Sandor Weisz
TEDxColumbiaCollegeChicago
Sandor Weisz is the commissioner of The Mystery League. He’s built puzzles for the likes of the Chicago Architecture Foundation, The University of Chicago, The House Theatre, The Art Institute of Chicago, Marbles Game Store, and Cards Against Humanity. He has been making puzzles and puzzle hunts since he was a teenager. You can often hear them on the NPR Sunday puzzle, or read about them on his blog. His previous career was designing for the web. He lives in Chicago with his wife and two kids, with whom he records The ZED Show podcast. Find him on Twitter at @santheo and @pzlr.
When I read about Sandor Weisz’ work with The Mystery League, I was immediately reminded of a recent episode of The Big Bang Theory. In The Intimacy Acceleration, four of the characters visit an “escape room,” where they must solve puzzles and clues to get away from the “zombie.” Regardless of the six minutes they spent figuring out all the clues and puzzles, we as television viewers experience their bonding and strategic efforts over the course of the half-hour sitcom, proving that any amount of time is quality time with people. Weisz has clearly recognized this aspect of group work in the middle of his love for puzzles. What started as a childhood fascination has grown into a business, now two years young, and embodies the quality of an artist going for what they believe in.
The concept of “DEL” is different for everyone: it could be a reset, a blank slate, or as I like to interpret, a distance from the “norm.” We live in a time where team- and business-bonding trips are everything; I experience it myself during my all-staff meetings for one of my jobs. It’s how you create effective and powerful workers. For Weisz to satisfy this niche means that no matter what dream you may have, and no matter how small it may be – someone is probably interested. Somewhere.
Weisz and his work with local show, The Last Defender, out of the House Theatre of Chicago, can be read about in the upcoming publication of ECHO Magazine, published by Columbia College Chicago, on stands this June. Visit their website to sign up for publication notifications.
Photo from mysteryleague.com