TEAM MUNZEE

January 26, 2016

Team Munzee Tuezday: Austin Scott

Here at Munzee we’re constantly encouraging our players to meet and greet and build the personal relationships that make this game so great. Our team continues to grow and we’re excited with the addition of Austin Scott.

Name and Title: 
Austin Scott, App Developer… Specifically WallaBee Developer

Where are you from? 
I grew up in Richardson, Texas and went to college at the Savannah College of Art and Design in Savannah, Georgia where I received a bachelors in Interactive Design and Game Development.

Tell us about yourself:
If I had to describe myself in 4 words, they would be “Complex, Simplistic, Optimistic and Pessimistic”. Nothing is as it seems when it comes to me. I’m always up for something new, whether that’s food, music, or a new experience. I’m always interested in discovering or learning something new. I try to enjoy the small things in life and love playing games of all types. Hockey and Baseball are my favorite sports to watch. I enjoy various types of music ranging from classical, to death metal all the way to house music and enjoy just about everything in between. I am always trying to learn something new or get inspired by the smallest things.

How long have you worked for Munzee?
As of today, January 5th, 2016, I’ve worked for Munzee for 57 days. (Editor’s note: It was like pulling teeth getting a picture of Austin, so his post got delayed a bit.)

What do you enjoy most about Munzee?
Munzee is awesome for so many reasons, but the coolest part about working here is definitely the people I get to work with, and the opportunity for me to grow as a developer.

What are some of your other hobbies?
My hobbies are simple. They consist of eating, sleeping, listening to people, talking to people, watching cool things. I consider walking and typing as two hobbies that I’ve mastered. I am very versed in the art of writing, coloring, and reading. I am striving to master the art of drawing and painting, though I consider myself quite talented in both departments. I also dabble in video games and poker. I sometimes attempt to shred the guitar, and I enjoy fine crafting wood into usable objects. I have always found creating something from nothing to be quite rewarding. I prefer my Cigars from Cuba and my whiskey from Ireland, my BBQ from Texas and my tacos in abundance… God Bless the USA

Any last words?
“The art is not only in the final product hanging on the wall, but it also lies within the process that it took to create what lays before you.” – Austin Scott

January 22, 2016

Munzee with Team Munzee

As part of our mission statement and theme for this year, we’re introducing a new activity. On the last Friday of every month, Team Munzee is going to get back to our roots and community. We will be going out and playing Munzee as a team. We invite players in the area to come join us on our adventures.

Our first Munzee with Team Munzee day will be next Friday, January 29th. We will be in Frisco, Texas from 9:15-11:15 MHQ time. You can find all of the information on the calendar and can let us know if you’ll be joining us!

Each month we will add the event to the Munzee Calendar and promote it on the blog an social media. We hope you can join us!

January 15, 2016

Announcing the 2016 Munzee Theme…

2014: Expect The Unexpected.

For players who were around in 2014, you’ve certainly heard these words in one form or another. President Rob Vardeman chanted this mantra at many meetings, events and podcasts in Munzee’s third year of business. We were striving to keep things fresh, surprise our players and grow as a company. Often this also meant surprising the MHQ staff with quick turnaround on projects and unexpected campaigns.

2015: New Year. New Perspective.

In 2015 we aimed to flip everything on it’s side and approach our game in new ways. From retiring the MVM to transferring to hybrids apps in the long-awaited 3.0 release, we changed the way we looked at the company. 2015 saw the creation of Zee, Eventzee, Runzee and the acquisition of Wallabee- all different ways of playing mobile games.Not to mention the continued success of the Munzee Marketplace and the creation of Green Pin Produce. It was a year of big changes, but admittedly there were some growing pains.

At the end of 2015 we as a staff thought hard about the successes and missteps of our four years in business. We analyzed what worked, what didn’t, and what we would have to do in 2016 to continue the success of our brand. No matter our expectations, no matter which way we looked at it, the success of Munzee all came down to one thing: You, our community.

2016: Growing Innovative Communities Rooted In Fun.

More than a theme, 2016’s mantra is a combination of a goal, a mission and a vision. It’s time for us to get back to our roots, which is our strong and devoted community of players. Although our community spans the globe and grows every day, we want to ensure that our relationship and our communication is maintained with players of all Munzee Inc. games. Of course there will always be branches that break and sometimes the weather may rustle a few leaves, but like the mighty oak tree, we will continue to grow as long as we maintain strong roots.

As all branches of our company grow our communities grow as well. Because without the roots of our community we cannot grow, innovate and evolve as a business. Thank you on behalf of all Team MHQ- we’re excited for what 2016 has to bring.

