Company
For those who grew up with Pokémon and Yu-Gi-Oh!, the allure of creating your own trading cards is very familiar – for Steve Sekula, this was no exception. From an early age, Sekula drafted numerous homemade trading card games on the backside of business cards. Instead of growing out of his obsession, he decided to take it to the next level.
An ode to the early internet and old school video games, the first iteration of Gem Blenders began as a simple HTML webpage featuring 9 elemental gems. In the world of Gemlandia, citizens use gems as a source of energy to power their society – and certain gifted individuals have the ability to combine gems, allowing them to use transformations called “blends.” These heroes are known as Gem Blenders!
As Sekula began exploring each combination of gems, the Gem Blenders card game took shape. In 2019, the team launched their first Kickstarter campaign to print the beta version cards. After working through the pandemic, the team entered a period of refinement, using these cards to host local events in NYC and to travel to conventions across the country. In 2023, Gem Blenders returned to Kickstarter with a re-invigorated design, funding the first edition print run as a full-fledged TCG.
Today, Gem Blenders stands for the creativity of lo-fi art, the inclusivity of trading cards, and the joy of in-person connections. We believe everyone should be welcome to create, play, and collect. Most of all, we believe in creating a game that’s true to ourselves. We hope you will join us!
Team
Steve Sekula
Steve has been making trading card games since he was a kid. He’s a fan of all things Pokémon, and grew up playing Yu-Gi-Oh! and Magic: The Gathering. He’s working to build his own creative studio dedicated to crafting high quality titles with unique concepts and art styles that break away from traditional board game and fantasy tropes. Outside of his nerdy ambitions, he loves fine art.
Sam Lebryk
Sam met Steve as freshman year roommates in college, and he’s been beating Steve at games ever since. Gem Blenders is no exception. With an eye for business, Sam is the perfect support for Steve’s creativity – Sam keeps things running smoothly and on schedule. His love for healthy competition also expands into sports, as he continues his high school and college basketball career in a local intramural league.
Ben Florence
Fascinated with game design in every aspect, and with countless hours of board game experience, Ben joined the team after minoring in the NYU School of Game Design. With a healthy drive for entrepreneurship, he quickly became a dedicated founding member, pushing the original founders toward new success (and driving them insane in the process). He also enjoys playing the piano.
Ruvane Shapiro
Ruvane is a seasoned Gem Blender, having joined the early Organized Play scene in NYC. With a love for TCGs and the lo-fi style of Gem Blenders, he originaly joined the team as an intern in spring of 2025. Since then, he's been working on game design, creative, and marketing – along with illustrating several cards for the game. While not working on Gem Blenders, Ruvane is busy as a university student at McGill.
