Interview with Brian Lacertosa, CEO
Q: How did you get involved in this business?
A: My family and I went to an escape room in New York over the Fourth of July weekend this year. My daughter picked it out. I had no idea what it was, but it was like No. 4 on in New York City. We tried it, we didn’t get out in time and we had an absolute blast. So I started working on putting something like that together at home. At the time, there was nothing like it in Denver. I started working on it on July 9, and we opened for business last month. It’s popping up all over the country. The first one in Colorado opened in September and the sixth one will open in January.
Q: What distinguishes you from other businesses in your category?
A: We all have our different styles of games or escape scenarios. What sets our business apart is our fundraising and our corporate side. Other companies like us are calling themselves corporate team building organizations, but really all they’re doing is putting them in a room and letting them play a game. We’re actually facilitating discussion, we’re asking questions. It’s not just a fun outing, it’s actually a team builder.
Q: What do you like best about your line of work?
A: I like watching people go through the escapes. It’s really interesting to see the different ways that people think and how they interact with each other. It’s cool to me to watch the quiet guy in the group of friends become the leader. It’s nothing that you’ve ever done before, so it really brings out different characteristics that you’re not used to seeing in people.
Q: What is your business’ biggest challenge?
A: Educating the public and getting the word out. We don’t have a huge amount of money for advertising and marketing, and it’s a fairly new concept. It’s hard to get people in here at this early stage.
Q: Something people might be surprised to learn about you or your business:
A: Escape rooms are hard to describe, but it’s like a challenge. You’re locked in a room for an hour and you have a goal or a mission to complete. For example, you have to find a family heirloom because the building is being torn down in an hour. Another scenario is that you’re an FBI agent trying to find a kidnapping victim who has a bomb strapped to her, which goes off in an hour. You look for clues, solve puzzles — it’s definitely a thinking game. It’s a family affair, a team builder, a girl’s night out — it’s anything. I’ve done escape rooms in five cities and I’ve actually yet to get out.
Profile
Business: Denver Escape Room
Address: 11674 N. Huron St., Suite 300, Northglenn
Hours: By appointment
Founded: 2014
Contact: 720-379-7656, ,
Employees: 4
