Something New

Each of Something New's original carnival games come complete with a carnival booth, game attendant, and prizes. You've never seen games like these. Whether we're hurling squirrels, tickling pickles, or fishing for hot dogs, our original games are designed to reintroduce playfulness in fresh, unexpected formats and new, unexplored spaces.

Based in Santa Monica, CA, Something New creates custom, event-based games designed to help people of all ages rediscover the joy of play.

Choose from one of 7 wildly creative carnival games to add playfulness to your next event, or commission a custom game of your own. Our most popular game, Squirrel Throwing, has been featured at the Santa Monica Pier, ICE @ Santa Monica, Melrose Trading Post, The Venice Fest, and more.

Our game nights are a hit at public & private events all over the country, and they're now available for hire for private events for groups of 8-80.

Something New was founded by Sean Jordan, a former executive in the entertainment industry. Coming out of the pandemic in 2022, Sean had an urge to host a treasure hunt in Westside Los Angeles. He designed some rules, drafted some clues, and used Instagram to gather 40 of his closest friends together to hunt for a cash prize that he hid in town. It was a wildly fun time.

Sean didn’t really know where that urge came from at the time. He had just turned 30 and had spent the better part of his last decade climbing the corporate ranks in the entertainment industry, which was something he thought he had always wanted. But what he came to soon realize was that despite all of his success - or perhaps because of all of his success - he was missing something critical from his life: playfulness.

The lack of playfulness impacted his attitude and quality of life. He was gradually taking life more & more seriously, becoming less & less willing to try new things, and losing sight of joy in life. ​He knew that he couldn't be alone in this feeling, and he wondered if there was something he could do to help himself and others. That's when he decided to start Something New.

So he began creating new, playful experiences and running them for friends & family. And they had such a fun time that he just kept running with it. Something New was formally established in June 2023 and began operating in January 2024.

In their first year of operation, Something New has served 5000+ event guests, forged 20+ partnerships, and earned media coverage in 10+ digital/tv/print publications.

Prior to founding Something New, Sean spent 7 years working in content at Hulu. During his time there, Sean was the executive responsible for launching Hulu’s first live event specials, including notable music festivals such as Lollapalooza and Austin City Limits, and building a portfolio of live, local, and original news programs from partners such as ABC News, The New York Times, and Vice.

Prior to Hulu, Sean was a Media & Technology strategy consultant at Monitor Deloitte in Chicago. He graduated from Indiana University in 2014 with a BA in Business and a certificate in Journalism, which he attended after growing up in his hometown of Indianapolis, IN.