Name: Jason Klein
Position: Brandiose co-Founder
Age: 37
Where I’m from: San Diego
Where I call home: San Diego
Focusing on right now: Several MiLB clubs have asked us to expand into ballpark design, specifically narrative storytelling and reimagining the layout. Add product design on top of that -- the physical items that fans may interact with inside the ballpark.
Best advice: People always say, “Isn’t it the worst when someone hates something that you create?” And we tell them no. The worst is when they’re apathetic about it. Fear of making the wrong decision is rampant, so people fall back on safe. We have a saying around the studio: “Safe is risky.”
A must for a new hire: You need a can-do attitude, imagination, to be a self-starter. Attention to detail is huge, and meeting deadlines. In interviews, I always ask what people are really good at but hate doing.
Exec I admire: Richmond Flying Squirrels CEO CHUCK DOMINO -- he’s kind of the godfather of minor league baseball. SCOTT HUNSICKER (Reading Fightin Phils) is a great friend, and ANDY MILOVICH (Myrtle Beach Pelicans) has a brain like no one else. KEN BABBY ('16 SBJ Forty Under 40 winner) has a very future-forward thinking view of the industry.
Best book I’ve read: There’s a new book, “Theme Park Design and the Art of Themed Entertainment.” It’s like a 500-page encyclopedia of narrative experience design. It’s changing the way we look at entertainment venues and as it relates to sports.
First thing in the morning: My 2-year-old son ASHER usually is my alarm clock. So he’ll wake me up, I’ll check my phone and get him breakfast and take the dog out. We’ll usually watch some cartoons together, too, before I take him to daycare.
Talking tech: Co-Founder CASEY WHITE and I feel like in terms of the digital experience at ballpark venues, it’s way behind. Systems are overly complicated, they’re not simple and fun for the fan. There’s so many layers you have to get through to engage. The systems are really good at serving the businesses, but they’re overly complicated for the fans, how they engage and what that looks like.
Must-have music: I like everything from classic rock to ‘90s gangsta rap. I like a little bit of what they call chill out music. Last concert I was at was a JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE show in Las Vegas -- before I had a 2-year-old.
Food for thought: San Diego is famous for its taco shops. A California burrito -- basically a steak burrito filled with French fries -- at any taco shop is a staple for Casey and I.
How I unwind: Once my son is down at night, I love going to the gym. Late nights at the gym is where I decompress. My wife and I also love going to Europe, and I won’t pass up an opportunity to go to Disneyland for some inspiration. Casey and I go there all the time -- the reality is that the Disney Parks is a $15B business built on family fun entertainment, so we can draw inspiration from that.
Day in the life: When coming up with some of these team names (like Binghamton Rumble Ponies or Down East Wood Ducks), everything starts with immersive research. We spend a lot of time in the communities becoming honorary citizens, meeting with fans. We uncover that hometown story, and it has to be authentic. It’s nothing that we force on the clubs. We get feedback ranging from “take my money now,” to “you’ve ruined my city.”
