PART II: PLAY ON!’s Co-Producer: David Esposito of Harvest Time Partners

PLAY ON! Will the Fun Survive? is an upcoming documentary that covers the real struggles and triumphs of new specialty toy inventors at Toy Fair 2008 – and asks "Where are they now?"

When David Esposito, founder of Harvest Time Partners and co-producer of the PLAY ON! toy documentary, first brought his Abundant Harvest games to Toy Fair, he had high hopes. Like our inventors and many other independent game and toy creators, he envisioned interest from major retailers.

“I was really hopeful that people would see value in the game and want to take it on,” David said.

But the reality was more sobering.

“The first couple times at Toy Fair didn’t lead to much,” he remembered. “A lot of handshaking, nice booth traffic, but nothing really followed up.”

It wasn’t until his third year at the show that he secured a modest distribution opportunity from the educational chain Mardel and later from faith-based New Day Distributors. Like many of our PLAY ON! inventors, he found that smaller toy stores and specialty retailers were his best fit.

Why Smaller Can Be Better

In hindsight, he sees this slower path has a hidden advantage. Large retail deals, he learned, often come with significant financial risk.

“They don’t buy your game outright,” he cautioned. “They demand big runs of 25,000 or more. You’ve got to fully fund them yourself. If they don’t sell the games, they shove them back to you at cost.”

Those dreamed-of deals bankrupt a lot of young inventors.

Instead, David and his wife Tracy built their business gradually—through Amazon, smaller distributors, and direct fulfillment. Even today, he remains hands-on.

“There’s something fulfilling about taping and sticking labels and shipping off your game,” he said. “I feel a sense of gratification that the product's moving and I’m physically doing it that way.”

He also gets a daily sales total from Amazon, and an email telling him when he’s sold four or five games. This steady, grounded approach mirrors his broader philosophy: Impact doesn’t have to be massive to be meaningful.

“We’re changing lives one by one,” he stated.

Changing the Conversation

At the core of everything David creates is a belief that communication is the foundation of healthy relationships. In today’s world, he sees that foundation under strain.

“It’s a timeless, age-old problem,” he admitted. “But the acceleration of social media has put gas on that already deficient area.”

He points to a combination of factors: digital communication, algorithm-driven echo chambers, and a decline in face-to-face interaction. The result, he believes, is increased loneliness and, at times, harsher discourse.

“There’s a dimension of emotional connection you can’t get as firmly online, as compared to being physically face-to-face,” he said.

That’s why his mission is more important than ever. Through Harvest Time Partners, Esposito develops tools not just for families, but for professionals. His books, courses, and coaching help leaders communicate across generations and build stronger teams.

“How do you make individuals feel seen, heard, valued… and how do you do that generationally?” he asks. “How does someone in Gen Z effectively communicate with an ‘old’ guy like me? I grew up in a very traditional office environment. Younger people who took their first job never actually shook hands with anybody on their team.”

The Power of Face-to-Face Play

He noted that you could use Gemini or any AI tool to build a business plan at the tap of a keyboard.

“But how do you build passion? How do you make individuals see how they matter to their team and how they matter to the company’s goals? Those are heavy-duty communication skills,” he said.

Even though he’s been in leadership positions for most of his adult life, David admits that he still needs to learn and grow. His humility is part of what sustains his long-term commitment—not just to the business, but to the purpose behind it.

Equally critical is the support of his wife, Tracy. Their partnership has been both a stabilizing force and a source of honest tension.

“You’ve got to be aligned around this… financially, we’re putting a lot of bets on what we’re doing,” he admitted.

There were difficult conversations—moments where the risks felt too high or the path uncertain. But ultimately, they shared a belief in the mission.

“We both saw a real need and wanted to jump in and try it.”

Now, as an empty nester with more time to reflect and create, David continues to expand his work—developing new products, writing, and sharing insights through videos and speaking engagements.

He’s realistic about the pace of growth. He’s clear-eyed about the challenges. But he’s still driven by the same core idea that started it all:

“There are some real needs out there… and maybe there’s a product or two that could help.”

PLAY ON! Will the Fun Survive? is a documentary film that highlights the untold stories of lone inventors who launched their new games and toys at Toy Fair 2008.

Support the film with a tax-deductible donation and help the next generation of independent inventors.