Georgia Esports
News and Announcements
Skillshot Media Launches Event Venues Atlanta
Skillshot Media
,
October 15, 2024
Skillshot Media now represents and activates over 100,000 square feet of premium and accessible space in Atlanta for live events, studio production, and live-streamed productions.

Resurgens Gaming, North America’s leading gaming lifestyle and media company, today announced Event Venues Atlanta, over 100,000 square feet of experiential and production space across Metro Atlanta available for booking and event management services via its production division Skillshot Media.

The expanded event booking and management footprint includes:

  • multiple premium spaces at Uptown Atlanta, the Fulton County transit-oriented development straddling the intersection of Buckhead and Midtown, 
  • purpose designed production studio spaces in Doraville, and 
  • additional locations to be announced in 2025.

“Since the pandemic, we’ve noticed a significant increase in demand for live event spaces equipped with high-speed internet, superior audio/visual capabilities, and comprehensive event management services.”, said Resurgens Gaming CEO Todd Harris.  “People are eager to gather for live events, but there is also a growing remote audience that seeks an experience more engaging and compelling than a typical Zoom call. Additionally, our booking and activation requests in Atlanta are on the rise, especially with the city set to host eight World Cup games."

Resurgens Gaming and their venue partners have invested over $5M in production equipment and infrastructure to ensure the spaces represented by Skillshot Media deliver an exceptional high fidelity experience both on site and online.

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News and Announcements
Skillshot Media and Ghost Gaming launch collegiate esports program across the state of Georgia in support of competition and careers
Skillshot Media
,
April 18, 2024
The Georgia Esports League, organized in partnership with the Georgia Department of Economic Development and the Georgia Film Academy, is a statewide collegiate league, academic curriculum pathway, and workforce development platform to help students get a job in gaming, esports, and digital entertainment.

College students at the Skillshot esports analyst desk comment on the Georgia Esports League competition between rivals Georgia Tech and the University of Georgia in the game Rocket League.

Skillshot Media, a leading esports production company, and Ghost Gaming, the Atlanta-based professional esports and lifestyle organization, today announced a partnership with the Georgia Department of Economic Development, Georgia Film Academy, and founding partner universities across Georgia to launch the Georgia Esports League (GEL).

The league is the nation’s first comprehensive statewide initiative covering esports competition, curriculum, and workforce development to serve the videogame, esports, and digital entertainment industry.

The announcement comes at a time of increasing live esports event activity across the state. In May Skillshot, EsportsU, and the Collegiate Sports Management Group (CSMG) produced the Collegiate Esports Commissioner’s Cup (CECC), the largest ever national collegiate esports live event, at Gateway Arena in College Park Georgia which delivered a $1.7 million local economic impact. This October Riot Games will bring the Worlds 2022 League of Legends semifinals to State Farm Arena, and in November the global gaming festival Dreamhack returns to the Georgia World Congress Center with an expected attendance of over 40,000.

The Georgia Esports League, open to all 2-year and 4-year colleges in Georgia, will offer numerous titles starting with Rocket League, which is played across Georgia in middle school, and high school as a sanctioned varsity sport. It is also played at the collegiate and professional level. Atlanta-based Ghost Gaming has a top professional Rocket League team. The tournament platform provider and sponsor for the 2022-2023 season of Rocket League is UGC

“Esports is education,” said Todd Harris CEO of Skillshot Media and Ghost Gaming. “We’re excited to build out skill development that goes well beyond just playing games. Our partnerships in Georgia allow us to engage with students starting in middle school with STEAM exposure and social-emotional learning all the way through college competition to careers playing esports professionally, becoming a gaming creator on YouTube or Twitch, or working in the broader game and digital entertainment industry behind the scenes as a programmer, artist or designer.”

GEL Final matches will be produced and live-streamed by Skillshot out of their newly announced Atlanta esports campus, with students involved in every aspect of the production.

“Gaming and digital entertainment are key industry initiatives for Georgia,”, said Asante Bradford of the Department of Georgia Economic Development. “The Georgia Esports League will help attract college students across our state to this growing industry, so we can continue to fill the jobs posted by the many tech and digital media companies relocating to Georgia.”

