Happy New Year and welcome to a special episode of Pinball Profile. I'm your host Jeff Teels. You can find everything on pinballprofile.com. All your subscriptions, past episodes and more. You can follow us on Twitter and Instagram at the Pinball Profile. Email us pinballprofile at gmail.com. It's my annual tradition of highlighting individuals who caught our attention over the past 12 months. It's the Pinball Profile top 10 list of the most intriguing people of 2020. I have to begin by acknowledging what a brutal year it has been for so many because of the COVID-19 pandemic. It has taken our loved ones, put tremendous stress on our families and businesses alike, not to mention the mental and financial strains that will be felt for months and maybe years to come. We have seen closed borders as the world has been brought to a halt. But there have been heroes during these tough times. Just look at the medical community, the first responders, and the essential workers who put their lives on the line for others day after day. We have many of these people in our pinball family, including Scott Larson, Christian Line, Rob Torres, John Cosson, Leslie Kozlowski, Josh Roop, Brian Dye, Jeff Becker, Eric Jackson, Rebecca Salem, Sean Lee, Christopher Doyle, and many, many more. Let's not forget to thank those working in food services, agriculture, and grocery stores. Plus, there's the postal service workers, the manufacturers, the public transit employees, the child care workers, and the educators. Thank you from everyone listening to this podcast for being there and looking after us. With restrictions, crowd capacity, and forced closures, the pinball locations that we love have had the most difficult year in decades through no fault of their own. Several people have assisted in GoFundMe campaigns or purchased gift certificates to keep those locations alive and help their employees. You can see a long, long list of these places on Tilt Forums, including Portal Pinball, north of Atlanta, Kickback Cafe in Pittsburgh, Electric Bat Arcade in Tempe, Cabin Fever in Toronto, Level One Bar and Arcade in Columbus, Jack Bar in New York City, and at least 30 more. Some famous pinball establishments sadly have closed their doors for good, like the Silver Ball Saloon in East Rochester, Buffalo Billiards in Austin, Modern Pinball in New York City, as well as others. Please continue to help those in need if you want these locations to be around, or even open up, like Fred Richardson's Bang Back in Columbia, South Carolina. Or there's people like Ryan Wanger of Comet Pinball, who came in to take over and keep Lions Classic Pinball in Colorado open. A good idea if you can, perhaps hold a tourney at your favorite place, and maybe instead of prize money for the players, take a collection for the bar or arcade or their staff. Many people right now are receiving refunds for replay effects. Perhaps put that towards a gift certificate for your favorite arcade. As we reflect, I'd like to give a shout out to each pinball manufacturer in 2020 that gave us products. COVID-19 protocols, social distancing, capacity limits didn't stop them from putting together great machines this year. American Pinball gave us their best game to date with Hot Wheels, thanks to Joe Balcer, Josh Kugler, Joe Schober, and the rest of the crew. There was even an IFPA Hot Wheels Livestream Challenge series to accompany it. Same kudos could be said for what Stephen Silver and Gerry Stellenberg did at Multimorphic with their game Heist and that unique crane action. Ranger in the Ruins followed after and we are seeing more owners create their own games. On the other side of the world, orders were taken for Haggis Pinball's first game, Keltz. I flipped it at Expo in the fall of 2019, then again in Melbourne, Australia in 2020. I can tell you it's better than before and a ton of fun with great work from Damian, Greg and crew. Spooky Pinball delivered many of their instant sold-out machines for Rick and Morty. Scott Denisey gave us another winner. Great visuals from David David Van Es and code continuing to be updated by Bowen Kerins and Eric Priepke. Dutch Pinball stepped up their operation, moved to a new facility, and delivered more of the Big Lebowski. I don't know how many of us saw that coming, but it was a pleasant surprise nonetheless. Recently, we just found out we will soon have our hands on the remodeled Alien Pinball from Pinball Brothers and code from Brian Brian Dominy. Also, Retro Atomic Zombie Adventureland from Deep Root is on its way, with pre-orders taken last month. It's been a long time since we've had a J-pop game. Looking forward to Steven Bowden's rules, Quinn Johnson story, and of course the pin bar. Jersey Jack Pinball delivered a bonafide hit in Guns N' Roses. It's fair to say that the instant demand for orders of all three models were better