Confessions of a Trivia Company Owner: I’m Really Lousy at Playing Trivia

As the founder of the only corporate entertainment & team building company in New York City specializing exclusively in live trivia events, I am invariably confronted by the same types of questions whenever I meet new people. “How did you get into that?” (jaw agape) is probably the most common, followed by “What kind of trivia do you ask?” – both of which I’m more than happy to answer.

But then, inevitably, there’s always this:

“Wow, you must be really great at trivia! Are you, like, a trivia guru?”

Ugh.

I know this might come as a shock, but the answer is no. I’m actually lousy at playing trivia, and always have been. “Jeopardy!” has been an embarrassment for me to watch since I was a kid, especially when there’s other people in the room. Trivial Pursuit? Forget it – I always come in last. I’ve never even won a pub quiz night, if you can believe that!

One big reason why I’m so bad at trivia is that I don’t watch TV. Yes, you read that right: a guy who earns a living asking pop culture trivia questions doesn’t watch television. I don’t even have cable in my apartment.

Which begs the question: how is this even possible?

The answer is that at my core, I am not a “trivia guy” – rather, I am an “experience guy.” Yes, I’ve produced & hosted close to 500 trivia events over the past 6+ years, and written something like 15,000 original trivia questions in that time (good lord, has it been that many?) However, unlike the die-hard trivia enthusiast or passionate pub quiz host who receives great pleasure from either coming up with or answering obscure, arcane or simply very challenging trivia questions, I get the most enjoyment from planning and producing entertainment & team building activities for others to enjoy. That’s the lens with which I conceived my company, approach my work, and which has brought me tremendous happiness along the way.

I really love what I do, and am so thrilled to be doing it; you’d be hard-pressed to find someone with as much experience as me planning & producing live trivia events – of all shapes & sizes, both for private and public audiences –  and in my time doing this I’ve developed a unique ability to grasp the types of trivia questions that will resonate with different crowds. And right there, that’s what I’m good at: crafting the perfect trivia material for a specific audience, and then producing the perfect fun, high-energy competitive environment around it based on precise event goals.

What I am NOT good at is playing trivia. I leave that to the real “trivia gurus” out there.

Trust me – my former pub quiz teammates will agree.