in the warehouse.
Speaker: But finally, I started seeing games get damaged.
Speaker: And there was an available space not too far from our family business.
Speaker: So I leased it out.
Speaker: And it's working out for now.
Speaker: But also, I keep buying because I'm looking for games all the time.
Speaker: And the passion has got so bad.
Speaker: And then you guys say, how bad is it?
Speaker: How bad is it?
Speaker: that I bought recently a grocery store that's been out of business for several years.
Speaker: And the idea is to put the entire collection in there, not only to store it, but actually to have a museum of sorts so people can come in and enjoy them.
Speaker: Wow.
Speaker: I love it.
Speaker: That is awesome.
Speaker: Okay.
Speaker: Where is this going to be?
Speaker: And when is it going to be open?
Speaker: Well, I have a name that was called past times,
Speaker: And it's going to be in a small community called Girard, which is near Youngstown, Ohio.
Speaker: And I would say early fall, it should be ready to rumble.
Speaker: All right.
Speaker: Okay.
Speaker: So when you have that ready to rumble, come back on and we'll talk about it and figure out all that stuff.
Speaker: We'll do a walking tour through it.
Speaker: It should be pretty insane.
Speaker: Yeah, that's really cool.
Speaker: You got to realize, you know, back when I was collecting in the early years,
Speaker: It was, and everyone in the pinball community, who has the most games?
Speaker: Well, at one time, I was about tied with Tim Arnold when we both had around 500.
Speaker: But then he started going crazy, and I never caught up to him.
Speaker: I might have caught up to him now.
Speaker: I've got pretty close to it.
Speaker: You've got to be close.
Speaker: I mean, Pinball Hall of Fame is big, but it's not that big.
Speaker: Well, you know, I realize I got this many games, but not all of them will be set up for free play.
Speaker: But you never know if I get crazy enough.
Speaker: Yeah, no, that is crazy.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: Love it.
Speaker: Love it.
Speaker: See, you got to tell me, you obviously got in the hobby.
Speaker: What possessed you to go from, you know, I enjoy collecting these too.
Speaker: I'm going to put on a giant convention in Chicago, Illinois, where it's all built.
Speaker: Yeah, thanks for asking.
Speaker: That's a great question.
Speaker: And the reason why is because growing up as part of the family vacation, we would always go to Miami, Florida.
Speaker: And my dad liked pinball, and he would always gravitate to the pinball machines, wherever they were.
Speaker: And as kids, we'd play.
Speaker: And that's where I think I started developing the passion and the excitement of playing pinballs.
Speaker: And again, we're talking about the early to mid-60s.
Speaker: Okay.
Speaker: From that, I went to college at Kent State and there got reintroduced to pinball in a big way because there was just pinball machines.
Speaker: Every game room had lined with pinballs.
Speaker: This is prior to the video craze.
Speaker: So it kind of reignited the flame.
Speaker: And because of that, I started seeking out various books on pinball.
Speaker: And I think Michael Coleman was the first book I got.
Speaker: And then later on, Roger Sharpe's book.
Speaker: But man, they were a wealth of information.
Speaker: For me, it was so exciting to see all these different pictures of games I'd never seen before.
Speaker: back glasses and so forth.
Speaker: But then also it introduced you to the designers, the guys behind the scenes.
Speaker: And I remember at the time I was fascinated by Space Mission and Grand Prix.
Speaker: And here those were Steve Kordak games.
Speaker: So the story gets even crazier.
Speaker: I'm in Chicago and this is about 1970 or so, 71.
Speaker: And my parents had a trade show there and we were staying at the Palmer House Hotel, which is one of the oldie goldie hotels.
Speaker: It's a Sunday night about 830.
Speaker: And this is back when there was phone books back in every hotel.
Speaker: So I pulled the phone book out and I'm just saying, what the heck?
Speaker: Let me see if I can find Steve Kornick in the phone book.
Speaker: And I find it, Stephen F. Kornick.
Speaker: I said, should I, should I not?
Speaker: So I call about 8.30 at night.
Speaker: This guy answered the phone.
Speaker: And I said, is this Steve Kordak?
Speaker: Yes, it is.
Speaker: Are you the guy that works in the pinball industry?
Speaker: Yes, I am.
Speaker: Boy, would I like to meet you.
Speaker: Well, that started the conversation.
Speaker: And he said, why don't you come down to the plant tomorrow?
Speaker: Well, gee, that was, are you kidding me?
Speaker: So I asked my dad, he said, yeah, I don't care.
Speaker: I'll drive you down there.
Speaker: And that was an early introduction to the people behind the scenes.
Speaker: And he introduced me to Norm Clark.
Speaker: And at the time, Norm was, you know, he worked at Williams for years, but then he went to Bali.
Speaker: So then I met Norm.
Speaker: And then between that meeting and then going to the AMOA and meeting some other people, I was introduced to a lot of other people in the industry.
Speaker: And the next guy was Wayne Nions, who worked for Gallup.
Speaker: So all of a sudden, mixing up my mind, and around the same time, I belonged to a group of pinball enthusiasts based out of Akron, Ohio, and they called themselves the Ohio Pinball Wizards.
Speaker: And basically, all it was was a bunch of enthusiasts that we would meet at a different guy's house every month to play pinball.
Speaker: And if it wasn't his home, we would meet at the local arcade.
Speaker: So I recall the one, it was a Friday evening, and I'm sitting there talking to the guys around the table.
Speaker: And I said, wouldn't that be cool if we had like a national pinball collectors club or gathering?
Speaker: I said, there's got to be other guys like us that are into this pinball hobby and so forth.
Speaker: And basically, yeah, yeah.
Speaker: But one of the members was Bill Kurtz.
Speaker: And I said, Bill, what do you think about helping me out?
Speaker: And let's draft a letter and let's put it in Steve Young's Pinball Collectors Quarterly.
Speaker: And let's see if there's an interest in actually doing such a thing.
Speaker: So we had 10 questions.
Speaker: Basically, would you attend?
