Today we’d like to introduce you to Leon Essex.
Hi Leon, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
When my kids were very young, I thought it would be a great idea to get us a pinball machine for the house. This wouldn’t be my first pinball machine though. When I was 10, I used to swipe quarters off of the old man’s dresser to play pinball and arcade games down at the local arcade. Eventually, he got savvy to my weekly theft and made a deal with me; if I saved all my money up, he would find me a pinball machine of my own. I lived in Miami and grass grew by the inch, every hour on the hour down there, so there were plenty of lawns to mow. After a full summer of cutting my neighbor’s grass, I handed over my collections. I think it was a few hundred bucks, 4 lawns a week for about $10-$12 a yard was good cheese back then! My dad locally found a Bally Evel Knievel pinball machine, probably through a local operator as that would have been the only way to buy one in the late 70s. Evel K was my hero! I watched all of his TV specials and emulated him on my bike. I also had his books as well as his wind-up motorcycle stunt toy! I even dressed like him for Halloween. So needless to say, hard work and a little crime played off for me! Fast forward, I thought it would be great if my kids could relive my childhood by having their own game. The hunt was on, and eventually, I found our first game, The Machine, Bride of Pinot. It was a little bit of a selfish purchase. I played this game endlessly in the local bowling alley throughout my entire teens. I probably single-handedly put dinner on that guy’s table, daily! Now as it stands, 20 years later, I own 18 pinball machines, and I still own that Bride of Pinbot.
Over ten years ago, I and a few like-minded pinballs and arcade collectors decided to create an event. One that would give other collectors as well as the curious general public, an opportunity to socialize, trade, buy/sell and enjoy all the games we could possibly play under one roof. There were arcade and pinball events in other parts of the country, just none in the south, so this was an opportunity for us to showcase our great state as well as give our growing community something fun to do. In the early years, the event was almost entirely about the pinball machine. We had upward of 100 pinball machines on display, all from private collections, and most of our show content was pinball related. In the end, our first event was a success! And this was the humble beginning of our story. We continued every year with the event, and as we grew, so did the core group of people who helped run the event. With new people come new ideas which helped evolve the event to include other facets of the arcade experience into the show. It was at this time we began to include other styles of games such as classic and custom arcade machines like Missile Command, Dig Dug, Pac Man, and Centipede.
We continued to think of new ways to bring this event to the next level. We wanted to offer a more well-rounded range of related content to enhance the visitor’s experience. Not just in gaming but the education behind the art, science, and history of it all. We knew a vital step was to introduce console gaming which is a huge part of almost every American’s day, in one form or another. This area quickly became a very popular part of the show due to the rare and early versions of console gaming made available to play. Classic and current computing was next which showcases hardware and software throughout computing’s long history, all available for people to interact and play with too. As the years continued, we included other features such as panel discussions with game software and code writers, as well as indie game developers and designers. Pinball and arcade personalities, a few web celebrities, and a mix of world arcade record holders would frequently round out our yearly guest list. We saw that a mix of creative and interactive features for our visitors to enjoy created an event like no other in the entire country. And the idea that the event would always be different is what made it become so loved by the people who come to it.
What also changed early on was the ‘attendee’ themselves. What was mostly attended by collectors and enthusiasts eventually gained more traction from the general public. We started seeing this thing we were so passionate about beginning to spread to others who had no idea these classic games still existed. Every year we would see more and more first-time attendees not only become annual visitors to the event but also become collectors themselves passing along within their own private circles, their great love of all things gaming. It brings all of our hard-working volunteers and game donors great pride to make so many people happy every year.
As it stands today, we average over 250 individual pinball and arcade machines at the show. We added a yearly theme to the show to set a fun and whimsical atmosphere on the show floor. That includes photo-ops scattered around the event for guests to share on their socials. We’ve included an after-party for the die-hard players that need less sleep than most of us. And we invite local artists, vendors, and creators to advertise and sell their products at the show. All surrounded by games set to Free Play!
Free Play Florida is presented by Byte Amusement Group, a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization that educates the history, art, and science of arcade, pinball, and computing through this event as well as other local events we partner with. We consider our volunteers, core group, and game donors’ ‘family’. Without them, we could not continue to produce this event, and for that, we are forever grateful.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
No road is ever smooth. With growth comes growing pains. In the early days, we continuously outgrew our venue space. Searching for bigger space is tedious, costly, and stressful. Because all of our games on the event floor are donated, we rely mostly on the collector to pack up and bring their personal games for the general public to play. This can be a hard sell to them! Expenses can skyrocket, the Orlando area is a huge destination spot for conventions, sales meetings, church gatherings, sports-related events, etc. so facilities and their amenities are at a premium. Overall, we have our challenges every year but we have a strong group of people that handles it well.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
My father started his rep firm in 1967. We sell products related to the HVAC industry, specifically an A/C manufacturer out of Bryan, Ohio called Bard Manufacturing. The product is a small tonnage unitary DX system. Our main user is K-12, telecom industry, light commercial, and some small industrial applications. I began to work with him in 1991 and eventually took over the operation about 18 years ago. In the unitary wall-mounted industry, our product is the industry gold standard.
Can you share something surprising about yourself?
I love heavy music. I have been into metal and almost all of the sub-genres all my life. I grew up in Miami and we would ride our bikes on Saturdays looking for garage sales. We would find 45’s of all kinds of stuff, Jackson 5, Roberta Flack, Peter, Paul, and Mary, so the foundation of groove/pop and folk were installed at a very young age. Eventually, I discovered the likes of Boston, Styx, and Kiss from that mid-70s era. I recognized my evolution in musical taste early on, so that caused my ear to always be open to other sounds. The light rock sounds of Kansas, Pink Floyd, and REO Speedwagon turned into Dokken and Van Halen and moved into more hair-metal of the early 80s. Then, I heard Indians by Anthrax in high school and it was over for me! I couldn’t get enough metal music in my life to satisfy me. I still hung onto my love of all the other genres. Still enjoyed classic rock and embraced my Simon & Garfunkel roots too. But 90% of my day consists of everything Hard Core, Thrash, Death Metal, and Grindcore!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.freeplayflorida.com/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/freeplayflorida
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/freeplayfla
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpOZmqcTGpdSOmmKdc9JrBw
