We doubled down when we actually found out from an empirically built roster that roster also included both women and men. And so we did have to remove some players later last year, around similar claims, its a process, right? So when we have to, as we do, have to pivot, change our course, throw something out and go in the complete opposite direction, we have a diligent framework of why we did what we did, so we know how to course-correct when that has to happen 19 times a day. Entertainment and the sports space stopped. Nicole E Lapointe, age 48 View Full Report Address:***** Lynores Way, Plano, TX. Its a fantastic organization focused on creating and maintaining an inclusive hub for women in the gaming space. Following a spike in interest during the pandemic, esports is projected to nearly double in revenue by 2022. At the time, the 25-year-old investor had scant experience running a gaming organization, but since her appointment, the esports. You cant be all things to all people. Nicole LaPointe Jameson does, but she made it so much cooler when she rose to a final-level boss in the industry. Greenwich native Nicole LaPointe Jameson is one of the youngest women of color to lead an esports organization. But it was very iconoclastic to what had been done and really pushed the envelope on a lot of different fronts. 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. You are a very good CEO. See you again soon, Brazil! Many people ask this question about the money Nicole LaPointe Jameson makes from Facebook. So I was glad to be one of the catalysts of forceful disruption in this space. Here, and almost everywhere in digital, it seems like the core thing rarely makes the money itself. Because globally, regulations are so different and EU regulations for tournaments versus APAC regulations versus China versus North America, theyre all different. [8][11], LaPointe Jameson was featured in the 2020 Forbes 30 Under 30 under the games category. Right. EG used to be the best team in the world for Halo. Evil Geniuses team players are, in terms of global rankings, the top 30 professional esports players in the world, organization leaders said. So how do we navigate this situation thereof? But like the esports industry, she said Greenwich needs more diversity of thought and support. I started at EG with eight people; we just hit 150 people that fall under that vision as well, and like to support that space, so its been good for us. After its acquisition by PEAK6 Investment in May 2019, the twenty-six-year-old company Evil Geniuses, including Nicole LaPointe Jameson's appointment (from PEAK6) as CEO, has initiated a rebrands program that first examined but eventually concluded. Hard shot at Ohio from Nicole LaPointe Jameson. Its people making videos. Its almost a due diligence process in itself to know what developers are supporting the league in a way that helps brands grow. So we can pull players from across the world, but were a US company. AdWeeks 2021 Most Powerful Women in Sports, The Roots 100 Most Influential African Americans in 2020, Sports Business Journal Esports Tech Innovation Award. 2022 Summit. So we took this super seriously, it, again, is a cost investment that Im lucky that I have investors to financially support, because I do believe that is needed for us to continue to do well in the long term, even if theres a short-term financial implication. Gamer. 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. So on behalf of the "shitty new" LCS team. And why do people become fans of sports teams that you traditionally see on traditional sports broadcasts? So, franchising is interesting to us, because it gives a revenue share, we get part of broadcast rights and revenue, part of league sponsorship rights and revenue, as well as then we can sell our own direct sponsorships against it too. Thank you for having me. So what had not just resulted from that in the removal was, we do social media audits and deeper background checks with all of our hires, not just staff, but also players. 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. For those who dont know, whats an esports company? So they have to be of the legal working age, they have to have certain hours, the minimum wage requirements, versus we sometimes compete against Chinese teams; are you 12 or are you 16? If esports is only a certain demographic of people, the space is screwed. Evil Geniuses CEO Nicole LaPointe Jameson wanted to emphasize that the new Valorant roster was not put together with diversity in mind. I want to end with where youre increasing revenue. Theres also a more negative construct, right? And that has been an excellent plug-and-play for us, that we didnt realize that would be as lucrative as an entire business line as it has been, and so were going deeper into that area. Inside of those contracts, youre saying were going to own a percentage of all the deals that happen around here. Nicole LaPointe Jameson (born April 11, 1994) [1] is an American businesswoman currently serving as the CEO of esports organization Evil Geniuses . I wont shy away: The fact that me coming in as CEO was so big due to just my identity is disappointing its 2021, to be honest but not surprising, especially if you look at the North American esports player, right? If you had teams that were run by previous players, they dont know better. Its inherently this de-location. Its a hard challenge. And heres what they look like, and heres who they are, and lets support them. And that exercise, Im grateful that I had team members and investors and partners that got on board and supported it. 