Resources

John Kreicbergs

John currently splits time and energy between Kid Rocket StudiosPropaganda3AAF-KC, and RKO Workshop. The commonality between each one is a need for creation. Through it all John keeps clients, teams and even himself in tune, on time and marching to the same beat.

The Direction for Kid Rocket Studios Is Much More Than Apps. What’s the Vision and Why Does It Matters to Kids Today?

There’s this fantastic quote that I like to use when people go on those “kids these days…” tirades.

The children now love luxury; they have bad manners, contempt for authority; they show disrespect for elders and love chatter in place of exercise. Children are now tyrants, not the servants of their households. They no longer rise when elders enter the room. They contradict their parents, chatter before company, gobble up dainties at the table, cross their legs, and tyrannize their teachers.

The best part? It’s attributed to Socrates and he’s talking about the kids in his own time, circa 425 BC. Whether he said it or not doesn’t really matter as the whole thing illustrates the point that the more we think things change, the more they stay the same.

Kids are different these days, but not for the reason you think. The landscape has changed. YouTube consistently competes with (and beats) television for their attention. Gaming is a multi-billion dollar industry. Books and especially comics are thriving with this audience though so many are quick to declare that “print is dead” elsewhere.

How are they the same? Kids want to be captivated. They want to be entertained. They want to laugh. They’re never afraid to tell you exactly what they think.

Our vision is pretty simple: to craft compelling characters, stories and entertainment that launches imaginations. The democratization of access to both the necessary technology and the appropriate communication channels leads us to believe that Kid Rocket Studios can successfully accomplish that. Independent efforts like ours have just as much ability to reach kids these days as the efforts of the long-established gatekeepers. To a certain extent, we’re already proving that point with Kung Fu Robot.

kung-fu-robot

You Talk About a Commonality Between All of Your Efforts. What Exactly Is the Scratch They Help You Itch?

Academically speaking, I’m a musician and a writer. With respect to my career, I’ve been heavily involved in advertising and marketing for the last 15 years and digital for the last nine on the account management/strategy side. In the last few years I’ve found the most satisfaction in helping build experiences that people want to interact with and use. Since I’m not a developer or a designer, my expertise lies in the planning and definition of those experiences and then partnering with incredible talent that can bring it all to life.

I started RKO Workshop as a side project with my good friends Chris Riebschlager and Tim O’Neill a few years ago when we had the opportunity to work with the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art on their Monet exhibit. That project turned into a two year, multiple project run with the museum and eventually led to our current work with the National World War I Museum. I joined Propaganda3 last year, a company that I’ve admired for many years prior for their emphasis on craft and creativity. Today, in addition to being the general manager for mobile app development at P3, helping launch Kid Rocket Studios is certainly the pinnacle of scratching this itch.

I’m compelled to create but nothing I want to do — and really, nothing that’s worth doing well — is done without a little help from my friends.

How Does Your Current Culture Influence the Way You Work?

I believe in the power of mentorship and I’ve been very fortunate throughout my career to have some good ones. However, when I met Cello Vergara back in 2007, I knew I had gained more than just a mentor. He’s become a dear friend through our common love for good music and a steadfast belief that anything worthwhile is going to require a lot of hard work.

Finally having the chance to work with him at Propaganda3, a company he co-founded 13 years ago, has been incredible. He’s given me a lot of latitude to learn and grow but is always demanding my best work at every step along the way. To be asked by him and Jason Bays to help establish Kid Rocket Studios has been fantastic, but to be asked to become a true partner in that endeavor was humbling. It’s one thing to “drive it like you own it.” It’s something else entirely when that’s true. As a result, it’s really amped my enthusiasm knowing how much control I have over shaping my own future.

What Does It Mean to You to Live and Work in KC?

Everything, really. Though I was born in Chicago, I’m a Kansas City kid through and through. Apart from college and grad school, KC has always been my home. About 10 years ago, I was heavily considering opportunities that would have taken me away from here. Even as recently as six years ago, other cities were popping up as possibilities. Yet for a variety of reasons, nothing quite solidified. Then a moment of truth came around for my wife and I where we decided to finally make the mental move to Kansas City and call it home for good.

I believe in Kansas City. I believe in its historic past, I love the renaissance I see today, and I want to do everything I can to help build its amazing future. Sure, it’s not perfect. We get in our own way with our “aw shucks” Midwestern work ethic more often than not, but I see a path slowly taking shape that is allowing us to grow on our own terms into a bustling creative, cultural and entrepreneurial center. We’re not going to be the next Silicon Valley or Austin, Texas… and that’s just fine with me. We’re going to be Kansas City. We need to be Kansas City.

What Is Your Latest Epiphany?

Probably that when you finally begin to realize your passion, there is little difference between your personal life and your career. Finding what intrinsically motivates you isn’t easy. I definitely wouldn’t say I have it all figured out yet but I’m closer than I’ve ever been before in my life. And that just feels so damn good.


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