It’s with heavy hearts that we have to talk about today’s episode. Today, John welcomes E.Jay Miranda, and unfortunately, shortly after recording this, E.Jay passed away.

If there's one thing we can take from this discussion is E.Jay's passion for life, his ability to identify opportunities and go for them, and his heart for helping others along the way. He shares with John why he chose to move to the Philippines to take on the General Manager role with LuponWXC, his plans for seeing esports grow in the Philippines, and why his passion is all about the grassroots growth and doing what he can to make a difference.

He’s an inspiration and someone who the world of esports will miss greatly. 

To learn more about LuponWXC, visit https://www.luponwxc.gg/

The DLC Drop Podcast is part MAP Esports Podcast Network. To learn more about this show and all of our other shows, visit: EsportsFPN.com.

Taxed on first 80% of the revenue

The world we live in has turned into the Stress Olympics. We need drugless coping mechanisms to help us deal with stress and develop stress resilience more than ever. Building that mechanism was what Sarah Hill had in mind when she created Healium. This technology produces a "digital drug" that teaches the user to self-regulate their focus and calm by allowing them to see their EEG brain patterns in near-real-time. 

Sarah Hill is the CEO and Chief Storyteller at Healium, a mental fitness product for human performance that teaches users to self-regulate their own brainwaves and heart rate. After spending over 20 years as a news reporter, witnessing firsthand all kinds of tragedies, Sarah started suffering from sleeping problems and anxiety. She developed Healium as an answer to her anxiety, creating a solution for more than 41 million others who struggle with the same condition.

In this episode, we talk about Sarah's journey as a journalist and the experiences that led to her mental health issues. Sarah kindly explained the advantages of Healium, how it works, and the solutions it provides. We also discuss the importance of mental fitness, reducing stress at work, and how stressful it is working from home and constantly attending Zoom meetings. 

You can visit the Healium website: https://www.tryhealium.com/

Follow them on IG: https://www.instagram.com/healiumxr/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/Storyupstudios/videos

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

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

or you can connect with Sarah on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahhill1/

or Twitter: https://twitter.com/sarahmidmo

The DLC Drop Podcast is part of the MAP Esports Podcast Network. To learn more about this show and all of our other shows, visit: https://www.EsportsFPN.com.

Taxed on first 80% of the revenue

Although the esports industry has been around for the last 20 plus years and exploded in the US over the previous four years, Dan Ciccone believes that the audience has always been there. He also believes that most brands struggle to get into the industry because they focus only on data and engagement and ignore awareness. 

Dan Ciccone is the Founder and CEO of STACKED ENTERTAINMENT, a gaming agency specializing in property representation and content development in esports and gaming. He facilitated $45 plus million in transactions and represented properties like OpTic Gaming, Splyce, Esports Awards, Dexerto.com, GameTrailers, and Major League Gaming in the esports events field. 

In this episode, we talk about Dan's journey in the industry, from his beginnings at The Weather Channel to his first esports event. Dan talks about the intricate relationship between business people who don't understand gaming and gamers who don't understand business. We also analyze the way brands approach the gaming space and the "slapping a logo" tactic that never works. 

You can visit the STACKED ENTERTAINMENT website: https://www.stackedent.com/

or connect with Dan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danciccone/

The DLC Drop Podcast is part of the MAP Esports Podcast Network. For more information on this show and all of our other shows, visit, https://esportsfpn.com

Taxed on first 80% of the revenue

Being the only woman in the room was something Gina Miller experienced daily at the beginning of her career. Every time she got into a locker room, someone would say the words: lady in the locker room or woman on the floor, and suddenly hundreds of eyeballs will turn around and look at her. Although that made her cringe and feel very awkward, it also boosted her sense of confidence, and she managed to translate that into every other area of her career. 