than anticipated. Good thing they have the new facility in Illinois to get these games made for their many buyers. And Stern Pinball had another great year with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Avengers Infinity Quest, and Led Zeppelin. To me, I think it's the best year for pinball companies in my now fifth year of doing pinball profile. That's good news for us, the fans. You have no idea how tough it is to whittle all of these people down to a top ten list. So with that, I give you honorable mentions. This person has been on my annual lists each year, and why not? He is the GOAT. Keith Elwin gave us another winner, like he has with his two previous games, this time with Avengers Infinity Quest. There is nothing cookie-cutter about Keith's games in layout or in rules. It's safe to say there is no designer more in demand than Keith. When Pin Slash developed and they asked players what common games they could play on, it was Jurassic Park number one and Iron Maiden number two, and no other machine was even close. Stern doesn't reveal sales, but that is a small sample size to prove the popularity of Keith's games. If that's not enough, ask any distributor how well Keith's games sell. You can now add Avengers Infinity Quest to that list. And also remember this year, Keith took a $15,000 pay cut when Pinberg announced it wasn't happening, and he couldn't hold the trophy once again. Speaking of Stern Pinball, there's a new employee, the number one player in the world, Raymond Davidson, is on board with coding. His playing experience is going to be beneficial for the machines he works on. Anytime you can have elite players like Raymond help create pinball, it's a good thing. And another shout out to Ray Day. Thanks for creating your online pin baseball matches on Discord. To some of the biggest supporters of pinball behind the scenes, thank you for your continued kindness, like Joe Fox of Philly, Ian Harrower of Canada, and Neil McRae of the UK. Many of our musician friends had to change their plans in 2020. Three-time Grammy Award nominee and children's music singer Justin Roberts created some stuck-at-home activities for his fans. Ed Ed Robertson of Bare Naked Ladies was planning to tour North America and the UK this year, but with that on hold, Ed and his band did several selfie cam jams, each one raising money for worthy charities. When it comes to charities you have to think of Daniel Spoler of Project Pinball Even with the pandemic Daniel was able to place more machines last month Tons of safety protocols were met and thousands of miles logged to bring joy to those kids and their families in hospitals around America. So many people helped make this current Love Across America tour possible, including Sierra Vermilion, Jason Fowler, Marco Specialties, and even a Jedi in Fluke Skywalker. Some more honorable mentions? How about Frieden Johnson? Sadly, like many people have experienced, their time in some hostile arcades have been stained by rude, sometimes chauvinist, racist, or homophobic remarks and other unwelcoming surroundings. This has turned women and men away from our hobby because of a few rotten people. But Frieden is a champion. She created the supportive group Pinball Super Friends, which you can join on Facebook. If you're experiencing an unpleasant or unwelcoming environment when playing pinball, Frieden and Super Friends will go to bat for you. Thanks, Frieden, for making pinball fun for all, just like you did with the rest of the crew in the Battle of the Bells event at Virtual Expo. Jeremy Packer (Zombie Yeti), Zombie Yeti. I know you're just doing your job as an artist, but man, oh man, do you do good work. This might be your best year yet, with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Avengers Infinity Quest. It might even be a better year than when you pulled off another two-for-two with Iron Maiden and Deadpool. I can't wait to see what you do next. I'd like to mention Kevin Chow from Bluffs Pinball, east of Toronto. He's already one of the nicest guys in pinball. He's been bringing the community he loves together weekly with online pinball trivia. Pinball is like another family to many, and with COVID-19, we haven't been able to be with one another. Kevin created a great chance for friends, new and old, to stay connected. To those keeping us informed online, seven years in a row now for Steven Bowden and Fun With Bonus, Pinball News continues to provide in-depth updates and happenings around the globe. And this week in pinball has added to their online presence with a new TWIP University and their legendary Deep Dives. Other honorable mentions go to the pinball content providers. For a year in which you can't get out as much as possible to play pinball, content providers have made good use at home with a variety of different pinball media. Case in point, the