S6E12 - Wood, Wire, & Whimsy: Mike Dold & Rick George of Doldrick’s

Reality Escape Pod - Escape Rooms & Immersive Games

“Comedy and whimsy feel like the foundational principles of Doldrick’s.”

In Season 6, episode 12, we chat with Mike Dold and Rick George, two of the co-owners of Doldrick’s Escape Room in Orlando, Fl. Their games are fan favorites amongst enthusiasts, in particular because of their blend of humor, whimsy, beautiful sets, and fun gameplay. Every single REA review of the Doldrick’s escape rooms talks about how funny they were, with Theresa Wagner writing that Spoopy’s Ghoulish Graveyard “had [her] laughing so hard [she] was in tears.”

In fact, their newest game, Crazy Train: The Ballad Of Skeemin' Plotz inspired Lisa to write what David calls “her finest work” as an escape room reviewer. At this point, you’re probably thinking, “these are crazy names for an escape room,” and I’d have to agree. My favorite is “Red Sled Redemption: Hollie Jolly Holiday Hubcap Repair”, which is an escape room title of epically insane proportions, but absolutely fits the Doldrick’s brand of madcap comedy.

Besides talking to us about their inspirations for their games, my favorite part is when Rick opens up about the difficulties of running an escape room while raising a young family. I really appreciated his willingness to be vulnerable, and I think it’s valuable for other escape room owners to know that everyone has the same struggles.

Timestamps & Full Show Notes

Episode Sponsors

Thank you to our sponsors Morty, Buzzshot, and COGS:

Morty

Morty is a free app for discovering, planning, tracking, and reviewing your escape rooms and other immersive social outings.

Morty News:

• Morty now features haunt attractions
• Morty for Android is here

Special Badge for REPOD listeners:

You can learn more at morty.app/REPOD to sign up and get a special badge for our listeners (works for existing users also).

Buzzshot

Buzzshot is Escape Room Software, Powering Business Growth, Player Marketing, and improving the Customer Experience. They offer an assortment of pre and post game features including robust waiver management, branded team photos, and streamlined review management for Yelp, TripAdvisor, Google Reviews, and Morty. Buzzshot now has integration with the other REPOD sponsors: Morty and COGS.

Special Offer for REPOD Listeners:

REPOD listeners get an extended 21-day free trial plus 20% off your first 3 months, with no set-up fees or hidden charges. Visit buzzshot.com/repod to learn more about this exclusive offer.

COGS

COGS by Clockwork Dog is an easy to use software/ hardware platform for running interactive events, including escape rooms, and other immersive experiences. They have plug & play hardware that seamlessly integrates with their software so you can create a show with lighting and sound cues without having to write a single line of code. Map all kinds of inputs to outputs by building up simple logic steps which determine what you want to happen and when.

Special Offer for REPOD Listeners:

REPOD listeners can get the COGS Starter Set for only $130 + free shipping to the USA. This bundle is usually valued at $257. You can learn more and purchase your Starter Set at cogs.show. Use code REPOD at checkout.

Production Credits

Hosted by David Spira & Peih-Gee Law

Produced by Theresa Piazza

Supported by Lisa Spira & Richard Burns

Edited by Steve Ewing of Stand Inside Media

Music by Ryan Elder

Logo by Janine Pracht