Quickdraw Studios gamifies marketing to drive cultural change

In 2015 at a craft beer festival in Wichita, Kan., two graduate students were inspired by a brewery logo to create their own business. Nicolas Gallo and Cody Harryman brainstormed and soon Quickdraw Studios was born. The tech startup emerged as a video game marketing tool built to assist business branding and promotional outreach. Gallo…

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Quickdraw Studio’s Brian Foster, Ramsey Jamoul, Nicolas Gallo and Cody Harryman at a recent hackathon in Wichita. Photo by Bethony Lemmons.

In 2015 at a craft beer festival in Wichita, Kan., two graduate students were inspired by a brewery logo to create their own business.

Nicolas Gallo and Cody Harryman brainstormed and soon Quickdraw Studios was born.

The tech startup emerged as a video game marketing tool built to assist business branding and promotional outreach. Gallo and Harryman, CEO and CFO respectively, envisioned their creation to do more than help companies. They designed it to act as an engine for civic engagement and economic development.

“The general public is over-saturated with traditional marketing techniques and is primed for innovative ideas,” said Gallo.

Quickdraw set out to refresh the methods companies use to reach their target markets. Gallo and his team chose gamification to bring excitement and fun to the marketing mix. To make this vision possible, they brought on two additional team members, Brian Foster and Ramsey Jamoul.

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Gamifying innovation

The team’s first mission was tackling the conception and creation of an arcade game for Hopping Gnome Brewery Co. in January 2016. The success of this unique gaming experience paved the way for more opportunities and proved their idea could reinvigorate the marketing industry.

In April 2016, the tech startup claimed first place in the Shocker New Venture Competition at Wichita State University. Their $10,000 prize from the event helped them hire another team member to expand their capabilities. Soon after this, the studio competed in a city-wide hackathon.

They won with the concept of gamifying the process of raising awareness for causes. They called it Pac-Wichita.

Pac-Wichita is a live version of the classic arcade game Pac-Man. After beta testing is complete, the app will be available for download on smartphones. Utilizing GPS location features, players will collect pellets in parks or at festivals to increase their leaderboard ranking. But beware, other players can send ghosts to knock away other’s pellets.

“The game can be modified to promote a cause or awareness and there are different modes of play that we are currently designing,” said Gallo.

Overcoming challenges

According to Gallo, Wichita is a fertile zone for startups in the Midwest. He cites groups like 1Million Cups, The Labor Party and professors at Wichita State as key factors in Quickdraw’s success. However, there have been speed bumps along the way.

“The most challenging aspect is explaining what Quickdraw does. This is due to being a first mover and developing it in a non-tech culture,” said Gallo.

Gallo described the difficulty of explaining such a unique startup to judges at the Shocker New Venture competition. He said that those who grew up without video games experienced a disadvantage in grasping what Quickdraw aims to accomplish.

They faced a much different set of challenges at Wichita’s hackathon.

“The hackathon was intimidating because the contestants had great ideas that solved incredibly underserved problems. We thought Pac-Wichita didn’t have the same impact or reach to help those in need, but we were proven wrong,” said Gallo.

Despite Gallo’s doubts, Quickdraw proved to be a viable startup in a city trying to get back on its entrepreneurial feet.

Growing with Wichita

Quickdraw plans on remaining in Wichita to grow their business with a future in the Builder’s Plus Startup Alley. Gallo stated that his team hopes to assist other budding entrepreneurs in their endeavors.

Hannah Hund, President of Wichita State’s student entrepreneurship organization, Shocker Startup, has witnessed Quickdraw’s potential first-hand.

“The progress they’ve made since presenting at Shocker Startup a year ago is really exciting,” said Hund. “They are an inspiration to other students wanting to make an impact on the Wichita community.”

But inspiring others isn’t quite enough for Gallo. He calls for Wichitans to challenge the status quo.

“In order for Wichita to continue to carry the momentum already developed, it must be willing to adjust traditional thinking and accept new ideas,” said Gallo. “Quickdraw hopes to be the catalyst in this revolution and thus expand both economic opportunity in Wichita and create a diverse culture.”

Kaitie Foley is an independent journalist living in Wichita, Kansas. She is a graduate of Wichita State University in 2016 with a degree in Integrated Marketing Communication.

This story is part of the AIM Archive

This story is part of the AIM Institute Archive on Silicon Prairie News. AIM gifted SPN to the Nebraska Journalism Trust in January 2023. Learn more about SPN’s origin »

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