Let's be honest here, the last year has been one for the books with many things happening all around the world. From political unrest to the Covid pandemic, 2020 was a year unlike many of us have ever faced. However, things seems to be looking up with the Presidential election finally over and with effective Covid vaccines being distributed all over the world - it's looking like 2021 may be the year we all finally start to have a sense of normalcy again.
That being said, it had been a while since the HBS online LA Chapter had an opportunity to meet up again and it was definitely time to make that happen. The LA Chapter’s very own Shari Lucas, who is a senior sales executive for Two Bit Circus, was kind enough to put together an event with LA Chapter organizers Mona Molayem and Joshua Senne to create a remote event that would allow for Chapter members, both new and past, to come together and shake off the previous year with a Zoom call to introduce themselves and network with one another, followed by a fun remote game show with prizes.
(Image Credit: Two Bit Circus)
Two Bit Circus was developed by Founders CEO Brent Bushnell, and CTO Eric Gradman who both met while working as engineers in Los Angeles and bonded over a shared passion for games and technology. While currently operating remotely due to the Covid pandemic, the park itself is a 50-thousand-square-foot park containing interactive games and installations, including virtual and augmented reality. The company also has a nonprofit, Two Bit Circus Foundation, that has hosted numerous carnivals featuring Bushnell and Gradman's games to promote an interest in STEM education among kids.
The image above represents the Live video portion of the game show, with host Josh Randall asking LA Chapter participants, Joshua Senne, Shari Lucas, and Paras Nanavati to share the weirdest gift they've ever received with other participants. Other parts of the game show included finishing lyrics of popular songs and guessing release dates of major motion pictures. The game show was a big hit and the LA chapter gives a special thanks to Two Bit Circus, Shari Lucas, and Josh Randall for giving the LA chapter a chance to unwind from the new normal and have a little fun together in a remote environment. We look forward to holding an event there in person and have plans for other great events in 2021.