Michael Grant is a senior leader at Stern Pinball who heads the Stern Army community initiative, responsible for location-based pinball community growth and engagement. He is known as a caring advocate for operators and an active, helpful presence in the pinball community, having represented Stern at major events like Riot Fest 2024 and media days. His role has evolved from general Stern Pinball employee to Senior Manager of Stern Army, positioning him as a bridge between corporate Stern leadership and the broader pinball community.
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Stern Army has 10,000+ members globally
Stern supports 75+ women's pinball clubs worldwide through Stern Army
Stern Army locations receive priority shipment of new games before general availability
Brooklyn Pin Pride events have raised over $24,000 for LGBTQ+ charities across 6 events
Person who engages with the hosts' posts on social media regarding the Pokémon launch party
Leads Stern Pinball's field marketing program
Senior Manager of Global Location Entertainment for Stern Pinball; leads Stern Army initiative; hosts appreciation parties; manages 10,000+ members globally
Senior Manager of Global Location Entertainment for Stern Pinball; primary speaker presenting Stern Army initiative; based in Chicago, formerly from New England
Former American Pinball employee whose departure responsibilities are being distributed between Stephen Bowden and Max Finisac
Works in sales department at American Pinball; greeted tour visitors at factory
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Stern Army appreciation parties have been hosted annually at Microphone Brewing for three consecutive years
Random prize giveaways increase new/casual player participation more effectively than skill-based prize distribution
Stern Army is building 'third spaces' for players to escape work stress and daily monotony through community events
Stern Army appreciation parties have been held annually at Microphone Brewing for three consecutive years
Stern Army is on pace to add 300 new locations in 2024
JAWS had nearly 400 official Stern launch parties
Approximately 20% of JAWS launch parties were women's events
15 countries hosted JAWS launch parties
Stern has hired Lloyd Dorton from Sieben distributor in Belgium to manage Stern Army and Insider Connected in Europe
Michael Grant relocated from Boston area to Chicago to work in pinball full-time
Stern locations now include diverse venue types: bars, FECs, dispensaries, cake companies, record shops, and comic book stores
Sam Stern Army operates monthly IFPA-sanctioned tournaments in locations globally as primary growth mechanism
Insider Connected leaderboards have been instrumental in getting players to sign up for the platform
Venom features XP/experience point system that allows casual players to eventually unlock all four Venomized hosts by defeating Null multiple times
Insider Connected platform has a much longer feature roadmap than currently implemented with years of potential development ahead
Breweries have been a major venue category for Stern pinball success
Sam Stern Army is planning significant expansion into Europe
Stern is planning an inaugural global Sam Stern Army member appreciation party at Microphone Brewing during Pinball Expo week with exclusive denim member jackets
Michael Grant left American Pinball to join Stern Pinball as marketing manager under Zach Sharp
New England Pinball League is the largest pinball league in the world
Insider Connected signups at Pinball Expo were strong with lots of player engagement
App development for Insider Connected is coming but timeline is not yet determined
Stern Pinball will support all Stern Pinball LCD screen games with Insider Connected technology
Challenge quests are coming to Insider Connected but details are still in development
Stern Pinball is working with the IFPA on tournaments and new promotions
More competition in pinball manufacturing benefits the entire industry
Operators may lack clear incentives or information about how Insider Connected benefits their business
Stern Pinball aims for global expansion of Stern Army locations across Europe, Australia, and other regions
Seth Davis's leadership will be beneficial for Stern Pinball's future direction
Defected from American Pinball to Stern Pinball; Kaneda speculates he brought knowledge of Sonic license pursuit to Stern
Pinball designer; allegedly moved from American Pinball to Stern Pinball; Kaneda speculates involvement in He-Man license transfer (unconfirmed)
Senior Manager of Location Entertainment at Sam Stern Pinball; from Wakefield, Massachusetts; oversees Sam Stern Army global network; previously marketing manager at Stern and worked in collectibles wholesale
Marketing Manager at Stern Pinball (hired November 16, 2021); former sales role at American Pinball (Feb 2020-Sept 2021); competitive pinball player; New England-based collector
New marketing person at American Pinball; appeared on Pinball Players Podcast discussing Hot Wheels positioning for location play
Marketing Manager at Stern Pinball (newly hired); previously worked in Marketing at American Pinball; discussed Stern Army initiative and Stern Insider Connected system
American Pinball representative participating in Jack Danger demonstration
Sales and Marketing Manager at American Pinball; will work alongside David Fix with focus on sales while Fix handles operations and collector-focused marketing
American Pinball team member; clarified Game 4 miscommunication regarding Southern Pride Gaming Expo listing
Newly hired sales director at American Pinball (hired days before Hot Wheels launch)
Attending Paris Games Week with Stern Pinball as DocScore's companion
American Pinball executive; confirmed temporary surcharge approach and ongoing Joe Schober contract programming support
American Pinball team member interviewed with Joe Schober on Pinball Players Podcast about Hot Wheels
Head of American Pinball; coordinating Hot Wheels production response to COVID-19.
Former American Pinball contact; moved to Stern Pinball
Stern Pinball contact for Stern Army location setup and TV/Insider Connected configuration
Former marketing manager at American Pinball; joined Stern ~1.5 years ago; appointed Senior Manager of Location Entertainment managing Stern Army and Street Team
Former American Pinball sales/marketing manager, joined Stern Pinball as marketing manager under Zach Sharp
Senior Manager of Global Location Entertainment at Stern Pinball; head of Stern Army global street team; based in Chicago; originally from Boston area
American Pinball representative discussing Legends of Valhalla reception and sales
Senior Manager of Stern Army; met hosts at media day; provided contact information
Stern employee (head of Stern Army); praised by Alan as caring operator advocate; distinguished from corporate Stern leadership
Stern Pinball Stern Army leader who provided giveaway prizes for Punk Rock Pinball tournament at Poor Bros.
Stern Pinball representative who set up pinball machines in artist area at Riot Fest 2024
Stern Pinball employee; identified as active in community forums; praised for helpfulness to community members with technical issues
Leading Stern Army initiative for location-based pinball community growth
Australian representatives who attended Toronto championship representing their respective regions