Jan 24
Convocation with Noah Tarnow '97
During his Carleton experience, Noah Tarnow '97—a lifetime lover of obscure facts and habitual devourer of quirky reference books—became determined to study popular culture, despite the school’s then-lack of classes on the subject. Majoring in American studies with a media studies concentration, Noah managed to overcome faculty doubts to write his comps about the history of Batman as a pop culture icon, carrying that knowledge and novelty to New York City as a magazine editor. But by his late 20s, the novelty had worn off—his magazine career was stagnant, and a diversion into stand-up comedy was utterly unremarkable. Eager to stay onstage in some capacity, and inspired by the pub quizzes that were proliferating throughout the city, Noah formulated a DIY quiz program, his own deluxe spin on the bar trivia model. (He also drew inspiration from his then-recent victory on an obscure VH1 game show, as well as a crushing loss on Jeopardy!) The Big Quiz Thing launched as a biweekly nightlife event, leading to press attention, regular events in other cities, and soon corporate and private opportunities. Two decades later, the Big Quiz Thing has grown into America’s premier providers of custom trivia events, having entertained hundreds of thousands of people throughout the country and elsewhere, for a massive roster of corporate clients (as well as fundraisers, birthday parties, weddings, and bar/bat mitzvahs). Meanwhile, Quizmaster Noah has become a recognized national trivia authority, remaining the BQT’s CEO, creative director, and senior quizmaster. He’s also the cohost of the podcast I Don’t Get It: The Pop Culture Get-Off-My-Lawncast, and he starred in and wrote the BQT’s television adaptation (the world’s first bar-trivia TV show). He lives in San Francisco, though he always gets a thrill when he returns to Carleton and finds the library’s continually expanding section of graphic novels.