The DLC Drop Podcast

Hand out or sampling products in traditional sports is more accessible if compared to esports. Traditional sports fans are easy-going; they are there to have fun, and they are more likely to get familiar with brands advertising in the arenas. Rebecca Longawa believes that esports fans don't want to be marketed to; they want to be part of the conversation and that the brand is there for the right reasons.

Rebecca Longawa is an esports brand builder and strategist. She is the founder and President of Happy Warrior, advisor and mentor at Stadia Ventures, and advisor at Mission Control GG, ESPAT, Fanticipate, and Brickhouse Ventures Corp. Rebecca is the creator and host of The Future of Marketing in Esports podcast and a moderator in multiple Clubhouse rooms covering Esports 101, Esports Marketing, and Health & Wellness in Esports.

In this episode, Rebecca talks about her background in traditional sports and the transition to esports. She shares her vision on why she considers traditional marketing metrics are obsolete in esports and gaming and what her approach is in that regard. We talked about how different esports and traditional sports audiences respond to marketing and branding and the best ways for gamers to connect with their audiences.

You can hear more from Rebecca on Clubhouse: https://clubhousedb.com/user/rlongawa

You can also follow her on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rebecca_longawa/?hl=es

or LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebeccalongawa/

You can visit Happy Warrior's website: https://www.happywarrior.us/

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

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Imagine being one of the team members who helped to bring one of the biggest video games of our generation to life. That’s a story that Ralph D'Amato can tell because he is one of the members of the original development team of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater video game franchise.

Ralph joins John in this episode of the DLC Drop Podcast to discuss why he was so passionate about bringing the documentary ‘Pretending I’m A Superman’ to life. Plus why this documentary was such a labor of love for him. 

He also discusses how his career brought him to being a part of Tony Hawk’s team, and why his approach to life and being open to new possibilities has opened so many doors to new opportunities for him.

To learn more about the film, visit: https://thpsfilm.com/

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

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/THPSfilm

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

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Mobile gaming went from 10% of global games revenue in 2012 to more than PC and consoles combined last year. What started as an afterthought on YouTube and other platforms today is a reality. Esports organizations like Tribe Gaming work hard to create tentpole and memorable experiences in mobile gaming to get the broader gaming ecosystem's attention, pioneer, and push mobile gaming forward.

Joining John today is Patrick "Chief Pat" Carney, founder and CEO of Tribe Gaming. Patrick is also a renowned content creator, with over 2.5 million subscribers on YouTube, and a passionate mobile gamer.

Without knowing it, he became one of the first mobile creators on YouTube. Soon after being transferred into his dream school, he had to choose between pursuing his academic career or turning into a content creator. Luckily for the gaming community, he chose the second option.

In this episode, Patrick discusses his journey to becoming a content creator and his beginnings in 2012 when the YouTube community was totally different. They spoke about the importance of consistency in content creation, likes vs. engagement, mobile audience's characteristics, and brands' challenges in getting partnerships on esports.

You can connect with Patrick on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/patrickcarney1/

on Twitter: https://twitter.com/chiefpat

or on Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/chiefpat

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

or on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChiefPat

You can also visit the Tribe Gaming website: https://tribegaming.gg/

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

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Unless you are the talent or already have the connections, getting into any industry means starting from the lower position. Part of that journey could include unpaid internships, which could be seen as unpaid work or as time invested in your future. Philip Hübner, has a fantastic perspective to share about why starting at the bottom may not be so bad.

Philip Hübner is the Chief Business Development Officer at Challengermode. This Swedish company offers online esports infrastructure to players, organizers, and developers. Challengermode sees itself as the railroad of esports, facilitating players' access to esports, helping organizations develop and create competitions or monetize their communities, and assist developers in launching, scale, and monetize their games.

In this episode, we talked about Philip's remarkable journey in the gaming industry, from a professional player to becoming CBDO. He shares his vision on free internships, diversity in esports, and talent. 

Connect with Philip on Twitter: https://twitter.com/philhubner

or visit Challengermode's website: https://www.challengermode.com/

Find them on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/challengermode/

on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/challengermode

Twitter: https://twitter.com/challengermode

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

or Through Discord: https://discord.com/invite/challengermode

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

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Regardless of religious or any other spiritual beliefs, what happened in 2020 was a big call for everyone to look at our lives and reassess a couple of things. For Richie Valdez, it was a particularly tough year, dealing with delicate health issues on top of COVID. 

Richie Valdez is a photographer, a filmmaker, and a professional skateboarder. He filmed the documentary "Lyssophobia" in 2016. He also has a YouTube channel where he publishes "The Other Side," a series of interviews with people from the skateboarding community sharing the other side of their lives. 

In this episode, Richie kindly shared his experiences as a professional skateboarder and mastering the sport helped him succeed in different areas of his life. We spoke about his challenging 2020 and what kept him going despite all the difficulties, the physical and emotional pain, the loneliness, and the isolation. 

