George Carter III – Wild Business Growth Podcast #194: Inventor of Laser Tag

What inspires an invention? Inspiration can come from anywhere – even movies. This week’s Wild Business Growth Podcast guest, George Carter III, came up with his most well-known invention after watching the first Star Wars movie. George is the inventor of laser tag. Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and your other favorite podcast platforms.

• Episode Summary & Player
• Show Notes
• Wild Business Growth Podcast Summary

Episode 194: George Carter III – Inventor of Laser Tag

George Carter III, the Inventor of Laser Tag, joins the show to share his journey from being inspired by Star Wars to pioneering the multibillion-dollar laser tag industry. Hear how to think like an inventor, go from prototype to business, make tweaks to create immersive experiences, make things click in your head, and his times meeting Walt Disney and Kanye. This episode covers everything from inventing to Steven Spielberg. Here’s a small sample of what you will hear in this episode:

• What was going through George’s mind when the Fleetwood Mac manager knocked on his door
• How did he come up with the 2-seat concession car
• What impact did Star Wars: A New Hope have on him
• How many iterations did it take to get the equipment right
• What was the biggest tweak George made to the gameplay based on customer feedback
• Why does he invent things
• What’s the most unusual reaction someone’s had to using one of his inventions
• How did he meet Kanye

Connect with George at CarterInventions.com.

Enjoy the shoooooow! Check out the show notes below for much more detail.

Show Notes

• Intro & Fleetwood Mac
  • [0:34] Email me at to save time with your high-quality podcast and use it as a business-building tool
  • [0:44] Connect with George at CarterInventions.com
  • [2:42] That was George III’s joke
  • [3:15] When did he meet Fleetwood Mac
  • [3:37] Legend City Amusement Park
  • [3:43] Jess Nicks, Stevie Nicks
  • [5:02] Investor
  • [5:23] What was going through George’s mind when the Fleetwood Mac manager knocked on his door
  • [6:42] That’s dizzying
  • [6:54] A trip
  • [7:06] How did George come up with the 2-seat concession car
  • [7:15] Mini Dune Buggy
  • [7:27] Meyers Manx
  • [8:12] All-Terrain Vehicle (ATV)
  • [8:30] Coot Industries
  • [9:09] Chico, CA
  • [9:45] CEO (Chief Executive Officer), Charles Schulz
  • [9:57] Snoopy, Red Baron
  • [10:49] That Snoopy, I’ll tell ya
  • [11:04] Bankrupt, Royalties
  • [11:52] Baja Raceway
  • [12:31] Chapparal Speedway, Chapparal Grand Prix

• The Laser Tag Story
  • [12:44] What impact did Star Wars: A New Hope have on George
  • [13:46] Special Effects (Special FX)
  • [15:26] Debt
  • [16:35] Lucky Charms, Frosted Flakes
  • [16:41] That was off-record
  • [16:54] Texas Instruments (TI), Telecom, Nortel
  • [17:14] Commodore 64, Early Apple Computers
  • [17:46] Real Estate
  • [18:26] Just like that
  • [20:28] How many iterations did it take to get the equipment right
  • [20:44] Bureau of Radiological Health
  • [22:43] Reverse IR (Reverse Infrared)
  • [23:13] Technology (Tech)
  • [23:21] How did George learn the tech side of laser tag
  • [23:54] Jim Dooley
  • [24:02] Physics
  • [24:17] Code
  • [24:32] Engineering
  • [24:55] Prototype
  • [25:54] How did the marketing angle work for laser tag
  • [26:15] PR (Public Relations)
  • [26:35] TIME Magazine, Forbes Magazine
  • [26:51] 20/20
  • [27:11] Photon
  • [27:30] How did George’s big break change the business
  • [27:45] Business Plan, Franchising
  • [28:31] Income
  • [28:49] What was the biggest tweak George made to the gameplay based on customer feedback
  • [29:18] R&D (Research & Development)
  • [29:48] I mean several
  • [30:21] Rambo
  • [30:47] Capture the Flag
  • [32:16] What aspect of laser tag makes George smile the most
  • [32:38] Thank you, George!
  • [32:40] Save time with your high-quality podcast. Email me at to bring your podcast to life and use it as a business-building tool
• Inventing
  • [33:58] Why does George invent things
  • [35:27] Trakvak Racetrack Dryer, Indy 500 (Indianapolis 500)
  • [36:15] That’s the dry truth
  • [37:01] Best shirt of all time
  • [37:27] How do you make things click quickly in your head
  • [38:15] Lake Michigan
  • [38:52] World War II (WWII)
  • [39:06] Bumper Jack
  • [40:24] How do you identify problems
  • [40:47] Jet Ski Cutting Brake
  • [41:53] Monergy

• The Unusual: Unusual Version
  • [42:24] What’s the most unusual reaction someone’s had to using one of George’s inventions
• Rapid-Fire Q&A & Celebrities on Celebrities
  • [43:54] Couldn’t resist
  • [44:00] Corvette
  • [44:12] See George’s custom Corvette above
  • [44:32] Han Solo
  • [44:48] Elon Musk, Recoverable Rocket
  • [45:01] NASA
  • [45:27] What would George’s laser tag nickname be
  • [46:05] Connect with George at CarterInventions.com
  • [46:33] Walt Disney, Disneyland
  • [46:57] William Randolph Hearst Jr.
  • [47:56] How did George meet Kanye
  • [49:03] Cody, WY
  • [49:35] Ford Raptor
  • [49:44] Kanye Podcast with Nick Cannon
  • [50:13] 3 Peas in a Podcast
  • [50:38] Steven Spielberg
  • [50:45] Lynda Carter
  • [51:40] Arcadia High School
  • [52:07] Chevy Chase
  • [52:31] IMDb
  • [52:39] What are George’s Final Thoughts
  • [53:03] Follow the Wild Business Growth Podcast and tell a friend about the podcast. And 5 stars on Apple Podcasts & Spotify if you’re feeling super nice
  • [53:22] Check out the Wild Business Growth Podcast on GoodPods, where you can see what your favorite people are listening to
  • [53:24] Connect with me on Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn @MaxBranstetter
  • [53:27] Save time with your high-quality podcast. Email me at to bring your podcast to life and use it as a business-building tool
  • Theme music: Freestyle Percussion Magik – “Jungle Tribe” – provided by Jamendo

What is the Wild Business Growth Podcast?

Wild ideas. Wild growth. Every Wednesday morning a new entrepreneur joins the Wild Business Growth Podcast to share the wildly creative and unusual ways they grew their business – and teaches you how to do it, too. Hear the minds behind WordPress, Stacy’s Pita Chips, Drybar, the voice of Bart Simpson, and more wild stories. Hosted by Max Branstetter (that’s me), Founder and Podcast Producer at MaxPodcasting.

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Thanks for listening to George Carter III on the Wild Business Growth Podcast. To hear more Wild stories like this one every Wednesday morning, follow the Wild Business Growth Podcast and tell a friend about it. And bump them with your bumper boat. Until next time, Let your business Run Wild…and Bring on the Bongos!!