Speaker: Number two, where would you want to see the convention?
Speaker: And it went on and on and on.
Speaker: Well, the responses came back.
Speaker: It was almost unanimous.
Speaker: Yeah, go for it.
Speaker: Do it.
Speaker: So the whole reason for doing the show, for me anyways, was to honor my heroes who were the pinball designers and artists.
Speaker: Because let's face it, whether it be Valley or God of whoever, you had the big guys on top of the heap that ran the operations.
Speaker: But at the end of the day, it was the designers that created these games.
Speaker: So I kept feeling in my heart, we've got to recognize these guys.
Speaker: They deserve a big thank you for what they've done for this industry because I love their game.
Speaker: I love Cortex games.
Speaker: I love Norm Clark's games.
Speaker: And I felt that this convention would be an opportunity to thank these guys in person.
Speaker: So I thought to myself, let's have it in Chicago, which is the home of pinball.
Speaker: And also I said, let's have a keynote speaker at the banquet, someone that's so powerful, people will come to this event just to hear the speaker.
Speaker: And the only guy I can think of is Alvin Gottlieb.
Speaker: So I reached out to Don Murphy from Electrical Windings, and he was the guy that gave me Wayne Nines name and contact information.
Speaker: And I said, hey, can you provide me a number for Elvin Gottlieb?
Speaker: Well, at the time, Elvin Gottlieb to me was like a god because, you know, the Gottlieb name, the great games they made and so forth.
Speaker: I said, you know, for me, nobody in the industry to approach him was like, wow.
Speaker: So I called him up and I said, hey, I'll be in Chicago next month for business.
Speaker: I said, is it possible I can meet you?
Speaker: I have an idea, but I want to see if you could help me with it.
Speaker: So he said, yeah, here's where I live.
Speaker: Come to my home.
Speaker: But hey, this is crazy.
Speaker: Couldn't believe it.
Speaker: So I go to Alvin's house.
Speaker: He answers the door wearing blue jeans and just a casual dress.
Speaker: I thought this guy would be all decked out to the nines.
Speaker: So he's just like an average guy.
Speaker: We came in and I told him about my dream of doing this pinball show.
Speaker: And apparently I must have shown so much enthusiasm.
Speaker: He looked at me and says, how can I let you down?
Speaker: Of course I'll be your speaker.
Speaker: So to me, that was the finishing point that I needed to make this thing happen.
Speaker: So I came up, I found a hotel near the airport and I lined up several people to speak at the show.
Speaker: We had a factory tour and then we had a banquet at night, the last night to recognize the guys.
Speaker: And we had, I think, about 100 or so people show up that first time.
Speaker: And I remember one guy, it was really wild for me to see, was Rich Conger from California.
Speaker: And he was, I remember him distinctly because he was one of the guys that never wanted to fly in an airplane.
Speaker: So he took a train to come to Chicago to come to the event.
Speaker: So I thought that was pretty wild.
Speaker: But at the time, Dick Buschel was still living, and he was a guy that wrote several books, I think two books on pinball.
Speaker: But he met all the guys that were there and all the designers and a lot of the fans, such as ourselves.
Speaker: And he called it a love-in because he said, you know, here you've got all these people that love this stuff and had never before met.
Speaker: Because you've got to remember, this is a time, you know, there was no –
Speaker: Internet, everything was by phone or writing a letter.
Speaker: Or for you old timers out there, sometimes corresponding via a cassette deck.
Speaker: Or you're talking to a cassette for 15 minutes, a half hour, and then it's sent to your friends, and that's how you would communicate.
Speaker: But through all that, the show turned out great.
Speaker: For me, the highlight was when I mentioned Cornette Clark, Wayne Nyans, and finally Harvey Heiss, who at the time had worked for Genco.
Speaker: But he had long retired, but he was the fourth designer that we recognized at this event.
Speaker: And I remember saying at the banquet, would the following gentleman come up front in front of the podium here?
Speaker: I mentioned their names and I said, these gentlemen are responsible for designing over 650 games.
Speaker: I said, would you please rise and give them an applaud?
Speaker: And not only did people applaud, but they were cheering them on.
Speaker: And for me, what was really great was for these guys to see them finally getting the recognition and they had tears in their eyes.
Speaker: So it was just great.
Speaker: Very magical moment.
Speaker: Wow.
Speaker: And you've been doing it ever since.
Speaker: So, yeah, so what happened was, in my mind, I was done, one and done.
Speaker: I accomplished what I wanted to, what's used to going on.
Speaker: And about six months into the following year, I started getting phone calls, what's the next show?
Speaker: And I said, there is no more show, this is it.
Speaker: Well, no, man, this is too much fun, you've got to have another one.
Speaker: So I did, okay, let me do one more, and then another one, and then another one.
Speaker: So here we go, guys.
Speaker: This year we're number 37.
Speaker: There's a lot of other guys that have done shows.
Speaker: Some have come and went.
Speaker: But to do the same show, the same promoter for 37 years, if you think about it, it's pretty unbelievable.
Speaker: That is truly amazing.
Speaker: So I want to go through last year.
Speaker: So what happened last year?
Speaker: And you guys had to pivot pretty quickly because with COVID and with the
Speaker: gatherings all being eliminated basically.
Speaker: How was that and how were you able to pivot because you moved online pretty quickly.
Speaker: Yeah, Dave Fix who helps me with the vendor chair, he had the idea of doing a virtual show.
Speaker: So I had met a lot of guys, of course, over the years, plus new faces and people I'd met through Facebook.
Speaker: And I reached out to him and I said, I want to do a virtual event.
Speaker: Would you agree to be in it, be part of it?
Speaker: And it was a pretty overwhelming yes.
Speaker: And at the time, you know, a lot of this stuff was a relatively new technology as far as doing a show via Zoom or whatever Teams or whatever app that you got.
Speaker: But...
Speaker: You know, just think about the coordination guys.
Speaker: You know, hey, Scotty, I got to get you guys together, you and Josh, and be ready at 4 o'clock a certain day to be on the air.