Georgia has seen a host of gaming and tech companies announce major expansions in the last 12 months including a Microsoft corporate campus on 90 acres of land on the west side of Atlanta, Meta’s data-center expansion in Georgia valued at $42 billion, and Google’s 500,000 square-foot expansion in Midtown Atlanta. More broadly, the global corporate and VC investment into metaverse companies was over $120 billion in the first half of 2022 according to a McKinsey and Company report. The metaverse industry is projected to reach $5 Trillion by 2030, with a $108 - $125 billion impact specific to the videogame industry.

Georgia is leading this new digital entertainment economy, building off the success of the film industry, which saw a direct spend of $4 billion dollars in Georgia last year. A key partner for the newly announced Georgia Esports League is the Georgia Film Academy, which has already trained over 10,000 Georgians through 28 public universities and technical colleges.

“Building off our success in film, Georgia’s next workforce initiative is gaming, esports, and digital entertainment”, said Jeff Stepakoff, Executive Director of the Georgia Film Academy. “We are thrilled to partner with industry experts Skillshot Media and Ghost Gaming to build out the curriculum, deliver hands-on experiences with industry tools, and engage students via Georgia Esports League competition, events, and live-streaming. Georgia now has a full ecosystem around the world’s fastest evolving creative economy.”
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Skillshot Media and Ghost Gaming Join Forces to Create Resurgens Gaming, the Southeast's Largest Gaming Media Platform
Skillshot Media
,
April 18, 2024

The two independent companies have merged under an Atlanta ownership group but will continue to operate under their existing and separate brands.

  • Skillshot Media, which experienced revenue growth of over 50% in 2021, will continue to focus on B2B esports services including consulting for brands, live-stream broadcasting, event production, and workforce development for the $170 billion video game industry.  

  • Ghost Gaming, which grew its social media audience from 8 million to 32 million in 2021, will continue to foster B2C home market fandom with professional esports teams and gaming content creators representing Atlanta in the most popular games including Rocket League, Valorant, Apex Legends, and Fortnite.

Together, as Resurgens Gaming, the companies seek to provide a turnkey solution for partners wanting to leverage gaming and gaming media to authentically reach and support the passionate Millennial and Gen-Z audience across the Southeast.

Experienced Industry Leadership

Under the Resurgens Gaming ownership group, longtime gaming executive Todd Harris has been named CEO of both Ghost Gaming and Skillshot Media.

Nabil Ismail, an executive at Hi-Rez Studios for 11 years before co-founding Skillshot, will become President of Skillshot Media.

Andrew Steinberg, former Chief Business Officer of the Atlanta Hawks and currently Managing Partner of Phoenix Capital Ventures (PCV), has been appointed as Chair of the Board for the combined entity.

“I’m thrilled that the combined capabilities of Skillshot and Ghost Gaming allow us to even better serve both gamers and partners in this region, starting with the Uptown campus in Buckhead and with ambitious regional expansion goals,” Harris said.  “Our vision is to foster a diverse but united community through gaming.  The choice of Atlanta as our home city is very intentional in support of this mission."

Regional Destination for Esports

Resurgens Gaming will be based at Uptown Atlanta, a one-million square foot mixed-use project in Buckhead, which is being redeveloped by Rubenstein Partners. Ghost Gaming will open a team headquarters and esports academy next to the recently opened Skillshot Media studio at Uptown. The combined esports campus footprint now includes a state-of-the-art esports production studio, studio set, competitive areas for team scrimmaging and practice, content creation, a classroom where gaming and esports classes are taught for college credit in partnership with the Georgia Film Academy. Additionally, Skillshot will host live esports events within Uptown’s 35,000-square-foot office atrium, which is equipped with digital infrastructure, a massive LED screen, video gaming equipment, golf simulator, coffee shop and wine bar, fitness center and second-story conference space.

