Dr. Marc's Masterclass

The esports and gaming industry offers a broad set of possibilities for students from almost every specialty; communicators, marketers, accountants, lawyers, psychologists, designers, software developers, and many more. That's one thing John Davidson loves most about the industry he's helping to develop and grow. 

Today's guest is John Davidson, a TEDx and Keynote Speaker, Chairman of the Esports Trade Association, founder of the Davidson Learning Center, and host of The DLC Drop Podcast. John's background as a lifelong skateboarder gave him a consistent perspective of life; after falling and failing at something, he would step up and try it again. 

Throughout this episode, they discuss John’s experience and learnings from skateboarding and what those experiences added to his business mentality. They also spoke about affirmation and external validation, inclusion in esports, and the importance of networking. John also shared a few tips for students and brands interested in getting into the esports industry. 

Connect with John on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-davidson-42953846/

or on Twitter: https://twitter.com/j0hndavids0n

You can also send him an email to: [email protected]

Or visit John's website: https://www.dlcyouth.com/

Connect with Dr. Marc on Twitter: https://twitter.com/docspitsfire06

Or

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/docspitsfire06/

Dr. Marc's Masterclass is part of the Esports Futuri Podcast Network. To see all of our shows, visit: https://EsportsFPN.com

When it comes to teaching esports at an academic level, schools should look for teachers with academic qualifications only or people with practical experience in gaming? Dr. Joey Gawrysiak believes that ideally, they should look for a mix of both; the amalgamation of industry practitioners and traditional academic researchers. 

Dr. Joey Gawrysiak is Director of Esports Shenandoah University and Co-Founder and Partner at GHS Esports Solutions. Dr. Joey is an old-school gamer; he used to play competitive Halo traveling on his own dime and competing for a case of Bawls energy drink. 

He is a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Sports and Fitness Administration/ Management. He is passionate about teaching, diminishing racial disparity, and making the esports scene a place with more opportunities for people of color, females, and every other underrepresented population.

In this episode, we talked about esports programs in schools, what is available, and what we can expect in the future. Dr. Joey also shared his vision on how esports and gaming programs can offer better opportunities for students and how he's working to make that happen. 

Connect with Dr. Joey Gawrysiak on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joey-gawrysiak-68516646/

Or on Twitter: https://twitter.com/joeygawrysiak

Visit Shenandoah University's website: https://www.su.edu/

Connect with Dr. Marc on Twitter: https://twitter.com/docspitsfire06

Or

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/docspitsfire06/

Dr. Marc's Masterclass is part of the Esports Futuri Podcast Network. To see all of our shows, visit: https://EsportsFPN.com

A balanced diet, pre-competitive warmup, awareness of their posture, and breathing exercises are vital in any traditional athlete's routine, and it is not different for professional gamers. The world is changing, sports are changing, and with them, the definition of what an athlete is. This is just some of what was discussed with today's guest, Elise Carlson. 

Elise Carlson is the Head Athletic Trainer at Florida Memorial University. She holds a Master's Degree in Athletic Trainer from Barry University, and she worked as a clinical athletic trainer for Professional Orthopedic and Sports Physical Therapy in New York.

In this episode, Elise and Dr. Marc discuss the importance of athletic training for gamers and esports professionals, how to avoid and prevent injuries and health problems. Elise also shares how she decided to become an athletic trainer and her excitement for working with the gaming community. 

Florida Memorial University website: https://www.fmuniv.edu/

Connect with Elise on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elise-carlson-63612a14a/

Connect with Dr. Marc on Twitter: https://twitter.com/docspitsfire06

Or

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/docspitsfire06/

Dr. Marc's Masterclass is part of the Esports Futuri Podcast Network. To see all of our shows, visit: https://EsportsFPN.com

Considered the second biggest esports hotspot in the country, the Dallas-Fort Worth region is the perfect intersection of sports, tech, and sports business in general. Eric Griffin believes that after industry giants like OpTic Gaming, compLexity Gaming, Team Envy, and Mavs Gaming have chosen the region as headquarters, opportunities have multiplied for gamers, teams, educators, and corporations.

Eric Griffin is the Managing Director of Research and Innovation at the Dallas Regional Chamber. Eric holds a Bachelor of Science in Political Science from Southern Methodist University, and a Master in Public Policy in Environmental Policy, and a Master of Environmental Management Resource Economics and Policy, both from Duke University. One of his jobs at the Chamber is to leverage sustainable economic development based on innovation.

In this episode, Eric kindly talked about the growth of the esports and gaming industry in Dallas and how that impacts the community financially, on an educational level, and socially. He spoke about the Chamber's concerns about how gaming and esports can help develop young people and create career opportunities.

Dallas Regional Chamber: https://www.dallaschamber.org/

Connect with Eric on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eric-jerome-griffin/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/docspitsfire06

Or

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/docspitsfire06/

Dr. Marc's Masterclass is part of the Esports Futuri Podcast Network. To see all of our shows, visit: https://EsportsFPN.com

The rise of several African professional gamers to the world stage in the last few years is not the making of a rare coincidence, but the product of many organizations and companies interested in including African people in this full-of-opportunities emerging industry.

Kevin Meltzer is the CEO and Co-Founder of Big5 Games, one of the companies building bridges between Africans and the gaming industry. Originally from Zimbabwe, Kevin lives in Johannesburg; he is an active speaker at technology and gaming events and a true believer that the gaming market offers countless career opportunities. He hopes that instead of a big actor or traditional sports star in the future, young Africans would want to become the next gaming star.

