Did you know that a Black man helped make the multi-billion-dollar video game industry possible? That man’s name is Jerry Lawson. 

Lawson, born in Brooklyn and raised in Queens, led the team that invented The Fairchild Channel F, the first commercially-available cartridge-based video game console. The Channel F and the game consoles that followed it revolutionized the industry, opening the door for gamers to buy entire libraries of games and incentivizing companies and programmers to produce more games.

So why haven’t more people heard about Lawson?

Podcaster Anthony Frasier dives deep into the mystery of Lawson’s untold story. It’s the true tale of an incredible inventor and engineer who helped to create new devices and launch new ideas that we’re still relying on today.

Frasier tracks down Jerry’s friends, colleagues and some of the most creative people in business and tech - like Atari founder Nolan Bushnell, Pong creator Allan Alcorn and Chuck E. Cheese co-founder Gene Landrum - to find out who Lawson really was and why he became a “hidden figure” in the world of videogames.

This is a podcast about struggle, genius, and the secret origin stories of some of the greatest videogames ever.

Anthony talks to Jerry’s friends, family and co-workers to find out how the pioneering engineer changed the video game industry - and he discovers how challenging and complex it can be to assign credit for ideas in the world of inventions.

Anthony explores the social barriers Jerry faced as a Black engineer in Silicon Valley - and whether race played a role in holding him back. He also details the triumph and tragedy of Jerry’s final days.