David McKillips, CEO of CEC Ent., on overseeing the brand, growing the IP, & the future of play!

David has so much experience in the world of entertainment from DC Comics to Six Flags and is now leading one of the most famous mouse character businesses in the world! His journey to heading Chuck E. Cheese Entertainment and Peter Piper Pizza is fascinating and was helped from his wide ranging background including overseeing international operations at SixFlags. Chuck E. Cheese has been such an important outlet for countless youth in America, giving them a place to just be themselves while giving parents time to take a break. From the games, to the more active play, to the pizza, a Chuck E. Cheese takes time to truly get right for families to enjoy to the fullest. David discusses how they maintain great quality at various locations, marketing towards the youth, and how he sees the digital social media wave helping the brand. David has had major impact in nearly 5 years, doing numerous deals to strengthen the iconic and household name brand mouse, has managed costs very nicely, and successfully lead a major pivot during Covid to include adult focused pizza saving countless jobs. He shares what goes into overseeing such an important part of so many kids lives, his future plans on scaling the mouse globally, and short term and long term goals.