History of RecordSetter

How did this site come to life?
RecordSetter is an evolution of a Burning Man theme camp created in the summer of 2004. A group of friends, including RecordSetter co-founder Dan Rollman, sat down in San Francisco to brainstorm theme ideas for their camp. Eager for a concept that allowed community participation, Dan suggested a Burning Man Book of Records, in large part due to his lifelong Guinness Book obsession.

They called themselves the Playa Book of Records (PBR), an homage to the book they'd been inspired by. They bought yellow suit jackets as a nod to Wide World of Sports, drew up documentation forms, made hand-painted signs and took off for the desert, unsure of what was to come.

After just a few days documenting records, they sensed they were onto something. Camp visitors were dreaming up and setting unique, creative and spectacular records. They were taking great pride in their feats. Competition was fierce, with record setters returning daily to make sure their achievements hadn't been topped.

The Playa Book of Records has returned to Burning Man every year since, growing larger and more established each time. They've evolved from wristwatches to stopwatches, single witnesses to multiple, and photo documentation to video. The PBR database now holds over 250 unique records, most of which are included on this site.

In 2006 Rollman met Corey Henderson through his then girlfriend (now wife) Emily Wilson. Over beers during a Ratatat concert in San Francisco, Rollman pitched PBR to Henderson and explained his dream of evolving it online. Henderson saw the vision, and the two spent the night brainstorming on how to make it happen.

Fast forward to 2008. Rollman and Henderson, both now living in New York City, have spent many months and countless hours figuring out this site and bringing it to life. They've turned to friends and family countless times for invaluable assistance, and are excited to finally see this site live.