The Chief of Play with Aiden Hepburn

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You know, if there’s something that you want to do or if you have one goal in life to get to one place that you really want to be, keep working hard. Take your chance if it comes because as Wayne Gretzky said, you miss 100% of the shots you don’t take. So if you have have that chance, you have to take the shot. Maybe if another one pops up, then you have the experience of the first one, which will help you do better in the second one.

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Hey there. And welcome to the Leading with Nice Interview series podcast. My name is Mathieu Yuill, and we want to help you inspire others, build loyalty and get results. Now, if you listen to the podcast, you’re probably used to me saying that I’m really excited about today’s guest, and that’s because I am. But today I am particularly excited for a few reasons. One, we have Aiden Hepburn on. Hi, Aiden.

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Hi, Mathieu.

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I have known Aiden since he was just like a wee lad. I’m really excited to have known him for all these years and seen him journey into this new adventure, but also excited for two other reasons. And really, these are the reasons why I asked him on one. Most people who listen to this podcast, if you’re in your car driving, this might sound like you’re 35 to 55 or 60 or older. You’re well established in your career. You have some idea about what you want to do and the days of things that are brand new to you are probably behind you.

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Like brand brand new. I think you’ve never even heard of that. You have no recollection of. And also, I’m excited because Aiden, let me ask you a question: when you think of leadership, like what a leader is, if somebody said to you, Aiden, what’s the leader? What would you say that is?

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Well, I think I’d say it’s somebody who they’re a leader. So it could be from anything from maybe a job or maybe on a hockey team on the ice. Sometimes it’s leading with being respectful to people taking the ship where it should be and leading it in the right path.

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I love that you used a ship analogy there. I often use that as well, but yeah, all of those things I do is I often simply say a leader is anybody who influences others, right? And sometimes that influence is not awesome. Like you have bad leadership, and sometimes it’s really good. And so the reason why I’m Super excited is for those who don’t know. Aiden, this year is the Chief Play Officer for Toys”R”Us. And when I heard this when I saw social media, I was so envious because I used to dream when I have a home, I’m going to have a room just full of Lego.

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Now I have that now, but it’s actually my son’s room. It’s not my room. Actually, I was over at a friend’s house the other day, and we’ve compiled our GI Joe figure collection into one big, awesome collection. But in this role, more than anything, I think you have an awesome opportunity to influence both people your own age and younger, but also parents and adults. So let me ask you, let’s get right into it. Chief Play Officer, it sounds like a pretty big title for anybody, let alone a 13 year old.

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I mean, you have the word chief right in there, like chief operating officer, chief executive officer, where did you get the idea to apply for this job? How did that come about?

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Well, one of my family friends actually found the contest, and they said, Aiden should try out for this. And I thought, oh, that might actually be a good idea, because I have my YouTube channel, a fun adventure. And then I have my Instagram account, @a_Hep77, and I kind of just like to be in front of the camera, and I like to talk to people. So I thought, okay, I’ll try for it. I’m thinking nothing of it. And I had no idea. I’d come back with an email saying that I was top ten.

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So once I was top ten, I actually got sent some toys to review in an audition. So that was fun. Anyway, just the contest was a great experience. I got another email saying I was top five after my audition. So I got sent even more toys to review in another interview. And then I received probably one of the most exciting emails I’ll ever receive, saying that I’ve been selected as the new Chief Play Officer for Toys”R”Us Canada.

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I love that they emailed you call them next time that’s phone call worthy. That would be like if I asked my wife to marry me and she emailed me a response or maybe a DM. That must have been an exciting email, though. But tell me, I’m really curious about what kind of toys are they sending you? Because I imagine it’s probably a wide breadth of toys. So what were they sending you?

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Well, in the first audition, they sent me, like, a small Lego set. They sent me, like, the creator ones, where it’s like three-in-one so you could build three different things from the set. But then again, Lego, you can just build whatever you want to use your imagination. They also sent me a Barbie doll. They sent me a puzzle that came with a cute stuffed animal. It’s just like lots of different things from different age groups that I can review from. And then for the second one, I was sent some Beyblades.

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I got sent for Real Animal Alive. It was a Cockatoo that spoke. So that was pretty cool. I also got a Bluetooth’s toy. So it’s like Josh’s phone, so it had lots of different lights and sounds and different characters from the show. So that was pretty cool. But yeah, those are the toys that I got.

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And you mentioned you will just get shipments of toys arriving at your door. So what do you do? You play with them, you test them out. What do you do with them after what’s the post toy playing and reviewing look like?

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Well, yeah, that’s the big perk of being the Chief Play Officer is my house is overflowing with toys, but yeah, I think I’ll keep some of them, but also I’ll share them with my friends and family. I have CrossNet and Spike Ball, and me and my friends have been playing with them on my front lawn. So it’s been fun to share the fun experience with them. And what’s great about it is that they each come with bags so I can take them to the park. Maybe if we’re hanging out somewhere else, I can take it to my friend’s front yard.