Connect with Richie on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/richievaldez/

or visit his YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/richievaldez/videos

Lyssophobia - Documentary by Richie Valdez: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJTN0kzVNHk

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

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A marketer should have a clear vision of what the consumer will take away at the pinnacle of a marketing campaign. Jason Hines believes that when a marketing campaign is treated as a checklist, disconnected from what reaction it'll generate in the audience, it'll probably fail.

"You must have a vision in your mind; what do you want them to feel? What do you want their facial expression to be? What do you want them to tell their friends?" - Jason Hines.

Jason Hines is an Integrated Marketing Leader and Developer. He is the co-founder of Moonshot Collective, which helps high-potential leaders reach new frontiers of growth and impact. Jason worked 10 years as Regional Marketing Manager at Red Bull, Director of Competition and Demo Events at ASA Entertainment, and co-founder and President of Mix Ride Media, Inc, a sports marketing and competition organizing company.

In this episode, Jason discusses his beginnings as an event organizer and his experiences in the industry. They talked about where he sees marketing agencies failing, the role of leadership and inspiration in a creative team, and the power of "we." He kindly shared how he transitioned from a giant like Red Bull, where he spent a decade, to make a leap of faith into reinventing himself.

To connect with Jason, visit LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jason-c-hines/

or Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mixridejay

Moonshot Collective website: https://www.moonshot.co/

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

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Even with a terrific start, many esports and gaming companies fail in the long term not because they don't deliver premium quality work, but because they don't prepare themselves to scale. Simon Bennett believes that thinking about how to scale and grow is the "boring part" of running a business, and that's why people avoid doing it, and it is what ends up swallowing them at the end.

Simon was born in the UK. He is the Co-Owner and CEO at AoE Creative. He is also the Founder & Director at WE ARE SEED Ltd, a company that identifies and grows competitive communities via thoughtful engagement and broadcasts emerging games partnering with game developers. In AoE Creative, Simon and his team manage Call of Duty League social accounts, and Gareth Bale's esports organization Ellevens, among many others.

In this episode, Simon shares how gaming saved him when he was in a dark place. Members of his War of Warcraft guild told him Blizzard was hiring, and he decided to give it a chance. He didn't know that they were Blizzard employees, and he got a position as a customer service representative. We had a fantastic conversation about his journey in the industry, the difference between English and American investors, his vision on the importance of a company's culture, and what, in his opinion, investors should pay more attention to.

To Connect with Simon, visit LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/justsimonbennett/

AoE Creative website: https://aoecreative.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/aoecreative

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

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

You can also connect with Marke Lee's LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markellee/

or with Thomas Hadjuk also on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hajduk-esports/

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

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From all the business models available, something we don't see very often is one created from a community perspective. That is what ESPAT TV is about, to allow the talent to become the voice. 

Dante Simpson, CEO and Co-Founder of ESPAT TV, believes that as gaming and esports changed the way we consume content, it is time to push the boundaries and change the style stories are told in the gaming and esports community.

In this episode, Dante shares his experience in the Gucci Group that helped him understand the concept of building a brand and how those teachings helped him develop his own company. He brilliantly explained how to build bridges between consumers and brands and how he'd apply that principle to any industry. We also talked about the future of gaming and esports content creation and what we can expect in the following months from ESPAT TV. 

To connect with Dante, visit LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dante-simpson/

Dante's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dsa_boss

ESPAT Media website: https://www.espat.ai/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/espatmedia?lang=es

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

ESPAT TV website: https://www.espat.tv/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/EspatTv

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

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

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From an entrepreneurial perspective, Marco Mereu believes that gaming companies should aim to identify the industry's issues, go hard at them, and find a way to add value for both the company and the users.

Looking at a pile of real estate files on his desk, and after seven years working with intellectual property in his law firm, Marco decided to shut down his company and pursue his passion in the gaming industry. 

In this episode, Marco Mereu, Co-Founder and COO of XSET, shares his journey of transitioning from running a law firm to become an entrepreneur in the gaming industry. They also talk about different ways of getting into the gaming industry, content creation for gaming companies, and how working in what we are passionate about can make us go the extra mile effortlessly.  

To connect with Marco, visit LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcomereu/

Marco's Twitter account: https://twitter.com/mfmereu

Marco's Instagram account: https://www.instagram.com/mfmereu

XSET Website: https://xset.com/

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

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The trading card industry has seen a surge in popularity, and Panini America is one of the major companies behind this phenomenon.

Jason Howarth, Vice President of Marketing at Panini America joins John Davidson in this episode of the DLC Drop Podcast to talk about what is so unique about the trading card popularity of this decade vs. when it was popular in the 80's and 90's..

He also talks about what’s happening across social media to make trading cards such an incredible experience, the opportunities of trading cards within esports, and some of his most memorable experiences with some of today’s biggest athletes.

To connect with Jason, visit Twitter:

https://twitter.com/sportsmktgguy

To learn more about Panini visit:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/PaniniAmerica

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

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