“We designed Uptown to be a highly connected hub for innovation, creativity and global experiences,” said Mahesh Mani, senior vice president, asset management at Rubenstein Partners. “Working with Skillshot Media and Ghost Gaming to cement Uptown as a major esports gaming destination is exactly the kind of future-forward experience we want to provide to the Atlanta community. We are excited to begin hosting esports events at Uptown this year, as we work to complete construction on this transformative project.”

The esports hub comes as part of Rubenstein’s reimagination of Uptown into an activated, hyper-accessible mixed-use community. Construction to revitalize Main Street is underway, which includes the addition of outdoor patios for dining that spill into the sidewalks, punched out office balconies that create indoor/outdoor spaces for office tenants and connection with the street-level energy, as well as new building facades that incorporate steel, glass and fresh paint to create a warm and inviting patchwork of buildings that exude character and personality.

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Skillshot Media to Launch Esports Gaming Hub at Uptown Atlanta
Skillshot Media
,
April 18, 2024

Formerly known as Lindbergh City Center, mixed-use development re-emerges as the epicenter of esports in Atlanta, a city ranked #1 for its gaming environment

ATLANTA  — Skillshot Media, a leading turnkey esports provider based in Atlanta, today announced plans to create a highly connected esports gaming hub at Uptown Atlanta, the 47-acre mixed-use community being redeveloped by Rubenstein Partners, L.P. (together with its affiliates, “Rubenstein”). Skillshot will relocate its Alpharetta office and production studios to Uptown and partner with Rubenstein to establish Atlanta’s new go-to destination for esports events. Skillshot’s new space will also provide classroom and training space for local students.

Located within Uptown, Skillshot’s space will serve as a production studio, collaborative learning center and retail space. At the ground level, Skillshot is working with Rubenstein to program the 35,000-square-foot office atrium to become Atlanta’s premier venue for esports events. The atrium will be outfitted to host approximately 300-400 gamers for in-person events and feature a massive LED screen with new digital infrastructure to support live streaming to millions of gamers around the world.

Skillshot will be working with industry leading gaming partners in the build-out of the facility. HyperX, the brand leader in gaming and esports peripherals, was named the official peripheral partner of Skillshot at Uptown. As part of the collaboration, HyperX will outfit Skillshot with a range of products, including best-in-class headsets, keyboards, mice and microphones.

Skillshot’s plans for Uptown come as part of the growth and momentum of the esports and gaming industry in Atlanta. Notably, Atlanta is recognized as the #1 city for its gaming environment, and in 2019, the gaming industry contributed $925 million dollars in economic impact to the State of Georgia. In addition, the State’s favorable tax incentives for the esports industry have created an incredible opportunity for expansion, positioning Skillshot and Uptown as the frontrunners in this booming, highly competitive arena.

"With this partnership, Skillshot at Uptown becomes the Metro Atlanta hub for digital media, gaming, and esports," said Todd Harris, CEO of Skillshot Media. "The Rubenstein vision for Uptown as a high-tech and high energy mixed-use environment is a perfect match with Skillshot Media’s aspiration to foster community engagement with gaming. The gaming industry, at $180 billion, is bigger than movies and North American sports combined. Skillshot and Uptown are now well-positioned to serve this massive and broad gaming ecosystem with support for student workforce training, professional esports teams, studio content and broadcasting, and hosting live gaming events."

Skillshot is aligned with the Atlanta Esports Alliance, a private 501(c)6 division of the Atlanta Sports Council (ASC), the group responsible for securing bids for large-scale sporting events like the Olympics, Superbowl and FIFA World Cup. Skillshot Founder and CEO Todd Harris serves as one of the local business leaders in the esports ecosystem working to further metro Atlanta’s position as a global leader in the space.

Skillshot is also partnered with the University System of Georgia and the Georgia Film Academy to offer students workforce development programs for college credit. Skillshot will host its first classes for Georgia State University students at Uptown on August 17, offering credit in Digital Media, Esports Event Production, and Esports Hosting and Commentary.

