Today we’d like to introduce you to Chris Kessinger.
Hi Chris, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
As many people have come to know, I am the owner of Cryptic Clue Mysteries located in Colorado Springs. I create and market boxed murder mystery events that people can purchase and host within their homes. I’ve also cultivated a small series of experiences that are designed for one or two players called Survival Experiences! Having to learn to work around the global pandemic has been a feat in and of itself, but I’ve maintained my connections and worked diligently to create a product that everyone can enjoy!
I’ve been in business for over a year now, and it’s such a dramatic difference from then til now. Within the last year, I’ve been able to attend numerous expos and events, selling products to friends and families across the board. Most recently, I attended Comic Con which was utterly amazing between the new fans I met as well as the celebrities! One of whom went home with a box!
The amount that I’ve learned has been invaluable, and that extends to both a professional and personal level.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
There were probably 2 significant hurdles that I had to leap over. The first being just learning about everything that is involved with running a business. Learning about all the overhead costs alone, registering with the state, and even how to manage taxes properly. It’s not the most complicated thing ever, BUT it was a situation where the saying “You don’t know, what you don’t know” really came into play. There was stuff that I didn’t know that I had to file, paperwork and such, but over time and a late fee or two, I’ve figured it out.
The second hurdle came from taking an idea, gathering people together to solve a murder mystery, and making that accessible to people in a world that was hit by a global pandemic that required us to stay away from one another. By creating the boxed versions of my original events, I was able to give families the opportunity to enjoy the time that they had together in a unique way. When things shifted even further, I came across many people who were simply boyfriend and girlfriend/husband and wife living together and they wanted something to do for a date night while being stuck at home. So I designed my “Survival Experiences” which takes you and puts you in the story, where you are trying to survive an attack from a killer! They are designed in a way similar to the old school “create your own adventure” books. Presented with different pathways to take, different puzzles to solve, and by extension, different endings.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Now, being able to go out and buy murder mysteries is not a brand-new idea. However, the way that I design my events I believe brings a unique twist to the market that hasn’t been seen before. The basic setup of any murder mystery is everyone takes on the role of a character, someone in the group dies, and then you solve the murder. I have designed my events so that as the host of an event, you see the bare minimum when it comes to the contents. Much of the event is already prepped and sealed away in envelopes that you will never see, which allows you to play along with everyone else and enjoy the evening. Similarly, the Killer has the chance to play along and solve the mystery as well because they don’t find out that they are actually the killer until the grand reveal at the end of the event. Even dead players have their own set of objectives and puzzles to solve or to deliver to characters from beyond the grave.
My ultimate goal was to ensure that every single person could interact as much or as little as they wanted while adding their own flair to their characters, but also ensuring that EVERYONE was included and involved and that nobody felt left out or out of place from the events that were taking place around them.
How do you think about happiness?
Honestly, one of my favorite things to do is curl up at the end of the night with either a good book or while binge-watching whatever my current tv obsession is. I love stories. I love being transported to another time or place or world, enjoying the characters that exist there, and living the stories vicariously through them. And I confess, the occasional bit of reality television always makes me smile. But the stories that I see on tv, in film, and in my books inspire me in countless ways and then I enjoy twisting them and adding a bit of darkness to them to create something a bit more terrifying.
Pricing:
- Death In The Abyss – 60.00
- Vegas 3000 – 52.00
- Heroes & Villains – 65.00
- The Bloodbath Carnival – 55.00
- The Ridgeline Massacre – 55.00
Contact Info:
- Website: CrypticClueMysteries.com
- Instagram: Cryptic Clue Mysteries
