Welcome to the Manaverse Podcast
The Manaverse Podcast is where we explore what it takes to build a successful friendly local game store! Since 2015, I’ve been interviewing a wide variety of game store owners and industry professionals doing some really interesting things in the world of trading cards, minis, games, and more.
If you want to learn how some of the best game retailers in North America have built their businesses and local communities up from the ground floor, you’ve come to the right place!
MVP100: The Road To WPN Premium Status
In today's episode we are going straight to the source and exploring what makes the WPN program tick, how to achieve that coveted Premium status for your game store, and how to make the most it. Luke May is the Retail Experience Specialist for Wizards of the Coast in...
MVP099: Curt Covert From Smirk and Dagger on Publishing Games and What We Can Learn From Other Industries
Curt Covert is the founder, creative force and jack-of-all-trades at Smirk & Dagger. He’s worn all the hats including art director, copywriter, marketer and concept director, and in a past life he was also a creative director and marketing planner for promotion...
MVP098: Wizards Announces the End of Professional Level Play
On May 13th, 2021, Wizards of the Coast announced plans to move away from it's current iteration of Organized Professional Level Play and phase out the MPL and Rivals leagues. The 2021-2022 season will be the final season of Wizard's foray into e-sports in it's...
MVP097: Molly Zeff on Flying Leap Games, Wing It, and What She Learned By Visiting 250+ Game Stores
Molly Zeff, the cofounder of Flying Leap Games is on the Manaverse Podcast to talk about getting into the game publishing business and what she learned by visiting over 250 game stores all over the world. If you're interested in discovering how to get your game...
MVP096: Dized – How To Automate Your Board Game Demo Table and Sell More Board Games
Jouni Jussilla is on the Manaverse Podcast to talk about Dized, a digital companion designed to be used next to physical tabletop games. We all know that one of the biggest obstacles to picking up a new game is learning the rules, which is why we often refer to our...
MVP095: GAMA EXPO 2021 Review
GAMA EXPO 2021 has come and gone so let's talk about what went well and what could be improved on. Today, I'm breaking down my experience with the GAMA Expo and some of the difficulties I ran into while registering for the event, as well as talking about some of the...
MVP094: Hold The Line! One Star Reviews, Speculators, and Pricing To The Market
If you’ve been open for any length of time in this business you’ve probably run into someone who thinks they deserve a special deal. Maybe they’ve been a long time customer, maybe they’ve just rolled in off the street and feel like you owe them cheaper prices. At the...
MVP093: Grow Your RPG Community with StartPlaying.Games
Devon Chulick is the Founder and COO of StartPlaying.Games, a service that helps connect tabletop RPG gamers and professional game masters together to create amazing gaming experiences. Devon has been involved in the eCommerce industry for over a decade with a number...
MVP092: How To Run Magic Tournaments Online With Melee.gg
Steve Port joins me on the podcast to discuss his latest project, Melee.gg and the future of Magic tournaments, online and offline. Learn how Melee.gg can allow your game store to run Magic tournaments more efficiently than ever, both in store and on Magic: Arena....
MVP091: How I Would Improve Star City Games Marketing
Join me as I tell the story of interviewing for the position of marketing manager for Star City Games and my plan for improving the marketing strategy of one of the biggest Magic: the Gathering businesses in the world. Resources Mentioned semrush.com...