pinball network. A big part of growth in the new pinball content in 2020 is this wide-ranging, diverse network of 10 new podcasts and 20 streamers. We've been introduced to new members of the, quote, pinball media. And there's even a new award show for your entertainment later this month with the Pinball Industry Awards. I have to give a nod to my good friend Martin Robbins, because if I don't mention him, I'll never hear the end of it. But actually, he's meant a lot to me this year personally. I was so sad to see Head to Head Pinball Podcast call it quits at the start of the year. yet pleasantly surprised when we were given a bonus episode last month with Ryan C. Maybe the door is open for more head-to-head, but in the meantime, Martin has joined me for the saucy final round pinball podcast. We laugh every other week, and based on Twippy nominations, others seem to enjoy it too. I'm glad my Aussie mate is still on the airwaves, and if you want to see him in action, he's expanded his Melbourne Silver Ball stream to include Stacey Borg, Dr. Curly Tech, Oz Eric, and Hashman and Danger Ray. Speaking of Twitch, thanks to the many new streamers I've discovered in 2020. There's a lot more time at home, so thanks for the content. Some of these have been around for a while, but these have filled the void for me when I can't get out and flip or compete. Thanks to Carlos de la Cerda of Columbus, Ohio, with his grippos in hand and his late-night chungus nation. A few from San Francisco have caught my attention. Leslie Ruckman and Ryan O'Donnell on Game Time Television, plus Manu Smith and Mystery Pinball Theater 3000. Austin, Texas represents with Robert Byers and his cast of wrestlers on Top Rope Pinball. And a big year for Rebecca Salem and Jordan Berger, plus their three cats on Fliptronic, who, by the way, gave us the first ever Raza livestream. I also enjoy Rebecca Hinsdale and Anna Neal in Chicago. They show us why pinball is fun on Hot Nudge. And finally, for your viewing pleasure, not on Twitch, but on YouTube, gotta love the great spirit of Jen Rupert's No Coin Drop Required. The last honorable mention goes to the Topper Collector. When it comes to pimping up your pinball machine, you spare no expense. Literally. So, the price keeps going up and up and up. $1,000 toppers. No problem. Sold out. I don't get it, but I'm in the minority, and I'm not a marketing expert when it comes to this type of supply and demand. I will say I do remember the day when toppers were occasionally free, like on Fishtails or Whitewater. At least Spooky Pinball gave you a free one with Rick and Morty. In my top 10 list for 2020, the only rule I have is that you can't appear on back-to-back years. It's just so we can highlight different individuals year-to-year. Here's the list from 2019 in alphabetical order. Daniele Acciari, Scott Danesi, Emoto Harney, Alexander Kismarchuk, Holly Koskinen, Zach Menne, Jimmy Nails, Steve Ritchie, Colin Urban, and Kerry Wing. There is no way my following 2020 list will match your top 10 list, but I'll explain why these people caught my attention. Here we go. Time for the Pinball Profile Top 10 Most Intriguing People of 2020 in No Particular Order. Let's get the easiest choice for 2020 out of the way. This one was a no-brainer. I don't rank the top 10, but if I did, he is easily my number one this year. He could be on this list every year for his contributions to pinball. Think of what Carl has done over the last few years. The never-drained software used by so many elite Stern Pro Circuit tournaments. He and Phil Grimaldi created the popular mobile stream frame unit used by so many. Carl also came up with the Critical Hit game, a fun way to play pinball. But in 2020, there were three major things Carl did. His in-disc tourney, along with Jim Belcido and Bob Matthews, became the must-go-to pinball competition, featuring a women's event, two classic events, a massive match play classics kickoff tourney, the high-stakes event, and the IFPA Open, pinball's newest major. That's six events all streamed on IE Pinball. InDisc is now the gold standard for pinball competitions with the amazing backdrop of the Museum of Pinball in Banning, California. Plus, remember, Carl is one of the world's best players, and he didn't play in any of these Woportunity tourneys so that he could make sure everyone else had fun. Then when the pandemic hit on IE Pinball, he decided to tackle wizard mode after wizard mode. The Simpsons Pinball Party, Big Buck Hunter, 24, Lord of the Rings, Wizard of Oz, Iron Maiden, Alice Cooper, and more. Put up your hand if you've done any of these wizard modes. Carl did them all, and on stream, for all to watch. So what else did Carl do this year? He organized the biggest online tourney, the successful Pin Slash. 