We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Lila Quests. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Lila below.
Hi Lila, thanks for joining us today. Going back to the beginning – how did you come up with the idea in the first place?
It all started one rainy February night in our dorms at university. Chris was already in his PJ’s, braced against the Iowa cold and ready to turn out the light, when he saw an incoming call. He ignored the pull of his comforter for a moment to answer, and without any preamble came Haley’s voice: “I want to create a Quest for our friends this Valentine’s Day, you in?”. The comforter would have to wait – because of course Chris was in.
Within moments Chris and I were designing a puzzle journey that would organically create teams within our friend group, prompting them to collect cozy items for an intimate house party (fluffy socks, roses hidden across the town, etc.). Designing this became our hobby over the next week, squeezed between classes & homework. Wildly – it all worked: the puzzles, the community building, the party – and thus our first Quest was born.
After that, it was one request after another. A member of Student Government who loved this first adventure asked if we could create an even bigger one for the university. We enthusiastically said yes, and it became our first “funded” project (we had $100). The university saw the outcome of that event, and, amazed by the student turnout, they commissioned one Quest per semester to foster cross-cultural community on campus. From Mystery Dinner Parties, to Story-Based Outdoor Adventures featuring brain wave challenges (complete with EEG caps), color changing magic potions & tiki-torches that lit themselves in response to spells, we leaned into the thrill of combining immersive storytelling, team-building puzzle journeys, and fantasy world-building.
We never looked back. Seeing the smiles, the friendships, and the childlike freedom that came from adults being allowed to embrace wonder & whimsy – it was easy to switch life paths to a career as “Quest producers”. It was never our intention to create a career out of play & fantasy & delight – but now nothing else compares.
Lila, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
We design and produce immersive events that let adults play – in order to experience joy, wonder, and human connection.
Our speciality is Quests: mini-adventures in real life, with a story that establishes you as the hero of your own adventure, a puzzle journey that brings people together, and world-building that enables you to leave the ordinary behind.
We are fortunate to be uniquely qualified for bringing people together & curating lasting memories through the lens of play. We got our start providing Quests for a wildly diverse university population, which had over 63 national groups represented. We quickly learned which offerings transcend cultural barriers successfully. Magic, story, puzzles, play – all these, regardless of where you’re from or what you believe, foster childlike joy and spontaneous human connection.
Whether it’s a Fantasy Tavern Adventure in the heart of Manhattan for a tech company’s product launch, a Catch-a-Thief Mystery Dinner Party for a gala fundraiser, or a Witches-Only Ritual for an album release, we gamify brands so their customers can engage with them through play.
What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?
Instagram as a networking tool – hands down.
There’s an ever-growing list of creatives on Instagram who inspire us daily. We love to follow kindred brands in the fantasy industry who are bringing their own special magic and joy to their communities. When we find a brand that has potential for an aligned partnership (eg. a Fantasy Ball wanting a Side Quest Plug-In), we reach out to have a discovery session.
Likewise, the more we lean into our own market niche (gamifying a brand’s product/service), the easier it is for other companies and creatives to find us and the unique solutions they’re looking for.
Some of our most exciting projects have come from a spontaneous DM to a company we admire – and whose magic we want to combine forces with.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
Seeing joy on a stranger’s face. We’ve done over 1,000 events to date, and the most rewarding aspect of being a creative is watching the worries of the world melt away in the faces of our guests and be replaced by mischievous glee. Months of design and prep work are entirely for those moments – it’s the main reason we get up in the morning.
Secondarily, like any artist, it’s deeply fulfilling to see one’s vision come vividly to life. In the design stage of a Quest, we’ll start with a nugget of universal truth we want to communicate to people (eg. music is magic, human connection is healing, etc.) then outline the user-experience (UX) to bring people through a journey that allows them to feel that truth too. Bringing together all the logistics so that guests can have those transportive moments is a sweetness unlike any other. When we walk into a space on the day of the activation and see strangers making lasting memories because of a vision that started in our imaginations… that really fills an artist’s heart.
Moving forward, as we continue to expand, we’re excited to partner with more kindred spirits. If you love fantasy, magic, and human connection – let’s connect and see what we can create together.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.lilaquests.com
- Instagram: @lilaquests
Image Credits
Haley Spitzfaden
Christopher Grace
Dileep Krishnamoorthy
Luke Stenger
Nicholas Barakos