Speaker: So I had to do that, but for the most often the case, people just recorded, prerecorded their seminar and just, you know, sent to us and then we downloaded it.
Speaker: But it was crazy.
Speaker: You know, we won a Twippy Award for that, for the best virtual show.
Speaker: But I think it was one of the few virtual events that really took place.
Speaker: But we tried to do it in a big way.
Speaker: And not only was it a one-day show, it was a three-day show.
Speaker: So three days' worth of seminars virtually.
Speaker: So even that's pretty insane when you think about it.
Speaker: So we were happy with how it worked.
Speaker: And I think we did a pretty good job of pulling it off.
Speaker: I think so too.
Speaker: I think everyone was very happy with the way that the response was for COVID.
Speaker: I mean, there wasn't much else we could do.
Speaker: And so I think it pulled off very well and it was, well, you guys were nominated for the best event for 2020.
Speaker: So obviously it did something for you guys.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: So, but in our mind or in my mind, I kept my, my streak going of continuous shows.
Speaker: So that was pretty special.
Speaker: It also, the one thing that I've noticed with last year, and I've noticed even in my business, that a lot of these things are starting to incorporate like an online presence.
Speaker: So you can actually see some of the talks or you can at least view the information virtually, which before, if I couldn't go to Expo or I couldn't go somewhere, you were basically out of luck.
Speaker: But with that option, is that something that you're thinking of continuing for this expo?
Speaker: Or what lessons did you learn from the last one that you're going to possibly incorporate into the next one?
Speaker: That's a great question.
Speaker: Most of the guys in Europe would even think of the idea of doing a virtual event.
Speaker: But virtual is okay, but nothing beats live.
Speaker: the feel of it, the excitement of it.
Speaker: And, you know, we're trying to incorporate all that stuff, maybe have some live feed from the show.
Speaker: But personally, I still prefer a live over virtual.
Speaker: I agree.
Speaker: I'm just saying this as a possible option for people who can't come.
Speaker: So say you're in Europe and you can't fly over for the expo.
Speaker: Right.
Speaker: This is still a way that you could possibly participate.
Speaker: Listen, Josh, the best thing for me to do would be to do that.
Speaker: And you can read my eyes and ears so you can do broadcasting live from the Renaissance Hotel.
Speaker: Make it fun.
Speaker: But, you know, that's the thing.
Speaker: I'm open to all ideas.
Speaker: You know, we try to be creative in everything we do.
Speaker: And.
Speaker: You know, for me, the show in the past was about a 25,000 square foot facility as far as the vendor space and exhibit space.
Speaker: And this year, I just wanted to constantly outdo myself.
Speaker: This year, the vendor space will take up 66,000 square feet, almost three times larger.
Speaker: So anyone who's in the pinball, they're going to be in for a treat this year.
Speaker: So you are moving to a new location again this year.
Speaker: So let's talk about the new location.
Speaker: Now, this time it's at, make sure I get this right.
Speaker: It's at the Renaissance.
Speaker: Is that right?
Speaker: Right.
Speaker: Renaissance Center in Schaumburg.
Speaker: How is that different?
Speaker: Tell me more about this space.
Speaker: Well, it's more of a convention center.
Speaker: I mean, every year since day one, we've had the expo, it's been in the hotel.
Speaker: But this is actually a convention center that's made exclusively to handle big events.
Speaker: And what's special about this for those, any of those people listening that might be vendors, in the past, it was a real hassle to come to the show as a vendor.
Speaker: And you had to throw your equipment or your booth on a dolly and had to bring it down one aisle way and down a hallway and behind the restaurant.
Speaker: I mean, it was a pain.
Speaker: Or is this year the first time we've been at a venue where you can actually drive your car right into the venue, unload at the venue, and you can unload right there where your booth will be at.
Speaker: So it'll be extremely convenient for those that care to be a vendor this year that want to come to the show.
Speaker: you mentioned if you are a vendor.
Speaker: So if people are trying to get ahold of you to be part of this expo, they want to exhibit something, they want to be part of this, what's the best way to get ahold of you?
Speaker: Well, I can be reached by reach by phone, which is 330-716-3139.
Speaker: Or you can go through the website and the vendor application is right there on the website.
Speaker: with this place that you're you've moved to, it's a lot more accommodation for where you're sleeping and whatnot as well.
Speaker: And this is the fastest you guys have ever sold out for a hotel, correct?
Speaker: Yeah, that's a good point.
Speaker: I'm pleasantly surprised.
Speaker: I just didn't know that it would sell so quickly.
Speaker: So for those trying to get a room, we have an additional location on there for another hotel.
Speaker: This is our backup hotel, the Marriott.
Speaker: But there will be another one as well coming on board early next week, the Embassy Suite.
Speaker: So there'll be several other choices to choose from.
Speaker: But the hotels are connected.
Speaker: Our main hotel is connected to the convention center.
Speaker: So everything is in walking distance between the hotel and the event.
Speaker: You've been doing this for 37 years.
Speaker: Has it just been – you've obviously seen the ups and downs of the pinball industry.
Speaker: Yep.
Speaker: Is this the biggest it's ever been or was there a time before this it was pretty big?
Speaker: Yeah, that's a good question because I remember Steve Kordik always saying that the pinball industry ran in cycles.
Speaker: There was the ups and downs, but it would keep rebounding.
Speaker: And he was right, and it's true.
Speaker: But I guess my best answer to your question is this.
Speaker: I'm going to ask you guys a question.
Speaker: Are you there, Scotty?
Speaker: Yeah, I'm still here.
Speaker: I want you guys, between the two of you, to list every pinball manufacturer that you know of today.
Speaker: Okay.
Speaker: So, okay.
Speaker: I get to go first.
Speaker: Yep.
Speaker: Stern.
Speaker: Stern.
Speaker: One.
Speaker: JJP.
Speaker: Two.
Speaker: Spooky.
Speaker: Three.
Speaker: Chicago Gaming.
