Because that helps us grow at a mature and sustainable level. @DeputyARUUU Wait @omegafattyacid1 I want you to train me for a day. For a long time, people have predicted that playing video games competitively would become a big business, rivaling traditional sports leagues like the NBA or NFL. Whats something you chose not to participate in? Can your players monetize their celebrity independently of you? Following a spike in interest during the pandemic, esports is projected to nearly double in revenue by 2022. Did you feel like an outsider coming into the role? I was inducted as an advisor [to help answer], How do we lessen that gap of the number of women gamers? About 45% of US gamers are women, but in competitive play, less than 3% are. And when some of the athletes can still see, well, if I just live in the EU, if I live in APAC, I dont need to pay taxes, I can just play. Whats next for Evil Geniuses? I am excited to announce the launch of www.nicolelapointejameson.com. Evil Geniuses has a stronger digital and social media presence, reaching around 70 million people each month, she said. In the next five years, its a mix between the league revenue share, so we get a cut of the work that Riot does, which is excellent. People with committed relationships are not going to do that job. And not to sound overly annoyingly corporate, but it starts from our mission, vision, and values and quite literally, again, going back to my annoying data decision-making, right? For better or for worse, as anyone in my team would tell you, I dont come from a gaming background. It seems like youre pushing hard in the entire space to make that a mission of your company. What was the current business of Evil Geniuses in esports? And so depending on how much, again, the developers give leeway for people to use their IP of the game to create an ecosystem that really supports like, high tides raise all ships here, it seems clear to me seems less clear to others, maybe but its something where the right constituents are focused on the right aspects of the job, because it is a very large task, making games. Maybe more people will play basketball but still, the market for being a professional basketball player is still pretty small. Or maybe you do, in the lab, I dont know. They dont run toward asymmetric global competition, right? When you think about the celebrities that youre minting in your leagues, is it total opportunity; youre going to be the most famous League of Legends player? And that means we do elect to not participate in things, but it also means we are selective and very purposeful and thoughtful on what we do choose to participate in. It is almost a loss-leader. And heres some good examples, right? Bumpouts in Byram? That was definitely one of the scarier elements for me, like, How do I navigate this space? Historically, gaming has been very cliquey. Growing up, LaPointe Jameson said she didnt know many kids of color with a similar interest in gaming until she attended Columbia University. But when I interviewed him for another show, he had just had a player who had gone out, made his deals, and they had wanted a cut and that was a contentious issue, right? Nicole LaPointe Jameson. And we lean into the Evil Genius side of our brand identity. Entertainment and the sports space stopped. Halo is not a game that is supported anymore competitively. Its not an infrastructure as layered as all the agents and managers and the posse that you find in many traditional sports. The average esports athlete at Evil Geniuses makes about $70,000 per year. Greenwich DPW looks to fix 'dangerous' intersection on Delavan Ave. Greenwich commission OKs historic designation to protect Samuel Ferris House, oldest home in Riverside, The Best Window Replacement Companies in CT, Guide to Legal Cannabis Dispensaries in CT, The Best Kitchen Remodeling Companies in CT, The Best Cosmetic Dentists in Westchester County. Theres just a whole culture to unpack there. But your teams dont play games, right, as a whole? If you had teams that were run by previous players, they dont know better. Now 27, LaPointe Jameson is the CEO of Evil Geniuses, a major esports organization, where she's shattering stereotypes and creating an inclusive environment. For veterans of the space, theres a well-deserved chip on their shoulders, and I came in as a triple whammy, right? The newly acquired CS:GO team quickly made its presence known by debuting with a championship win at ESL One New York 2019 in Brooklyn's Barclays Center. Most people play games. Its us that decides where we support. We also care a lot about the voice of our fans and our community, because we are, again, an entertainment product. Youre the CEO of Evil Geniuses. And people rally behind those storylines because again, why do you follow a brand that is not geo-affiliated? Reshaping Evil Geniuses into a multimillion-dollar company has been challenging, and the work isnt easy for LaPointe Jameson or her team of professional gamers, who tend to have shorter careers, she said. Its usually family, or I was born in a location, or I live in a location, so Im a fan of the locations team. And so theres often competing