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. News 2022 Video 2021 Video Podcast Photo Gallery. Its in alignment to our league partners, like what are they trying to achieve and where are goals that we can co-help together, as well as what sticks to my shareholders values, my investors values, and our corporate strategy. People always give me a lot of shit for that too, like, Your merch sucks. And Im like, Im sorry, I dont care.. It also has a team of professional esports players who are among the best in the world, she said. One of them is traditional sports, except think of us like a university athletics department. The biggest problem we face is breaking down the perception of gamers are alt-right dudes in a basement. Its not. Nicole LaPointe Jameson, CEO, EVIL GENIUSES. Whats the word Im looking for? Many ancient pipes in CT aren't up to the task of draining storm water, yet officials just seem to shrug. Right. Its a very different human rights regime. Just in two years, right, we are a tech and gaming company that is 52 percent female leadership and management positions. For example, at the University of Connecticut, athletes compete in basketball, hockey and baseball, among other traditional sports. It tends to be May to June and May to June versus Jan to Jan. And COVID has reshuffled quite a bit of traditional sports or athletics or club or intramural budgets into things like esports programming. In May 2019, LaPointe Jameson took over as CEO of storied but fading esports outfit, Evil Geniuses. I can personally say, even as a team owner, more broad-facing incumbent providers in the agency, the sports infrastructure, even like sports science and wellness, please enter the space. And its hard because I have a lot of people at EG who intrinsically, deeply, deeply care and theyre like, Well, we have a platform, lets say something. Big thanks to the fabulous and patient @frenzystudio_ for their help with conceptualizing my brand, and @alexaftw for bringing my voice to life! They havent nailed the sports side, though. Its usually family, or I was born in a location, or I live in a location, so Im a fan of the locations team. Lets pull API data of the best-ranked players in the world. Or is it to make us look good? About the Summit Why Attend Honorees Careers FAQs. We want to keep it objective, so we bring in third-party investigators to due-diligence the situation. It wasnt all this team to do this function for this marketing purpose, it was very much [that we] threw all the books out the window and said, This is the best team we think that can compete based on our methodology. 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. Many people ask about the amount of money Nicole LaPointe Jameson makes from Instagram. 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. The two will pull back the curtain on how esports organizations are run at the professional level and how fans and brands can get involved in the truly global phenomenon. 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. When I came into the space, I was nervous. 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. What types of activations do we do? You cant operate player salaries that look akin to pro athlete salaries. We were one of the first esports teams to have multilingual content creation. So that agency roster scouting play, I think, is an untapped area we might want to tap into. Evil Geniuses boasts sponsorships from Monster Energy, Xfinity, AMD and Twitch among others. To make sure we could bring in the best of whatever talent and break down those barriers to reasonable things that should be accommodated. Playing games was how I could socialize, and bring collective entertainment, or meet others, said LaPointe Jameson, who had a leg deformity as a child and often missed out on recess and outdoor activities with her peers. Owning the Lakers is just a lucrative proposition because the Lakers play basketball, and people buy tickets, and youll sell the rights, and you can just do it that way. LaPointe Jameson said she acquired offices globally, while building international training centers and forging partnerships and contracts for the business. This is very much an investment story. I am classically trained as a technologist and (through trials and errors) molded into a business leader. Theyre so good at entertainment. I think theres a lot of room to grow. And thats our biggest revenue stream. That was definitely one of the scarier elements for me, like, How do I navigate this space? Historically, gaming has been very cliquey. Of course, EG [is a] Seattle, Pacific Northwest, esports team, which is great. Evil Geniuses is a competitive video games team. That is probably the biggest either plus to the space, or thorn in my side, depending on the day and which developer. They are trying to pitch a huge tent to get money from everybody. 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. 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. Jokes on me, I was told about two weeks before the investment closed, converting to more of an acquisition, I should be rolling in to help kind of spearhead the business and really figure out the space of esports, as it had not been well figured out, especially when I had entered two years ago. What are resources you have to help if you ever feel uncertain, as well as even staff and management crisis and de-escalation training. Because if you ask me, at the end of the day, my athletes are athletes, and its great. Evil Geniuses has a stronger digital and social media presence, reaching around 70 million people each month, she said. Its the education component of why being an infrastructure business and being legitimately supported for very short-term gains-focused youth, which tends to be our athletes is harder for us to navigate and manage. And Id always loved gaming, Ive always been a personal fan of the space. You can find a collection of my speaking engagements, media moments, a way to connect with me on shared passions, topics, and more! All Rights Reserved. And so you do have lots of law firms now, and agencies, and marketing people. Many shows depict an awkward tension when a suit from the firm suddenly takes over a growing company. She worked with several distressed asset businesses for five years before coming across Evil Geniuses, which she described as a "diamond in the rough. And there are parts that are just totally new. And so there is a balance, right? And if you include mobile gaming, more people play games than not. 