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But I don’t need all these toys. It’s great to review and play with, but I know that there are lots of other kids that would love the experience of playing with these awesome toys. So I think I’ll probably share it with them.

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I want to go back to something you said earlier that just as I was thinking about all the toys that come to your door, you said something I’d like to ask you more about. And you said I really like talking to people. And the more you shared what you’re doing and how you go about figuring out what to do with the toys, the more I’m curious. What is it about talking to people you really like?

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Well, I like just generating conversation with them, asking them different questions about sometimes, like what they do, how they’re doing, just like generating conversation and chatting with them about it could be anything. So I just think that having a conversation is fun.

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Yeah. And what do you get out of those conversations? How do you get value? Did you say what I’m asking? Like, what’s in it for you when you have those conversations?

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Well, when I’m asking those questions, I can learn from them. Like if I’m asking a question and I get an answer, I can use that answer in the outside world. It helps me talk more so I can use my voice more. And it’s easier for me to make conversations. So I’m not awkward talking in front. Yeah.

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No, that’s fabulous. One of the Naomi and I yesterday when we were talking and getting ready for this. One of our core values at our company is curiosity. And that’s been resonating in my head since you spoke about it. Let me ask you another question on the conversation. I asked you what you get of it when you’re asking somebody questions and talk to them and being interested in them. What do you think that does for the other person?

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I think it also helps them talk more. It can be fun because maybe they want to know different things than I do. Or sometimes they want to know the same thing. And when I answer a question, they can use my answer.

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I just love that when you’re asking people about themselves. What I think it does is it gives people a chance to share their story, which encourages them and gives them some really great feelings. And I thought it was so awesome that you took something that’s natural to you, your curiosity, and you use it for conversation in my email signature I used before I had a real job. My job title is conversationalist because I love having conversations. Sounds to me like your a conversationalist as well. So you can add that to your LinkedIn profile if you like.

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But listen, I want to go a bit further. Even with fun jobs, there can be things that are really challenging. So one of the things that we were thinking about when we thought about what might be challenging in yours is when you have all these toys to play with, you have to share your true feelings, which you might be telling somebody. I don’t really like this toy, but they might love it. So how do you manage to work through those challenges? And if that’s not a challenge, tell me what is challenging in your job.

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Well, yeah, that can be a challenge because I try to give as honest as a review as I can about a certain toy. But then I remember, even if I might not like the toy or I might not show any interest in the toy, I know that there are lots of lots of kids who probably think it’s the best toy in the world. And so I try to put myself in their shoes and I try and find all the cool key features. What’s cool about the toy?

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What I love about the toy and what I think other kids will like about the toy, because again, even if I don’t like it, I know that there are lots and lots of kids that probably love this toy.

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What are the kind of challenges have you faced in your role as a Chief Play Officer?

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Well, I’d say a lot of the time before an interview or something. I get stressed out and I get nervous, but that’s okay because sometimes it’s good to be nervous, because when you’re nervous, I like to prepare. So when I’m doing it, I read over my notes, I make sure that everything’s in check and everything’s good. And then I just think to myself, it’s okay. It’s fun. I’m surrounded by toys here, and I get to review them. So that’s fun in itself. And then I just go and do the interview.

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I remember my notes that are in my head, and then I just go with the wind.

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Okay. You talked about getting nervous, and I think if you don’t get nervous in front of a challenge, often you’re a sociopath. That’s actually not necessarily a good thing. Being a little bit of nervous in front of a big event is actually a really healthy reaction to stress. And a lot of adults, a lot of people get nervous for new jobs, even when they’re fun and exciting. Where did you find the courage to do this?

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Well, I like to be in front of the camera with my YouTube channel, and I like to have conversations with people. So when I’m talking about toys, I kind of think it’s kind of similar to talking to people because I’m talking to the interviewer. And so I have my notes in my head. I have all the toys in front of me. So I know when I’m looking at a certain toy, when I’m about to talk about it, boom in my head, it syncs about the notes I have about that toy.

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And then I just take the toy and show what’s cool about it. And with the courage, I think sometimes I might not be as courageous as other times.

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So let me ask you a bit more about courage. I can imagine your first YouTube video you did was not as awesome as your most recent YouTube video. You did. So what is doing all that work? What’s happened to you between the very first one you did and the ones you’re doing now, what’s happened to you?

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Well, I think it’s been four years is the time span between my first and my most recent YouTube video. I think that each video I’m starting to get a little more used to making YouTube videos, and I guess a little more confident in front of the camera. And so I guess you could call it practice throughout each video. Sometimes it takes me a couple of takes. Sometimes it takes me one take. If I remember my first video was a quick check in video where I was in the car.

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And my most recent one was I think it was an unboxing video and a review video. So I just think how much my channel has changed because when I started my YouTube channel, I just thought, okay, it’d be fun to try a YouTube channel, and now I’ve done different unboxings. I’ve even done a couple of Vlogs from maybe if I’m on vacation, I’ve done a YouTube video or two. But my YouTube channel has definitely changed a lot throughout the years.

