Meet Cliff Bleszinski

We recently connected with Cliff Bleszinski and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Cliff, thanks for sharing your insights with our community today. Part of your success, no doubt, is due to your work ethic and so we’d love if you could open up about where you got your work ethic from?

I was born in 1975 and my father instilled a HARDCORE work ethic in all of his five boys. I had a paper route as a child and learned that making money – and spending it – could be fun and addictive, sometimes to a fault. (I always say Capitalism is great…until it isn’t!)

In high school I did quad duty of my studies, drama, and working at good ol’ McDonald’s while somehow also crafting my own videogames. In hindsight, I have no idea how I did it all.

But, at the end of the day, it all goes back to my dad. He was an engineer at Polaroid in Cambridge, Mass, and, to make ends meet (5 boys are expensive!) he actually took on his own paper route for the Boston Globe delivering somewhat like 200 papers at 5 in the morning before driving off to his main job.

There’s a reason he died at 47.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?

My next tattoo is Michelangelo’s quote “I am still learning.”

I made videogames for 25 years and got a bit burnt out on it. I had made enough money to explore other industries. I decided to write a memoir about my time in the business called “Control Freak” with Simon and Schuster. I became friends with a Broadway actor Alex Boinello who played Connor Murphy in “Dear Evan Hansen” and he told me that his producing partners were looking for fresh blood, so I invested in an up and coming show called “Hadestown” that wound up winning 8 Tony awards.

My friend Niall Hanley taught me “find an emerging market and ride it up.” Niall put a pub on Glenwood Avenue in downtown Raleigh when there was very little there and, well, let’s just say that Glenwood is a happening spot these days. He approached me about partnering on a small restaurant in the historic Oakwood district – an old gas station – converted into a restaurant. That went well and then he told me “Raleigh needs a Beer Garden” and I replied “Let’s do it!” Three Guinness world records later the Garden is flourishing.

I then decided that I wanted to infiltrate the world of comic books. I had an idea about a comic about a badass dog superhero inspired by my (mostly Husky) Pomsky named Lady. I partnered with Alex De Campi and she was my sherpa for the comic world, we signed with Image Comics, and now all six issues are available on Amazon, etc… to check out!

So, my advice to anyone out there is to never stop learning. It keeps you young!

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

-“We learn balance by falling” – My ex wife
-Everything in life is iteration. Fail early, fail often, and learn from it.
-Everything is a remix. If you want to make creative content, consume. Read, Watch movies, television. Enjoy live comedy. Become the ultimate sponge.

Alright, so before we go we want to ask you to take a moment to reflect and share what you think you would do if you somehow knew you only had a decade of life left?

I’m currently attempting stand up comedy. I’ve done it five times so far and out of those attempts I’d wager that I did well, well, 1.5 times.

I have no problem being in front of a crowd. I’ve done lectures, keynotes, and, heck, nearly every Monday I do karaoke at the Beer Garden. (Remember, folks, karaoke isn’t about being good, it’s about just…going for it.)

Stand up fascinates me. I have a tattoo of the Jimmy V quote on my left arm that says “Laugh, Think, Cry” – if you can do those three things every day, seven days a week you’re living a good life. There’s a reason they say laughter is the best medicine.

Having worked in games as long as I have studying stand up is utterly fascinating. There are so many different types of it, from one liners, to joke structure/callbacks, to just ranting and/or storytelling. I’ve even become friends with some well known names and have drank in their green rooms after a show!

Contact Info:

• Instagram: dudehugetank
• Facebook: Cliff Bleszinski
• Twitter: therealcliffyb