Gina Miller is a communicator, a storyteller, and a media coach for C-suite executives, athletes, and coaches. She is the Senior Vice President of Media and Communication at FC Dallas, serving as the chief storytelling for the club. Gina is a trailblazer in sports and broadcasting, being the only woman featuring sports across the country for many years. She holds a BA in Radio and Television from the University of Houston. She covered the campaigns of the Houston Rockets, the Dallas Mavericks, the Dallas Cowboys, to name a few. 

In this episode, Gina shares her extensive career in sports media, how she decided to work in sports and the challenges she had to face until becoming a reference for women in sports and journalism in general. We talked about how hard it was to be the only woman in almost every place she went and how that affected her career. We also talked about diversity and inclusion, collaboration vs. competition between women, and the importance of going beyond criticism.

You can visit Gina's website: http://www.theginamiller.com/

or you can connect with her on

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

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/theginamiller

or Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thatsportsgirl

To follow John on Twitter: https://twitter.com/J0hnDavids0n

The DLC Drop Podcast is part of the Map Esports Podcast Network. To see this show, and all of our other shows, visit: https://EsportsFPN.com

Taxed on first 80% of the revenue

Rebecca Dixon is the CMO and Co-Founder of the*gameHers, a social media and networking platform for women who game. Rebecca is a serial entrepreneur; she founded BE Designs, Mommybites, a company that sold in 2016. While looking at the next step, she looked at the gaming industry and realized the alarming lack of female representativity. Rebecca then decided to use her 20+ years of experience in advertising, marketing, brand partnerships, event planning, and community building to create a space for gaming women. 

In this episode, Rebecca shared her experience joining the gaming industry and how strong it was for her to be well received by the community by reaching for the right reasons. We talked about diversity, inclusion, and scholarships. She took us through building her brand and the relevance of hearing gamers, receiving feedback, and making adjustments based on that feedback. 

You can visit the*gameHERs website: https://thegamehers.com/

Or you can follow them on their social media channels:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/thegamehers

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

Discord: https://discord.com/invite/thegamehers

Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/thegamehers/about

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

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQXfs9DqJLstjl3WwbpvBjQ?view_as=subscriber

or LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/thegamehers/about/?viewAsMember=true

You can connect with Rebecca on LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebecca-dixon-3903015/

The DLC Drop Podcast is part of the MAP Esports Podcast Network. To learn more about this show and all of our other shows, visit: www.EsportsFPN.com

Taxed on first 80% of the revenue

Recognition and validation are perhaps two of the most desired achievements of every human being. The fulfillment of a big victory might only be compared by the recognition of colleagues and competitors. That is one of the many reasons why the Esports Awards exist; to recognize excellence, create a legacy, and honor the industry.  

Our guest for today's show is Mike Ashford, an enthusiastic, expert digital marketer, former Managing Director, and now CEO of the Esports Awards.  

We had a fantastic conversation about Mike's journey in the industry, the Esports Awards evolution, growth, and values. We also talked about Mike's passion for marketing, his work ethic, the gaming industry's future, and the role of influencers. 

You can visit the Esports Awards website: https://esportsawards.com/

Or you can connect with Mike on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-ashford/

Taxed on first 80% of the revenue

Building a great team is one of the cornerstones of creating a successful company. For Matthew Benson, a great team is built under three principles, recognizing who you are and what skills you have, hiring someone ready to navigate the ups and downs, and identifying the moments of the business. Some people are better for starting things, and others for scaling and growth. 

Matthew Benson is the Founder and CEO of eFuse; he is also on the Forbes 2021 30 under 30 list and drawing a lot of attention from the gaming community with his creation, which many people call "the LinkedIn for gamers." On his platform, gamers can upload their in-game credentials and reels to connect with other gamers, apply for scholarships, and participate in tournaments.

In this episode, we talked about Matthew's company meteoric rise, created in 2018 and with substantial success so far. In addition, Matthew shared some brilliant insights about putting a team together, legacy, and values. We also talked about his past in the venture capital world, his future projects with eFuse, and much more. 

