Company Overview
Who we are:
Outset Media is a privately held company founded by its president, David Manga, in 1996. Since then, Outset Media has responded to the knowledge society with high quality games that promote learning, fun, and family time.
What we do:
Outset Media designs, distributes and manufactures board games, card games and puzzles that help develop healthy minds in children and help provide healthy entertainment for families. In addition to its own games and puzzles, Outset Media also distributes the products of other companies. We currently distribute more than 100 games and 115 puzzles to specialty retailers in Canada, Australia and the USA. Click here to read more. (link product home page)
How we do it:
Outset Media employs ten people full-time at its Victoria offices. They include in-house game development and creative design staff. We have in-house sales staff to service all our retailer accounts. In addition, we have a full-time publicist to help people find out about our games through independent media reports.
We outsource the manufacturing of our games to companies in Canada, the USA and Hong Kong, China. We outsource our USA distribution to a fulfillment company in Plattsburgh NY, and our eastern Canada distribution to a fulfillment company in Montreal.
Where we do it:
Our corporate headquarters and Western Canadian distribution center are located at #106-4226 Commerce Circle, Victoria, BC V8Z 6N6. We have recently doubled our warehouse and office space in Victoria. Click here to read more. (link to PR)
Why we do it:
Because games matter. In an age of the Internet and video games, David Manga believes traditional games encourage family interaction and communication. Outset Media’s mission is to help develop healthy minds in children and provide healthy entertainment for families.
About David Manga
David Manga grew up in Ottawa, Canada. He was just 23 when he founded Outset Media in 1996. He was still a student completing his BCom at the University of Ottawa, from which he graduated in 1996. He launched his first game, All Canadian Trivia, while still at university. After playing another well-known trivia game and realizing he knew more about the United States than his own country, he wanted to play a trivia game with a Canadian focus. When he couldn’t find one, he created All Canadian Trivia. That game went on to become a Canadian best-seller (more than 100,000 copies sold) and spawned Junior, French and Millennium editions and a Supplemental Question set.
Since then, Manga has personally created more than thirty board and card games. His company continues to specialize in knowledge-based educational games. The knowledge game collection includes American Trivia and its Junior Edition, The Great North American Bird Watching Trivia Game, and The Ultimate Hockey, Baseball, Basketball, and Football Trivia Board Games.
In 2002, Manga created the first games in the Professor Noggin’s card game series. (link PN site) This popular series now numbers 26 games, which have won ten major awards, receiving honors from the likes of the Parent’s Choice Foundation, the National Association for Gifted Children and Scholastic Instructor Magazine. For more information about Outset Media’s game awards, click here.
Outset Media continues to add to its catalogue of board games, card games and puzzles every year. This year, Outset Media is introducing the inaugural season of the Cobble Hill Puzzle Company. This museum-quality puzzle collection is made in Canada.
In 2002, Manga and Outset Media won the Vancouver Island Business Excellence Award for Manufacturer of the Year. In 2003, the Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce named David Manga Young Entrepreneur of the Year. In addition, Profit Magazine ranked Outset Media one of Canada’s Fastest-Growing Companies for three straight years: in 2003, 2004 and 2005. In 2005, the Neighbourhood Toy Stores of Canada (NETS) named Outset Media its Supplier of the Year for 2004. To read more about Outset Media’s business awards, click here.
In addition to running a successful business, David Manga also wanted to support his local community. He has made presentations to groups of students from elementary school to university age, as well as to many business groups, and he has mentored students of entrepreneurship at Royal Roads University.
He has created a fundraising program to help non-profit groups raise funds for their projects by selling games. To learn more about our fundraising program, click here. (link)
In 2004, Outset Media created a partnership with the Queen Alexandra Foundation for Children, (link) to raise funds for by donating part of the proceeds from sales of its Vancouver Island-opoly game. To learn more about this partnership, click here. (link)
David Manga wanted to create both a successful business and products that would have a positive impact on people. All games created by Outset Media are educational, inclusive, respectful, and non-violent.?Manga’s company’s educational and specialty games offer learning through entertainment, and encourage families to spend quality time together.
Fun Facts and Trivial Tidbits
How many games do we distribute?
More than 100 games
How many puzzles do we distribute?
More than 115 puzzles
How many games and puzzles have we sold so far?
More than 700,000
How many retailers carry our games?
More than 2000
What is the most moving place will you find our games being sold?
Floating on ferries
What is the most farflung place you will find our games being sold?
Iqaluit, Nunavut (the only Canadian capital not accessible by highway)
What is Outset Media’s best-selling game?
All Canadian Trivia. More than 100,000 copies of the Original version sold, making it a Canadian Best-Seller
What is Cobble Hill Puzzle Company’s most popular puzzle?
Kids Map of Canada
How many trivia questions has walking encyclopedia David Manga written so far?
More than 20,000!
How many Professor Noggin’s questions have been written so far?
About 9,000
Where did our name come from?
When David Manga founded his business, he wanted a name that would enable him to do anything that he was inspired to. His first inspiration was a game, and that is what his company continues to specialize in.
Which Outset Media staff member is featured in the Cobble Hill puzzle, Allegra’s Garden?
Our Creative Director, Allegra Vernon (somewhat younger than today)
What are some of the most unusual objects that inspired game playing pieces?
Saddles, guitars, totem poles, dinosaurs, fire hydrants, sardines and VW Beetles
What is the longest word we have ever used in a trivia question answer?
Pekwachnamaykoskwaskwaypinwanik (a lake in Manitoba)
What is the most unusual source Dave Manga has used for a game question?
A cereal box
What is David Manga’s most unconventional hiring practice?
He challenges applicants to a game of Doubletaire
About how many game inventors contact us every year for advice?
About 1000
What is David Manga’s favorite word game?
Pick Two Deluxe
Outset Media’s Creature Menagerie
The cat Cleo, whose portrait is on the box top of Professor Noggin’s Pets card game, belongs to which Outset Media personality?
President David Manga
The golden retriever pictured on the Pets box belongs to which other personality?
Sales Manager Iain Lang
The two kittens pictured in the Pets game belong to whom?
Our Creative Director, Allegra Vernon
The pug pictured in the Pets game belongs to whom?
Allegra Vernon’s sister
Who inspired the Mangato alien character in the Beam Me Up card game?
David Manga (because the alien is cat-like, and Dave loves cats)
Which personal pet inspired the Biscuit character in the Beam Me Up card game?
Game Developer Linda Minard’s hedgehog, Biscuit
Who drew the images for the Space Racer cards in the Beam Me Up card game?
Matt, the son of our Administrator, Sue McDonald
