Cisco Garrido, the Senior Graphic Designer at AOE Creative, is joining us today to talk about resilience, commitment, and following and trusting our passions.

Originally from Venezuela, and after his mentor died at a young age, Cisco moved to Panama to avoid the financial and social crisis getting in the way of his progress. His passion for graphic design and the luck of connecting with the right people allowed Cisco to establish himself in Spain and enjoy being a freelancer and developing his craft.

In this episode, we delve into Cisco's extraordinary journey of passion and commitment and his development as a graphic designer and as a freelancer. We discuss the challenges freelancers face in the gaming and esports industry, the importance of not taking criticism of their work personally, and Cisco's unique approach to graphic design.

We also talk about the meaning behind fonts and colors, why companies use them, and the difference between designing for an esports team or a gaming company and for a business from any other industry.

Resources:

Vist AOE Creative's website: https://aoecreative.com/

Connect with Cisco on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ciscogarrido/?originalSubdomain=ve

This episode is sponsored by Ice Shaker! Grab your own custom DLC Drop Ice Shaker at: https://www.IceShaker.com/DLCDrop

And make sure you use the code DLCDrop to save 20% off ALL Ice Shaker Products.

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Today, we have a very special guest, Jason Norton, Senior Pastor of the King's Trail Cowboy Church. 

Jason is a former US Army Ranger and SWAT Assistant Team Leader who felt God's voice talking to him in a swamp during a training drill as a Ranger. 

Throughout our conversation, Jason reveals some of the most demanding training he went through during his time with the US Army Rangers, the lessons learned from those experiences, and how they affected him in his civilian life. We talk about his experience at SWAT and what made him leave his job and never come back as a law enforcer. 

We also talk about how he discovered the King's Trail Cowboy Church and what made him join the church and eventually become a pastor. 

Visit the King's Trail Cowboy Church website: https://kingstrailcowboychurch.com/.

This episode is sponsored by Ice Shaker! Grab your own custom DLC Drop Ice Shaker at: https://www.IceShaker.com/DLCDrop

And make sure you use the code DLCDrop to save 20% off ALL Ice Shaker Products.

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James Creech joins us today to talk about the growth, evolution, and possibilities of influencer advertising. This marketing tool developed its strength, reach, and effectiveness in the last decade and has become a great asset for the gaming and esports industry. 

James is the SVP of Influencer Strategy at Brandwatch; he is an Entrepreneur, Startup Coach and Advisor, Angel Investor, and host of the All Things Video podcast. James co-founded the recently acquired by Brandwatch, Paladin, where he honed his influencer strategist craft. 

Our conversation revolves around online marketing growth and evolution. We analyze the changes in online content consumption, the possibilities the internet opened for the video industry, and how those changes affected how brands engage with their audiences. James shares his experiences as an entrepreneur, why he decided to start his own thing, and describes his feelings, mistakes, and correct decisions made during the acquisition process. We also talk about influencer marketing as an answer to interruptive advertising and where companies should start to look to engage with their audiences.  

Resources:

Visit Brandwatch's website: https://www.brandwatch.com/.

Listen to the All Things Video Podcast with James Creech: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/all-things-video/id1048524075.

Connect with James on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jlcreech/

This episode is sponsored by Ice Shaker! Grab your own custom DLC Drop Ice Shaker at: https://www.IceShaker.com/DLCDrop

And make sure you use the code DLCDrop to save 20% off ALL Ice Shaker Products.

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We can learn a lot from today's guest, Karsten Williams, about resiliency, commitment, gratitude, and using past experiences to improve our personal and professional lives.

Karsten Williams is a 6 times American Ninja Warrior finalist, Director of Ninja Warrior North Texas, former Alpha Warrior athlete and body transformation specialist. 

We delve into Karsten's journey to becoming an American Ninja Warrior, from his not so successful first appearance in the show to almost a decade of competing in it. Karsten shared his mental and physical preparation before and after competing, his mother's essential role in his education, and the resilience that helped him get to the sport's top. We also talk about Karsten's work with schools, the military, and the leap of faith towards entrepreneurship. 

