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RePlay Magazine Podcast - Frank 'The Crank' Seninsky
If you’ve been in coin-op any appreciable amount of time, you know the name Frank Seninsky (maybe you know him by his alter ego “Frank the Crank”), and if you’re fortunate, you’ve had the opportunity to work with him and call him a friend. Since he started in coin-op in 1969 with a $25 investment, placing a Gottlieb North Star pinball machine in his college fraternity house, Frank has been all-in. His Alpha-Omega operations grew from college game rooms to arcades on the Jersey Shore to distr...
Kineticist’s take
Frank Seninsky shares his 50-year career in coin-op entertainment and his philosophy of giving back to the industry.
Synopsis
Frank 'The Crank' Seninsky, an industry legend and Hall of Famer, recounts his 50+ year career in coin-op entertainment, from his college startup placing pinball machines in fraternities to building major entertainment centers and serving as AMOA president. The conversation covers his early partnerships with Joe Camerota and Jerry Marola, his mentorship from Bob Cushing and John Estridge Sr., his consulting work, and his extensive lobbying efforts to improve industry standards and regulations: often at personal expense without direct business benefit.
Highlights
- Frank placed his first pinball machine, a Gottlieb North Star, in his Beta Theta Pi fraternity at Stevens College as a junior, which generated $150 in the first week and returned his $25 investment in 2-3 days.
- Frank's brother Richard has been working for Coastal as a technician and was one of the best mechanics in the industry, teaching Frank the finer points of machine servicing starting at age 12.
- Frank worked as a mechanical engineer for Public Service Electric and Gas Company while simultaneously building his amusement machine business and attending graduate school.
- John Estridge Sr. sponsored Frank to join AMOA's board of directors, which became one of the best things that ever happened to him professionally.
- Frank earned approximately $800,000 in consulting fees in a single year from a major contract involving three entertainment centers and 18-20 go-kart facilities.
- Frank and Bob Cushing (Betson) met on a turbulent flight to a bar mitzvah and became best friends and long-term business partners for 20+ years through their partnership Alphabet.
- Frank spent years lobbying for video lottery legalization in New Jersey, received a handshake agreement from the governor on a Friday, but the deal fell through by Monday.
- Joe Camerota, who was selected from Frank's network of 50-60 student helpers at various colleges, became a long-term partner and followed Frank's philosophy of giving back to AAMA (amusement industry).
- Frank was nominated for AMOA vice president but initially failed to secure the position, then was later nominated from the floor at the last minute through the efforts of Randy Chilton and Tammy Norbert Paulson.
- Frank created an 'international liaison' AMOA title (that was allegedly made up by Randy Chilton and Tammy Norbert Paulson) but took it seriously and brought AMOA invitations to BACTA (England), associations in Australia, Japan, and other international bodies.
Entities
- Alpha· company
- Amusement Entertainment Management· company
- Betson· company
- Coastal· company
- National Entertainment Network· company
- Public Service Electric and Gas Company· company
- AAMA· organization
- AMOA· organization
- BACTA· organization
- Beta Theta Pi· organization
- Euromat· organization
- Bill Stone· person
- Bob Cushing· person
- Frank Seninsky· person
- Jerry Marola· person
- Joe Camerota· person
- John Estridge Sr.· person
- Randy Chilton· person
- Richard Seninsky· person
- Tammy Norbert Paulson· person
- Gottlieb North Star· product
- Palisade Amusement Park· venue
- Stevens College· venue
- Uppsala College· venue