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You haven’t done this on your own. Like, who around you? Because what I’d like to get out of this is I want to encourage people that are sitting in their car right now or watching or listening on their walk. I want them to recognize that there’s probably people in their lives that might be able to help them succeed, but they just haven’t thought of it. So I’d love to hear your perspective of, like, maybe two or three people around you who have contributed to who you are today.

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And how you’ve relied on them or leaned on them to help you do this?

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Well, I think that the first thing that comes to mind would probably be my DAREarts and my sister because they’re always making me. Aiden, have you prepared enough? Do you want to do a read over of your notes again? And then my sister, Ava, she’s always helping me out to practice, to prepare, and they’re always checking over. We’re making sure my set up looks good. All the toys are in the right spots, and everything looks good to the camera and then making sure I’m prepared in my head.

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And I think that they’re definitely the biggest helpers of my life to help me pursue in life and make sure that I do.

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Well, is there somebody in your life that you look at and you say to yourself, when I’m older, I would love to be like that person, not from a job or career, but just a personality type.

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I know a lot of people, but I think if you can merge my parents personalities together, I think I try to be like them because they’re funny, they’re helpful, they’re supporting, and they’re probably the biggest leader that I know. So if it would be possible to merge their personalities, that’s who I’d try to be like.

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Yeah, that really resonates with me. I know, like, from my experience, your father is a great example of somebody with high empathy. Just the way he cares for people has been something I really admire about him. And your mother is just such a great encourager. I can see how both those personality types together just make for the perfect support system for you. So I guarantee you there are people that have gotten their kids to watch this on YouTube or to listen in the car. And so now what I’d love for you to do is first I want you to give advice to kids that might be thinking about starting a new activity or taking on a new leadership role.

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What advice would you give them if they’re just at the start of that journey?

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Well, I think I’d tell them if there’s something that you want to do, or if you have one goal in life to get to one place that you really want to be, just always work hard for it. Keep working hard. Take your chance if it comes because chances come and go. So even if that one Calce doesn’t work, that’s okay, because chances are another opportunity is going to pop up. But as Wayne Gretzky said, you missed 100% of the shots you don’t take. So if you have that chance, you have to take the shot or else you might regret it.

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And Yuill think, why didn’t I go for that? It would have been a good experience for maybe if another one pops up, then you have the experience of the first one, which will help you do better in the second one.

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That’s great advice. Now, I’d love for you to give advice to adults. Your attitude transcends age from your perspective. As a 13 year old young man, what advice do you have for adults who are looking at starting something new that might think, oh, they don’t have as much ahead of them or they’ve missed too many chances.

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Well, I think I’d give pretty similar advice to adults because again, even if you have missed a lot of those opportunities that you had in the past, that’s okay, because you still have those chances because chances come and go. So you still have those different opportunities and chances that you can take, even though you miss 100% of the shots, you don’t take that’s okay. Because as long as your mindset is prepared for this new opportunity that’ll help you prepare and be more ready to take on this new leadership role or new opportunity, so that’ll probably help the most.

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Dude, you’re doing amazing. Like you talked about mindset. People pay me to talk to them about mindset, so stop being so good, I’m going to lose my job. But no seriousness. When does your term come to an end?

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Well, the minimum contract for the position of CPO is one year. So I got the job in April, meaning that the job is over in April. So that’s what I’m crossing my fingers, because in the past, some CEOs that I’ve done really good have gotten their roles extended for another year. So I’m crossing my fingers. And I’m just remembering that whenever I’m working hard or reviewing a toy, I’m always remembering to work hard and have fun with the job.

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And where can they see your toy review videos? Where can they find out more about you?

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They can find me on the Toys”R”Us Canada Instagram account. They can find me on different news websites and even on the Toys”R”Us website. I’ve been on there once for the outdoor catalog so you can find me there.

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Do you have a social channel or a YouTube channel you’d like people to follow if they want to find out or watch more of your stuff.

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Well, if they want to watch me and check out my review videos or just pictures of what I’m doing, my Instagram is a Hep 77, and my YouTube channel is Aiden’s funadventures.

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Cool. Well, listen, this super pumped me up. I was really excited for this as well, because your approach is striking. I knew it would be good. I did not know it was this good, man. So thank you very much. Before we go, just like you have said, a lot of people help you where you are. A lot of people make this podcast happen, so I want to thank them. Of course. Cindy Craik, who does all the bookings she arranged for our time. Naomi Grossman, my EA, who helps do research and write the questions.

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Kerry Cotton is our account manager. So while I’m doing this, I’ve been watching her on our Slack channel work with clients. Jamie Hunter If you saw this on social media, Jamie Hunter is our content manager. He takes care of all the blog posts and making sure this gets out. Austin Pomeroy is the audio editor. Oftentimes, like today, you won’t even know, but our audio is delayed. He made it sound great. Jeff and Horns a video editor. He made the video look great. And, of course, my wife, Allison, makes it possible for me to have all this fun with her support.

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So. Aiden, thank you so much for being here today. I look forward to watching your journey. Progress.

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Yes. Thank you for having me.