24 qualified streamers played in a unique heads-up challenge. It was beautiful to watch. It was the highlight of the last nine months in pinball competition all viewed on IE Pinball Great commentary by Snow Galvin and Steven Bowden And the winner received of Carl own money The man is a saint one of a kind Thank you so much, Carl. Number two, the next person on the list was the winner of that pin Slash event, 17-year-old Escher Lefkoff. We have seen over the past few years why many, including Keith Elwin, believes Escher will someday be the number one player in the world. In fact, he beat the number one player in the world, Raymond Davidson, at Pin Slash. We talked about what Carl does on stream. Escher has shown us how the best of the best do it on Twitch on his Steve-O-Pub channel. How about his live play? There were two Stern Pro Circuit events in 2020 before the IFPA suspended action. He finished fifth at the Open at Indisc and then destroyed everyone, hole-in-one after hole-in-one, at IFPA Pinmasters. Let's not forget his last Stern Pro Circuit event before that, Pinball Expo Flipout, in which he won an epic battle against Alexander Kuzmarchuk. Every time in pinball, it feels like I have this natural ability to figure it out instantly. I wish I could apply to other stuff as well. The sky is the limit for Escher, and what makes this fun to watch is he is equally a mature young gentleman as he is a world-class player. Staying connected in 2020 was very important. Seeing and talking to family and friends online is what helped many of us with our mental health as we were forced to isolate. When we couldn't gather at pinball competitions, there was a noticeable void. But someone came to the rescue in April. Laura Fraley. She already knew the importance of a pinball community with her involvement of the successful Richmond Pinball Collective. But when Laura created the Quarantopia selfie event on MatchPlay, over 300 players joined. She even figured out a way to have players compete that had different machines. 366 machines, to be exact. And Laura entered thousands and thousands of results in match play. There were really cool trophies made for the winners, too. But overall, it was just so fun to bring the pinball community back together when it looked like we weren't going to be able to. I strongly feel this was an important precursor to the IFPA Challenge Rankings, the ICR. So thank you so much, Laura, for keeping us connected. Number four, when it comes to pinball machines and the enjoyment they give, it's up in the air whether you prefer a great layout or great code. I think the machine suffers if either one is horrible, but for me, the longevity of a game's enjoyment, it's more important to have good code. Think of simpler games like Stars and Alien Star. Basic layouts, but brilliant code. We've seen companies like Stern add code to older titles within the last few years, especially if they are still in production. But what about the classics? Our next person on the list from Denmark, Suron Roi. For years, collectors have upgraded their older machines using the Suron ROMs to help balance many of the games. In fact, major competitions like Pinberg and Indisc have used these custom ROMs to make their tournament machines more balanced. In November, we got good news for fans of the 80s and 90s Williams Valley titles when Planetary Pinball Supply brought on Suron to update many of these codes. There are over 30 available for a small amount of money, including games like Junkyard, Roadshow, Creature from the Black Lagoon, Xenon, Earthshaker, and more. Thanks, Saron, for helping updating some of these classics for us all to enjoy. Number five. He was just named the 2020 IFPA Player of the Year, and I have a feeling he might repeat in 2021, Eric Stone of Fort Myers, Florida. He is a beast when it comes to competition. If you're playing in a pump-and-dump tournament in which you get to play a game over and over again and figure out the shots, Eric is robotic at executing what needs to be done. And if he knows the rules, forget about it. Game over. Eric won six of the ten events he played in this year, including the new major, the first ever IFPA Open at Indisc. Imagine what could have been if there were IFPA-sanctioned events throughout the year. He gave us a great demonstration of his skills at Virtual Expo from the Pinball Asylum, which in 2021 is the home of the postponed IFPA 17 World Championship. That event features 64 of the best players from over 20 countries. How will others fare in Eric's home court? He will be the man to beat. He might be, no matter where the event was held. He is that good. Let's stay in Florida for number six on my list. She's Norma, or Michelle, Jennings. She's been playing pinball for 45 years, but 2020 has been a rough year personally for Norma. In the summer, she was diagnosed with three different cancers. Anyone who knows Norma like the Florida