“Skillshot Media’s new production studio and learning center will be a game changer in Georgia as the state’s esports ecosystem continues to grow and thrive,” said Asante Bradford, the Georgia Department of Economic Development’s Senior Industry Engagement Manager, Center of Innovation – IT. “I look forward to seeing the opportunities Skillshot’s collaborative partnership with both the University System of Georgia and the Georgia Film Academy creates for the next generation of software developers and gamers.”

In addition to the digital infrastructure and LED screen, the renovated office atrium will feature a slew of new amenities, including a gaming center with video game equipment, a golf simulator, bocce ball and foosball; a coffee shop and wine bar; second-story conference space; and state-of-the-art fitness center. The reimagined office atrium comes as part of Rubenstein’s redevelopment of Uptown into a modern mixed-use destination.

“The atrium is the nerve center of Uptown’s reimagined office experience – seamlessly integrated into the vibrant and energetic mixed-use environment that surrounds it and equipped with an incredible selection of high-tech amenities,” said Taylor Smith, Regional Director of the Southeast at Rubenstein. “Skillshot brings an unmatched level of esports expertise and ingenuity to Uptown and this partnership signals an exciting opportunity for the future of digital innovation in Atlanta. Together, we will build upon the undeniable impact of the gaming industry and create a forward-thinking, creative hub for the community.”

Rubenstein, alongside its design partners ASD|SKY and Gensler, is driving the transformation of the transit-oriented property into a hyper-accessible hub of activity for office workers, residents and the community. Redevelopment plans are focused on revitalizing the destination and providing the community with vibrant restaurants and retail, enhanced connectivity with recreational trails and MARTA, modern office amenities and greenspace. Construction is currently underway, with a heavy focus on revamping the streetscape and pedestrian experience along Main Street by adding outdoor patios and office balconies, as well as refreshing building facades.  

Rounding out the redevelopment team, global commercial real estate services firm Cushman & Wakefield is leading office leasing at Uptown, with a focus on recruiting companies who value working in a vibrant, highly connected mixed-use destination. Retail real estate consultant firm Revel is overseeing retail leasing, with plans to introduce a globally inspired mix of restaurants and retailers.

Last fall, Uptown launched a series of community events on The Lawn, the property’s expansive greenspace, to infuse the property with energy and unique experiences such as gnome picnics, artist markets, weekly yoga classes and more. Additionally, The Hambidge Center debuted its Cross Pollination Art Lab at Uptown last October, transforming a 12,000-square-foot space along Piedmont Ave into a series of art galleries, studios and performance spaces.

Once complete, Uptown will encompass nearly one million square feet of office space, 120,000 square feet of retail and a variety of community gathering spaces to bring the best of Atlanta together.

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The Esports Capital of the US? Atlanta’s Claim
Skillshot Media
,
April 18, 2024
Cities will discover that esports is a powerful engine for regional economic development, youth education, and positive social impact.

Here's an overview of the broad esports ecosystem and assets we have developed in Metro Atlanta thanks to decades of industry, partner, policy, and community support!

Healthy Consumer Market?

  • Atlanta is the #1 ranked city for consumer gaming environment

Local Game Developers and Publishers?

  • Hi-Rez Studios: Smite, Paladins, Rogue Company, more
  • Blue Mammoth | Ubisoft: Brawlhalla
  • Tripwire: Chivalry 2, Maneater, Killing Floor, Red Orchestra, more
  • Over 150 other game development studios across the state of Georgia, with industry coordination and support from the Georgia Game Developers Association (GGDA)
  • $900M annual economic impact from the video-game industry in the state of Georgia
  • 12,000 direct and indirect Digital Entertainment jobs in the state of Georgia

Professional Esports Teams?

  • Atlanta Reign: Overwatch
  • Atlanta FaZe: Call of Duty (2021 World Champion)
  • Ghost Gaming: Fortnite, Rocket League, Valorant
  • Hawks Talon: NBA 2K
  • Atlanta United:  FIFA  (2022 eMLS Champion)
  • SMITE Teams: Over 30 salaried pro players in Atlanta across the teams in the Smite Pro League

Endemic gaming peripherals and merchandise?

