Geaux Play Esports

Mike Rufail is the founder and CEO of Envy Gaming, Inc., which owns and operates popular esports franchise Team Envy as well as the Dallas Fuel in the Overwatch League and the Dallas Empire in the Call of Duty League.Envy began as a professional Call of Duty team in 2007 and has grown into one of the largest and most winning esports groups in the world. Today, Envy competes, streams, and produces content and events across multiple titles including Overwatch, Call of Duty, Rocket League, VALORANT, and Super Smash Bros.Born and raised in Lufkin, Texas, Rufail dreamed of bringing a professional esports team home to Texas. In 2017, with the support of investment partners at Hersh Interactive Group, Rufail relocated Envy Gaming operations, staff and players to North Texas. In 2019, Rufail and the Dallas Fuel hosted the first home games in esports history, as thousands of fans attended a two-day, sold out live event in North Texas. One year later in 2020, the Dallas Empire took home the World Championship trophy in the inaugural season of the Call of Duty League.Rufail is a veteran of the esports industry, having spent time as a professional Call of Duty player, a broadcast commentator and a game design consultant. Dallas Business Journal named Rufail to its 40 Under 40 list of top business leaders in 2020.Mike Rufail graduated from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro in 2005 with a Bachelor of Arts in moving image and sound, and currently resides in North Texas with his wife and daughter.

Wim Stocks has been a progressive leader in the online gaming and esports businesses since 1990. From 2001 to 2006, Wim was Executive Vice President of the “new” Atari Inc. (a roll-up and amalgam of Hasbro Interactive, Infogrames, and GT Interactive), leading and managing one of the broadest-reaching interactive entertainment publishing networks in the world. In 2006, Wim started an entrepreneurial online gaming publishing business named Elephant Entertainment, assuming the role of President and COO. In March 2008, the leading games publisher THQ purchased Elephant and Wim assumed the role of EVP and leader of the Online Gaming division and related digital gaming initiatives. In 2010, Wim was recruited to join the executive management team of Virgin Gaming (now WorldGaming) as Executive Vice President. In this role, Wim helped launch the company and platform in 2010, as well as developed strategic investor, technology, game publisher, retailer, and other brand partnerships. In April 2016, Wim was named CEO of WorldGaming & Collegiate StarLeague, which was acquired by Cineplex in the Fall of 2015, a leading movie theater operator with diversification into gaming, location based entertainment, and other aligned entertainment and digital media businesses. As of July 2020, Wim led the acquisition of Collegiate StarLeague & WorldGaming Network by Playfly Sports, a combined traditional sports, esports, and broadcast management/rights management company, and was responsible as Chairman for leading the esports business, strategy, sponsorship/partnership sales, and cultivation, and other investor and partner relations for the Company. Recently, Wim joined the executive management team of Belong Gaming & Vindex (founded in 2019 by esports industry pioneers and leaders Sundance DiGiovanni, Mike Sepso, and Martyn Gibbs), leading the commercial, partnerships, sponsorships, and business development initiatives. Wim currently serves as an Advisor to the Special Olympics International; an Advisor to Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment (MLSE) and Ryerson University's ‘Future of Sports Lab'; Advisor and part of the ownership group of Andbox, (parent company of the New York Excelsior, the professional NYC-based franchise in the Overwatch League, and the NY Subliners, professional NYC-based franchise in the Call of Duty League); Strategic Advisor to GG Group and Team Chaos; is a Board Member of National Public Radio's ‘Marketplace' programming; and is also a Trustee and on the Board of Directors of the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis. Wim has also served on the boards of Allina/Abbott Northwestern Hospital, the Sister Kenny Rehabilitation Institute in Minneapolis.

