How I Made it onto Board Game Breakfast

 

Hello, my name is Melissa Makak and I create content for Room 51 and the Dice Tower. This is the third blog post of this series, but if you haven’t read the first 2, this is just me talking about my content creation journey! To avoid feeling lost when reading this, you might want to check out the first two posts as this is written in a linear, story-like format, but it’s up to you!

I ended off the last post with Tom Vasel (founder of the Dice Tower) asking for contributors to create content for Board Game Breakfast. After watching the episode, I felt a pause arise in myself as my usual self-doubt crept up within me. Many things were going well for me at this time: I graduated with a master’s degree (something I thought I would never even pursue), I finally landed a job (I had $14 left in my bank account), and I was writing for Dice Tower News. Of course, there was the death of a family member looming over me, so it wasn’t all peachy, but I was feeling accomplished. All of these things were probably what led me to saying, “Let’s just do it.” I emailed Tom about my idea to connect video games to board games and my heart was beating so fast with nerves and excitement. A week has passed, and I didn’t hear back from him, so I thought maybe he doesn’t like the idea. I also wondered if he ever received my email as I found out my emails were going to people’s spam folder for some reason. I wound up recording an audition tape and resending Tom an email from a different email address just in case he never received the other email. I studied Theater in my Undergrad days and I figured one might need an audition tape for something like this. Either way, I felt like this was my last shot and we’ll see what happens.

Two weeks had passed, and I never received an email from Tom, and I tried really hard to not get my hopes up, but I couldn’t help it. I wanted this so badly and I’m an obsessive person who is very passionate about anything I do, so it is extremely hard for me to let things go. My girlfriend had to unfortunately hear me obsess over the fact that I have not received an email yet and how Tom probably hates my idea and thought my audition tape was trash… She has to put up with my antics a lot and I’m eternally grateful for it.  

A couple days went by when I finally received an email from Tom! I was so nervous to open the email, but I needed to know what he said. Turned out, he liked the idea and just wanted me to change a couple of editing-wise and then it would be good to go on Board Game Breakfast! I was shocked and thrilled and I immediately made the changes to the video. I called the segment Smashin’ Buttons and Slammin’ Cards and that following Monday, I saw my segment air for the first time on Board Game Breakfast. Here is the first episode I aired on (plays at 21:45):

I rushed to the comments section to see if people liked my content at all and it turned out, they did! I answered every comment referencing my segment (I still do this) and I couldn’t believe that I actually made it onto the Dice Tower in some, small way. I honestly did not think when I first began watching this channel that I would ever have a shot at creating YouTube content let alone for the Dice Tower. My segment was starting to pick up some steam and people continued to say very nice things about my segment. I worked hard to make sure I came out with an episode every week for Smashin’ Buttons and Slammin’ Cards.

I was creating content for this segment for a couple of months when I finally got to attend a board game convention called PAX Unplugged. This was my second time going to this event/my second board game convention ever! Tom asked contributors who was going to this convention and when I let him know, he asked if I would be willing to help out at the Dice Tower Booth. I was stoked for this opportunity and immediately replied saying that I would. Turns out, this wouldn’t be the last opportunity Tom offered me for the Dice Tower…