The story of Club Penguin - Tonight

Photo: Contributed - Darren Hull

 

I assume everyone knows but in case you don't; in this day of digital communities Kelowna has some significant bragging rights. Club Penguin was founded right here in Kelowna and eventually it found a home in the Disney family of brands. Did you know that it is one of the largest children's social networks?  Tonight (Oct 3rd) a very unique event will see the three founders Dave Krysko, Lane Marrifield, and Lance Priebe sharing the guiding principles that were present when they founded the company as well as their views on arts, faith, and justice.

 

The event starts at 6pm at the Bottega Farm Inn in East Kelowna. Full details can be found here: http://www.tribehouse.org

 

Buy tickets here: http://bit.ly/UDb0Oh

 

Below is a copy of my email interview with Club Penguin founder Dave Krysko.

 

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RD: What was the spark that grew into this event? Is there anything specific or a conversation that created the desire to create this

event? Is it the first time you've all done something like this?

DK: Yes, this is the first time all three of us have appeared together in public. Tribehouse did a conversation evening with William Paul Young,
the bestselling author of The Shack a few months ago, and we thought it would be cool for us to get together and talk about our journey
with Club Penguin through the lens of faith, arts and justice. We all thought it might be fun.

RD: Would it be fair assessment to say that since Club Penguin you have spent a lot your time and resources supporting and promoting creative's in our community? What motivates that support?

DK: I think all of us are doing that in one way or another. I like to keep busy creating environments for building culture. Positive culture that reflects my faith and values. I guess it's my way of expressing my faith. When you are a Christian at a time when you're not sure the word "Christian" means the same to you as it does to many others is quite challenging. So, rather than debate that or the different theologies that exist, I prefer to create culture in my community that reflects my beliefs in a positive way.  Hopefully we can unpack that a bit on Wednesday night.

RD: Mentorship is a theme that often arises when people speak about you. Could you talk about what mentorship means to you?

DK: I think it is simply walking alongside people. Doing the journey together and meeting what comes up together.

RD: This event sounds like it will focus on the story of the creation of Club Penguin to the acquisition by Disney?

DK:We believe that our faith and values really impacted the game and the company that we built. I think that is the focus for this event.

RD: Am I correct that you are the executive producer for a new movie?

DK:Yes, the movie is a documentary called Hellbound? And it asks the question, Is there a Hell, and if so, who is going there? It opened across the US this last week and comes to Canada later this month... To a theatre near you!

RD: In closing I'll just add a note of thanks. From a young professionals perspective its a tough thing to stay in Kelowna due to the limited career opportunities. Having Club Penguin based in Kelowna offers such an incredible opportunity for emerging creative's and young professionals to build a life here. I know it took some tenacity to keep Club Penguin here after the sale but its a huge anchor and the spin off benefits are tremendous (streaming cafe being one of my personal favorites).

 

DK: Thanks Ryan, hope to see you out there!