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Whit's Open Road

WHIT ALEXANDER

Co-Founder
Cranium Games

“It's really about finding a passion and working for something... You want to find an avocation, not a vocation.”

INTERESTS:

Entrepreneurship

THEMES DISCUSSED:

Chance Hard Work Passion Transitions Individualism

TAGS:

Africa, board games, coffee house culture, computer, computer mapping, different interests, entrepreneurship, fitting in, fun, impact, making a difference, mapping, microsoft, odd jobs, Starbucks, study abroad, teaching, trying different things, United Nations, urban planning

BIOGRAPHY:

Whit has learned to stick with his passions, even during moments of doubt. At the same time, he remains flexible and open to change. Never one to fit into a neat cubbyhole, he has tried many different things, including door-to-door sales and urban planning, as well as a stint in Africa while a student at the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service. His interest in computer mapping led him to a position at Microsoft as a digital cartographer, an avocation to which he devoted himself until his colleague Richard Tait persuaded him to get involved with a board game he had invented. Meant to have a big impact, the game was designed to give everyone a chance to shine, a concept that appealed to Whit. Although he knew nothing about the board game business, he decided to give it a chance, encouraged both by Richard's enthusiasm and by an offer from Starbucks. Before long Cranium caught on, to the delight of its co-founders and fans.