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Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/648978
BcBUsiness.ca april 2016 BCBusiness 47 BcBUsiness.ca april 2016 BCBusiness 47 Wilson lee Founder and ceo, Wun2Free entertainment age: 28 THE STORY: During the summer of his 16th year, Wilson Lee and a friend took a bus from Marpole to Mario's Gelati on East First Avenue, where they planned to buy ice cream to resell at the Richmond Night Mar- ket. "When we went to pick it up, we realized that we didn't have a vehicle to carry it all," he recalls. "Which was really funny because we didn't foresee it and our budget didn't allow it." They did not give up. They found an old pickup truck for $500 and ran the profitless business all summer. "People loved us," he recalls, "because we had energy." Upon graduating from UBC in 2009 with a major in psychology and minor in econom- ics, Lee went to work at Shaw Cable. But two years in, he was back to the Richmond Night Market–this time, sell- ing bubble tea. While there he convinced the owner of the market to let him run an entertainment area. With no experience, he went to the PNE with a clipboard and a camera and took notes–as well as to Hong Kong (where his parents are from) to visit some factories. Using all of his savings and the limits of two credit cards, he bought more than $100,000 worth of stuffed animals for prizes. Then he worked with his uncle, a carpenter, to design carnival games. He started in 2013 with four games, which were immediately popular. By 2014, he had 16 games and 80 staff at the Richmond Night Market, and that same year he convinced the PNE to let him try his model there. Lee is intent on changing the perception of the carnival game industry: a grungy midway of road-weary carnies waiting to take your money. "For us it's not just about the product or the game but about creating the atmo- sphere where people are really enjoying themselves." MARKERS OF SUCCESS: For 10 days in December 2015, Lee's company ran the Vancouver Winter Wonderland, an indoor Christmas event at the PNE Forum with more than 100 vendors, stage entertainment, food trucks and custom- designed games. The event had 35,000 visitors, and Lee's 2015 total revenue including the night market and the PNE topped $1 million. –M.G. w i l s o n l e e Beyond family/friends, who inspires you to succeed? O'neill: "standing in an operating room and watching my idea help someone at one of the more crucial times of their life, like spine surgery, really inspires me to be successful and try to expand the benefits of my devices" setO: "i feel very inspired by any story about someone with humble beginnings who made it to the top. the story of Jan Koum, co-founder of Whatsapp, is a recent one i've admired. i always think to myself, 'if they can do it, why can't i?'" What song is on repeat on your device right now? "To set the record, I am not a big fan of Justin Bieber. However, 'Love Yourself' by Justin Bieber is on repeat now"