Mike, also referred to as "Moog", is a Technology Strategist that caters to the needs of the Honors College in tandem with centralized IT's efforts across OU's campus. He provides project management and business analysis that helps improve workflows in anything from daily routine based work to big initiatives for both the individual college as well as the university. Mike is a U.S. Army veteran, has worked for Apple, and is an active photographer of over 20 years of experience. Moog attributes much of his organizational and strategic abilities and successes to World of Warcraft. Managing a guild of over 150 people from all over the world converted him from an extremely introverted person into a very extroverted one. Through his 4 years managing this guild he also led raids during the initial WoW days through several expansions where 40 individuals were required to accomplish highly coordinated tasks through VoIP communication in real-time.Moog has been a gamer since the Atari days in the 80s and can enjoy all genres when the timing is right. Mike's biggest passion is helping out where he finds opportunities to do so because he wants to not because he needs to. He has embraced his role as Lead Advisor 500% and is leading the charge for gamers and esports athletes within the walls of OU only as a precursor to helping uplift these industries across the state and region. Mike started the research and development of the OU Esports Club in Fall 2016.

The Miami Heat's Derric Franklin is the First Black Leader in the Very New History of the NBA 2K League. Four years ago, when Derric Franklin returned from Afghanistan, where he'd been deployed by the U.S. Army, he picked up NBA 2K15 and began playing the game with a virtually created avatar.

He has also been immortalized as an in-game video-game character in Watch Dogs 2 as well as in NBA2K Playgrounds 1 and 2. In addition, he is a mainstay at gaming conferences and panels across the country, including PAX East, PAX West, New York Comic Con, BoroughCon and Fall Experiment 19. Healso later re-visited and re-cultivated his initial passion for music by creating original music for a variety of titles, including for Twisted Metal, Pokemon, Halo, Uncharted 4, Watch Dogs 2, Drawn To Deathand Battleship.The HipHopGamer had worked with some of the world's top brands and companies, including FullScreen, BET, Square ENIX, Machinima, Ubisoft, Take Two, Electronic Arts, B&H Photo, NBC Universal,Logitech, Microsoft Game Studios, Nintendo, HTC Vive, NaughtyDog, Activision, Sony Interactive Entertainment, and GameStop, to name a few. He has been featured on many other mainstream entertainment, music, and gaming publications, including HipHopDX, Game Rant, Digital Trends, News 12, Cheddar, One37PM, DV8, Shoryulen, HipHopWired, HellaHipHop, Gamersify, among others.

12/17/16 Jared recorded,“I hope you enjoy the story of J Cap.” “I just want people to be happy, No matter what.” Jared JCap Caplin. “Sometimes life turns out different than you expect. Even if your life isn't very good right now, it can always get better.”JCap is Awesome!!!At 19 years old Jared Caplin created J Cap's Foundation for Disabilities as a 501c3 Non-profit organization. His mission was to inspire and help people.01/13/2020 JCap & I named this year Vision 2020/Impact 2020. 01/15/2020 The torch was passed.. Impact 2020 Mission: “Make Somebody's Day -Everyday Like it's the Only Day.”Consider the Impact of an army of individuals - gamers, youth, adults and business owners, doing the little things. One act of kindness “Everyday” that “makes Somebody's day” like it is “the Only day.” One little act x 1000, 10,000 100,000 1 million: THE POWER OF JCAPISAWESOME.ORG

Cody Dragon is an entrepreneur and Esports evangelist currently serving as Business Development Manager at KovaaK's Aim Trainer/ The Meta. He is dedicated to pushing Esports further through the use of educational technology and works to transform local communities through the power of play and curiosity. His time spent launching and operating a professional Esports Organization with multiple podium placement finishes and championships has cemented his role as an early pioneer in the Esports industry.Inspired by the many lessons taught to him through playing Ping Pong with his father; games and competition have been a cornerstone throughout his personal and professional life.Cody is located in sunny California, and can be found surfing in the crystal clear water of Newport Beach when not working or gaming.

