Ever since I started doing this podcast, it has consistently proven to be one of the greatest joys in my life. I get to talk with intelligent, knowledgeable, and experienced folks about things that matter. And then, every once in awhile, I get to do an interview with someone who in addition to all of those things, is also just SO MUCH FUN. Kindred spirits that remind me I am not alone in this world.
This is my first episode in which I got to talk with someone on a different continent than my own. He dreams about iconic objects, works out the engineering obstacles associated with them, and then brings some of the coolest things in the world (in my admittedly biased opinion) to life. This two part interview with Chris Barnardo, is filled with background on him personally as well as his professional journey. It's also filled with wonderful tributes to all of us in "Geekdom" who look to the worlds of Star Trek, Fallout, and Harry Potter (among others) to help us cope with and make sense of the world around us.
Chris started out as a designer, but went back to college in his thirties to gain an engineering degree. In 1994 he went to work at Cambridge Consultants where he became a named inventor on over 25 patents, and secured £4M in venture capital funding to commercialize his invention of a thick-film, flexible electroluminescent display.
In 2005 Chris launched the popular single parents’ website Dadcando.com which provided guidance and support to single dads (and mums). In 2008 he designed and created the Plop Trumps card game (Firebox.com’s number one selling product that Christmas), which has gone on to sell over half a million packs in the UK alone. In 2009 Chris founded The Wand Company (thewandcompany.com) with Richard Blakesley. The following year, the pair took The Wand Company into the British TV show Dragons’ Den (Shark Tank, US) where their pitch for the ‘Kymera Wand’ – the world’s first motion-sensitive, button-less, universal remote control, attracted record investment offers from all the Dragon Investors.
The Wand Company has since successfully launched, Tenth, Eleventh and Twelfth Doctor Who universal remote control Sonic Screwdrivers, their iconic Star Trek The Original Series Phaser and Bluetooth Communicator, a range of Fallout replicas and has most recently been working with Pokémon to bring the first accurate, premium Poké Ball replicas to market for Pokémon’s 25th anniversary year which launched in February 2021.
Chris is the author of three books, Made With Dad, Dadcando and Dragonolia, lives in Essex and has four children.
Thanks for listening. Please check out our website at www.forsauk.com to hear great conversations on topics that need to be talked about. In these times of intense polarization we all need to find time to expand our Frame of Reference.
