Today we’d like to introduce you to Nunzio And Jamie Smith.
Hi Nunzio and Jamie , thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
My wife and I first discovered escape rooms back in 2013 during a vacation in Gatlinburg with our then four-year-old son. We played our first room and instantly became hooked. Since that trip, we’ve played over 70 escape adventures and counting. Each one fueled our love for the challenge, the teamwork, and the thrill of solving mysteries.
Fast forward to 2024. On our way back from Orlando after playing a few more escape rooms, I turned to my wife and said, “Let’s open an escape room.” I fully expected her to laugh or tell me I was crazy. Instead, she immediately said yes. That moment surprised me and set the wheels in motion.
We started exploring the idea of opening a traditional brick-and-mortar escape room. We looked at costs, talked to people in the industry, and quickly realized we didn’t have the experience to build a business from the ground up—and that the price tag would be steep. We even considered buying into a franchise, thinking it would give us guidance, training, and ready-made rooms. But the franchise cost more than starting from scratch, and the return for us would have been minimal. Essentially, we would have ended up working for someone else with little say in how the business was run.
Temporarily set back, we kept exploring our options. A few weeks later, we stopped at Escape Me in Orange Park to play a game and ask about building a brick-and-mortar store. The owner wasn’t there, but his manager mentioned he was selling his mobile escape room because he no longer had the time to run it. A few days later, we met with him, saw the escape room, and fell in love. That’s how we bought Escape Me Mobile.
We jumped in feet first, with no prior experience running an escape business—or any business, really. Along the way, we made mistakes, learned as we went, and continued to grow. Today, besides our 30-foot RV with two escape themes—Monstorium of Madness and Meltdown—we’ve expanded to include popup games that can be set up anywhere: homes, offices, conferences, or any venue you can imagine.
Unlike a traditional escape room, we bring the experience to you. We handle all the heavy lifting, the setup, and the tear-down. You and your team simply show up and have fun. You get the same immersive adventure as a brick-and-mortar escape room, without worrying about logistics, travel, or coordinating everyone’s schedule.
From a vacation discovery in Gatlinburg to running our very own mobile escape business, the journey has been full of surprises, learning, and growth. And we’re just getting started.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It hasn’t been a smooth ride—calling it “bumpy” would be an understatement. From day one, we’ve faced obstacles at every turn. Our generator has stopped in the middle of a game, shutting everything down. The AC has gone out on sweltering days. Props have broken mid-game, and puzzles haven’t always worked as intended.
Being a mobile escape room, we’ve also had to educate the public about what we do—after all, this is still a relatively new concept. Think of us as a food truck that serves entertainment instead of food. And then there’s the constant challenge of keeping a 20-year-old RV in working order, which requires a lot of love, attention, and elbow grease.
Through it all, we’ve learned how to overcome unexpected problems while keeping a smile on our faces and letting our players enjoy the experience without a hitch. The hardest part, by far, has been spreading the word and letting our community know that we exist. Marketing a business we had no prior experience with has been both challenging and time-consuming, but it’s all been worth it to share the joy of escape adventures with others.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am an IT professional with a degree in Computer Information and over 20 years of experience in healthcare IT. In addition to my IT career, I am also a professional magician and the owner of a mobile escape room business.
I’m most proud of my family and how we work together as a well-oiled machine—our teamwork allows us to create memorable experiences for others. What sets us apart is our ability to bring immersive escape experiences directly to people, wherever they are. We take guests out of their daily routines, lead them on adventures, and most importantly, put smiles on their faces.
What makes you happy?
What truly brings me joy is entertaining people: seeing them smile, laughing together while solving an escape room, and watching the look of pure happiness on their faces. What sets us apart is our ability to bring immersive escape experiences directly to people, wherever they are, turning ordinary moments into adventures and putting smiles on their faces.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://escapememobile.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/escapememobile
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nunzio-smith-717ba7381/
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@escape_me_mobile
