My love for games made me create Black Holiday Trivia - Nichole Footman Kuykendall

By Staff

Tell us about your background:

Games were an integral part of my upbringing. Growing up, Friday and Saturday nights were filled with playing games such as Scrabble, Taboo, Trouble, etc with my family. I loved spending time with my family, as well as learning new ways to navigate life via the games we played. Games taught me how to negotiate (thank you Monopoly!), how to make & plan future decisions (thank you Life!), and how to quickly do math (thank you Uno!).

What inspired your to create this game

My love for games never ceased as I got older, but to my dismay I found that the older you got, the more limited your options for games became. Especially for Black adults. This absence came to a head when I was planning my annual Christmas party and had no entertainment for my guests. I needed something that was inclusive and would bring guests from several different walks of life together. Finding no such game in existence, I decided to create one myself!

How long did it take you to develop and produce your game

The idea of the game took a few weeks to form, however, the actual development of the game took years. The game initially debuted in 2016 and was such a hit with my friends that revised versions returned every year that were better and larger than the game before. After 3 years of playing it with just friends, I began to get custom game requests from people who were looking to host their own parties. From there word continued to spread about the game’s existence and a demand was created that let me know that mass production of the game would be the logical next step. Heeding the call, the game went into mass production in 2021 and completely sold out. I am now excited to see all that 2022 brings for the game’s growth.

How do people order the game

Games can be ordered online (Blackholidaytrivia.com) or, if you live by one of our partnered African American museums you can pick up the game there. When I was considering sales channels for the game, I knew that I wanted to work with institutions that support and preserve African American history and culture. Knowing your history, especially in this current climate is extremely important. The list of current partnered museums can be found on our website.

What advice do you have for other entrepreneurs starting out

You don’t have to have it all together to start creating something amazing. Anything and everything you do has stages, and oftentimes the stages are built in silos before they all come together to show the resemblance of something worthwhile. Start where you are and do your best at that stage. The saying that “Rome wasn’t built in a day” is true. Learn through your mistakes, grow, re-tool and then retry. Trust the process. Trust yourself.

Most importantly, the why of what you are doing must be bigger than yourself to adequately sustain you. Always remember your why, because it will be the thing that carries you when things aren’t making sense or the mountains you are climbing seem too tall.

Where would you like to see your company in the next five years

I want to create a global brand for games. In the next 5 years I want to see Black Holiday Trivia grow and expand to include several other game editions that will continue to connect and entertain Black families and friends during the holiday season.

About

Created by Nichole Footman Kuykendall in 2016, Black Holiday Trivia is the solution to all holiday gatherings. A trivia card game that celebrates and educates participants on the holiday contributions of African Americans, the game tests your knowledge of classic holiday movies and music.

Nichole Footman Kuykendall created this game from a need. A need for fun. A self proclaimed “holiday hostess” she was looking for inclusive holiday entertainment that would bring guests from several different walks of life together around a common game. After finding no such game in existence, she decided to create her own. Holding a deep appreciation for African American contributions, she focused the game on the unique niche of Black culture during the holiday season. As she created the game, she was surprised to learn that while the culture was being celebrated during the holidays, much knowledge of the contributors of that culture was being lost. While songs such as “This Christmas” are staples in the Black community, Nichole found that many of her guests had no clue who the original singer of the song was. Taking this information and focusing on not only educating but also celebrating the contributions made by these African American artists and actors, she then created Black Holiday Trivia.

Intentionally created to be intergenerational, the game answers the question of “Can we all play?” and provides a conduit for family and friends of all ages to connect during the holiday season.

We look forward to sharing Black Holiday Trivia with you and hope it brings you not only fun, but endless memories this holiday.