05/04/2026
Our fearless founder Summer was interviewed by New York Times for Kids on how she became an escape room designer! Read her story below âŹď¸ Thanks again for having us
The best recipe for a mind-boggling escape room? Combine a story with a puzzle hunt, says Summer Herrick, who started an escape-room company in Seattle. Hereâs how she did it. âŹď¸
âI discovered theater in middle school. I was really shy, and it felt magical to be able to become a different person. Then I studied theater in college, and after I graduated, I pursued acting and writing. When I was in my 30s, I started getting into puzzle hunts, which are events with other people that can last for hours or weekends. When you say âpuzzles,â people usually think of a jigsaw or a crossword. But the hunts are layered, creative challenges. I thought, Is there a way I could do this with my life?
Around that time, escape rooms started to pop up â games in which you are put into a room and have to solve a series of puzzles to win. I loved them. But I thought, Wouldnât it be cooler if there were a story that you worked your way through?
Along with some friends, I started an escape-room company in Seattle. I wrote the backstory for the first one, which was about a magicianâs assistant who discovers that the previous assistants disappeared right after their 13th magic show. We made a list of objects that would be in a magicianâs dressing room, and then each of us chose one to build a puzzle around. We would come up with an idea, test it, then build it and test some more. Would one puzzle lead to another? Was there enough to keep everyone active?
Now weâve built two different rooms, and weâre working to introduce three more. I love that Iâm doing something that brings people joy.â
đŹ: Interview by Elise Craig
đ¨: Illustration by
Original post: https://www.instagram.com/p/CnuCnXVv-8l/