Danny is a visionary and thought-leader in the esports industry. As the Co-founder/CEO of Esposure Inc. and Esports Professor at SMU, he has aided in the professional development of students, interns, and post-graduates. These students have received esports scholarships and employment from acclaimed Universities and esports Organizations like Central Methodist University, Complexity Gaming, Pacers Gaming, and Mavs Gaming. Furthermore, he has provided opportunities for many esports players to play with professional franchises. Danny's passion for helping others has allowed him to speak at several high schools and universities, on panels in front of thousands of individuals. In his pursuit of connecting everyone to esports, he maintains relationships with the NBA, NFL, & music industry. Danny is always ready to talk about esports and is on a mission of helping 20,000 esports enthusiasts by 2025.

Dr. Chris Haskell plays video games for a living, or at least that's what his friends think. He's the Head Coach and Director of the Varsity Esports at Boise State, 2020 Collegiate Esports Coach of the Year (NAECAD) and 2020 Esports Director of the Year (NACE). As a professor, “Doc” also focuses on the impact of video games, virtual worlds, and digital culture. When it comes to work, Dr. Haskell is serious about play. It's no wonder his friends think he needs a real job.

Kwesi Hayford is an Esports Evangelist, Creative Designer, and Digital Media enthusiast with a passion for youth culture, technology and education. He inspires and empowers young people to create opportunities for themselves in digital media for the socio-economic growth for Africa.Currently creating synergy, developing collaborations of Esports with all stakeholders both Ghana and internationally with the Ghana Esports Association which focuses on grassroots participation and content creation.Kwesi Hayford has been very instrumental in organizing Esports events and helping professional gaming communities develop.He is also founding member of the Africa Esports Championship. The dream to connect Africa with a Championship tournament is currently ongoing, with 20 countries already on board and committed to the project.Kiddie Esports is one of Kwesi's initiatives to help kids develop a growing interest in Esports and build and correct pathways via Education, Empowerment and Exposure.

kyler Johnson, former Esports Professional & founder of Team Envy (Dallas Fuel & Dallas Empire). In 2013 at GFUEL Energy and helped developed their flavor profiles, launch campaigns, partnerships as the Chief Creative Officer. During this time he also developed a good understanding for scaling business inside of the Gaming/Esports space and the world of sports nutrition. In late 2017, he stepped away from that position and became the Creative Director for Latium Enterprises, developing internal brands for the family while handling creative for this pre-existing ones. While taking a giant leap and bringing a couple of companies to light myself. @PaperCrowns - Multi-Award Winning Creative Agency@DrinkCTRL (Catered To Real Life) - A meal replacement for Gamers, Streamers, Creators & anyone living the on the go lifestyle - 280 - 400 calories and packed with Protein, Carbs, Fiber & loads of other great ingredients.

Jason Kirby is the CEO of Generation Esports (GenE) is the platform that operates the entire scholastic esports pipeline - Middle School Esports League (MSEL), High School Esports League (HSEL), & the NJCAAE collegiate league.

Corey Rosemond serves as Vice President of NACON Gaming, Inc., the wholly-owned Americas subsidiary of NACON S.A., a French global publisher of AA video games as well as gaming accessories featuring the RIG brand.

Wes Byrd started his career in website and web application development in 1998. He spent the next 20+ years building web applications and enterprise-level eCommerce solutions for fortune 500 brand names. Throughout all of these years, he hosted LAN parties for his group of friends who called themselves, Skullz. With his experience in business management and eCommerce, Wes rallied his Skullz group and stood up Skullz as a company and name brand of its own. In early 2019, Skullz Inc was born with a mission to be the top esports merchandise brand name in esports.

Victoria Horsley has been in esports for nearly eight years, the last three of those being mainly collegiate oriented. She also has previous experience in traditional sports as an event manager for the NFL Super Bowl and the NCAA Men’s Final Four. Esports allows her to emphasize her passion for gaming that she developed at a very early age with games such as Zelda, Super Mario, and Kingdom Hearts. Victoria is determined to grow the world of esports and give as many people as possible the opportunity to follow their gaming passions as well.   

Miles Davis has 16 years experience working with integrators , manufacturers, distributors in the technology & commercial AV industries. The past 4 years I have helped organizations & institutions build esports initiatives utilizing display technology.

