Marketing Manager, Community

Exploding Kittens is a leading game and entertainment company with a mission to inspire people to connect, laugh, and play fun games in the physical world. After initially seeking to raise $10K through Kickstarter, the Exploding Kittens campaign raised $8.7M in 30 days from 219,000 backers. To date, Exploding Kittens is the #1 most-backed project in Kickstarter history and has sold over 20 million games.

Started by former Xbox game designer Elan Lee and Oatmeal’s founder Matthew Inman, Exploding Kittens and its family of games seek to reshape traditional game night into an entertaining person‑to‑person experience. Today, there are over 30 games available for purchase, an exclusive Exploding Kittens mobile game for Netflix subscribers, a free‑to‑play app, Kitty Letter, and an Exploding Kittens mobile app available on iOS, Android, and Nintendo Switch as well as an animated Netflix series titled “Exploding Kittens” currently out now!

We're looking for a people person and problem solver with hustle, creativity, and a knack for turning casual game‑players into superfans. As our Marketing Manager, Community & Experience
, you'll be the face of the Exploding Kittens marketing team out in the wild. You have a natural instinct for what works across digital and IRL spaces, creating memorable in‑person experiences, and making sure our games find their way into the hands of players everywhere.

This is a roll‑up‑your‑sleeves role for someone who thrives in social settings, isn't scared of ambiguity and balancing physical events with scalable digital initiatives. You can play many roles, know how to stay organized and keep several balls in the air. You will be supporting the team's larger marketing goals through physical and digital community activations.

• Community Engagement & Field Work Responsibilities
• Collaborate seamlessly with the Community Operations Manager and Associate Director of Marketing to ensure a consistent brand experience across all activations and touchpoints.
• Strategize, coordinate, and execute IRL activations including festivals, conventions, hobby store game nights, seasonal retailer activations, in‑store and pop‑up demos.
• Plan and execute activations at non‑traditional venues: college campuses, breweries, bookstores, coffee shops, family entertainment centers.
• Run grassroots marketing, sampling, and outreach programs to reach “people who love games” beyond traditional gaming audiences — identify and connect with event organizers, hire agencies and influencers, and reach out to bars, cafes, hobby stores, and other venues to get our games in front of new audiences.
• Support retail partners (Target, Walmart) with in‑store demos and seasonal activations.
• Execute hobby store marketing partnerships: game nights, sampling events, giveaways, and special promotions.
• Attend and activate at conventions and gaming events (important, but not the sole focus).
• Develop KPIs and frameworks for what success looks like across field activations.
• Brand Representation:
  Act as the friendly, energetic external face of the EK marketing team at every activation, ensuring we leave a lasting positive impression. Able to lead conversations and drive results with a wide variety of personalities (including EK executives).
• Marketing Support & Digital Community Responsibilities
• Own Instagram Broadcast channel and other social media community channels.
• Identify and evaluate emerging community platforms and channels; pilot new opportunities that align with audience behavior and brand goals.
• Help shape and execute Tik Tok Shop affiliate and community strategy in partnership with Sales and Marketing; coordinate with external contractors and UGC creators to support launches and priorities.
• Manage UGC creator relationships across lifestyle/parenting/entertainment verticals (not just gaming).
• Host influencer events and orchestrate Lives across multiple content categories.
• Digital Community Engagement:
  Strategize, manage and nurture connections with fans through email newsletters, live streams, and organic UGC initiatives.
• Gather customer insights from field touchpoints and all activations to inform broader marketing strategy.
• Su…