MEET THE PEOPLE MAKING THE NOISE
Every great song has a story. So do the people behind Verse Versus.
Verse Versus is being built by designers, music lovers, operaters, marketers, problem-solvers, and people who probably spend way too much time debating what should be playing in the background. Rather than give you another colelction of polished headshots and corporate bios, we thought we'd introduce everyone the way we actually know them.
Our crew may be scattered across the country, but somewhere along the way, music got its hooks into all of us. Usually when we were younger, louder, slightly more rebellious, and operated with questionable judgement. So we asked everyone to go back to the beginning and share one of their first brushes with live music. The good, the loud, the ridiculous, and those early moments when being responsible was clearly not the headliner.
Some of us have better explanations than others.
Carlos Manriquez - North Carolina
Founder // Creator
My first concert was Lollapalooza in 1993.
Primus, Rage Against the Machine, Dinosaur Jr. I was going into my senior year of high school, snuck out with some friends, and somehow never got caught. I'd never experienced anything like it. I never told my parents, either!
MICHAEL FORTSON - NORTH CAROLINA
CREaTIVE DIRECTOR
My first concert was Jimmy Buffett.
I wasn't necessarily a big fan, but it was summertime, and he was known for creating a great atmosphere at his live performances. Plus, my sister had recently turned 21, so my friends and I (all underage) had someone who could sneak us alcohol. Needless to say, before we even walked through the gates, we all had a monster buzz.
JESSICA NALBONE - NEW YORK
Growth Marketing Specialist
My first concert was "An Evening with Kenny G and Toni Braxton" in 1997.
I was 14, and a friend of the family knew I was a very committed classical saxophonist, so he gifted me and my cousin tickets. Let's just say teenage me had some VERY strong musical opinions given my training. A core memory, nonetheless.
MORGAN DUERDEN - NORTH CAROLINA
Social Media Manager
My first concert was Eddie Money.
I was 15 years old, on an ampitheater lawn screaming with all my friends "Take Me Home Tonight!"
CHALE ZeGARRA - NORTH CAROLINA
Project Manager
One of my first concert experiences was Hanson.
I was in the 7th grade and it was the biggest outdoor event to happen to the small town of Hollywood, FL. My parents dropped my brother and I off amongst a sea of screaming fan girls. My ears probably bled a little that day.
DAVE CASTO - MINNESOTA
Creative Designer
My first concert was Rage Against the Machine.
It was 1996, and I was 13.
Still one of the best concerts I've ever seen!
WE BELIEVE
More connection. Less Scrolling.
We're not anti-phone. We're not trying to rewind the world or pretend everything was better before Wi-Fi. We just believe some things still work exactly the way they always have: music, conversation, laughter, a little competition, and people giving each other their actual attention.
Verse Versus was created to make more of those moments happen. Around a table, on a road trip, at a family gathering, on a first date, at a coference, or wherever people find themselves together. Sometimes all it takes is something simple to get a real conversation started.
For us, that something happens to be a deck of cards.
No complicated setup. No studying beforehand. No screen required. Just words, music, memory, and the people you're sharing them with. Because sometimes the simplest things leave the biggest mark.
The cards start the game. What happens between them is the point.
WHY A CARD GAME?
Because Analog Still Hits Different.
We spend a lot of our lives swiping, scrolling, streaming, tapping, liking, and looking for whatever comes next. Verse Versus asks you to do something radically old-fashioned: stay for a while.
A card gets turned over. A lyric gets read. Somebody recognizes something. Somebody else swears they know it. Suddenly, you're arguing about an artist, remembering your first concert, telling a story nobody at the table has heard before, or discovering a song that somehow passed you by.
That's why a card game made sense to us. It's physical, immediate, and easy-to-share. And when it's working, you stop thinking about the cards altogether.
Turns out, five inches of cardstock can still compete with the internet. Who knew?
OUR PROMISE
Make things we'd actually want.
We started Verse Versus for ourselves first. Not because we're selfish, although we've had our moments. We built something we wanted to play, design it the way we wanted it to feel, and trusted that somewhere out there were people who wanted the same kind of experience.
That still guides us. We'll listen to our fans, learn from the people who play, and keep experimenting, but we're not interested in chasing every trend that passes through the feed. We want Verse Versus to feel like Verse Versus, whether it's a deck, a shirt, an experience, or something we haven't thought of yet.
And we'll keep showing up with the same principles that got us here.