Charles Spencer started in the field of traditional sports with the Brooklyn Nets, as an intern for the semester he was working at the Barclays Center for Nets games in the Arena Operations Department. Then also had stints as assistant equipment manager for the Men's Basketball and Baseball teams. After college, Charles was hired to the New York Red Bulls' Event Marketing Staff and stayed with them for three years. He helped them with many of the team events, including games at Red Bull Arena, Youth soccer festivals, and creating FIFA tournaments. During that time Charles was hired at the after-school program, Advantage Higher Education as its first-ever Esports Instructor. There Charles opened students up to the possibilities in a career in gaming and esports. He brought professionals from the world of esports from players to team executives. Charles also planned youth events with Overwatch League team the New York Excelsior and as well NBA  2K League team, Knicks Gaming. After that ended, Charles created the curriculum for the first-ever middle school esports league in New York City with the New York Excelsior (now AND BOX). Four schools faced each other in a home and away matches for nine weeks playing FIFA and NBA 2K as its games.

Justin Jacobson, an esports and entertainment attorney in New York City. He works with professional gamers, coaches, streamers as well esports teams and organizations. He assist them with contract review, negotiation and drafting as well as trademark and copyright matters, visa/work authorizations and other related business, tax and legal matters. Justin has done deals with many t1 and t2 organizations, including the negotiation of many Overwatch League and Call of Duty Pro League professional gamer agreements.

Marcus Howard is the CEO of Project MQ, an experiential marketing agency that uses family-friendly esports, to help colleges and other brands more effectively engage younger audiences. He's also the President of the Tampa Association of Gaming, a nonprofit dedicated to growing the gaming industry and STEAM youth programs in the Tampa Bay region.

Graham Borden grew up all over the great city of New York. Graduated from North Babylon High School in Long Island in 1997. Spent some years at Syracuse University then decided to come home and receive my undergrad degree from Suffolk County Community College. Some years later decided to embark on a career in content creating for YouTube & Twitch playing various games but mainly the NBA2K franchise. As time went on  saw a need in the community for competitive scene for players who play the mode called Myteam. A mode where you can take Shaq & play him along side people like Magic Johnson and Vinee Carter. Hence, created a tournament series called Kings of Kings. This tourney brought out some of the best youtubers and twitch streamers in a battle to see who's the best. Some youtubers that have participated in Kings of Kings are Jesserthelazer, Kris London, Cashnastygaming, lpodkingearter, and Nickthebullsfan. After being a long-time Fan of the Pro-Am Scene in the NBA2K franchise. Then decided to come together with the new face of competitive Pro-Am Jelani Mitchell (@2kCompgames) & create a ground-breaking debate show called First Shake that discuss all things NBA2K League. First Shake has led us to working directly with the NBA2K League on their Hit Off Season Show called "The Post Up".

John Davidson, TEDx and active speaker on gaming and youth marketing, is formerly the Head of Partnerships at GameStop and now leads Esports for PRG, the world’s leading event technology company. John also serves as President of the Esports Trade Association, advisor for Stadia Ventures and Dallas Influencers in Sports and Entertainment. Through a diverse career in skateboarding, video production, marketing and business development, John has a unique perspective and understanding of sub-cultures and consumer behavior.   TED Talk: https://youtu.be/4StLXX1k_9I   The Berrics Skateboarding x Business Feature: https://www.facebook.com/berrics/posts/john-davidson-is-gamestops-head-of-partnerships-the-president-of-the-esports-tra/2162431630477017/

Dr. Kristy Custer has been a public educator for almost 25 years.  She is currently the principal at Complete High School Maize in Kansas.  Over the past 20 years, she has helped lead the CHSM team to state and national honors including a Crystal Star Award for Dropout Prevention Schools, Civic Advocacy Award, Promising Practice Award, and being named a National School of Character. Michael Russell has been an avid gamer for nearly 35 years. After a successful career in sales, Michael entered the field of education as a social studies teacher at Complete High School Maize in 2014. After his first year of teaching, Michael was awarded the Horizon Award for Kansas in 2015.  This award is given to first-year teachers to recognize excellence in the classroom. In 2018, Michael also received the “Making IT Happen Award” at the Mid-America Association for Computers in Education Conference for his work developing and implementing a video game curriculum in the classroom.  

