We recently connected with Sean Jordan and have shared our conversation below.
Sean, appreciate you making time for us and sharing your wisdom with the community. So many of us go through similar pain points throughout our journeys and so hearing about how others overcame obstacles can be helpful. One of those struggles is keeping creativity alive despite all the stresses, challenges and problems we might be dealing with. How do you keep your creativity alive?
It’s easy to keep creativity alive when your job is literally to bring joy to people with it. We’re constantly dreaming up new carnival games for clients all over Los Angeles and Southern California — each one designed to surprise, delight, and get people playing again.
The work itself keeps me inspired. Every event, every crowd, every laugh reminds me why creativity matters.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
I run Something New, an entertainment company on a mission to make the world a more playful place. We build custom, turnkey carnivals and one-of-a-kind games that reintroduce play in unexpected, unforgettable ways. Whether it’s Squirrel Throwing, Hot Dog Fishing, a Bigfoot Hunt, or something we haven’t dreamed up yet, every experience is designed to surprise, delight, and get people playing again — whether they’re 8 or 80.
What excites me most is seeing how universal play really is. No matter the event — corporate gatherings, university events, weddings, school fairs, church carnivals, community festivals — the moment people step into one of our games, the entire energy shifts. Walls come down. People light up. There’s this instant spark of joy, and it never gets old. Honestly, I haven’t found an event we couldn’t make better.
As for what’s new, we’re expanding our roster of never-before-seen carnival games and bringing Something New to more events across Southern California and Los Angeles. We’re also building our book of business in sponsorship activations, event marketing, field marketing, carnival game rentals, and full carnival game operations.
We’re focused on scaling our team, our creativity, and the sheer amount of fun we can deliver. At the end of the day, we’re here to remind people that life is better — and a lot more memorable — when you play.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
The three things that shaped my journey most were curiosity, perseverance, and learning how to navigate partnerships and sales.
Curiosity pushed me to explore ideas, ask questions, and follow unexpected paths. It’s this curiosity that helped me spot the potential in a carnival games business while listening to a This American Life podcast on a long drive through the desert outside Los Angeles.
Perseverance kept me going when things were slow or unclear. Most progress comes from just staying in it long enough to learn what you need to learn.
And partnerships and sales work were huge. Understanding people, communicating clearly, and building relationships opened more doors than anything else.
For folks early in their journey, my advice is: stay curious, stick with things longer than feels comfortable, and don’t shy away from conversations — partnerships often move your career forward faster than skill alone.
One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?
Always! Making the world a more playful place takes all kinds of partnerships.
Our carnival games are a great fit for corporate events, university events, public festivals, schools, churches, and more — really anywhere people gather and want something memorable.
We also collaborate closely with field marketing, event marketing & community relations teams to elevate brand experiences at all kinds of events, including trade shows, product launches, and community events. It’s a strong fit for brand building, product sampling, and lead generation for brands of all kinds — and it’s particularly great for financial services, real estate, medical and dental, automotive, technology, education, and many others.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.somethingnew.rsvp
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/somethingnew.la
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61558084206535
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/something-new-la-llc/
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/something-new-santa-monica
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