Resources:

Connect with Karsten on social media:

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

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/realteamkarsten

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TeamKarsten

This episode is sponsored by Ice Shaker! Grab your own custom DLC Drop Ice Shaker at: https://www.IceShaker.com/DLCDrop

And make sure you use the code DLCDrop to save 20% off ALL Ice Shaker Products.

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Sponsoring esports teams remains this kinda undecipherable-but-with great-opportunities-in-it space for many brands. Many brands and agencies would approach it as supporting traditional sports teams, and they might get good results with that strategy. Still, with esports, the story is a bit different. 

Today, Joe McMahon, Manager of Marketing and Esports at Wavemaker Sports & Live, joins us to share his thoughts on the different (and successful) ways to approach esports teams.

Throughout our conversation, Joe talks about his journey into gaming and esports, his transition from traditional sports to esports, and the differences he noticed between the two industries at first sight. We touch on the importance of networking, how networking influenced Joe's career, and why it is crucial to make connections without expecting anything in return. We also talk about the importance of brands communicating their expectations clearly, the massive opportunities for regionally-focused teams, and the several elements to consider when approaching an esports team.    

Resources:

Visit Wavemaker's website: https://wavemakerglobal.com/.

Connect with Joe on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joemcmahoniv/.

This episode is sponsored by Ice Shaker! Grab your own custom DLC Drop Ice Shaker at: https://www.IceShaker.com/DLCDrop

And make sure you use the code DLCDrop to save 20% off ALL Ice Shaker Products.

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Brad Jakeman joins us today to share his unique perspective on mentorship, recruitment, diversity, digitization of the food industry, and the mindset to build a successful career. Having worked for some of the biggest companies in the world, Brad's main drive (apart from his passion for marketing) was joining teams, not companies, and focusing on working for inspiring leaders instead of what companies or industries he would like to join. 

Brad Jakeman is the Co-Founder and Managing Partner at Rethink Food LLC and Senior Advisor at Boston Consulting Group (BCG). Throughout his career, Brad worked at PepsiCo as President of the Global Beverage Group, Activision Blizzard, Macy's, and Citibank, to name a few. 

In this episode, we delve into Brad's serendipity-driven career, the decision to test himself constantly in unknown industries to promote big changes, and his particular approach to attracting talent. Brad shared his thoughts on why diversity is not only needed but highly beneficial for companies, the lessons he learned from the mistakes in his career, the proper way to lead transformations at big companies, and what are the most challenging parts of it. 

Resources:

Visit Rethink Food's website: https://www.rethinkfood.org/

Connect with Brad on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bradjakeman/

or follow him on Twitter: https://twitter.com/bradjakeman

This episode is sponsored by Ice Shaker! Grab your own custom DLC Drop Ice Shaker at: https://www.IceShaker.com/DLCDrop

And make sure you use the code DLCDrop to save 20% off ALL Ice Shaker Products.

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Erin Ashley Simon joins us to talk about her career in the esports and gaming space, in the entertainment business, and as an entrepreneur.

She is a Gaming & Entertainment Host and co-owner of XSET, but her deep commitment to giving back stands out in her career path. Whether it is signing a contract with a brand, or thinking of projects, Erin has this drive of thinking of those less privileged first and figuring out a way of providing them with tools for their progress.

In this episode, our conversation revolves around Erin's first steps in the industry, her beginning writing a blog for McDonald's All-American Games, and the exposition that helped her realize she was more into journalism and entertainment than into kinesiology, which she was studying at the time. We also talk about providing value, generation connections without being transactional, how to achieve confidence in what we do, and more.

Resources:

Visit XSET's website: https://xset.com/

or connect with Erin on social media: https://linktr.ee/erinasimon

This episode is sponsored by Ice Shaker! Grab your own custom DLC Drop Ice Shaker at: https://www.IceShaker.com/DLCDrop

And make sure you use the code DLCDrop to save 20% off ALL Ice Shaker Products.