You can visit eFuse website: https://efuse.gg/

Connect with Matthew on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewjbenson1/

Follow him on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/matthewjbenson/

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

The DLC Drop Podcast is part of the MAP Esports Podcast Network. To learn more, visit, ESportsFPN.com

Taxed on first 80% of the revenue

John Younger remembers being in his father's car, his father picking important calls from his car phone, popular in the '80s and '90s. He could never tell if his father was talking to a friend, a colleague from work, a client, or a potential partner; the old man would treat everyone the same way. Creating meaningful and authentic relationships at work is something John picked up naturally from his father. 

In this episode, John is joined by John Younger, Vice President of Esports & Gaming at Pivot. John is the former President of Signal Fire Sports & Entertainment and former Senior Vice President of Partnerships at Infinite Esports & Entertainment. John also has vast experience in the car racing space; he worked for Hulman Motorsports Connection, International Speedway Corporation, Richard Childress Racing, Vision Racing, and Red Bull Racing, to name a few.

They also talk about the importance of building meaningful relationships in the workspace and why it is vital to keep those relationships as authentic and intentional as possible. John shares some of his experiences in the marketing space, and he established some interesting parallelisms between traditional sports and sports and gaming. Finally, they talked about internships and how they can help us learn what we love to do or how wrong we were about what we thought was our dream job.

Connect with John on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnyounger/

To follow John on Twitter: https://twitter.com/J0hnDavids0n

The DLC Drop Podcast is part of the Esports Futuri Podcast network. To see this show, and all of our other shows, visit: https://EsportsFPN.com

Taxed on first 80% of the revenue

Soon after he started organizing LAN parties and gaming events, Kye learned that those meetings were a lot more than just playing video games. It was a safe space for hundreds of students and young people in general to grow a sense of community, of belonging, and to learn life skills in a comfortable setting.

Joining John in this episode is Kye Browning; he is the Director of Esports at Us Sports Camps. Kye founded and was Executive Director for three years of UVU Esports, where he created a space on the Utah University campus for gamers. He was also the Founder, and Co-Director of We Are Thinkbox, and he was the Tournament and Program Director of Salt Lake Con for four years, to name a bit of his vast experience in the industry.

Throughout this episode, Kye talks about his Kye's passion for the world of esports and creating communities. He shares some fantastic insights on how brands approach the gaming community, the best and worst kind of activation in esports and gaming events, and where he sees most marketing campaigns are failing.

Visit US Sports Camps website: https://www.ussportscamps.com/

Connect with Kye on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyebrowning/

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

To follow John on Twitter: https://twitter.com/J0hnDavids0n

The DLC Drop Podcast is part of the Esports Futuri Podcast network. To see this show, and all of our other shows, visit: https://EsportsFPN.com

Taxed on first 80% of the revenue

After having been on both sides of the entrepreneurship vs. corporate spectrum, Greg Neal has it clear; the right place is to be is where we feel more comfortable. We can either rely on a steady paycheck or be in constant movement overcoming new challenges; in both cases, the key is to have a positive attitude and make an effort to provide value. 

Greg Neal is the Executive Vice President of Production at The Marketing Arm and the Vice President of Marketing and Brand at Didjatv. Greg is an accomplished broadcasting brand-builder; he launched over 9 television networks, including the Oprah Winfrey Network, HGTV, and Fox Family Channel (now Freeform), to name a few. 

Throughout this episode, he shared some powerful insights about leadership, entrepreneurship, and work ethic. In addition, he shared the impact of his journey constantly oscillating between entrepreneurship and the corporate world and his experiences putting together and leading teams. 

You can connect with Greg on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregneal/

You can follow him on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/greg_neal/

Or you can email him at: nealjgn {at} gmail.com

The DLC Drop Podcast is part of the Esports Futuri Podcast Network. To see this show, and all of our shows, visit: www.EsportsFPN.com

Taxed on first 80% of the revenue