Pinball Society or Flips, they know that she is a well-respected player in our community with a big heart. And she can play, as witnessed when she won the 2019 Women's Championship at Free Play Florida. She did this all while volunteering her time at the event. When given health news like Norma received, many people, myself included, might have had an understandable tendency to keep things private and ask questions like, why me, not Norma? She created a Twitch channel. You can watch it every Tuesday night. It's called Pinball and Cancer, Two Journeys. Norma very openly discusses these two journeys. This stream is a gift to anyone who knows someone with terminal cancer because it shows how to live life to the fullest, no matter how much time we have on this earth. Next time you get a high score, throw up the initials P-E-A, P in honor of Norma Jennings. A lot of people in the pinball community have been doing just that. Norma is an extraordinary woman, but let me highlight a few more, six of them to be exact. Number seven on my pinball profile top 10 most intriguing people of 2020 is the IFPA Women's Advisory Board. They are Olivia Helm, Karen Kaiser, Kim Martinez, Juana Summers, Zoe Vrabel, and Anna Wolk. Their mission is to provide expertise and guidance in all aspects of competitive pinball, as well as to serve as a sounding board for the IFPA. Here's Juana Summers talking about how they can assist tournament directors. One of our goals collectively, and Ken Martinez in Ohio has been one of the biggest advocates of this on the board, is talking about making sure that we create resources for TDs or resources for people who want to become tournament directors. I know when I started running tournaments, I learned from other people in my community who were willing to invest in me and take that time. But often you might want to run events and not know how to learn the rules or not know even what steps to take to make sure that you are creating an accessible, welcome, well-run environment for your prospective players. So that's something we want to be able to offer. The IFPA Women's Advisory Board has been busy updating the personal conduct wording of the IFPA PAPA official rule set with clarification of what kind of behavior is acceptable or unacceptable. Specifically, these changes prohibit offensive comments and actions related to gender, age, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, or religion. The IFPA Women's Advisory Board is even working with the Open Pinball Database They are providing a resource relating to machine art identifying a list of machines with explicitly racist or sexist artwork This might help event organizers choose which games may or may not be deemed offensive to their patrons As you can see, the IFPA Women's Advisory Board is doing their part to create a safe and welcoming environment for all participants at IFPA-sanctioned events. Number eight, when you do something great right out of the gate on your first attempt, there is pressure to follow it up. It's not an easy task. Add to the fact you have speculation from those wondering, why would you make that game, that theme? It's already been done. There was no bigger surprise in 2020 than the instant success and praise of Jersey Jack Pinball's Guns N' Roses, thanks to number 9 on this list, designer Eric Meunier. We also shouldn't forget what may be the best pinball machine launch in recent memory, as Ken Cromwell utilized many different parties from the pinball media better than anyone had done before. But it was Eric, with the help of Slash himself, plus programmer Keith P. Johnson, that produced a machine that took this hobby to the next level. Jersey Jack Pinball changed the game when they debuted with Wizard of Oz and that huge LCD screen. And now with the new Guns N' Roses machine, Eric was able to take every imaginable asset and put it to its full use for a true concert-like experience. Over 20 songs, custom call-outs from the entire band, and a light show that syncs to the game like no other. Add the new software, Scorbit, to the mix, and this machine was sought after by many. An excellent pinball machine like Iron Maiden proved that, even though the music may not be your cup of tea, if the game is great, then the music doesn't matter as much. And it may even grow on you. But if you are already a Guns N' Roses fan, then this is a must-have. Eric first showed us what he could do with the Jersey Jack Pinball Pirates of the Caribbean. Interesting ingenuity, different shots we hadn't seen before, and it made you wonder, what would be next? Eric and his Guns N' Roses machine proved he could follow it up and then some. For number nine on my list, it's fair to say the growth of pinball companies, collectors, and especially competitors owe a lot to one man. Sadly, in June of 2020, we said goodbye to Steve Epstein at the