Escape Rooms! Nicole Loeb Talks Co-Founding Trapology Boston & Breaking into the Live Experience Industry
“Escape rooms are board games that come to life. The stories immerse you. The concept challenges you and takes you out of reality - just for that one hour.” Meet today’s woman dreamer, Nicole Loeb, founder of Trapology Boston (one of Boston’s Best Escape Rooms), and also one of the world’s top wedding photographers. A type A personality with a business background, she found her true passion in the creative industries. Nicole shares her top 3 tips to how to tell a good story through photography, an exciting story of how on a flight home from Istanbul, she designed the “Drunk Tank’, one of the world’s top 10 escape room experiences, and her life as an Asian-American woman and business leader. Enjoy Nicole’s dynamic story!
1) You are quite the multi-faceted woman - a photographer, business woman, and pro-bono consulting. Tell us your story. How did you find your creative passion? What excites you about the creative industries?
I studied finance and computer science. Being a painfully obvious Type A and Enneagram 3, I wound up in management consulting for several years. I decided to take a risk, quit my corporate job, and follow my passion.
"Nicole Chan Photography” is my first company - a wedding photography and videography brand. I am passionate about capturing candid moments and creating timeless portraits for wedding couples. My photographs are full of personality, romance, and color. I am lucky to work with the most talented team of photographers, videographers, assistants, and editors. “Nicole Loeb” is for my commercial and corporate clients. I help tell their stories via vibrant and dynamic lifestyle photo and video.
I volunteer my services in consulting because as a small business owner, there are so many hats to wear. It’s hard to keep up. Sometimes, you just need a set of fresh eyes to give a little boost or a nudge in the right direction. It can make or break a small business.I like helping others. Many people have helped me grow, and it’s my way of giving back.
2) Tell us more about Trapology Boston, the escape room space in the heart of Boston. What inspired you to co-found that venture?
“Trapology Boston” is our interactive entertainment company that designs, builds, and produces escape games, as well as immersive experiences. We have a downtown location that houses six escape games, but we also build large scale custom projects like immersive theater, advertising launches, board games, etc.
My husband and I played an escape room for our friend’s birthday. We had an amazing time there, and then spent three hours in a bar talking about it afterwards. We looked for another one to play, but there were none. Several weeks later, we spent a month in Tanzania and on the layover back, we spent 24 hours in Istanbul. We had already spent several weeks in Turkey on a prior trip, and so we sought out other things to do. We fell upon another escape room. Jason, my mother, and I gave it a whirl. The experience wow-ed us with their production value.
On the flight home, I designed the Drunk Tank. When we landed, we immediately searched for commercial property. Within a few months, my husband and I had signed a lease, and we started building. The Drunk Tank won an award for “Top 10 Best Escape Rooms in the US”. Though our newer games are shinier, have really cool special effects, and a more polished storyline, and we’re still very proud of the Drunk Tank! It’ll always be our first baby.
3) Escape rooms have gotten popular over the past couple years, what do you think people enjoy most about them? When will you be re-opening (we are Boston-based so very excited about this)?
Escape rooms are board games that come to life. The game surrounds you on all four sides. The stories immerse you. The whole concept challenges you and takes you out of reality - just for that one hour. We take Hollywood-level production and make it accessible to friends and families to have a fun time.
Don’t worry thought, you’re never really locked in!
A 90 year old grandma brought her entire family of 30+ people to take over four games. “It’s the only way I can get everyone to enjoy device-free time together!”
Companies tell us that our escape rooms are essential for team building, company culture, and improving communication. “Interns are encouraged to share ideas and think outside of the box. They present ideas on how to solve the puzzles. Their bosses, who typically are calling all the shots, are the ones that are listening.”
We’re re-opening soon! We’ve been keeping busy with our Outdoor Escape Adventures (outdoor geolocation game that is driven by augmented reality). We have a couple of extremely exciting collaborations that we’re working on. We’ve had to sign NDAs. (You know that when you have a sign an NDA, that it’s cool stuff!)
4) You were ranked one of the Top 100 Wedding photographers in the world, and have been featured in many publications for your work. What makes a good wedding photo? When you take your photos, what are some key things you look out for/have your eye on?
I used to think that in order to be successful, I needed to create epic photos with glorious landscapes, perfect sunsets, and picture perfect couples in exotic destinations.
However, a good wedding photo doesn’t have to be that. A good wedding photo can capture a hug between a bride and her dad - a dad who has supported her from when his little girl took her first steps, to when he drove her to college, to when her partner asked for her hand in marriage.
A good photo tells a story, but not just any story - a story that is meaningful to the couple.
I ask a lot of questions so that I can understand the relationships that are important to my couple. I want to know about who they love, why they love them, what it would mean to them to capture these relationships in a photo.
Sure, a photo of a bride and her dad smiling at each other may not mean much to any other person, but to the two of them, it means the world.
It’s little moments like this that deserve to be celebrated.
5) As the platform for women dreamers, what does women empowerment mean to you and what is your next big dream?
When I was growing up, I didn’t see business owners that looked like me. If they did, they were working the cashier at a Chinese restaurant. I didn’t see Asian women as CEOs of companies or being trailblazing leaders in their industries. Asian women were barely on TV, and when they were, they were masseuses or exotic sex symbols.
To me, empowerment means that instead of telling a young child that she’s bossy, that she’s assertive. It means to encourage them in whatever they dream to do - and this isn’t just for children, it’s for people of all ages. Remember, I didn’t make the switch into entrepreneurship until my mid-20s.
I want to create a scholarship program for young women who want to be business owners.
Check out a gallery of Nicole’s Exquisite Wedding Photography!
Thank You Nicole For Sharing Your Wonderful Story With Us! We are excited to have you in our empowered women’s network!
Bio:
I’m passionate about celebrating relationships with people that you love. Both of my current businesses support this mantra. I work with talented, creative, slightly insane people - and I wouldn't have it any other way. I love what I do. I love small businesses. I love brainstorming potential ideas, growing existing ones, and learning about new ways to become more efficient. I'm the child of immigrants, who didn't need to teach me work ethic; They lived and breathed it. It wasn't until I was older that I realized the weight of the sacrifices my parents made for me. I'll likely spend the rest of my life showing them how thankful I am.My little brother (who is 6ft and not so little anymore) is Autistic. He reminds me every day to celebrate people who are different, and that I need to always be more patient, open-minded, and kind.For more on Trapology and Nicole’s work, Trapologyboston.com
Nicoleloeb.com
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