Speaker: American.
Speaker: Okay.
Speaker: Chicago Gaming.
Speaker: Good.
Speaker: American.
Speaker: Good.
Speaker: Haggis.
Speaker: Good.
Speaker: The P. What's the P3 one?
Speaker: Multimorphic.
Speaker: Multimorphic.
Speaker: Yes.
Speaker: Yep.
Speaker: Okay.
Speaker: Does pinball ventures count?
Speaker: Yeah, we'll call them.
Speaker: Okay.
Speaker: We know that deep root doesn't count.
Speaker: Oh, yeah.
Speaker: Shots fired.
Speaker: Yeah, you have to actually make a game to be part of this.
Speaker: Yes.
Speaker: Yeah, it seems like there's a new option every couple months.
Speaker: Like someone says, hey, let's start this up.
Speaker: So you just gave me about eight names, okay?
Speaker: Okay.
Speaker: There's at least three that you haven't mentioned that will be at the event showing a new pinball machine.
Speaker: Really?
Speaker: And are these trophies that have announced that they're actually making games to the public?
Speaker: I don't know if they want me to announce it or want me to announce it, but most likely we will.
Speaker: But...
Speaker: Guys, that's crazy.
Speaker: So we got 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8.
Speaker: It's going to be over 10.
Speaker: Maybe we'll even get 12.
Speaker: But these are all different.
Speaker: They're hoping to make a major presence.
Speaker: Now, what's become a big topic, as you know, is the homebrew guys.
Speaker: Yep.
Speaker: So we're going to have an area to show just for homebrew games.
Speaker: So I wouldn't be surprised if there's over a dozen titles at the event just with homebrew stuff.
Speaker: Okay, so this reminds me about, I would say the polarizing documentary, A Special When Lit, which certainly it emphasized interesting personalities in the industry, but it does talk about the decline in the 90s where they started with about 10 or 12 and then slowly dwindled down until one, until basically Stern.
Speaker: And Stern was the only game in town for the...
Speaker: the turn of the century and then when JJP jumped on, it started to pick up more steam and now in the last five years, it's amazing how many different options have really started to, it seems like we went through the bottleneck and now we're expanding again.
Speaker: You know, it just shows you how hot Pinball is right now and I'm saying for all ages and in all countries and
Speaker: A lot of the manufacturers are back-ordering now.
Speaker: They can't produce quick enough.
Speaker: And it doesn't help that China's caused some grief, you know, getting parts delivered into this country.
Speaker: But I guess the point being, there must be a demand or you wouldn't find these guys coming out of the woodwork and coming up with new companies.
Speaker: So it remains to be seen, you know, how many guys will actually show up at the end of the day.
Speaker: But you have to appreciate the fact that Stern has built, you know, put together a team of employees that, you know, are really terrific for them to produce the amount of games they produce and the quality they're producing.
Speaker: And, you know,
Speaker: It's a really interesting industry, you have to admit.
Speaker: And the more you dig into it, the more you'll see, you can appreciate the efforts these guys make.
Speaker: And also, for those of you that have never been to Expo, part of our program is you can tour Stern Pinball.
Speaker: And typically they don't allow an open door to their factory, perhaps from a special invitation or something that they may do it.
Speaker: But they go all out and do a wonderful job of providing a tour of the factory.
Speaker: And you get a chance to meet Gary Stern, which is always fun, and his team of surrounding team that make that company rock and roll.
Speaker: So you live in Ohio.
Speaker: What convinced you to do it in Chicago?
Speaker: Why didn't you do it closer to home?
Speaker: Only because it's the home of pinball.
Speaker: I always felt that the show would only prosper and only be strong if we had it in Chicago, the home of pinball.
Speaker: And the reasoning is, if I want to do a tour of a factory, I'm right there.
Speaker: If I want to get some of these Chicago designers or artists to participate in some manner, they're right there.
Speaker: It's an easy request.
Speaker: And so far, you know, I've been correcting that mindset that, you know, they'd be glad to come.
Speaker: And some of the other shows, you know, have had guest speakers here and there, but not to the breadth of the Expos got.
Speaker: And it only makes sense just because of the location alone.
Speaker: Right.
Speaker: It's easier for you to organize from a distance and then show up as opposed to have everybody from there come to you.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: And you're probably going to get a lot more buy-in if they can drive there.
Speaker: Yep, absolutely.
Speaker: And, you know, one other thing about the expo, for those that have never been there or seen it, is we have an autograph session.
Speaker: So to me, that's one of my favorite events.
Speaker: But if anyone likes a particular designer or artist, there's a good chance you'll be there at the show signing autographs.
Speaker: But here you get a chance to meet them and talk to them one-on-one and ask them any questions you have or take your pictures with them.
Speaker: So it's a real fun event.
Speaker: opportunity we have at the show that um and we bring out some of the old timers too i mean the one guy that keeps showing up every year which i think is great is dave madoc christensen the artist for uh captain fantastic to name but one of many titles but uh his artwork was always fun and uh very creative guy and he comes to the show so you get a chance to meet him
Speaker: Yeah, that's pretty amazing to be able to draw.
Speaker: It really does seem like Chicago is the mecca for pinball.
Speaker: And so, so many, so many tentacles out there that you can just draw in from the basically the the history of modern pinball past the 1970s.
Speaker: And most of those people are still around and kicking so that they're still able to come in.
Speaker: Yes.
Speaker: And, you know, one thing, Josh, over the years, I've been working on this personally, but every year I try to bring a lot of games myself to the event.
Speaker: And this year, based on how the numbers are looking, there'll probably be well over 400 games, you know, set for free play.
Speaker: And for me, what's a special treat to the attendees is I'm bringing –
Speaker: a lot of new titles and a lot of including games made in italy and games made in spain and you know you would never guess especially in spain that they had a market they had their own market that was developed there because of the complexities and difficulty in getting pinball machines made in america so spain actually developed their own uh
Speaker: from the bottom of their own industry of pinball machine manufacturers, artists, and designers that makes games exclusively for the Spanish market.
