Finn Kelly

Summary

Finn Kelly has spent the greater part of the last 20 years dedicated to creating a more playful universe. After graduating from Oberlin College with a BA in Jazz Piano Performance, Finn moved to California in 2000 just before the dot com boom came to a close. Inspired by his travels through South Amercan and his first experience at Burning Man, he teamed up with Ian Fraser to co-found The Go Game, a new form of public entertainment centered around creative expression and discovery. Self-taught coder, Finn figured out how to hack into Nextel phone's archaic browser and deliver challenges to teams. People read the phone, many for the first time. Adored by San Franciscans eager to try new forms of entertainment, The Go Game enjoyed early adaptation by a core group of enthusiasts, as well as favorable press from The SF Weekly and others. In 2002, The Go Game entered into the relatively barren team building arena, wowing SF tech companies by asking players to video their acts of public street art for points. The company has since grown to be the leading provider of team building games throughout the world, with offices around the US and licensing contracts in 5 countries and counting. With over 20 employees and 1200 events a year, the business of play is thriving. Highlights include creating the launch game for season six of Game of Thrones, and developing a custom Pink Panther themed game for Punch Drunk, the creator Sleep No More in NYC. Having come from an extraordinary background in NYC as well as having lost both his parents to cancer, Finn used the opportunity of a TEDx talk - entitled “Where’s the beef? Follow Your Bliss” - to pay tribute to his parent’s legacy, focusing on how mother’s shamanic teachings informed who he is today.