DeepSummary
The podcast episode features an interview with Brian Corbett, the creator of the immersive and raunchy escape room experience 'Miss Jezebel' in Los Angeles. Brian discusses how his games are heavily influenced by his background as a scare actor in the haunt industry, incorporating elements like puppetry, humor, and innovative mechanics. The interview delves into the creative process behind Miss Jezebel, which started as an April Fool's joke and evolved into an 18+ experience blending escape rooms with immersive theater.
Brian shares his approach to game mastering, emphasizing the importance of staying in character and maintaining immersion. He also talks about the challenges of transitioning Miss Jezebel into an online avatar game during the pandemic, and how it became a sensation among enthusiasts. The discussion covers Brian's unique style, his partnership with the 60out escape room franchise, and his plans for future games that push boundaries.
Throughout the interview, Brian's passion for creating memorable, offbeat experiences shines through. His games often feature elements that traditional escape rooms shy away from, like explicit content, fear factors, and intimate actor interactions. The episode offers a glimpse into the mind of a creator who thrives on pushing boundaries and delivering unexpected thrills.
Key Episodes Takeaways
- Brian Corbett's escape rooms, particularly Miss Jezebel, are heavily influenced by his background in the haunt industry, incorporating elements like puppetry, humor, and fear factors.
- Brian's games often push boundaries and challenge traditional escape room norms, featuring explicit content, intimate actor interactions, and innovative mechanics.
- The origin of Miss Jezebel stemmed from an April Fool's prank, showcasing Brian's offbeat and playful approach to game design.
- Maintaining immersion and staying in character during game mastering is crucial to Brian's design philosophy, criticizing the common practice of breaking character to provide hints.
- Brian has a strong aversion to using animatronics in his games, preferring more organic, lifelike elements to create a sense of life and realism.
- Miss Jezebel broke new ground by seamlessly integrating a live actor as a central, interactive element of the experience, setting it apart from other escape rooms.
- Brian's partnership with the 60out escape room franchise allows him to focus on the creative aspects of game design while benefiting from their operational and marketing support.
- Brian continuously iterates and improves upon his games, often overhauling or replacing them entirely to push the boundaries of his craft.
Top Episodes Quotes
- “I absolutely hate when a game master comes over the microphone in a regular voice and just is like, what are you guys working on? What do you need a hint on? Oh, no, you need to. You need to unscrew that and do it over again. Yeah, just screw it in again. No, the lights not on. You got to do that. No, that's, you know, with zero character, zero voice, and you're like, dude, come on, what the hell?“ by Brian Corbett
- “That's really set a unique tone in the escape room. I don't feel that we've ever come across any other escape rooms before. Jezebel, that really took the actor to heart as a living, breathing part of the game.“ by Brian Corbett
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Episode Information
Reality Escape Pod - Escape Rooms & Immersive Games
David Spira & Peih-Gee Law
9/14/21
In Season 2, episode 6, we got to chat with Brian Corbitt, the creative mind behind the raunchy and hilarious Miss Jezebel—an actor-driven experience that’s a mix between immersive theatre and an escape room. Two of Brian’s games have won Golden Lock Awards from Room Escape Artist, and it was also voted in the top three best online escape rooms in the 2020 TERPECAs – the Top Escape Rooms Project Enthusiasts’ Choice Awards.
Brian’s games all have a quirky signature style to them, including the use of puppets, humor, interesting mechanics, and deeply immersive interactions. Brian worked in the haunt industry for over a decade as a scare actor and set designer, and it’s easy to see the influence the haunt industry has on his games.
One of the things that struck me was how so many of his ideas all started off as April Fool’s day pranks. Many of Brian’s best games came about because he wanted to create something to entertain his friends, make ’em laugh, and maybe troll them a bit. Brian’s passion for creating something brilliant, funny, and a tad twisted is apparent in his games and this interview. It was a blast diving into his carnival funhouse brain.
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Production Credits
Hosted by David Spira & Peih-Gee Law
Produced by Lisa Spira
Edited by Steve Ewing of Stand Inside Media
Music by Ryan Elder
Logo by Janine Pracht