Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Justin Barron. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Justin, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What did your parents do right and how has that impacted you in your life and career?
A month ago we celebrated my son’s first birthday. My wife, Deanna, and I sat with him as he played with the wrapping paper, often ignoring the actual gifts. As we opened gift after gift, I looked around the jam-packed room and thought to myself, “there are way too many people in here.” And while that may have been true, we wouldn’t have had it any other way.
Growing up, my parents hosted a lot of gatherings for friends and family. These included holiday get-togethers, game nights, dinners, and, of course, the annual themed-birthday parties for us kids. My dad, Jesse, was born to be the life of every party. His non-stop energy is more contagious than you could believe and his desire to make others laugh has seeped into the very core of who I am. My mom, Leah, is the kindest and most giving person you’ll ever meet. She doesn’t rest until she knows that everyone is having a good time, a sometimes difficult task. Her perceptive ability to scan the room and make sure to include everyone in on the fun is yet another trait that I’ve found within myself. My parents aren’t perfect people but their capacity to bring joy and community to others is to be admired.
As I sit here, a new parent facing the insane task of raising another human, I can only feel incredibly grateful that my parents raised me with those values. Looking back on my life, it is crystal clear that I have the same drive that they do but, thanks to them, I have been able to push that drive further into a career. Much of my time in the performing arts can be summed up to a passion for finding something that I love and wanting to share it with as many people as I can. The same can be said for what I’ve been trying to do with Tipsy Bard KC; hosting parties, building community, and trying to include as many people as I can in on the fun. And for all of that, I owe my parents an enormous amount of thanks.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I’m Justin Barron (he/him) and I own a small-business start-up called Tipsy Bard KC. We are a collective of gamers and artists who host events all around KC that are focused on the idea of Tabletop Role-Playing (TTRPGs). If you are unfamiliar with that term, perhaps you’ve heard of Dungeons & Dragons (arguably the most popular TTRPG). Essentially, in a TTRPG, you partake in a game of dice and imagination in which you embody a character you’ve created within a world full of fantasy, mystery, horror, or anything else you could imagine. Collectively, the table of players must work together to accomplish some greater goal that could take them anywhere from a few hours of playing to a few years. If that sounds intimidating, I promise you it is not as difficult or scary as it sounds. It usually is just a fun bit of playing pretend with some friends for a few hours at a time. But I can understand your hesitation, role-playing games are often perceived as “not for me” to most groups of people. What we do is try to help people bridge that gap from, “I’m curious to know more but don’t know where to start” to actually playing and exploring in a safe, judgment-free environment.
Our events range from classes and workshops, such as our upcoming “Mastering the Game: Learn to be a Role-Playing Game Master” classes at Druid Dice, to full on Epic Adventures, in which players team up with 25-30 others on a quest that spans about 6 hours and features lights, sound, costumes, and props. These Epics have been our main focus in our first year of existence but we are looking to branch out into other events in the coming year. One example being a unique murder mystery experience that brings in curated theatricality and original game mechanics.
All in all, many of the artists that have been collaborating with me on these events are people that I’ve known from my career in regional theatre. People from different backgrounds with vastly different skill sets; men, women, and non-binary alike. I think that is important to note because so many folks assume they know the kind of people who play these games but don’t be so sure. Most people are surprised to hear that over half of our customer base aren’t men. Anyway, the point is, we all love storytelling and introducing new experiences to folks who may be looking for something exciting and new. Ultimately, that is what I would like people to take away from their experiences with Tipsy Bard KC, the wonder of having experienced something new and the anticipation to do it again!
How do you keep your team’s morale high?
Having spent 10+ years in the theatre industry, I’ve been able to witness firsthand hundreds of different teams coming together to collaborate for a project. In that time I’ve seen bad leadership and great leadership, bad products and phenomenal ones. With that in mind, I would say that I’ve been able to gain a great amount of insight into what it takes to manage a team that finds purpose in the work and creates the best of outcomes for their collective efforts. At the core it always comes down to making space for everyone to feel heard.
Folks are always going to have different opinions on what is good, what is right, which path is best, etc. As a leader, the thing I try to do most is just consistently check-in and listen to each of those opinions. I, of course, have my own opinions on these matters as well but I always try my best to keep ego out of it and just trust that out of these many options, there is one that is right for the company. Sometimes it is my initial thought but often, it came from someone else’s mind and, to me, that is the best part of collaborating.
I absolutely would not have gotten this far without the amazing team that supports me. It is only right that I reserve the space for them to say their piece and listen carefully when they do. I’ve found that a little thanks can go a long way. In small business, the people who support you and surround you likely have some interest in the company beyond that of a typical job. Recognizing that interest and rewarding it with more responsibility or control over some small aspect of things can do well to keep morale high and your company a success.
How did you build your audience on social media?
I wouldn’t consider myself an expert on this topic but I definitely feel like I’m getting better. The thing I’ve tried to do lately is to show more of ME in my posts and stories. Early on I was doing everything I could to make the business feel like a “real company”, bigger than it really was, just to give off the appearance of success. It wasn’t until a few months ago that I was given some advice that made me rethink that approach. Social media is such an impossible game to “win” at and if you are trying to get more follows or likes, you are just going to drive yourself mad. Instead, I’ve found more success by just sharing things that are interesting or helpful to me. It’s not so much about drumming up business but rather building a community of people who think that what I’m sharing is just as cool as I do. What that meant was that I needed to show off more of who I am so that I’m not just some faceless company voice.
What I do now is a lot of low-key discussions, ask me anything sessions, video updates of my current projects, polls of future topics or projects, and even the occasional meme. Basically, I post to Instagram the same way that I would talk to a good friend who likes everything I like. Now, I know not every industry has as interesting of content as I do with my tabletop crafts and gaming polls but if you can get creative, I’m sure there is some solution for you. Even if you are only posting a couple times a week, allow the posts to give people insight into who you are and what you are up to. Give your audience someone to root for and talk to, a face they can relate to. I’ve found that that is the content folks are looking for.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.tipsybardkc.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tipsybardkc/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100093526267230
- Other: Join our Discord Community: https://discord.com/invite/yTX3Xkfn6e
