Tech Esports

August 2017 - September 2019

Past Titles: Social media, photographer, videographer, on-camera host, caster, Student-Athlete, Marketing Team Head, Chief Marketing Officer

Joining Tech Esports

At my orientation in Summer 2017, I was told by the Dean of Journalism to email the club president at the time, Clay Vass. After coming into contact with him to become an esports show host and caster for the club, he told me that the Tech Esports club was actually being re-formed, and they needed a social media guy. I agreed, despite not having any prior social media experience.

Creating the Social Media Pages

I created the Tech Esports social media pages on Twitter and Instagram in August 2017. My initial posts were rough, to say the least.

At the time, the social media pages took a backseat to the project I really wanted to complete, The Esports Report with TTU COMC club Heads Up Display.

Early Esports Success: Fall 2017

In my first semester as Social Media Head at Tech Esports was capped off with a Hearthstone National Championship and a stellar performance from our PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds team.

As a club, we settled on our first logo, which a friend of mine drew up for us.

I also edited Tech Esports first-ever semester hype video. My editing experience was poor, and I learned a lot by editing this video and the one after it in 2018.

Becoming a team player: Spring 2018

As my first semester at Texas Tech came to a close, I fell in love with Overwatch, and I was determined to try out and make the Overwatch main roster at Tech Esports. After three failed tryouts, my hard work paid off as I became the substitute for Texas Tech Overwatch.

Later that semester, I conceptualized and coordinated our first-ever Texas Showdown event, which aimed to showcase Texas Tech’s Overwatch team prior to the Houston Outlaws and Dallas Fuel Overwatch League match. While we failed to secure a team from Texas, as well as losing, the event was a hit with fans and club members.

Outside of Overwatch, we expanded the club considerably, and we merged with Tech LoL, the League of Legends club and team on campus. The merger was made official during the Fall 2018 semester.

This was also the final time I would ever edit a semester hype video. This one was better received than the first one I made.

This video showed our new branding, as we shifted our social media hashtag from the messy “We are lubbock’s team” branding to “#StriveForEsports”. This branding better reflected our clubs growth and our ultimate end goal of having Texas Tech adopt esports as a varsity sport.

First Major LAN appearance and National Recognition: Fall 2018

Using what I had learned from the previous school year, I refined and got way better at our social media presence, improving posting, graphic design, and video editing.

We were invited to our first-ever live LAN event, OP Live Dallas, supported by the Dallas Fuel. Being underdogs for the event, we surprised many, and we placed in the Top 4 in the tournament.

I filmed and edited a hype video just for this event, and it was well received within our community and by our fans.

At the event, I was tasked with being the club’s liaison, being the only non-team member to travel with the team. Between driving to and from Irving, staying with the players, coordinating itineraries, and watching the boys play, this event changed my life, and made me want to pursue esports marketing for my career.

I became a part of Tech Esports first Quake Champions team shortly after being brought on by Myztro Gaming. I assisted in the creation of the team’s first hype video, and some of my best plays were included.

At our first major LAN event in October 2018, dubbed HalLANWeen 2018, I created graphics, assisted with the event itself, and took home my first ever esports trophy, winning first in the Quake Champions Admin Duels tournament.

A New Era: Rebranding and Creating a new image for Tech Esports.

During the Fall 2018 semester, I communicated with and enlisted the help of multiple artists to create a brand-new, professional logo for Tech Esports. We settled on a Houston-Based artist and commissioned a logo from him.

To announce the new logo, we created a week-long Alternate Reality Game to unveil our brand-new logo. I edited a video and posted the end results on YouTube and Social Media. The new logo was very well received and continues to be used by the club to this day.

Expanding and Growing: Spring 2019

Tech Esports expanded and grew a ton during the Spring 2019 semester. We focused on community building, and we held our first In-Person Meetings, which were big hits.

With the help of our Overwatch captains and Executives, I helped recruit top-tier Overwatch members to join our team for the Fall 2019 season, which helped us a ton later on.

We made an appearance at the first Overwatch League Homestand in Dallas that April, and I connected with a ton of current friends as well as members of other collegiate esports clubs.

Marketing Reloaded: Fall 2019

After the Spring 2019 semester, I was informed that I would become the Chief Marketing Officer at Tech Esports, an executive. Over the summer, I hatched a plan, and I assembled a superteam of content creators, video editors, photographers, and more to start the first Content Team, later named the Marketing Team at Tech Esports.

Many of the people who were on that team I either currently work with, or have used their experiences to make it into the job market.

I directed our Overwatch Team’s roster reveal, edited by the awesome Skyler Reeder.

We were invited to our second ever LAN event, Battle4Texas, this time hosted by UT Arlington Esports, at The Esports Stadium in Arlington. Our Overwatch Team excelled expectations, making it to the top of their group with a landmark win over UT Dallas.

This tournament helped me find my current social media style, and I honed my photography and film skills.

During the event, I was shouted out multiple times by the casters and staff for being the most hyped fan there.

Team team ended the tournament in 4th place, a solid showing. This event made me want to do esports even more than the last.

I was also announced to be on the starting lineup for a varsity team for the first time in my career. I was the main flank for Texas Tech’s Apex Legends team.

Departure from the club

On September 29th, 2019, after a ton of deliberation and discussions, I decided to step down as Chief Marketing Officer at Tech Esports. I wanted to focus on my professional career and put all my effort into my job as Social Media Manager at Rec Sports, as well as Myztro Gaming. As a founder of the club, the decision was very difficult. I stayed a member of the club until December 31, 2019, when my player contracts expired for the Apex and Quake teams, and past then, I became a standard member of the club.

Tech Esports was my avenue into what I wanted to do with my life. Tech Esports is still a club I’m very passionate about, and I’m glad that they’re still finding success to this day without my involvement. If it weren’t for Tech Esports, I wouldn’t be where I am now, and I wouldn’t have the opportunities I do at this time in my life. I am forever grateful for the opportunity I had, and for the members and leaders that took faith in me to do a good job, and I wish the club and it’s leaders nothing but the absolute best.

So, where do we go from here?

I used my experience from Tech Esports to become a leader, creative, and marketing professional at Myztro Gaming, Raider Riot, and TTU Rec Sports. Check out those pages to see how I’ve grown!