universes under one big broad bucket of esports, [which] yields very different results on the back-end infrastructure and supporting businesses. LaPointe Jameson joined Evil Geniuses as CEO back in 2019. And it had only been brought to light through social media, in which case we quickly, quickly acted. I was from this private equity firm, Im a woman, and Im a person of color. Oh, man, Lees lawyers going to call me up tomorrow. "[5][6] PEAK6 would later acquire Evil Geniuses in May 2019, installing LaPointe Jameson as the organization's new CEO. Evil Geniuses, a more than 20-year-old company, helped to shape the esports industry, she said. And shes super into Vogue and fashion. Link/Page Citation CEO, Evil Geniuses. Spring Skincare Hero: According to your skintype. LaPointe Jameson cut her teeth in private equity, turning around "distressed. You said professional sports have a leg up, which is an amazing way to think about the NBA, just like a scrappy startup with a leg up. Right. Knowing what titles are sticky, what developers have good relations. @DrJordantsai @EvilGeniuses *and Nicole's dumb IT bands . Those are big bucks. Does this aid? FaZe Clan is probably a good example because in the bimodal spectrum of how the esports teams operate, theyre full-on entertainment. Some are like, Hey, I used to be a pro Actually, I can give a good example; we have this one player, Ricki Ortiz, she used to be one of the best Street Fighter players in the world and now shes a content creator. You might know me as the CEO of the global esports organization Evil Geniuses, the first esports organization to lift trophies and excite fans on a global scale through empiricism and inclusion. In her first year, she's made significant moves to pull the team back to relevancy, primarily by re-entering two of the top esports, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and League of Legends. [8][11], LaPointe Jameson was featured in the 2020 Forbes 30 Under 30 under the games category. So [we] dont take those things lightly at all, we take them really seriously. Or is it, youre just going to be a celebrity athlete? And so part of it is personal. And we built a roster exactly opposite of how every other esports team ever in the world has built a roster. One thing we love about Riot and them franchising League of Legends is even though you might look at that price tag of a franchise medallion and go, Holy crap, who would spend that money on this? What it shows is, though, we have a voice at the table and how the league is constructed and supported. And so that means some conversations because were not ready to have them or were not ready to put, again, action behind the words we stay away from, or we think longer-term; how do we support and how do we create long-term positive progress? And what do you think that business should look like? Sometimes. Its why were here, to be competitive, but it wasnt profitable. So thats something we decided to handle differently than a lot of public support that you saw other, maybe social media accounts of other sports teams do. But why are esports teams pulling away from Fortnite? How comfortable are you with how much of your business requires China? So things that we do that will authentically resonate with whoever were trying to target is critically important. On Campus; SBJ Atlas; SportTechie; The Esports Observer We realized we could white-label those tools and sell them direct. 1 episode totalling 1 hour, 9 minutes. So in some franchise leagues we have regulations we follow, and some leagues where theres no regulation. Its massive. You know, we believe in the team. Who do we partner with, and why? One of our other teams competes for upwards of a $40 million prize pool for a singular event called the International every year in Dota. This transcript has been lightly edited for clarity. And so if you irritate half of the country because youre continuing to talk about diversity and inclusion, you did a podcast episode on Black Lives Matter. Inside of those contracts, youre saying were going to own a percentage of all the deals that happen around here. Evil Geniuses CEO Nicole LaPointe Jameson wanted to emphasize that the new Valorant roster was not put together with diversity in mind. All Rights Reserved, By submitting your email, you agree to our. But weve moved into spaces where were either a first mover or the only mover. Lets talk about your diversity and inclusion efforts here. How do you manage the sort of oncoming negativity that comes with being in that space and standing up for inclusion especially in gaming. So we started one of the first mixed-gender rosters in a competitive esports scene in the world, and that rattled a lot of cages and surprised a lot of people because it wasnt a marketing play, right? I dont think its a badly kept secret that a lot of them dont look great on paper from an investment point of view, and EG was a diamond in the rough. According to the latest Twitter stat on 2023-02-25, Nicole LaPointe Jameson has a total favourites count of 31901 on the Twitter account and Nicole LaPointe Jameson has 21.9 Thousand followers on the same Twitter account. So we were able to