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. Jobs Number of Current Jobs 1 But also its a true legal and financial stickiness in support to make the product viable, right? We just started setting up our Asia and Russia-based social media infrastructure. Because weve carved our system and infrastructure and networks and who we partner with very carefully, to ensure we can bring in the best of the best, no matter where they come from or what they look like.. That also exists in esports. So, okay, its a big number. Is it neutral or is it negative to these causes? Its an exciting year for us as live events, were hoping, will come back by the end of this year, and well have some very nice big activations, coupling our tournaments. The predominantly male esports industry has a reputation of toxic, harassing and bullying behavior toward women players. Definitely something were looking at. So now Im going to play the role of the private equity investor and say, how are you growing revenues to justify that massive increase in costs? Or is that just growing slowly alongside? Thanks for calling me out. 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. 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. When I had entered EG, we were just the former. They usually say, Okay, take a coach whos been in the space for a long time. Evil Geniuses, a more than 20-year-old company, helped to shape the esports industry, she said. Nicole LaPointe Jameson is a chief executive officer at Evil Geniuses. Nicole LaPointe Jameson is able to share great insight on what it takes to lead an esports organization around the I dont think anyones done it perfectly yet. @omgitspotter is the first female coach to win an international #VCT series. The relationships vary from, were deep in the weeds of how does the competitive structure look and we collaborate very tactically together, to me getting kicked out of boardrooms being called a rent seeker like, theyre far and few in between with relations. When you say that leads to different back-end decisions, pull that apart. And shes super into Vogue and fashion. The original Pokmon TCG base set is coming back as a trio of premium decks, MLS opening weekend on Apple TV points to an expensive future for sports streaming, Ted Lasso is extra feel-good in its official season 3 trailer. Aug 6, 2022 171 Dislike Share Save BuzzFeed Multiplayer 9.78M subscribers Nicole LaPointe Jameson, the CEO of esports organization Evil Geniuses , sat down with BuzzFeed to talk about the. We also care a lot about the voice of our fans and our community, because we are, again, an entertainment product. 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. I wish I had a better and more shiny answer for you, but it definitely resonates. The collegiate is interesting because education budgets or university budgets, they follow a different fiscal year. Moreover, fraudsters tend to set their sights on small businesses At the heart of it all, I'm building a winning brand that reflects gaming culture's diverse, vibrant audience. But that also fuels our purpose and at EG (Evil Geniuses). In her spare time, she enjoys skiing, yoga, Zumba and live music events. We have to manage their balance because unlike just content creators or other esports teams that fully focus on the entertainment side, we blend both. So if you had told my 10-year-old self, Hey, youre going to work in gaming later, I wouldnt have believed you, but very, very happy to have landed where I did. But because we are an entertainment product, we can create value proposition through our brand. Youre deciding to make that investment, do you think youre going to get a 10x return on that investment just from playing the game? And we lean into the Evil Genius side of our brand identity. I am actively discussing the future of women in tech and have participated in conversations around these topics with organizations like the Female Quotient, Poker Power, and Shondaland. Can you just take a step back and . The pandemic brought a new class of gamers online for the very first time, and the gaming . For this weeks 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, and where she sees growth. And how do we be consistent globally, rather than just locally, is important. @DeputyARUUU Wait @omegafattyacid1 I want you to train me for a day. Its a bit more junior, where every person really has a voice and matters, still, in esports. At that time, esports was becoming popular from a mainstream capital allocation point of view. Thats a very different legal regime. @Pimp_CSGO Come to Seattle, meet the EG army (& Valve ), RT @AndyyyBarton: 7-2 to end the first round robin! But its not always safe; its not always tolerant to me or any other minority by whatever way you slice the pie, she said. Nicole LaPointe Jameson. And we like to celebrate that because, at the end of the day, these are the best athletes. "Part of the esports problem. Theres the positive side of your mission, what you support, what you say, what you donate to. Whereas here, theres less sort of cultural awareness and fame. 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