Kevin Bull has a simple goal: Provide high-energy, adrenaline-pounding recreation in a shopping mall. Bull, who has appeared on “American Ninja Warrior” and other athletic competition television shows, is general manager of Dojoboom, an indoor trampoline park scheduled to open later this month at the Janss Marketplace in Thousand Oaks. He hopes to create the kind of place where enthusiastic customers can have a moment to shine. “They feel like they are pushing themselves, and finding out what their limits are and seeing how far they can expand on those,” said Bull. Dojoboom is owned by CircusTrix in Provo, Utah. The private equity-backed company operates 30-plus trampoline-themed parks in the U.S., Asia and Europe. The facilities market their own brand names such as Jumpology or Gravitopia, and use market-specific themes to appeal to local demographics. The Thousand Oaks Dojoboom represents the first CircusTrix location in the Los Angeles area. The attraction will occupy nearly 40,000 square feet at Janss. It represents something new for CircusTrix as it’s the first location in a shopping mall. Traditionally, trampoline parks have opened in warehouses in industrial areas, Bull said. Ninja marketing The marketing strategy for Dojoboom in Thousand Oaks is to combine the trampoline’s image of fun with a little glamor from Bull’s television career. A Santa Cruz area native now living in Thousand Oaks, Bull’s position as general manager evolved from an endorsement deal he signed with CircusTrix last year. That deal had him making appearances and training at CircusTrix facilities and assisting in developing new attractions. It was his appearances on “American Ninja Warriors” and “Spartan: Ultimate Team Challenge,” both airing on NBC, and the USA Network show “Team Ninja Warrior” that brought Bull to the attention of CircusTrix executives “They felt I would be a good face and spokesman for the brand,” Bull said. “That is how the relationship with CircusTrix began and it later expanded into a management role at the park.” What Bull likes is the variety of activities for visitors at Dojoboom. There are multiple trampolines, including ones that launch a jumper into a foam pit and for playing dodgeball. The Conejo Valley location will have a bouldering wall for climbing, slacklines, a half trapeze and a stunt fall. “One of the coolest attractions we have is the super tramps which are very high trampolines surrounded by walls so the users can hit off the tramps, get a lot more bounce than you would on a regular trampoline and use the walls to do their tricks,” Bull said. There is also a ninja rig measuring 75 feet long with 12 obstacles. Bull said it is among the biggest found at any CircusTrix park. The rig will feature something of Bull’s personality in it. He wanted to make it so a person could have a good experience and then return another time and find that the rig presented a slightly different look. “I chose obstacles that are very adjustable from my point of view so I can adjust it and keep improving,” Bull said. A place like Dojoboom did not exist when Bull was growing up, climbing on things and devising obstacle stunts for himself. “You did not have a safe place to do this stuff,” he said. A younger generation, however, has grown up watching shows like “American Ninja Warrior” – now in its ninth season – and wanting to do activities portrayed on the show rather than traditional sports. His involvement with Dojoboom is his chance to mentor nascent ninjas, Bull said. “For me this transition to the park is an opportunity to share that aspect of my earlier life with kids and young adults who want to get involved, but give them a safer place where it is acceptable to do those things,” he added. Bouncy competitors There are more than 600 such trampoline parks in the U.S. alone, which makes it a crowded market. CircusTrix is one of a growing field of such parks in the greater Los Angeles area that also includes franchises of Sky High Sports and Sky Zone. Jerry Raymond, a co-founder of San Francisco-based Sky High Sports, which has locations in Camarillo, Woodland Hills and Valencia, said that trampoline parks are reaching a saturation point. While Southern California does not have as many trampoline parks as, say, Phoenix or Dallas, the overall market will eventually level off, Raymond said. “We are going to start seeing consolidation in the next few years,” he added. Sandy Sigal, chief executive of NewMark Merrill Cos., the owner of Janss Marketplace, said the shopping center plays into the Dojoboom demographics because it has a reputation for attracting children and families. “This helps reinforce that, and that is exciting to me,” Sigal said. The appeal of trampoline parks is that it is an activity that anybody can do, said Raymond, who is a past chairman of the International Association of Trampoline Parks, in Hershey, Pa. Playing basketball, for example, loses its appeal when competing against much better players, Raymond explained. But jumping on a trampoline is easy and puts a smile on everybody’s face – from little kids to adults, he added. “For me as a parent, I love the fact that my kids don’t realize it but they are exercising,” Raymond said. “They thought they were out having fun.” Despite his prediction of consolidation occurring in the trampoline parks market, Sky High’s Raymond said that well-run and well-located parks can still be profitable. But Raymond is concerned that companies are opening parks after seeing the traffic they generate and not giving much thought to the number of customers needed and the geographic separation between parks. “They run out and do it with more money than sense,” he added. “They are not looking at the demographics and the market.” When siting a trampoline park, it is important to know the number of people and the number of families within a 10-mile to 15-mile radius. Income levels are also looked at but not as important as population since a trampoline park is low-cost entertainment, Raymond said, adding, that the price point is comparable to a movie. “You can make movie theaters work in low income areas as well as higher income areas,” Raymond said. “It is something that everybody can get in and afford to do.” Sky High charges general admission prices ranging from $15 for an hour of jump time to $25 for two hours, plus $2 for reusable grip socks. Dojoboom, by comparison, will charge $17 for an hour and $22 for 90 minutes plus $3 for grip socks for users 7 years and older. The price comes down for those 6 years and under. While it was up to CircusTrix executives to make the final decision on opening in Thousand Oaks, Bull said it was his opinion the Conejo Valley was chosen for its population and location compared to similar recreation centers. Thousand Oaks is roughly halfway between Camarillo and Woodland Hills, where Sky High has trampoline parks. NewMark Merrill’s Sigal said the Woodland Hills shopping center owner marketed the Janss property to CircusTrix, with a team coming out and inspecting the storefront. The lease was signed last December at the end of an 18-month process to make sure it was the right deal for both parties, he added. “For us, you have to make sure the tenant is reputable and is going to bring the customer that you want and is a customer that will help other tenants,” Sigal said. Having Dojoboom at Janss fits in with the NewMark Merrill’s strategy of seeking tenants that create an experience. With retail habits changing due to online shopping, NewMark Merrill needs to change as well, Sigal said. It used to be that a shopping center could be 90 percent retail with 10 percent experience tenants. Nowadays that has become 50 percent retail and 50 percent experience tenants, he added. “Experience falls into a few categories,” Sigal said. “It is the gyms, it is the movie theaters, it is trampoline parks or other things for children and adults so they can do things together.”