January 12, 2016

Team Munzee Tuezday: Robbie McGuire

Name and Title: 
Robbie McGuire, WallaBee Community Outreach and Player Support

Where are you from? 
Whittier, CA

Tell us about yourself:
I grew up in a family of five. I was home-schooled through high school, graduated from Biola University, and married a few months later. My wife and I just moved to Texas at the turn of the year.

How long have you worked for Munzee?
A little over a month now…? (Editor’s note: I’m not sure of the uncertainty in his answer. Yes, we’ve been proud to have Robbie on our staff for almost two months as of publication.)

What do you enjoy most about Munzee?
I enjoy the ability to do what I love. Munzee/WallaBee allows me the opportunity to help others the way I would want to be helped.

What are some of your other hobbies?
I like playing video games, playing ultimate frisbee, tinkering with various forms of artwork, and so much more.

Any last words?
Thanks for being part of such a great community!

August 11, 2015

Team Munzee Tuezday: Chris Meza

Here at Munzee we’re constantly encouraging our players to meet and greet and build the personal relationships that make this game so great. Our team continues to grow and we’re excited with the addition of our new Senior Developer, Chris Meza.

Name and Title: 
Chris ‘Laygo’ Meza – Senior Developer (only because they wouldn’t let me use ‘Supreme Chancellor of Them 1s & 0s’)

Where are you from? 
I’m an Army brat as my Father served in the military for 20yrs, so I have lived where ever my Dad was stationed.. I was born in Columbus, GA (Fort Benning), but I spent most of my childhood in Houston, TX after my Father retired. As such, I grew up an Oilers/Rockets/Astros fan & now the Texans, but really I have two favorite teams: any team from Houston and any team playing Dallas. 😉

Tell us about yourself:
Well, I’m an avid fan of food and the exchange of Oxygen for Carbon Dioxide. Seriously though, I’m a foodie, like eating good food. Expensive and hoity-toity with rich ambiance doesn’t do much for me. The food has to be good first & foremost. My favorite restaurants are all holes in the walls. My favorite restaurant all time is Bagheri’s in Denton, TX. I tend to drive 30 mins or more for my favorite foods. I’m a huge fan of Vietnamese cuisine. I can eat Pho every day & have on several occasions eaten it for lunch & dinner.

I also play guitar in a psychedelic rock tribute band since 2009. We even won Dallas Observer’s Cover Band of the Year in 2013 (they didn’t have a tribute band category). I can hear you ask: what’s the difference between a ‘cover band’ vs a ‘tribute band’. That can easily described as a Kiss cover band is 4 guys on stage playing Kiss music. A Kiss tribute band is 4 guys in full costume and makeup, playing Kiss music, & replicating the stage show as best they can. We wear costumes!

How long have you worked for Munzee?
Almost 2 months, but in a way, a lot longer than that. Rob has told the story on the podcast how back in 2012 during a double points weekend, we convinced Scott to join us Munzeeing in the area. Rob wasn’t yet involved in the company & Scott was still working a full time job. Rob had just came back from playing out in California where one sign could easily contain 20 munzees. So, we started dogpiling stickers in a Costco parking lot & Scott was shocked how it was all going down. The next day, he implemented the 50′ rule for neighboring munzees. You’re welcome.

What do you enjoy most about Munzee?
Honestly, being a programmer, it’s mostly a sedentary life of sitting around, not being physically active. I like how it gets you outdoors and active. Since becoming active again playing Munzee in the last month, I’ve walked many miles when I was just tooooo busy at my last job. Being a Munzee employee has opened way more opportunities with more free time and lots of “beta testing” as I work on 3.0!

What are some of your other hobbies?
As I said, I eat food, drink water, breathe Oxygen, and play in a band. Now, I have been playing a lot more Munzee after about a 18month haitus (check my Statzee! Player name: Laygo). I also like my fast/old cars. I’ve got a 2014 Cadillac CTS-V, an 1996 Impala SS, a 1965 VW Bug, & a 1967 VW Karmann Ghia. I just test drove a Tesla sedan today & I am really, REALLY intrigued. Can’t afford it, but man was it cool. I have a rather large shoe collection for a guy. I also tend to play some computer games. I have a 15yo pet cat named Princess Nubina, aka Nubby. She has a short nub of a tail she was born with. We got her right around when Star Wars: Phantom Menace came out, so was thinking about Pricess Amidala when she was named, but she is a Princess when she sits with her crossed paws. I’m probably a bigger Houston Rockets fan than normal. The famed Red Rowdies have dubbed me Dallas Rowdy & I’m able to sit with them anytime I can get to a game in Houston or they come up to Dallas.