Speaker: So, I mean, I bought these games two years ago, and people went bonkers over the stuff because they had never seen these titles.
Speaker: I mean, this is a full-size game, full-size graphics made by people we never heard of before.
Speaker: So I am bringing these games back plus additional ones that people have never seen in the past.
Speaker: Are those the Zachariah games like Farfalla and Mars Trek and whatnot?
Speaker: That's just a very, very scratch in the surface of the games you'll see there.
Speaker: Okay.
Speaker: So that's nuts.
Speaker: Plus there'll be the Joust Pinball, the two-player Joust head-to-head game will be there.
Speaker: I actually saw one of those last week.
Speaker: It was torn apart.
Speaker: They're trying to rebuild it.
Speaker: But there is one there's one about an hour from me because I was taking an arcade out to get them to fix it up.
Speaker: So there's another game I just got worried when they come to Expo this year.
Speaker: Hubert's Quest.
Speaker: OK, I didn't realize I was a pinball machine.
Speaker: Yeah, let me up.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: It was made about the time when, uh, like 1983 ish when, um, when video games seem to be taken over.
Speaker: So they did a lot of, uh, a lot of video game themes that they were trying to incorporate into pinball.
Speaker: And, you know, that's when Pac-Man pinball came out and yeah.
Speaker: Space invaders and stuff like that.
Speaker: Spy hunter.
Speaker: Yeah, exactly.
Speaker: Though I don't know of too many that were wildly successful, but, uh,
Speaker: We're going to have also a pretty good selection of Valley games from the 60s.
Speaker: So there's a resurgence of interest in games of that era.
Speaker: So there'll be about 15 different titles from games, you know, from Blue Ribbon and a lot of oddball titles you just don't see every day.
Speaker: Well, Dave Fix was telling us that there's usually a rat race up there, which has only had, what, 10 maybe made?
Speaker: Yep.
Speaker: Very low production.
Speaker: All I can say, you guys and those in your enlisting audience, get ready.
Speaker: So go through.
Speaker: So for people who haven't been to a show before, because there are a lot of people who I think have never been able to go to a show and now they're going to be coming.
Speaker: So, like, lead us through the options that they have, because, you know, they have they have lectures, they have free play stuff, they have vendors, they have tournaments they have.
Speaker: So tell me about all the things that you're going to be offering.
Speaker: And so we'll be able to generate some buzz to figure out what people will be going for going to expo for.
Speaker: Right.
Speaker: Good question.
Speaker: So when you enter Wednesday night, we have what we call our bumper blast, which is kind of like our introductory welcoming party.
Speaker: And that'll be in the vendor hall.
Speaker: So you'll start to see parts of the hall as it's coming together.
Speaker: But they'll also have, like I mentioned earlier, the tour.
Speaker: But the show offers seminars, and I mean like close to 50 hours of seminars.
Speaker: It's just crazy.
Speaker: But it's all facets of the hobby from A to Z. So there's always something for everybody.
Speaker: But we have that.
Speaker: Like you mentioned, we have the tournaments, and we have a separate women's tournament.
Speaker: We have the PAPA tournament.
Speaker: There'll be a tournament there for some of the older games that you can enter.
Speaker: And this is for all age groups and for all levels of playing.
Speaker: I mean, there's a lot of A players out there.
Speaker: But also there'll be prizes and awards for the B players as well.
Speaker: We're going to have a raffle there.
Speaker: So you can buy a ticket for a raffle for a new pinball machine.
Speaker: Still in the box, Scotty.
Speaker: Don't take that from me.
Speaker: I need that game.
Speaker: All right.
Speaker: All right.
Speaker: So you're going to give me one of your Zacharias.
Speaker: There you go.
Speaker: But, you know, I used to use the tagline, the everything for everyone show, because there's just so much happening that for those coming, whether the first time or not, you got to tell your better half.
Speaker: Don't talk to me.
Speaker: Don't expect a phone call because I'll be up from morning to night.
Speaker: Explaying, meeting people.
Speaker: You know, to me, what's kind of cool is all the people that come from Europe, Japan, Italy, Spain, and to connect to them.
Speaker: And that's been a lot of fun.
Speaker: It's a pen pal of the sort.
Speaker: You know, you meet new people that share a common interest.
Speaker: And for a lot of people, it's like a family reunion where they see friends that they've met in the past, but also new friends that they make there at the show.
Speaker: I wouldn't say tell your better half.
Speaker: I would say bring your better half because having a spouse that's really into pinball or a boyfriend or girlfriend that's really into pinball, that makes it a lot easier to buy pinball machines yourself.
Speaker: Well, yep.
Speaker: But then Josh, are you married?
Speaker: I assume.
Speaker: Yes, 14 years.
Speaker: Okay, so your wife's going to say, Josh, why aren't you hanging with me?
Speaker: Why are you hanging with all your buds and not with me?
Speaker: Here, honey, here's a couple hundred dollars in my credit card.
Speaker: Go shopping downtown.
Speaker: So, by the way, for those people that are into the shopping, Chicago is a shopping mecca.
Speaker: So you'll certainly have a good time to go shopping there.
Speaker: But, you know, some spouses are into this and some are not.
Speaker: So if you're into pinball, you know, by all means, bring your spouse.
Speaker: I'm just trying to think.
Speaker: We have one lady from Fargo Pinball that's going to give a talk on women in pinball.
Speaker: So she'll have a lot of different women involved in the industry.
Speaker: They'll be a part of that panel.
Speaker: So, you know, like I said, it's the everything for everyone.
Speaker: So if you're into pinball at any facet of it, you're going to go nuts, man.
Speaker: You're going to go crazy.
Speaker: Bring your checkbook, bring your credit cards, because there'd be plenty of stuff for sale, machines for sale.
Speaker: There was a game that Dino Gasparri from Canada had built.
Speaker: It was a one-of-a-kind pinball expo machine he built for the show two years ago.
