First hire for New York's first franchised esports team. As the Head of Events and Business Development, I hired the team, built our events business, and secured sponsorships for our program.
NYXL was New York's Overwatch League franchise owned by Jeff Wilpon. When I walked in the door I was greeted by excited sports execs and investment bankers who believed they were on the bleeding edge of a movement. I was given a great deal of autonomy in shaping our early decisions as an org, including being allowed to hand-pick some of our first hires.
Role
Head of Events & BD
Company
NYXL
Duration
2018 – 2019
Scope
First Hire to Department Lead
The league structure made it extraordinarily difficult for our owners to monetize their investment. There were strict rules around merchandising and the league wanted to enforce profit sharing across all teams. We had to find creative ways to build revenue despite the constraints.
Built a merchandising arm with major NYC streetwear brand collaborations despite league restrictions.
Created a vibrant and thriving event ecosystem for New York gamers.
Secured 6+ figure deals with HP Omen and T-Mobile plus various smaller collaborations across our team, events, and apparel.
Hand-picked early hires and helped shape the org's founding decisions.
We ran one of the most competitive Overwatch teams in the entire league and were one of the most successful teams at securing major brand deals.