activate and support brands, bringing their awareness to different spaces through what we offer in activations. Lets push. Thats a conversation that we can support privately as individuals, but as a corporate entity, what can we do that is more than just showing social media support? But I cant complain, she added. One of the challenges entertainment companies in particular face when they focus on diversity, and sports leagues too and traditional sports leagues are all over the map on this when they talk about diversity and inclusion is, when youre trying to get everyone, youre trying to please everyone by the nature of your product. And that translates, especially in a world where a lot of what we do is unknown. When I came into the space, I was nervous. And how thats manifested is, of course, the entertainment side of [the] house. While it definitely has some cons in terms of exposure, Im hopeful Greenwich is improving and supporting different pathways, and more international exposure, she said. 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And so weve been able to look at areas that we authentically care about, and find ways that are not predatory or actually support the core of our business by bringing in revenue but also boosting our mission. But you have a competitive Valorant team, you have a competitive League of Legends team, it cost you a lot of money to get that slot in League of Legends, right? 2,546 Followers, 385 Following, 207 Posts - See Instagram photos and videos from Nicole LaPointe Jameson (@tothelapointe) tothelapointe. That seems like a relationship that needs to be managed very closely. Is that true? Removing players off contract cycle is something we take super seriously, both for legal and financial liability, but also, its very disruptive to the teams, to a community. If you look at EG we tease that as a first-world problem. But that also fuels our purpose and at EG (Evil Geniuses). Like, you dont have competitive Candy Crush teams. I ended up falling in love with the entrepreneurial spirit, and they had a program where they took undergrads and threw them straight into investing and operating portfolio company businesses. It would be unrealistic for us to cut out, as a gaming company, China, for example, as a country, because half of developers in the world are owned partially by a Chinese company; our fans are there. And so weve actually spent a lot of energy making sure we did a lot of provisions. I was reading an essay by a VC named Matthew Ball. So its not geo-affiliated to a place and then you end up chasing after a team of kids who live in a house in the Philippines. They control the games, they can change the rules, they can change how the games work. Nicole LaPointe Jameson. Nicole LaPointe Jameson. EG historically, before I came in, was known as only really an athletics esports team. So we can do both, we can still geo-affiliate, but we can go broader. Im really proud that we are known to be one of the most diverse, inclusive and equitable organizations. We're not a website. So were a little bit behind on the expansion to entertainment and content product. See Nicole Lapointe Jameson's compensation, career history, education, & memberships. In a tweet, LaPointe Jameson stated, "I dont care where you come from. EG, one of the oldest and most recognizable brands in professional gaming, was founded in 1999. The good news is I have 41 player-athletes. Put your money where your mouth is, and thats fine. If esports is only a certain demographic of people, the space is screwed. Whereas here, theres less sort of cultural awareness and fame. You know, from a total volume point of view its probably direct sponsorships. Why is that interesting? Well, that means whoever in all my predecessors were able to navigate a very IP and tech platform changing ecosystem for 21 years of our existence, thats a hard skill. Really also touching around, I mentioned the education and bridging what is esports for different audiences, as well as DE&I spaces, making sure esports is accessible. The Seattle-based Evil Geniuses operates like a university athletics department. And were an North American team, even though we have global competitions, but the more eastward you go, the more Wild West it becomes in that infrastructure. Its a manageable number to really know each as a human. Just in two years, right, we are a tech and gaming company that is 52 percent female leadership and management positions. Of course, EG [is a] Seattle, Pacific Northwest, esports team, which is great. Greenwich native found a social escape in gaming. Please only use it for a guidance and Nicole LaPointe Jameson's actual income may vary a lot from the dollar amount shown above. Manchester Grand Hyatt. Thats amazing. Nicole LaPointe Jameson (born April 11, 1994) [1] is an American businesswoman currently serving as the CEO of esports organization Evil Geniuses . Again, there are other teams that have just leaned fully into Twitch, have leaned fully into YouTube. As a lawyer, I can say that. [9][10] The organization also doubled their staff count and opened new offices in Seattle and Los Angeles within a year of LaPointe Jameson's