Meet Joey Ortega | Game Show Writer, Creator, & Producer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Joey Ortega and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Joey, what makes you happy? Why?
My life revolves around games. Whether I’m producing a brand new game show or hosting a game night for my nearest and dearest, I’m never happier than when people are playing and having fun. Because the magic of games is that they provide momentary structure in this chaotic and uncontrollable world. For the duration of a game, every player is agreeing to set of rules that clearly defined before they begin. When else in life do you get that opportunity to turn off all the noise and static of the world with other people all at the same time? I’m so fortunate that games are not only my outlet and my safe space, but also my career… and I’m looking forward to continuing to play for the rest of my life.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
The riskiest thing I ever did was leave the safety of my rural Illinois community, where I was surrounded by family and friends, and head to Los Angeles to make a name for myself in a career where I knew absolutely nobody. But ever since I was five years old, it was on my heart to do one of two things – be a game show host OR be the president of NBC. I actually moved to Los Angeles twice before it finally “took” on the third move when I got into the NBC Page Program. And so my career began…

Over the last decade, I’ve worked in Scheduling and Program Planning at NBC and served as a development executive with Howie Mandel and Ryan Seacrest’s respective production companies. For the last seven years, I’ve been working as a freelance producer and development consultant working on dozens of awesome game shows and reality shows including “The Challenge”, “The Chase”, “Floor is Lava”, and “Double Dare”. And in 2024, a game show that I devised and created will be going into production and it will be thrilling to see that finally come to life.

I’m so fortunate to say that my “brand” is fun. That’s the entire driving principle in everything that I do, both at work and at home. I go out of my way to choose projects and people that will create the most positive atmosphere and most joy for me and everyone around me. And I’ll be honest, I’ve worked on a couple of shows where fun was not a priority, and that lack of fun showed up on screen. These projects taught me a valuable lesson — “How you do anything is how you do everything” and I want to ensure that everything I do is brimming with fun.

At the end of the day, I’m still that wide-eyed kid from the Midwest with a passion for game shows and television. And I still think about him when I’m crafting new projects and generating new ideas because there’s still an underserved audience who’s looking for a lively escape and a creative outlet that inspires others to have fun in their own lives. Because life is hard and we all need to know that having fun isn’t a guilty pleasure; it’s a fundamental human right.

I might not have accomplished five-year-old Joey’s goals, but I’m pretty confident he would be incredibly proud of the risks I’ve taken and where we are today. I’m excited for whatever is next for the both of us, which includes new projects including my first board game and a podcast, both of which are exciting collaborations, and, with any luck, more exciting and fun game shows and reality shows for the world to enjoy…

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I can’t think of a more fun place than the Disneyland Resort. Sure, the lines are long and there’s a lot of crying kids (Why are you crying? Don’t you know where you are?!), but that place is quite literally engineered for fun. While the rides are fantastic and a churro is delightful, Trader Sam’s Enchanted Tiki Bar is truly my happy place. It’s not just the magical moments that they serve up there; it’s the tiny, cramped space that can fit only 50 people accompanied by the dark, moody atmosphere with the slack-key guitar music filling the air that makes all the problems of the real world instantly melt away.

And if I don’t take a friend to Trader Sam’s, I’ll take them to any form of live entertainment. From improv shows to musicals to escape rooms to outdoor street cinema, Los Angeles is so big and has so many one-of-a-kind experiences designed for fun.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I wouldn’t be where I am were it not for quite literally every person I’ve encountered up to this point. Calling out just one feels like a slight to the many who shaped the person I am today.

That said, I am supremely grateful for all of the educators who saw my light and found ways to help me shine and avoided extinguishing my intensely fragile spark:

Tom Ryan, my junior high PE teacher; Diane Nielsen, my high school Spanish teacher; Anne McSorley Hollis, my university leadership and public service advisor; Dr. Greg Pitts, my college professor and academic advisor; and every single English, Drama, and Music teacher whose lessons I still carry with me in everything that I do.

Instagram: @TheJoeyOrtega

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thejoeyortega/

Twitter: @TheJoeyOrtega

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thejoeyortega

Other: IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5054616/?ref_=fn_al_nm_2