156 Lee Merschon: Burning Man, Camp Epic, Statistics, & Plug-n-Play

My guest is Lee Merschon. He is the founder of Camp Epic, a theme camp at Burning Man.

Born in Israel in 1981, our guest had a tumultuous childhood, moving between countries and struggling with lying and theft. However, after realizing that the root of his problems was within himself, he began to make changes and eventually graduated with a degree in psychology from UC Davis. He discovered magic and experienced a major injury, but persevered and even went on a year-long journey through Central and South America, Europe, and Israel. He eventually met his wife in Berlin and started a business in Los Angeles, where he also discovered Burning Man and started a camp focused on hosting fluid projects and fostering creativity and connection. Our guest has faced many challenges and come out on the other side, making him a unique and inspiring individual.

We talked about

(0:22) The relationship between theme camp organizers

(4:16) The line between snarky and mean at Burning Man

(5:47) Why the founder of Camp Epic has returned for 10 years

(15:29) The relationship between statistics and miracles

(32:38)(47:17) Why every camp at Burning Man is a plug-and-play camp

(39:51) The evolution of the founder's leadership over the past 10 years

(53:19) How the problem of plug-and-play was solved at Camp Epic

(76:05) How Camp Epic governs and makes decisions

(82:19) How 'success' is measured as a camp

(83:54) Lessons for aspirational camp organizers

(90:56) Three ways Burning Man has affected the founder's life outside of the event

(100:35) The ripple effects seen from Camp Epic

(102:52) One idea to share with the audience