June 5, 2015

Munzee Birthday Whirlwind Tours!

Munzee’s birthday is a big deal. Each year we get to celebrate not only the anniversary of the launch of Munzee in July 2011, but another year of getting to do what we love. This year, the support for our birthday events has been tremendous, and Team Munzee wants to get out there and celebrate with our players. Members of Team Munzee will be involved in Munzee Birthday Whirlwind Tours in North America and Europe to visit players and attend birthday events that have been scheduled on the Munzee Calendar. The events that will be attended are as follows:

Pre-Birthday Kick Off (Rob and Matt)

June 27th: Melbourne, FL – http://calendar.munzee.com/BLASTINTHEPARKII/

Munzee Birthday European Whirlwind Tour

Rob

July 1st: Workum, Netherlands – http://calendar.munzee.com/MUNZEEBDAYWORKUM/
July 2nd: Budapest, Hungary – http://calendar.munzee.com/MUNZEEBDAYGONCZI/ and http://calendar.munzee.com/MUNZEEBDAYBUDAPEST/
July 3rd: Berlin, Germany – http://calendar.munzee.com/4BERLIN/
July 4th: Norwich, England – http://calendar.munzee.com/MUNZEEBDAYNORWICH/
July 5th: Christchurch, England – http://calendar.munzee.com/MUNZEEBDAYPILSLEYGUY/

Daniel Fischer

July 2nd: Prague, Czech Republic – http://calendar.munzee.com/MUNZEEBDAYKALEMI/
July 3rd: Berlin, Germany – http://calendar.munzee.com/4BERLIN/
July 4th: Berlin, Germany – http://calendar.munzee.com/MUNZEEBDAYHALIZWEIN/

Louise

July 4th: Norwich, England – http://calendar.munzee.com/MUNZEEBDAYNORWICH/
July 5th: Christchurch, England – http://calendar.munzee.com/MUNZEEBDAYPILSLEYGUY/

Munzee Birthday American Road Trip (Matt)

July 1st: Manchester, NH – http://calendar.munzee.com/MUNZEEBDAYNH/
July 2nd: Fitchburg, MA – http://calendar.munzee.com/STREAKFINALE/
July 3rd: Buffalo, NY – http://calendar.munzee.com/MUNZEEBDAYDARTHGARBAGE/
July 4th: Findlay, OH – http://calendar.munzee.com/MUNZEEBDAYARTS5/
July 5th: St Marys, PA – http://calendar.munzee.com/MUNZEEBDAYHERKETTE/

Both Rob and Matt will have the standard “Meet the Makers” badge as well as special Tour badges reflecting their tour and special personal badges. They may also have special birthday packages to give away.

For those areas and countries that aren’t on this list, fret not! We realize that we have players all over the world, but we still only have a relatively small staff. We have plans in the works to visit players to show our support and grow the game in other parts of the world (*cough cough, Australia and New Zealand*).

We look forward to seeing and meeting players all over the world and kicking off year 5 with a bang!

June 4, 2015

Changes in Team Munzee

Much like our player community, Team Munzee is very close. In just over a year, we’ve expanded from three people in the office to almost 10, plus our remote employees. We are all very supportive of each other and constantly push one another to become better at what we do. With that being said, there have been some changes within MHQ that we would like to notify our players of.

First, our UX/UI Designer, Peter, has left Munzee to further his career and broaden his experiences. He did amazing work for Munzee while he was here and helped the company transition to cutting edge designs and ideas. We are extremely happy for him and wish him nothing but the best in his future.

Second, it’s time to bring our Munzee Events Manager out of the shadows. Louise Gibson has been working behind the scenes as “Team Munzee” for the last 5 weeks on all of your player events. She’s done an amazing job and taken care of each event from the time it’s added to the calendar until the prizes have been awarded and the event archived. You will have a chance to get to know her more in depth on an upcoming Meet Munzee Monday post.

Third, Dylan has transitioned from Master of Media Management to Director of Operations for Eventzee. He rose to the challenge and took charge of Eventzee when asked and has done a great job. Though he will still be involved with the game of Munzee, his focus is now on growing and overseeing Eventzee as is expands.

And finally, Matt has moved into the position left by Dylan’s transition and is now the Director of Media and Player Relations. Among other things, he will plan and publish media for Munzee Inc and interact with players to help grow the game.

As Munzee Inc grows and expands, our staff does, too. We’re excited for what’s to come, and know that none of what we do would be possible without you, the players. Thank you for all of your support, and grow the game!

