Industry knowledge
I have developed a strong understanding of the games industry through my work and personal interest. I cover news daily as a journalist, and I have worked directly with gaming communities as a community manager.
I also play games myself, including new releases (both AAA and indie) and live-service titles. Live-service, in particular, is a large part of my experience, so I'm familiar with content cycles, player tendencies, publisher messaging, communication strategies, and how they compare across multiple games.
Media relations
As a games journalist, I worked alongside PR teams and publishers to coordinate embargoes, interviews, previews, and reviews, building strong relationships. Working with PR gave me a better understanding of what makes good communication and helped me identify gaps in the industry.
To deepen my understanding of PR, I also spoke with industry experts across multiple game publishers and PR agencies. This gave me insight into building PR strategy and capitalizing on elements unique to the games industry.
Education
Bachelor of Arts with Honours Esports, First Class (2020-2023)
In July 2023, I graduated from Staffordshire University with a First Class award for a Bachelor of Arts with Honours degree in Esports. The course is a mix of business, event management, and marketing studies linked to the video game industry.
During this course, I researched Riot Games and its content marketing approach for esports to break down how the publisher can convert the casual playerbase. Two years after graduation, the research was published in the Press Start academic journal.
My second university project was to develop a marketing strategy for a hypothetical Overwatch event, covering branding, target audience, sponsorships, PR, and advertising.