98.1 The Max: Jee Vahn Knight Breaks Down the World of Baron Von Opperbean
January 22, 2026
98.1 The Max
98.1 The Max featured BVO CEO Jee Vahn Knight in an in-depth radio interview exploring Baron Von Opperbean & the River of Time. Knight walks listeners through the project’s immersive playground concept, cinematic universe, and portal-based multiverse structure taking shape inside the former Mississippi River Museum.
The conversation highlights interactive play, physical exploration, story-driven worlds, and how BVO is preparing to open its first 8,000 square feet in time for Spring Break on March 7.
Below: Watch/listen to the episode, then scroll for the full transcript.
Watch, Listen, or Read below
Radio Interview Transcript
Program: 98.1 The Max
Guest: Jee Vahn Knight, CEO – Baron Von Opperbean & the River of Time
Air Date: January 22, 2026
Read the full conversation below…lightly edited for clarity and flow.
Host:
So, in a nutshell, what is Baron Von Opperbean?
Jee Vahn Knight:
Baron Von Opperbean is an immersive playground built inside a cinematic universe, located in the former Mississippi River Museum on Mud Island.
Think climbing, games, and interactivity — but layered with the depth of something like Star Wars, where you have characters, worlds, organizations, ships, and lore. You don’t just observe it — you live inside it.
You’re not experiencing a linear story. You’re dropping into a world where things happened in the past, things will happen in the future, and you get to control your own path through it.
Host:
Your website describes it as a multiverse — a network of realms entered through portals using light, sound, and story. How does that work?
Jee Vahn Knight:
If you visited the River Museum before, it functioned as a traditional museum. In Phase One, we’re opening three distinct worlds that guests can move between using portals.
When fully open, there will be about fifteen different worlds experienced in a nonlinear way. You might find hidden doors that take you backward through the space, portals between floors, or passages that don’t look like doors at all — and doors that might not actually open.
Host:
This sounds almost like Dungeons & Dragons.
Jee Vahn Knight:
[Laughs] We want people to come — not be scared off.
It’s not comparable to anything I’ve personally seen, but to make it more familiar: imagine St. Louis’s City Museum mixed with Willy Wonka, layered with a Stranger Things-style future.
Host:
That’s actually a great description.
Jee Vahn Knight:
It’s more colorful and futuristic than City Museum, with a strong digital layer added on top.
Host:
You were just looking at motion-capture creatures being built for the space?
Jee Vahn Knight:
Yes — Kathryn has been creating motion-capture creatures, and eventually we’ll have fully holographic AI characters you can interact with. They’ll remember your name and track your journey through the space.
Host:
I see something called the Meridian Portal Authority. Is that like the police of this universe?
Jee Vahn Knight:
That’s a good way to think about it. They’re the authoritarian organization within the world — focused on controlling knowledge, science, information, and artifacts.
They’re essentially the governing force of this universe.
Host:
There’s really nothing else like this, is there?
Jee Vahn Knight:
No — and one important addition to the metaphor is escape-room-style elements.
There are areas where you must physically interact or solve puzzles to unlock spaces — but it’s not a timed escape room. No headsets, no goggles, no phone required. The experience exists fully in front of you.
Host:
This feels like one of the best things Memphis has ever done.
Jee Vahn Knight:
I agree. Tourism will increase, kids will love it, and Mud Island finally has something this imaginative again. It’s honestly hard to convey how good it is on the radio.
Host:
How did this all come together?
Jee Vahn Knight:
Christopher Reyes is the world-builder and creator. He founded Live From Memphis in the early 2000s and has been trying to bring immersive entertainment to Memphis for nearly fifteen years — longer than the industry itself has existed.
The entire universe — the narrative, characters, and worlds — originates in his mind and is then interpreted and built by the team.
Host:
You’re pushing hard for a March 7 opening.
Jee Vahn Knight:
Yes — we want to open for spring break for Memphis, Shelby County, and the Mid-South. March 7 has always been the gold date, and we’re a go.
We’re working around the clock — sometimes 18 to 20 hours a day. If the roads close and the building stays open, the team stays and keeps working.
Host:
What happens if power goes out?
Jee Vahn Knight:
That building is 1970s concrete brutalist architecture — if the power goes out, it’s pitch black. If that happens, teams shift immediately into planning and digital work until they can get hands-on again.
There’s always progress happening.
Host:
What do we officially call this? A museum?
Jee Vahn Knight:
We call it an immersive experience.
We’ll open with 8,000 square feet. When fully built out, it will be 33,000 square feet.
Host:
Tickets?
Jee Vahn Knight:
Tickets are on sale now at BVOEXP.com/tickets, or through the homepage. Tickets are timed to ensure a great experience — all March tickets are currently available.
Host:
Jee, thank you so much.
Jee Vahn Knight:
Thank you all.