banner
Advertisement for Russell Hampton
Advertisement for ClubRunner
Advertisement for ClubRunner Mobile
Stories
August 12, 2022 Meeting Preview

Chris Stein

Park Ranger

Our speaker today is Chris Stein.  Chris is a park ranger with the National Park Service.  Chris has served for forty+ years working from the urban jungles of New York City to the tropical rainforests of Samoa.  He's finally come to realize that protecting "the little things that run the world" - our precious pollinators - is one of the most important conservation actions we can take.
Link to attend via Zoom:
 
Notes from August 16th

Jody Hahn - Wisdom Gaming

Jody Hahn, COO of Wisdom Gaming, joined virtually at our Tuesday meeting to detail her journey working with Wisdom Gaming despite no previous gaming experience. She also elaborated on the Esports industry itself and the future of Esports. Wisdom Gaming is a gaming company specializing in esports production, content creation, tournament organization, design, and strategic brand activation. Wisdom Gaming has a diverse team of experienced esports minds that offer production services, tournament organization, and marketing strategy for brands passionate about establishing their legacy in esports and gaming. Wisdom Gaming’s 18,000 square feet gaming and esports venue is located on the fourth floor of Mall of America, which houses e-sport gaming events throughout the year. The location also features a bar, lounge, and live broadcasting studio. Jody described Esports as online gaming in the spectator sport kind of way, similar to professional sports. Esports is a highly competitive international sport, often taking the form of organized, multiplayer video game competitions, particularly between professional players, individually or as teams. Esports is not just professional play, what most people don't know is that there are well over 50 people behind the scenes helping it happen. Wisdom Gaming helps with the behind the scenes. Jody also provided some fascinating statistics about the Esports industry. There are around 3.24 billion players, 360 million players in the US. It has a market value of 1.4 billion, and is projected to be over 11.6 billion in upcoming years, showing an enormous change in growth. Players generate revenue through sponsorships by wearing brands or logos of such sponsors. Future trends look positive for Esports, as there continues to be rapid growth globally. Finally, she shared that inconsistencies in player contracts, monetization issues, and money failing to translate into meaningful revenue are few reasons why she considers Esports the wild west industry. Esports is complicated, often with a multitude of industries colliding into one. Despite initially knowing nothing about gaming and esports, Jody’s leadership, skills, and passion for Wisdom Gaming have contributed greatly to the success of this company and their team. She loves the Esports industry and continues to feel challenged by its potential and growing nature. The Esports industry is new, fun, exciting, and Jody is proud to be a part of it.
Duty Roster 7/18/2023
 
Greeter: Nathan Nyren
Inspiration: Patrick Donohue
Check In: Bob Starr
Door Prize: Blake Cadwallader
     
Please support these 2023--2024 Rotary Sponsors