In this episode, Kevin talks to Dr. Marc about the future of gaming in Africa, mobile gaming, the lack of parenting support for gamers, and what African countries need right now to develop the esports industry faster. Kevin kindly shares his vision on the power of gaming to bring people together, breaking racial, gender, or any other type of oppression towards minorities. He also shares his number one networking tip!

To learn more about Big5 Games, visit: https://www.big5games.com/

Connect with Kevin on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevin-meltzer-960b1/

Or Twitter: https://twitter.com/kmeltzer

To connect with Dr. Marc, visit:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/docspitsfire06

Or

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/docspitsfire06/

Dr. Marc's Masterclass is part of the Esports Futuri Podcast Network. To see all of our shows, visit: https://EsportsFPN.com

The esports industry is generating billions every year, and everyone seems interested in participating in it, higher education institutions included. However, it took almost 7 years for HBCUs to offer scholarships in competitive esports since Chicago's Robert Morris offered a varsity-level scholarship for the first time in 2014.

Keshia Walker, a lifetime gamer, is President of Insight Marketing and the Founder and CEO of the Black Collegiate Gaming Association (BCGA), destined to connect young Black College students with internships and full-time career opportunities in the gaming and esports industry. 

In this episode, we discuss the importance of individuals who know about gaming and understand the Black culture in the esports industry, the exciting Black College Con event, and how hard it is for women, especially Black women, to establish in the industry. 

Connect with Keshia Walker:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/keshiawalker/

Black Collegiate Gaming Association:

Website: https://bcgausa.org/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/bcgausa

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bcgausa/

Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/bcgausa

Insight Marketing:

Website: https://insights-mpc.com/

To connect with Dr. Marc, visit:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/docspitsfire06

Or

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/docspitsfire06/

Dr. Marc's Masterclass is part of the Esports Futuri Podcast Network. To see all of our shows, visit: https://EsportsFPN.com

In a time where connection is more important than ever, companies need to find unique ways to connect with those who mean the most to them and to help stay top of mind.

Dr. Marc shares his experience of being wowed by a gift after he spoke at an event, and when he saw it was created by a company named BirdieBox, he had to learn more.

In this episode of Dr. Marc's Masterclass, Dr. Marc sits down with Caroline Shellenberger and Kristin Miller of BirdieBox to discuss why they were so excited to work for this company, what they love about being able to help their clients connect at a deeper level, and what's on the horizon for this amazing company. Plus they discuss what the future with esports could hold for them.

To learn more about BirdieBox Visit: https://www.birdiebox.com/

To connect with Kristin visit: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristinmiller79/

To connect with Caroline, visit: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cshellenberger/

To connect with Dr. Marc, visit:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/docspitsfire06

Or

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/docspitsfire06/

Dr. Marc's Masterclass is part of the Esports Futuri Podcast Network. To see all of our shows, visit: https://EsportsFPN.com

Imagine getting to test video games as part of your career? That’s just one small perk to Davina Mackey’s amazing job at PlayStation. Davina is the Director of Support Services & Options, plus she’s the President of Black@PlayStation Employee Network.

Davina shares her journey with Dr. Marc on this episode of Dr. Marc’s Masterclass, discussing how her career began and what eventually led her into the video gaming world.

She also discusses why the pandemic was so important for her team, and put them right in the forefront as a new product was getting ready to release as the world was shutting down.

Plus Davina discusses the initiatives at PlayStation to attract more black talent to not just their company, but gaming in general, and what advice she has for those who are looking to get involved in the gaming industry.

To connect with Dr. Marc, visit:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/docspitsfire06

Or

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/docspitsfire06/

Dr. Marc's Masterclass is part of the Esports Futuri Podcast Network. To see all of our shows, visit: https://EsportsFPN.com

How can a brand stand out in the world of gaming with just a fraction of the marketing budget as the bigger companies? Corey Rosemond shares how Rig Gaming found a niche within the gaming space and learned to focus on building incredible products that other companies were willing to turn their back on.

This is what led the company to be purchased by Nacon Gaming, and why today he still has such a passion for the world of gaming and esports.

Corey who is the Vice President of Nacon Gaming (USA) and Global Partnerships Director of Rig Gaming, joins Dr. Marc in this episode of Dr. Marc’s Masterclass to discuss the rise of Rig Gaming, his career in the world of gaming, and one of the most important factors those who are looking to get into gaming need to know.

Imagine going from not being able to walk out of your home because everyone recognized you from your popular TV show to having nothing.

It’s a reality that Leon Winkler lived from having the MTV Network pick up his show in Holland to not getting renewed. It wasn’t that the show wasn’t popular enough, but it was because he had made some bad choices.

It was when Leon watched his father take his last breath, with a list of to-dos and dreams he never quite got to, when he decided he had an incredible opportunity that he wasn’t going to let pass him by.

He went back to school to finish his degree, a Masters, and a PhD and then landed a job with Ubisoft, who at first told him he wasn’t qualified for the job. He is now the Director of International Events for the company.

Leon shares his struggles and his triumphs in this incredible episode of Dr. Marc’s Masterclass!

To connect with Dr. Marc, visit:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/docspitsfire06

Or

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/docspitsfire06/

Dr. Marc's Masterclass is part of the Esports Futuri Podcast Network. To see all of our shows, visit: https://EsportsFPN.com