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Joining us today are Jimmy Baratta and Paul Dawalibi, hosts of the Business of Esports podcast, investors, entrepreneurs, and references in the gaming industry.

Jimmy is the Chief Gaming Officer at Holodeck Ventures, he is an instructor at the University of California, and he is a business development and brand strategy specialist. 

Paul is the CEO at Holodeck Ventures; he is an esports and gaming expert, founder and creator of the 2020 Fastest Growing Company in Canada, and creator of the world's first esports NFT.

Our conversation spins around authenticity vs. authority, the things the gaming community is doing right and wrong, and the proper way to get into esports. They even gifted us a couple of predictions for the industry in the forthcoming years. We discuss the distinction between gaming and esports, the lack of innovation, and the untapped opportunities in the industry.

Resources:

Visit the Business of Esports website: https://thebusinessofesports.com/.

or Connect with Jimmy and Paul on LinkedIn:

Paul: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pauldawalibi/.

Jimmy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jimmybaratta/.

This episode is sponsored by Ice Shaker! Grab your own custom DLC Drop Ice Shaker at: https://www.IceShaker.com/DLCDrop

And make sure you use the code DLCDrop to save 20% off ALL Ice Shaker Products.

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Undoubtedly, one of the reasons the esports and gaming industry expanded so quickly in the last five or six years is its intrinsic inclusive traits. The "there is always an extra controller" type of mindset makes the video games space a place where new voices and perspectives are always welcomed, and rapid growth is a byproduct of that plurality. 

Our guest, Nathan Lindberg, experienced gaming and esports growth from its very beginning. He visits us to talk about his journey in esports and gaming, how brands should approach the industry to effectively engage with the esports audience, and where he thinks the space is heading. 

Nathan is the Commercial Director of Gaming at SuperAwesome, a Member Of The Board Of Advisors at Esports Business Summit, and a Founding Board Member of the Esports Ad Bureau. He has over ten years of experience in digital and print advertising in arenas, primarily gaming and entertainment. 

Resources: 

Visit SuperAwesome's website: https://www.superawesome.com/

Connect with them on social media:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/GoSuperAwesome

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

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/superawesome/

Or read their blog: https://www.superawesome.com/blog/

You can also connect with Nathan on social media:

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/therealnate

This episode is sponsored by Ice Shaker! Grab your own custom DLC Drop Ice Shaker at: https://www.IceShaker.com/DLCDrop

And make sure you use the code DLCDrop to save 20% off ALL Ice Shaker Products.

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If we look at any traditional sport played professionally, we find the same path. It starts with a game, a team or individual game created by a group of people. Then the community starts to play the game, then it travels to another city, state, gets regulations, becomes a national sport, and even maybe worldwide. That game will have professional, amateur, varsity, collegiate, and rec leagues. 

For esports, there are two significant differences compared with traditional sports. First, professional esports started differently; it first caught fire globally before having varsity, amateur, and collegiate leagues. The second difference is that esports has no rec league, and there is precisely where our guest, Austin Smith, saw a great opportunity to add massive value to the space and use esports as an excuse to do what he likes to do most, build communities.  

Austin Smith is the Co-founder and CEO of Mission Control GG; he is an Economist and Entrepreneur passionate about gathering and building communities. 

In this episode, Austin talks about his journey in esports and why he decided to build a company around rec leagues. We talk about the future of esports and its use as a medium to build community. Austin talks about how Mission Control GG works with some brands like Cinemark and how entertainment companies are targeting video games as what they really are, the future of entertainment. 

Our conversation pivots into the entrepreneurial side of Austin's journey; we talk about his experience on both sides of dealing with VC (Venture Capitals). He also shares some valuable tips for entrepreneurs and what he considers is the best way for startups to build their advisory boards.

Resources:

Visit the Mission Control website: https://www.missioncontrol.gg/.

or connect with Austin on social media:

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/austinmilesmith

This episode is sponsored by Ice Shaker! Grab your own custom DLC Drop Ice Shaker at: https://www.IceShaker.com/DLCDrop

And make sure you use the code DLCDrop to save 20% off ALL Ice Shaker Products.

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