age of 71. Steve was the owner of the legendary Broadway Arcade in New York City. Steve, along with Roger Sharp, created competitive pinball with leagues, tournaments, and the birth of Papa. That growth made pinball more and more popular. Just look at the IFPA expansion of players. More players, more home market buyers, more pinball companies trying to get into the market, and so on. Steve's positivity was infectious, and his heart was enormous. Have a listen to him on the last time he and I saw each other, back in November of 2019. I've really been invigorated by all the great positive things that have been happening with all the great people that are just seem to be engrossing themselves and getting themselves into pinball again. I think it's a world of openings that's just going to blossom. And I think we really are, in a way, at the very beginning of something that's going to be huge. Even after all that Steve has done for pinball, he still wanted to do more. Steve was going to dedicate his time to helping the Project Pinball charity. And we would have seen his efforts this year if it wasn't for the pandemic and, of course, his own sudden illness. Steve may be gone, but his impact to pinball will never be forgotten. Before we get to our final person on the Pinball Profile Top 10 Most Intriguing People of 2020, let's recap. 1. Carl D'Python Anghelo 2. Escher Lefkoth 3. Laura Fraley 4. Suran Roha 5. Eric Stone 6. Norma Jennings 7. The IFPA Women's Advisory Board 8. Eric Minier 9. Steve Epstein When we look back at 2020, many of us will recall what we lost. But I'd like us to instead reflect in a different way, and that is to be thankful for what we have and what memories were made. In pinball, one person has been behind some of our greatest memories in this hobby, and that person is Kevin Martin. He's the man in recent years behind the Replay Foundation and Papa, plus the much-viewed videos and tutorials on Papa TV. There's also the education and community projects Kevin and Papa supported, along with several charities. After pinball and arcades went through the dark days in the late 90s, Kevin revived Papa and had a vision of big-scale pinball events. Anyone who attended either Pinberg, Replay FX, or the Papa Championships in recent years will attest to how well-run these events were, thanks to Kevin, and the incredible Papa crew of people like Mark Steinman, Doug Polka, Elizabeth Cromwell, Fred Cochran, John Rapogle, and many others. But these events that looked seamless were far from easy to run. Hours, days, weeks, months of preparation were carefully plotted by Kevin and the Papa Group to make sure everyone had a good time. And boy, did they ever. These big events would guarantee prize money to add to the big scale of these tournaments, but many times had a personal financial loss to Kevin. Coin drop, tokens, admission fees, merchandise, that helped the bottom line, but it wasn't enough to keep the organization out of the red. Ask yourself how many people would continue to do this for the benefit of others. Not many, I'm guessing. But Kevin did it. year after year. And remember the uphill battles along the way. In 2004, just days after the Papa Championship, a flood caused five feet of water to fill the Papa facility outside of Pittsburgh. Every machine was submerged, at least up to the back glass. 230 machines were lost. Most people would call it a day right there. Not Kevin. Less than three months after the flood, Kevin announced that the next Papa Championship would be in eight months time. In 2012, the entire Papa collection was donated to the Replay Foundation, a 501c registered non-profit group that promotes the preservation, restoration, and enjoyment of pinball technology with an emphasis on player experience. Many of these machines would be visible twice a year at the Papa Championship and the revamped Pinberg at ReplayFX. Even with these big events, they still lost money, yet we just assumed they'd be there forever, or at least we hoped. In 2020, with the pandemic cancelling Pinberg and ReplayFX, that may have been the death blow. ReplayFX was the biggest annual contributor to the Replay Foundation, and with no assurances that Pinberg in 2021 would be possible, it was time for this chapter to come to an end. I hope everyone who experienced the joy and camp-like reunion feeling of Pinberg is thankful for what we were given, as opposed to being sad for what is gone. Without Kevin Martin, we would have never had these opportunities in which everlasting friendships were created. I hope you enjoyed the Pinball Profile Top 10 Most Intriguing List of 2020. Thank you, as always, for your support. You can find us on Facebook. We're also on Twitter and Instagram at pinballprofile. You can find everything on pinballprofile.com and emails, pinballprofile at gmail.com. I'm Jeff Teolas. Thank you.