Today we’d like to introduce you to Tim Swindle.
Tim, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
My friend and I were at a bar on New Year’s Day 2014, discussing how much fun we had playing “Cards Against Humanity” the night before. At the time, we were both contemplating graduate school but wanted to embrace our entrepreneurial spirits and create something. We realized we had been casually playing a game for years with friends that had the potential for us to turn into something real.
The original game had two piles of paper, one was accents, and the other was phrases. You had to pull a piece of paper from each pile and say the phrase in the accent chosen. While we had the basic idea for a game, we still needed to iron out the rules, gameplay and come up with a name. From that point, this passion project evolved into the birth of Utter Nonsense.
To turn this dream into a reality, we decided to create a Kickstarter campaign to help fund our first project run in August 2014. Shortly after that, we were picked up by Marbles: The Brain Store. Then a publication in the UK, called Toy News, wrote a story about us. A buyer from Target saw the article and reached out to us, which set us on a different trajectory. It was a big undertaking for us as a small independent publisher, but we had great partners who helped us succeed.
In the midst of all this, my sister Shannon became a part of the Utter Nonsense team as a partner to lead daily operations. We had already successfully created “Utter Nonsense: The Inappropriate Accent Game” (which was recently updated and rebranded as “Utter Nonsense: Naughty Edition”). But, we received feedback that while individuals loved the game, they wished they could play a version with children. From there, Shannon and I developed the Family Edition, which was released in June 2017. This version is sold exclusively at Target.
So as of today, Utter Nonsense consists of two successful editions, sold at Target and other national retailers with a talented team working behind the scenes to consistently bring laughter and fun to households across America.
Has it been a smooth road?
It has been a relatively smooth road. Especially considering neither Shannon or I have a background in game development. We had to learn every detail about this industry and process from start to finish. This includes general knowledge related to the toy and game space, key players and businesses, marketing channels, public relations, art and production, manufacturing, and distribution. It has been an enormously rewarding experience and we feel lucky to be in this business.
Not everything has gone perfectly however, we did have 5 misprinted accent cards in our first run of the Family Edition. The editing and review process before anything goes into print is a highly stressful time for everyone involved. In this case, there was a printing error on the BACKS of the cards, which we didn’t catch when reviewing the proofs. But, we’ve managed to master the process now and I’m very proud of this.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
Utter Nonsense is a card game where players say funny phrases in even sillier accents. The game is great in a party setting and suitable for a wide range of ages. There are two versions: “Family” (for children 8 and up) and “Naughty” (for ages 18 and up). Both games consist of 450 phrase cards and 50 accent cards. I like that our game requires you to come out of your shell and perform to some extent. Even your most mild-mannered friends become improv masters after a few rounds.
As a company, I am most proud of how far we’ve come. From a game on Kickstarter, a little over three years ago to having multiple versions sold at big box national retailers today is pretty incredible. We’re lucky to have a great team who has helped us get here.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
Chicago is the perfect setting for Utter Nonsense with it’s well-documented history in comedy and improv. From Second City to iO Theater to the Laugh Factory, we’ve had such a positive reaction to the game from individuals in these circles, it’s been great to have this community behind us.
From a hiring perspective, we’ve had no shortage of finding talent within the Chicagoland area, specifically writers, because of the great comedy presence here.
On top of that, Utter Nonsense is all about laughter, having fun and being silly and this city is full of lively individuals looking to do just that.
Pricing:
- $24.99 – Utter Nonsense: Naughty Edition
- $24.99 – Utter Nonsense: Family Edition
Contact Info:
- Website: www.utternonsensegame.com
- Email: support@utternonsensegame.com
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