tenure. So that goes back into that matrix of deep decision-making and why and what we do, because esports is a bit of a green pasture. [They] are not sustained on esports-level sponsorships today. Nicole LaPointe Jameson (Evil Geniuses CEO) on Twitter: Last owner's meeting @TSMReginald complimented 100T as the only non-shitty new LCS team. And then, in particular with sports, sports are traditionally very local. Nicole LaPointe Jameson Educ: Columbia University (B.A.S. Why do you become a fan of a brand, kind of like clothing, or a music artist, which can have broader reach? You can find a collection of my speaking engagements, media moments, a way to connect with me on shared passions, topics, and more! And at the time that EG [Evil Geniuses] and gaming came on our plate, I was looking from an investment point of view at technology, AR, VR, and gaming companies, looked at a lot of esports teams. Its a bit more junior, where every person really has a voice and matters, still, in esports. @Pimp_CSGO Come to Seattle, meet the EG army (& Valve ), RT @AndyyyBarton: 7-2 to end the first round robin! Will our players authentically engage with the product? We are pretty good at the native content creation, more slice of life, but more of the FaZe Clan entertainment, thats where were expanding. [7] This made her the first African American woman to lead a major esports organization. Evil Geniuses team players are, in terms of global rankings, the top 30 professional esports players in the world, organization leaders said. But like the esports industry, she said Greenwich needs more diversity of thought and support. [3][4] During the summer of her junior year, she received a job offer to join Chicago-based investment firm PEAK6. Among the platforms ready to capitalize is Evil Geniuses, which has grown its own revenue sixfold in the two-and-a-half years since Jameson took the helm as CEO. Some of them leaned into Mixer that didnt turn out so great. And oh, look, Tableau is doing this. Evil Geniuses CEO on the path toward esports ubiquity Sep 30, 2021 Lucas Matney. Everyone and their mother knows about Fortnite. 2023 Forbes Media LLC. "Part of the esports problem. Filmed at key heritage sites all across Hong Kong, including Tai Kwun, Tang Tsing Lok Ancestral Hall and Kowloon Walled City Park, this documentary showcases Hong Kong's multicultural history. About. Dont put me on sponsorship ask. What kind of decision was that for you? Wait, pull that apart. For this week's episode of Decoder, I spoke with Nicole LaPointe Jameson, CEO of esports company Evil Geniuses, to figure out how an esports team makes money, where the industry is headed,. In addition to my work as the evilest genius, I enjoy connecting with the community and serving on the board for the gameHERs, Esports Business Summit, and previously sat on the board of Tanvas. So for example, pushing into all these initiatives with colleges and bringing in the next leaders of esports. At that time, esports was becoming popular from a mainstream capital allocation point of view. Join former-Denver Bronco, and Superbowl 50 Champion, Ryan Harris, for a fireside chat with CEO of iconic professional esports organization Evil Geniuses, Nicole LaPointe Jameson. And its very hands-on, tactile, just by, I think, the industry maturity. One of the best parts of how gaming operates is: Were digital, were behind the internet, we have some anonymity, and were relatively global, said LaPointe Jameson, who now lives in Seattle. And so what pains me about the situation is some of the behavior had been prior to my time, and I hadnt been aware of it. We have to support them, you have to build the brand, we have to keep the lights on in the business. Lets pull API data of the best-ranked players in the world. The fandom globally is massive. As Epic changes the competitive platform so frequently, its hard for us to be proactive. That is probably the biggest either plus to the space, or thorn in my side, depending on the day and which developer. When Nicole LaPointe Jameson became the CEO of the esports organization Evil Geniuses in 2019, she took the helm of a brand that had a well-established presence in the gaming world. There are parts of decisions you make that seem very much related to what any entertainment or sports CEO would make. Wanna follow Nicole LaPointe Jameson's net worth? You came in as kind of an outsider, you had fresh perspective why do you think that was, such that creating a team empirically that ended up mixed-gender, was shocking to people? Youre also an advisor forthe*gameHERS. But it was very iconoclastic to what had been done and really pushed the envelope on a lot of different fronts. And we believe that people can make mistakes and recover from them, but there are certain mistakes or repeated actions that I cannot in good faith turn a blind eye from, because it also creates an internal unsafe environment. Esports Insidersat down with Nicole LaPointe Jameson, CEO of Evil Geniuses, to discuss the need to change the logo, as well as learnings that have been implemented into this "final phase" of the organisation's rebrand. 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