Speaker: He's bringing it back, and I think he wants to sell with kind of a waffle thing, or what do they call those waffles?
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: Waffles, you know, and made the best guy win, have your name pulled, but there's just so much happening guys that, uh, you'll leave it saying, wow.
Speaker: But, uh, it's a lot of fun, a lot of excitement and connecting with fellow pinball, uh, collectors and players and enthusiasts.
Speaker: Okay.
Speaker: So the days that I see down are, it's basically, uh,
Speaker: The weekend is October 27th, which is Wednesday.
Speaker: And then you have Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday is when everything's being torn down.
Speaker: So if you're budgeting time, budget the 27th through the 31st to get to Expo.
Speaker: Tell me about tickets, multi-day tickets, a single-day tickets.
Speaker: How is the best way for people to get in?
Speaker: Yeah, I'm going to back up for one second.
Speaker: On Sunday, nothing happened Sunday other than the finals of the pinball tournament.
Speaker: So I wanted to mention that.
Speaker: But yeah, you can buy tickets there at the door or you can buy the packages.
Speaker: So the packages includes a mission, includes the factory tour and so forth.
Speaker: So this is all explained on the website.
Speaker: So there's just different levels.
Speaker: You can buy, and if you don't buy the package, like I said, you can buy tickets just to come to the event for the day, just to go to the vendor hall.
Speaker: There's tickets to go to just the seminars only if you're there just for the educational experience.
Speaker: So it just depends on your level of interest.
Speaker: It definitely sounds like it's quite the party.
Speaker: Have you guys been there?
Speaker: No, I have not.
Speaker: This will be my very first year going.
Speaker: Yeah, I couldn't go two years ago, but I was planning on going last year, but obviously it didn't work.
Speaker: Right.
Speaker: But I have been to a show, so I at least have the general vibe of what a show is about.
Speaker: Well, you know, the show has changed a lot over the years.
Speaker: The past two years, I've kind of really let loose, and this year is just reaching the point of insanity.
Speaker: Besides the pinballs, we're also incorporating more and more of the retro video games.
Speaker: because you have those groups of people out there that collect the Pac-Man, the Centipedes and so forth.
Speaker: So there'll be a sampling of those games.
Speaker: Plus, also this year, we're going to have an area for those guys or the retro guys that collect the retro video games, the Atari, the GameCubes, the Sega systems and so forth, Dreamcast systems.
Speaker: So there'll be a fellow named Paul Zimmerman and Todd Friedman are helping with that.
Speaker: And they're bringing a whole layout of monitors and game systems to play some of these earlier games as well.
Speaker: It sounds like you said, you've got something for everyone.
Speaker: So there's no reason for you not to go.
Speaker: Well, I guess unless you're stuck in a country that is not allowing travel for COVID.
Speaker: But other than that, if you're not going, why are you not going?
Speaker: Yeah, you know, for a lot of people that have never been there, perhaps this is the airport to give it a shot.
Speaker: And you know what kills me is some people will call from Europe and they say they want to just come for the day.
Speaker: And I basically... From Europe?
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: I basically... I'll beg.
Speaker: I'll say, do yourself a favor.
Speaker: It's so far away to come.
Speaker: Come and enjoy the whole event.
Speaker: It's just too far to come.
Speaker: And they don't... A lot of people just don't realize how explosive and fun this show is.
Speaker: There's so much to do.
Speaker: You just can't see everything in one day.
Speaker: You need days to see everything, to see the people...
Speaker: to see all the attractions.
Speaker: There's just so much going on that your head's going to spin, but in a good way.
Speaker: I'm excited.
Speaker: I don't know about, I know Scott's excited too, but it just, I think, like I said, everyone's just kind of, we're ready to get back to normal.
Speaker: A lot of us have got our vaccines and we want to do something fun.
Speaker: And I think this is the very first big event that everyone can go to.
Speaker: And so is there a limit to how many people can get in?
Speaker: Cause if so, you might not get a ticket if you don't plan early.
Speaker: The limit will be 10,000.
Speaker: So we should be okay.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: And I don't know.
Speaker: And I'm on the website now.
Speaker: It looks like you can get the advanced registration package and you can get that whole thing for $175.
Speaker: And, yeah.
Speaker: You know, to answer your question, guys, you know, there's still COVID in the air and some people are still very concerned and careful.
Speaker: So we're going to do what we can to handle that situation as well.
Speaker: And whether it be wipes or a way to clean Chicago, which was closed down for the longest time, is finally opening up more and more to events like this.
Speaker: So as far as I know, I do not believe that they mandate masks.
Speaker: But by all means, if certain people are still concerned, they're welcome to wear their mask.
Speaker: But it should be a pretty amazing event and a chance for everybody just to get the cobwebs out of their hair and just let their hair down and just have a great time and seeing their old friends again and playing pinball to death.
Speaker: Rob, I got to ask, you've been doing this for so long.
Speaker: What has been your favorite moment, or if you can narrow it down to a couple, what's been your favorite moments from the past expos that you've done?
Speaker: Yeah, certainly the first year, there was the magic of putting everything together.
Speaker: And in that case, meeting people that you have talked to, but never met.
Speaker: So that was always special.
Speaker: Another special year for me was when Joe Kamenkao, when he worked at Daddy East, helped build from scratch a machine that Harvey Heist talked about in one of his seminars, and it was called Baby in the Hole.
Speaker: If you Google it, I think you can find it on the IPVD website.
Speaker: or database DB, but you'll see a picture of it and you'll see what it's all about.
Speaker: But Joe Kamikow, who has been a great advocate of Pinball Expo, helped build this game.
Speaker: It was a roll-down game.
Speaker: But he helped build this game, and we presented it to Harvey Heiss at the expo.
Speaker: And talk about a magical moment.
Speaker: Guys, I'm telling you, it was unbelievable.
Speaker: We wheeled this game into the hall there.
Speaker: And then basically we had Harvey stand in front of this game.
Speaker: And at this time, Harvey Heiss was hitting about 88 years old.