Dorian Gorr, Managing Director of Veritas. Former Journalist, stage host and moderator who has worked as head editor of Europe's biggest Media Publishing House, Axel Springer. Gamer since his early childhood, esports fan from back when they stilled called it competitive gaming.

Sean Maher is Co-Founder and Partner of Cut + Sew and their newly launched gaming subsidiary, z0ned. Investor in FaZe Clan, PlayVS and partner in PLAYERS NTWRK. z0ned is bridging the gap between culture and gaming, specializing in the crossover between athletes, music, sneakers and fashion.

OG King Kurt General Manager for NetGC The term “OG” is one of endearment often associated with someone at the forefront of a specific field. As one of the most prominent figures in NBA 2K circles, Ivan Curtiss certainly fits the description given he’s most recognizable by his nickname, OG King Curt.It’s a moniker born a few years back when Curtiss began hosting online leagues and tournaments.

Patrick Mahoney is the CEO and co-founder of the We Are Nations Group, a leader in esports merchandise design, sales and distribution worldwide. We Are Nations clients include G2 Esports, Optic Gaming, Method Gaming, OG, Faceit/ECS, Blast Series, Origen and many other leading global esports brands. We Are Nations was founded by Patrick and Chris Cornell in 2016, and is a sister company to Manhead Merchandising, a recognizable name in the music and entertainment merchandise space, with clients that include Panic At The Disco, Fall Out Boy and Weezer.   In September of 2019, Patrick formed Fast Circles, LLC with Ian Jackson, Patrick Walle and Brendan Housler to both manage EVOQ.BIKE Elite Cycling Team and provide digital marketing content for the recreation, health and wellness industry.

“First and foremost, I am a litigator who relishes representing clients throughout all stages of litigation. Clients value my responsiveness and ability to quickly develop effective litigation strategies, as well as creative and effective solutions to whatever problems they face. However, my true passion lies in esports and gaming. I am leading the firm into the rapidly growing esports industry and have a growing reputation as a leader in the DFW esports business community. I enjoy harnessing my vast network in the esports industry to foster relationships and collaboration amongst and between business owners in the esports community, helping companies grow and thrive in the ever-evolving esports and gaming industries.” An innovative litigator, Johnathan vigorously protects clients’ interests in Texas and federal courts throughout the country. As a lifelong gamer, he also leads the firm’s esports and gaming practice and is quickly developing a reputation for himself and the firm as leaders in the rapidly growing esports industry. Johnathan recognizes and appreciates the great potential esports and gaming has to change lives and to create and foster communities and is dedicated to helping the esports industry reach its full potential.

Jamie King is a legendary video game producer and creator of interactive entertainment. Born and educated in London, England, he started his game career at BMG Interactive before moving to New York in 1997 and joining Take Two Interactive Software. During Jamie’s tenure at Take Two, he was a co-founder of Rockstar Games, and held the title of VP of Development for Rockstar and Director of Development for Take Two. Between 1997 and 2006, Jamie worked on the design, production and publishing of 80+ video games across all gaming platforms. Most notable games and franchises include Grand Theft Auto, Max Payne, Midnight Club, Bully, Warriors and Red Dead. As a co-founder of Rockstar Games, Jamie was awarded a group Bafta for his lifetime achievement in video games. In 2007, Jamie raised financing for 4mm Games, acting as Chief Creative Officer, developing Def Jam Rapstar for consoles and Dog Show Friends for Facebook. In 2012, Jamie joined the gaming division of SA Studios Global, focusing on esports and brand integration into the gaming ecosystem. Specializing in strategy, tournament organizing and live stream production, Jamie worked with clients that included Machinima, Microsoft and Major League Soccer. Between 2016 and 2018, Jamie was Head of Studio at the Esports and Gaming Studio in the Microsoft Store, Flagship, Fifth Avenue, producing more than 300hrs of livestream esports competition. The Gamer Agency and the gaming division of SA Studios were acquired in 2018 by Engine Shop where Jamie is currently Head of Esports. Since joining Engine shop, the esports department has won a tempest eSports award for Best New Stream (eMLS), a Chief Marketer ProAward for Best Use of VR, (HRDVR) and a Sports Emmy nomination for Outstanding Digital Innovation (HRDVR)

