Kevin and me at Fantastic Kids in NYC

I’d forgotten the conversation that had me connecting speaking colleague Kevin Carroll to my good friend and mastermind buddy, game inventor Mary Ellroy. But yesterday’s conversation with Kevin at Fantastic Kids in NYC reminded me.

Kevin’s game TENZI featured in New York Magazine

Kevin was there to promote his fast-paced, bestselling game TENZI to one of over 1700 retail stores carrying this product.

“I was sheepishly telling you I hadn’t done my coaching homework when you asked me what had I been doing instead,” Kevin reminded me. “I practically whispered, ‘I’ve been working on a game idea.’ You made me repeat it because I’d said it so quietly. Then, because you were really listening to my excitement level, you immediately put me in touch with Mary.”

The rest is history. The two of them created a popular game called Pickles to Penguins that was bought by a major toy company. Kevin, bitten by the invention bug, went on to create this incredibly fast-paced, fun game that anyone can play.

He also shared his excitement over a feature in New York Magazine (image below) whose attention he got by sending a case of packaged TENZI sets to the Best Bets editor. Kevin not only knows what’s fun and engaging for people of all ages, he also knows how to get press and goes the extra mile to make it happen.