April 27, 2015

Munzee Videocast Episode 23: Daniel Visits MHQ

Our 23rd videocast has been converted to audio, so click the link and listen on!

http://munzeepush.munzee.netdna-cdn.com/Munzee%20Videocast%2023.mp3

You can also re-watch the videocast HERE.

This week we talked about:

Wrap up on Rob’s London Trip
Daniel’s trip to MHQ
Work on Eventzee 1.3
Zee
Munzee’s Birthday Month

Remember to join us Fridays at 3 pm (MHQ Time) for the live videocast where you can interact with us, ask questions and see us stumble over our words! To learn more follow us on Google + and if you missed last week’s videocast click HERE.

We’ve also created a NEW WEBPAGE strictly for the Videocast. Here you can watch the past and present podcasts anytime and it also allows downloads to iTunes! If you’d like to subscribe to the Munzee Podcast on iTunes go to File > Subscribe to Podcast > enter http://www.munzeepodcast.com/feed/podcast/. If you want to interact live with the Videocasts and ask questions, you will still need to join us on our Google+ page.

April 6, 2015

Zee- A Munzee Companion App is now available for download!

UPDATE: It may take up to 24 hours for the app to propagate worldwide, so if it doesn’t first appear, check back over time.

We’re proud to announce that our new app Zee is now available for download for iOS and Android devices! This new Munzee companion app has been designed as a handy tool to take your Munzee experience to the next level. Taking key points from Munzee, the Zee app adds new depths to your real world scavenger hunt. Check out your daily points, convert munzees in the field and more!

It’s easy to use, just download Zee- A Munzee Companion App in the Apple or Google Play store, login with your Munzee account info and start. The Zee app will showcase a realtime point counter so you can keep track of your daily progress. Looking at conquering the 10K badge? Preparing for the precise Pi badge? Then Zee is the tool for you.

You can also finally convert munzees in the field using the Zee app. Whether you’re deploying a diamond, coloring a virtual or sharpening a battle axe, Zee makes it easy to convert on the fly. Don’t take our word for it though, download Zee and convert NOW. Just what will you convert though? Well funny you should ask…

In connection to Zee’s release we are also releasing the new Aquamarine Jewel pin! This is our 218th unique munzee pin and to commemorate Zee’s birth month of March it is the light blue semi-precious stone. Like other members of the jewel collection this is a conversion munzee and can be attached to any greenie. This special icon earns 25 points for deployment. The owner receives 10 points for each capture on the munzee and the capper earns 10 points. Yes, we realize that Zee and the Aquamarine pins are actually being released in April and not March, but it took a little longer to mature than we expected. We stand by our decision.

Premium members have received one free Aquamarine credit (which you can see at munzee.com/credits), but those who download the Zee app from April 6th-12th will also receive another free credit. Accounts that have signed into Zee by the deadline will receive the free credit on April 13 at 10:00 a.m. MHQ time. Aquamarine credits will also be on sale in the Munzee online store for a limited amount of time.

You do NOT have to be a premium member to download Zee or receive the free aquamarine credit upon download. We suggest you become a premium member so you don’t miss out on more freebies in the future though. You can learn more about becoming a premium player at http://store.munzee.com/Premium-Member-Subscription.html.

March 2, 2015

Munzee Players Raise $50,000 for the American Heart Association

We’re extremely proud to announce our players have helped us raise a $50,000 donation for the American Heart Association through our virtual candy hearts fundraiser. This is a huge testament to our players’ ability to give and we continue to beam with pride with each fundraising effort. Although we only sold the AHA Candy Heart Virtuals for seven days our players quickly showed their support and the Munzee Map now looks like a box of Necco conversation hearts!

The American Heart Association was ecstatic to receive our gift and shared many stories- highlighting how our donation will be used to help the world. Whether it’s funding heart research or aiding in education, the money our players raised will take AHA one step closer to saving hearts worldwide. According to the US Center for Disease Control, Cardiovascular disease (including heart disease, stroke, and high blood pressure) is the number 1 killer of women and men in the United States and a leading cause of disability. This is an important cause that affects every human being and we’re proud to say we’ve helped in this fight.

Remember, the virtual hearts that have been deployed around the world are still live for another couple weeks. We’ve seen tons of new events pop up based on heavy heart locations and everyone has had a lot of fun spreading the love. The virtuals will disappear from the map on March 15th at 23:59 MHQ time (GMT -6). To find an event near you or even host you own go to calendar.munzee.com.

We thank you again for the good work you have all done. Munzee can do good, but only with the help of our players.