Category: Esports

As the e-sports landscape continues to evolve, several veteran organizations are leading the industry into new territory. And at the center of that is Craig Levine, CEO of ESL North America, the world’s largest e-sports company. A longtime gamer, Levine in 2002 founded Team 3D, one of the first professional e-sports teams. He also co-founded ESS Agency, an event marketing and technology company. In 2014, ESS was acquired by Turtle Entertainment to expand the North American footprint of ESL, a company whose live events are becoming some of the largest in the industry. In this interview, Levine discusses the state of e-sports, the…

Nick Horbaczewski learned a number of things about growing a sport and building a loyal fan base at Tough Mudder from 2013–2015, serving in roles that included chief revenue officer and senior vice-president of revenue and business development. But in 2015, he took those skills and turned his attention to drones, founding the Drone Racing League. The league features pilots controlling drones at 80 mph on courses that wind their way through checkpoints in some considerably nontraditional venues. And quickly, the league and the sport have taken off. The first season of five races aired on ESPN in 2016 and the next season begins in June…