Rajah Caruth is a 17-year old high school senior from Washington D.C. He is a 2020 NASCAR Drive for Diversity driver, and races Late Model Stock cars in the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series along with Legend Cars in the Bojangle's Summer Shootout with Rev Racing. He is also a Richmond Raceway eSports Development driver, amassing over 100 wins in 1200+ starts on the iRacing simulator. He plans on attending Winston-Salem State University in the fall. 

Justin "Jay" Bryant Hairston (born Sept 18, 1987) is the Sr Community Manager for the proffessional esports organizations Dallas Fuel and Team Envy . Jay grew up in Cheyenne, Wyoming as a basketball player where he attended jr. college before moving to Las Vegas in 2007 to attend art school. While studying video game design, Jay volunteered with several non-profits benifiting adults with cognitive disabilities where he found a passion serving individuals with special needs. In 2011 Jay moved to Plano, TX to manage a non-profit in North Texas providing continued education and theraputic services to adults phasing out of the school system. Jay became the Community Manager for american anime liscencing company Funimation Entertainment in 2017, known globally for the promotion and distribution of the wildly successful tv/movie series Dragon Ball Z. Jay traveled to conventions nationally hosting panels, and serving as on camera talent before moving to esports in 2018 as the Sr. Community Manager for the Dallas Fuel in their first offseason and it's overarching org "Team Envy" boasting over 70 players internationally competing in numerous titles from Call of Duty, CSGO, Fortnite, and PUBG (Player Unknown's Battlegrounds.) Jay is currently serving as the voice of the Dallas Fuel and Team Envy social media accounts, on camera talent with Fuel/Envy

Patrick Klein acts as the Chief Strategy Officer at eFuse, focusing his attention on building strategic partnerships across the globe. Since joining eFuse in October 2020, he has assisted in the creation of the GTM strategy and the release of the #ForTheGamers campaign. Prior to eFuse, Klein spent 13 years in collegiate athletics.

2019 Ryan founded Cxmmunity. Cxmmunity is committed to delivering and supporting esports consulting and curriculum services to prepare grade school and college students for esports opportunities and future business-related majors and careers. Cxmmunity works with school systems, colleges and universities, community organizations, government,and corporate partners to realize its goals. The focus is on the underrepresented youth who may not have traditional access tothis amazing and rapidly growing industry.

Lee Cramp is an accomplished and experience business development manager building meaningful sponsorships and activations for the Esports Awards and partners.Management of tailored hospitality solutions, providing the perfect package, blending B2B opportunities and client entertainment. Liaison and point of call for access to esports B2B programme. Lee has been working for the Esports Awards since September 2019. His background is sales & marketing before then he got into that he was a chef for around 10 years.

Eric Ward Hometown: Milwaukee, WICountry: USA2018 Draft: Round 3, Pick 9 for Knicks Gaming2019 Draft: Player retained by Knicks Gaming

Shahrukh "Shark" Panjwani, MTA: Current Roles: Director of Corporate Partnerships - Shotcall Advisor: RIISE Ventures, Paper Crowns, & Axis Replay. Shark's industry background has a focus mainly on the traditional esports ecosystem focusing on Professional & Developmental Teams. He transitioned that focus on running and developing organizations not only on the player/team aspects but to overall team operations including consulting in aspects of Business Development, Marketing, & Partnerships. Now he is the Director of Corporate Partnerships at Shotcall, a marketplace that allows influencers & icons to engage with their fans by bringing them into their existing content or games. He is also an advisor to RIISE Ventures, Axis Replay, & Paper Crowns.    