Speaker: Yeah, I'm actually looking at the picture now.
Speaker: Yeah, I'm right there with you.
Speaker: His tie is about five inches long.
Speaker: He was very bright up to the very end.
Speaker: And when we pulled that blanket off that game, he fell to his knees.
Speaker: It was so great.
Speaker: And Kevin O'Connor did the artwork on that.
Speaker: And if you look at that back glass, they put my likeness on one corner of that back glass.
Speaker: So that's you in the top right.
Speaker: And then I'm guessing this is Heiss on the top left.
Speaker: Yep, yep.
Speaker: See all the different manufacturers come and go.
Speaker: It's crazy.
Speaker: And,
Speaker: You mentioned about some of the highlights.
Speaker: I think it was just touring these places, these factories, which typically are off limits.
Speaker: I remember touring Gottlieb the first time.
Speaker: And you always heard rumblings that Gottlieb was very secretive and they don't let any secrets out.
Speaker: And, you know, you just didn't know a whole lot about the inner workings of that plant.
Speaker: And to go to that factory was like, that was very cool.
Speaker: But there's so much happened.
Speaker: Everything kind of intertwined.
Speaker: You can't remember even what year you saw certain things.
Speaker: But I know for me another special moment was when Nolan Bushnell came from Atari.
Speaker: He came as one of our speakers at the banquet.
Speaker: I mean that was a special moment.
Speaker: I've been working on trying to get that guy for 30 years.
Speaker: Finally, at our 30th expo, he showed up.
Speaker: So that was really very special for me to have him finally show up.
Speaker: But over the years, so many guys show up that are luminaries in the industry.
Speaker: Tom Neiman was a great one because Tom Neiman, I'm not sure if you know who he is, but he was the marketing genius of ballet.
Speaker: He's the one that put together Tommy with Ann Margaret and all the stuff and Bobby Orr and all those years of ballet, one title after the other, Rolling Stones, Dolly Parton.
Speaker: He was a guy that put these celebrities on these back glasses.
Speaker: Gotcha.
Speaker: I've got to ask you too, because it was Pinball Expo 1999 that WMS closed.
Speaker: It was the Monday or the Tuesday after Expo.
Speaker: Do you remember that and kind of what the thoughts were going on there?
Speaker: Well,
Speaker: I do and I don't.
Speaker: I remember the seminar going on.
Speaker: And again, as the chairman of the event, I was always bouncing around from place to place.
Speaker: So I recall going in there and hearing him talk and saying,
Speaker: You know, it sounded like, you know, the end was near.
Speaker: And there was kind of a reminiscing kind of talk about what it was like for Williams and so forth.
Speaker: So it was a weird time.
Speaker: And for me, what was unbelievable.
Speaker: You ready, Scott?
Speaker: You sitting down?
Speaker: I'm sitting down.
Speaker: Let's bring it.
Speaker: How about Josh?
Speaker: I am.
Speaker: Here I am, little old Rob Burke doing this little old show.
Speaker: And Williams waited.
Speaker: till after Pinball Expo to close their doors.
Speaker: My point being, they could have done it at any time.
Speaker: In my mind, they made a commitment to allow us to tour their factory and to have their people at the event.
Speaker: But can you imagine the day after Expo is when they made the announcement.
Speaker: So- It's crazy.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: People were just in shock.
Speaker: But, you know, the industry keeps going, like everything in life.
Speaker: Things keep moving forward, and all you can do is keep going forward and hope for the best.
Speaker: And pinball keeps driving.
Speaker: I mean, I think it's the strongest now that it's ever been.
Speaker: So, you know, the future, I would say, is pretty rosy.
Speaker: Yeah, it seems like the nice thing about being a niche hobby, and we've talked about this before, is the interconnectivity that the online presence or the internet has been able to branch out.
Speaker: And so even if it's a smaller hobby than it was when you saw a pinball in every, you know, 7-Eleven, Pizza Hut, etc.,
Speaker: but it's still very passionate and interconnected because I have a lot of friends in every city and thinking, oh, well, I know who to go play pinball with in this city just because otherwise, you know, 15 years ago, that resource wouldn't have been there.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: I mean, to me –
Speaker: The only thing that gets me excited about my achievements is the fact that when I see all these other shows going on, and let's face it, there's shows all over the world now.
Speaker: And once things open up, there'll be a show every month going on in the calendar.
Speaker: But it all started with me.
Speaker: It was the vision due to a passion that became a reality.
Speaker: And that one show is a kickoff of many, many other shows.
Speaker: And like I say, from all over the world.
Speaker: Well, it's definitely paid off because you're considered one of the top pinball conventions in the world.
Speaker: People come from all around just to come to this one.
Speaker: Who's saying that?
Speaker: Well, I'm saying it.
Speaker: We just said it.
Speaker: I love you, man.
Speaker: You know, it was hard getting that because, you know, for a while there, I think being the promoter, you know, I saw at times I think the show was kind of at times getting a little stale.
Speaker: And that's why, you know, I felt some changes needed to be made.
Speaker: And I kind of got more and more involved in the show and bought out my ex-partner.
Speaker: And I just...
Speaker: decided to do some things a little differently and get everyone kind of rekindled to the show and show that we can do a great job.
Speaker: And for those that have been in the last one, which is what, a year and a half ago almost?
Speaker: Yep.
Speaker: But it was a pretty special event.
Speaker: Yeah, I know everybody's looking forward to it this time, Rob.
Speaker: So best of luck to it.
Speaker: I know we are looking forward to it.
Speaker: We're definitely going to be getting our tickets here soon.
Speaker: And definitely get on.
Speaker: Schedule the rooms because, hey, I was a little behind the eight balls.
Speaker: So I actually need to schedule my rooms too.
Speaker: Hey, one final thing, guys.
Speaker: We are doing something else this year.
Speaker: It's typical.
Speaker: It's a common thing in the retro video world, but they call it cosplay.
Speaker: Yep.
Speaker: Dress up as your favorite character.
