Guelph Arts Council: BODY PIERCINGS, BOARD GAMES & BRANDING… IT’S ALL BUSINESS AS UNUSUAL
Join Aron Murch on Oct 22nd for the Creating a New Audience on LinkedIn Workshop
Born into a nomadic family, Aron Murch’s story begins 14,962km away, in Surfers Paradise, Australia. By age 13 he had visited and lived in over 30 countries as his parents started and expanded a grassroots business (Nomad Silver) importing silver jewelry. As anyone with entrepreneurial parents understands, he was drafted into helping with family operations. His first taste of eCommerce, selling products and managing inventory came before he was in the 4th grade (he didn’t attend an institutional school until grade 9 at John F. Ross C.V.I.) Nomad Silver transformed into Rage Body Jewelry (~1999) as the body piercing and tattooing industry exploded in Canada in the late ‘90s.
Rage Body Jewellery Product Catalogs Designed By Aron Murch. Photo By Aron Murch
If managing 1 company at the age of 20 wasn’t enough Aron began working on a humble side-project that would soon take on a life of its own. Drawing on a long-term love of board games, Aron spent over 12 months designing, developing, and polishing the board game, Albion’s Legacy, together with long-time friend and mentor, Thomas Gofton (the present owner of Downtown Guelph’s Albion Hotel). The game saw moderate success on Kickstarter, raising $39,739 in 2014 and propelled the side-project into a fully realized start-up (Lynnvander Studios). As he continued to develop board games and launch new Kickstarter campaigns, Aron was forced to make the difficult choice between the stability of the thriving family business, and following his passion for board games, branding, and artistic creation.
Buffy The Vampire Slayer The Board Game by Lynnvander Studios Design By Aron Murch and Josh Derksen. Photo by Aron Murch.
This is a brief glimpse into how a worldwide journey is now benefiting the Guelph creative economy. Aron is now a partner at 2H Media in Guelph, bringing his experiences and talents to the local businesses there. He also became a partner at The Round Table Board Game Cafe (Guelph), and later launched Afterlife, a video game bar in Downtown Guelph.
If you are in the Guelph Area, you can meet Aron at the upcoming workshop on Creating a New Audience on LinkedIn powered by Guelph Arts Council on October 22nd. Guelph Arts Council members can attend the workshop for free using code: GAC75. You can RSVP here.
Check out the full article on Guelpharts.ca.
Citations:
By Aron Murch, partner at 2H Media in Guelph. Original Content courtesy of Guelph Arts Council, available via Guelpharts.ca . Guelph Arts Council is a collaborative content partner of artsUNITE/UNITÉ des arts, as they provide a link and share information between artists and arts organizations and the community of Guelph, Ontario.
Cover Photo: Alanna Dakin, Bella Krieger, Aron Murch in Red Brick Cafe. Photo By Britney Townsend Photography