"Dylan Fuller (ItsAlphaGFX) is a 25 year old graphic/Motion designer from Lafayette, Louisiana with 2 years of professional experience in the design industry.He has worked with a variety of brands and personalities including Faze Clan, Partynextdoor, Slam Magazine, the Brooklyn Nets, Cleveland Cavaliers, Orlando Magic, Zach Lavine, Deandre Ayton, Ben Simmons, and Josh Hart. His main areas of expertise include mascot logo design, animated stream overlays/Stream design, and sports/esports themed motion graphics. He has been featured in the business section of Forbes as well as The Advocate for his recent works and entrepreneurial accomplishments within the esports community."

Bryce Browne Director of Esports and Sports Performance Coach at Mamba Sports Academy. Bryce has worked with a wide range of athletes from professional to youth development as well as corrective exercise for clients coming out of  physical therapy. He has a holistic approach to treating all his clients needs making sure they are addressing the body and mind as a whole.  His goal is to help change the world by bringing his extensive knowledge of sports performance to esports athletes.

Who is Danny Martin? Danny has 10+ years of experience in the industry of Esports. He has aided in the professional development of students, interns, and post-graduates. These students have received Esports scholarships and employment from acclaimed Universities and Esports Organizations like Central Missouri University, Complexity Gaming, Pacers Gaming, and Mavs Gaming. He is also Co- Founder and CEO of Geekletes an organization that aims to provide support for the greater Texas area, whether in competitive gaming or career opportunity.

Evan Albert is the CTO of Esports One, an LA-based Esports data and analytics company leading the development of E1 Fantasy. E1 Fantasy is an all-in-one fantasy platform for League of Legends where players can research, watch and compete with their friends. Previously at Mark Cuban's Dust Messaging, Evan has an extensive background in scaling teams and building social products for mobile and web. He is excited to apply this background to elevate the Esports fan experience while continuing to build products that bring people together.

Bubba currently is the Executive Director of the Varsity Esports Foundation. This non-profit strives to increase literacy around the Esports industry’s positive impact on healthy lifestyles, mental health, community, STEM and digital citizenship. Bubba has worked in the non-profit and traditional sports industry for 20 years with the YMCA, NCAA, NAIA and the Chamber of Commerce. Three years ago he dove deep into the esports industry and partnered with esports organizations to create this foundation. He now works to educate businesses, organizations, and schools about being proactive around the foundation's initiatives.

Erin Ashley Simon is a multi-media personality, host, producer and consultant. Her love and passion for video games, sports, music and content has helped shape who she is today, pushing the culture forward and breaking barriers as a female in the industry. Her vast knowledge and creative mindset has lead her to be tapped by well known brands and organizations such as AT&T, eMLS, Gen.G, The Wall Street Journal, University of Kentucky, REVOLT TV, Cycle Media and more. Leveraging her deep rooted connections in the music, entertainment, and gaming industry, Erin looks to continue to build an intersection between gaming in culture.

JoJo Josiah Oetjen AKA JoJo is a former collegiate basketball player at Cincinnati Christian University. Originally from Indiana, he interned with Pacers Gaming during season one of the NBA 2K League. JoJo was picked by T-Wolves Gaming in the third round of the 2019 2K League Draft. Josiah Oetjen Hometown: McCordsville, INCountry: USA2018 Draft:2019 Draft: 2019 3rd Round Pick T-Wolves Gaming2020 Draft: Player retained by T-Wolves Gaming

Justin 'Lycan' Woods Seattle native landlocked in Missouri with his loving wife (her family is from here) and three boys. Spent my childhood playing mainly console until he was old enough to buy a PC on my own. Dropped out of college the first time around and went into the Navy for six years. In the Navy he was an Engineering Laboratory Technician, which means he took samples of the nuclear reactor and steam plant water on fast attack submarines. Lycan also was a contamination and radiation expert. After the Navy he was playing Pro League while getting my degree in Software Engineering. After the first two years of Pro play he was offered my current role as Head Coach for Spacestation Gaming and he decided to retire from playing and start my coaching career!