Speaker: So we are going to do that Saturday, but we're also going to do dress up as your favorite pinball machine on Saturday.
Speaker: Yes.
Speaker: So we're going to make it really super fun because it's basically Halloween weekend.
Speaker: You know, we want to add to the festivity and just to the craziness and the insanity of the whole event in a good way.
Speaker: You know, it's for the family, let's face it.
Speaker: It's family friendly in all aspects of it.
Speaker: So we're here for the whole family to have a good time.
Speaker: Well, Josh is going to dress up like his favorite game, Popeye, right?
Speaker: Yes, you know it.
Speaker: My favorite, we did this many, many years ago at the Expo Banquet.
Speaker: And Phoebe Smith dressed up as Bad Cats.
Speaker: Oh, nice.
Speaker: That's awesome.
Speaker: She dressed up as like a little kitty cat.
Speaker: So it was just so fun.
Speaker: And the idea was you had to guess who it was.
Speaker: So, you know, she was dressed up as that.
Speaker: I remember some of us dressed up as a professional wrestler.
Speaker: So, you know, Gollum tag team.
Speaker: We had a couple other ones.
Speaker: Let me think what else was fun.
Speaker: Could have been something from the Addis family, but, you know, there's so many titles now.
Speaker: It could be really fun, you know, to dress up and just to be part of the event.
Speaker: And let's face it, you can get involved as much as you want to in the expo, or you can just sit back and chill out and enjoy the scenery and enjoy seeing people and enjoy playing the games.
Speaker: I mean, you could just play games until your eyeballs pop out.
Speaker: If Zach Manny doesn't show up as a giant whirlwind topper, I will be disappointed.
Speaker: He's going to bring a leaf blower.
Speaker: All right.
Speaker: Put the word out.
Speaker: Anyways, I want to thank you guys for including me and even considering and talking to me.
Speaker: I want to thank those in your listening audience that tuned in and hopefully they enjoyed it.
Speaker: Well, and we appreciate having you on.
Speaker: We feel like you're a very important part of pinball history within itself.
Speaker: I mean, you've been doing this for 37 years.
Speaker: You've definitely seen the ups and downs, like you said, that Steve Kordek was talking about.
Speaker: Yep.
Speaker: And, you know, for those of you just even thinking about modeling coming, you got to give it a shot, whether it be this year or next year or any of the shows, because there's there's a magic in the air.
Speaker: And also the fun is seeing some of these vendors.
Speaker: So whether it be Marco or whoever it is, you can meet these guys one-on-one.
Speaker: So that's really fun.
Speaker: I know Marco brought in this Antoinette Johnson.
Speaker: She dressed up with her hair all up in a... I don't know how to explain it.
Speaker: She does that a lot.
Speaker: Yeah, it's impressive.
Speaker: How do you explain it?
Speaker: But, you know, to see it, it's like, man, that is cool.
Speaker: It looks like a punk peacock.
Speaker: It's cool.
Speaker: Yeah, it's impressive.
Speaker: A lot of fun is just meeting these people and then walking up to the manufacturers or the vendors and say, hey, do you have this widget or that widget?
Speaker: I can't seem to find it.
Speaker: And if they don't know it, they might know who can help you out.
Speaker: So there's so many people there from all many different facets of the hobby that you're certainly bound to find what you need.
Speaker: All right.
Speaker: Sounds good.
Speaker: Well, we certainly love having you on.
Speaker: We also have some of our own little swag, so we'll definitely get you a hat and we'll send you some other stuff.
Speaker: You may or may not be familiar with it, but it's a pretty coveted hat.
Speaker: We're pretty impressed with it.
Speaker: I love it.
Speaker: Make sure you guys sign it.
Speaker: That way it'll be worth millions.
Speaker: Project Pinball will be there as well.
Speaker: Okay, perfect.
Speaker: So what he does every year is he brings a ton of stuff down there for sale.
Speaker: Normally he'll have one or two pinball machines for auction, but all that game goes towards his charity.
Speaker: So that's somebody else that if you heard about him or what he does, you'll be able to see him firsthand.
Speaker: Okay.
Speaker: Awesome.
Speaker: Always a good charity support.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: So Rob, if people want to get ahold of you, what's the best way to get ahold of you?
Speaker: 330-716-3139.
Speaker: All right.
Speaker: That's the first time we've had someone give out their phone number on our Pitfall podcast.
Speaker: It no longer is a secret.
Speaker: Okay, Rob, stick around.
Speaker: We just need to, as soon as we're done, you just need to wait because it uploads from your side.
Speaker: So...
Speaker: You know, one other thing, if anyone wants to be either a vendor or wants to speak at this show, you know, either reach out to me through the website or call me directly.
Speaker: And, you know, we'll make room for you.
Speaker: We'll find room for you to be part of the show.
Speaker: That would be awesome.
Speaker: Sounds good.
Speaker: We're happy to help out, too, if you need us.
Speaker: Great.
Speaker: Thanks, guys.
Speaker: Thanks, Rob.
Speaker: want to get a hold of us we are loser kid pinball podcast at gmail.com you can also hit us up on facebook instagram and twitter at loser kid pinball we are also starting to stream well i am scott not not so much for scott but uh i've been trying to get more on a schedule but you know life is crazy right now so if you want to contact or if you want to watch it just go to at loser kid pinball on twitch.tv
Speaker: You can follow us there and it will remind you or let you know when we went live and doing some stream.
Speaker: We've been having a lot of fun.
Speaker: You can come and talk to us and chat and whatnot.
Speaker: Anything else, Scott?
Speaker: I think that's it.
Speaker: Definitely get on your schedule.
Speaker: And if you guys have any feedback for us or any suggestions or people you want us to try to get on, go ahead and send that to Josh and me and we'll see what we can do.
Speaker: Sounds good.
Speaker: I guess we'll see you in two weeks, right, Scott?
Speaker: Sounds good.
Speaker: Okay, thanks, Josh.
Speaker: Shut up and sit down.