Davide "FoxA" Bucci is a 22 year old Canadian esports competitor and caster, and has played various games at, including Dota 2 and CS:GO. The latter is where FoxA spent much of his early competitive time. Years later, FoxA transitioned over to Rainbow Six Siege and has played at a high level ever since.

About The Academy of Esports Founder, James O'Hagan An educator for 20 years, James has long believed that video games can promote a positive culture for students that engages creativity, communication, collaboration and critical thinking skills. He has served as an elementary, middle and high school teacher and administrator, and has worked with rural, urban and suburban students. In addition, James founded esports teams in two school districts that have blossomed into city-wide conferences. James is a national speaker on a variety of topics involving the intersection of technology and education, and is currently completing his dissertation in the field of instructional technology at Northern Illinois University.

With prior experience as an esports commentator, Justin Varghese is the North American Marketing Manager at DreamHack. the Swedish production organization specializing in esports tournaments and other gaming conventions. Justin's role revolves around carefully planning and executing regional activations to galvanize key markets and demographics, while simultaneously scoping out larger plays to increase brand awareness on the western hemisphere. DreamHack Dallas  2020 May 22 - 24. Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center, Dallas, TX, USA.    

ToXsiK - Magic Gaming Shooting Guard #3 Has been is the NBA 2K League since 2018. A shooting guard with a potent long-range shot and sneaky good handles. Also owner of iBallEmpire Professional @NBA2K organization. Brandon Raudenbush Hometown: West Palm Beach, FLCountry: USA2018 Draft: Round 4, Pick 2 for Cavs Legion GC2019 Draft: 2019 3rd Round Pick Magic Gaming2020 Draft: Player retained by Magic Gaming

Charles Reilly: Co-Founder of the High School Esports League. Charles oversees the customer onboarding experience as well as the customer support team. He co-founded the company in 2012 and has helped grow the HSEL to 2500+ schools and 75,000+ students. Aaron Hawkey: is the CTO and a Co-Founder of the High School Esports League. Since being involved in the esports community in both high school and college, Aaron has used his experience combined with his passion for technology to build HSEL and help revolutionize the landscape of esports in education.   High School Esports League Mission Make Esports available to every student as a legitimate varsity level sport in high schools across the nation. We achieve this by making it easy for faculty to offer students an opportunity to engage in healthy Esports competition, surrounded by peers, and supervised by teachers.  Through organized Esports competition students will tie their commitment to gaming to their success in academics and future careers.   Spring Major 2020 You won't want to miss out on this Spring Major with up to $1,000 in scholarship money up for grabs... that's up to $1,000 per starting player! Before you can even think about those sweet sweet scholarship bucks, make sure you're signed up and ready to go. Here are the Spring Major 2020 key dates: Season: 3/23 - 5/15 | Playoffs: 5/23 - 5/31 | Finals: 6/1 - 6/5 https://www.highschoolesportsleague.com/  

Esports LSU RL team, Jackson Carter (Ayjacks) -- Freshman, Tyler Bates (Tbates) -- Junior, Logan Lejeune (Lohtek) -- Senior, Wesley Charleton (Sharp) -- Freshman, and Roman Corripio (Reverb) -- Junior Collegiate Rocket League , also known as CRL, is the Psyonix funded Rocket League league for collegiate esports in North America. The competition began in Summer 2017 with the Collegiate Rocket League - Summer Series. The Electronic Gaming Federation (EGF) Power Five Esports Invitational, was held January 18-19, 2020 featured schools from the athletic conferences of the SEC, ACC, Pac 12, Big Ten, and Big 12. Scheduled Power Five participating teams include: Florida State University, University of Illinois, Louisiana State University, Ole Miss, Washington State University, and more.