  • Scuf Gaming/Corsair: Customized & performance-based console controllers
  • KontrolFreek/SteelSeries: Gaming peripherals
  • Skullz: Esports jerseys, performance apparel, and merchandise

Platform companies?

  • Microsoft: Multiple large data centers and the recent purchase of 90-acres at Quarry Yards put Atlanta on the path to become Microsoft’s largest hub in the US outside of Silicon Valley and Puget Sound
  • Google: 150,000 square feet in midtown with intent to expand the office over the next several years

Structure for Youth Esports Competition and Education?

  • Scholastic Esports in K-12 statewide is facilitated and supported via the non-profit Georgia Scholastic Esports Foundation (GSEF)
  • Education standards:  Georgia was the first state to have a Department of Education approved Esports Standard for high school
  • High School: Esports is recognized as a varsity sport by the Georgia High School Association and Georgia was one of the first five states to implement state-sanctioned high school esports.
  • College: Esports is recognized as a varsity college sport with teams and scholarships at Georgia State and other local universities. Over 20 universities participate in the Georgia Esports League

Production Infrastructure?

  • Georgia has 2.1 million square feet in purpose-built stage space and 3.2 million in retrofitted stage and dedicated warehouse space
  • The Film & TV industry spent a record $4B in Georgia in the past 12 months! Despite the pandemic, there were 366 productions safely filmed in Georgia -- including 21 feature films, 45 independent films, 222 television and episodic productions, 57 commercials, and 21 music videos.
  • Recent Georgia-lensed productions include Disney+ and Marvel Studio's "WandaVision," "Loki", and "The Falcon and the Winter Soldier", movies like Warner Bros "The Suicide Squad", HBO's "Lovecraft County", Amazon's The Underground Railroad", Netflix's "Ozark" and "Stranger Things", and the 11th & final season of "The Walking Dead".
  • Growth in virtual sets (aka production pipeline used for "The Mandalorian") including LED-stage virtual production, extended reality (XR) stages, and real-time 4K virtual sets using Unreal Engine.
  • New production centers (aka Skillshot Media) have been purpose-built for the specific needs of esports content production and live esports events

Economic Incentives?

  • State of Georgia transferable tax credit for game development
  • State of Georgia transferable tax credit for production including film & tv and the nation’s best tax credit for esports broadcasting

Technology Workforce?

  • Atlanta has the nation’s highest growth of graduates earning technology-focused degrees
  • Computer Science is required to be taught in high school. Exploratory computer science course required in middle schools (Senate Bill 108)

Diverse Workforce?

  • Undergraduates: Georgia State awards the most bachelor degrees to African Americans in the US
  • Engineering Specific: Georgia Tech awards the most engineering degrees to people of color in the US
  • Atlanta University Center: nation's largest consortium of HBCUs
  • Pharaoh’s Conclave: Using esports to create pathways for meaningful careers and wealth generation for Black and Brown youth

Esports Trained Workforce?

  • In 2019, the University System of Georgia approved college standards, curriculum, and certification in Digital Media, Gaming, and Esports, delivered by the Georgia Film Academy in cooperation with Skillshot Media
  • 21 colleges in the state currently offer game development related degrees
  • In 2021 the Georgia Department of Education approved state-wide standards for esports curriculum (as an elective) in high school

Venues for Gaming, Team Bootcamps, Fan Meet & Greets?

  • MANY, including Axis Replay, Battle & Brew, Skillshot Media, 404 Gaming, Joystick Gamebar, VS Realm Esports, Epic PC Lounge, VR1 Gaming, PLAYlive Nation,

Social Impact?

Too many initiatives to list but a few illustrative examples include:

  • Cxmmunity: Georgia-based non-profit committed to increasing the participation of minorities in esports and gaming through STEAM development. Operates the HBCU Esports League in partnership with Twitch.TV
  • Make-A-Wish Georgia: Extended partnership with local game publishers and esports communities raising money throughout the year to help Wish Kids in Georgia and to grant gaming & esports related wishes
  • Cov-Aid Event: Atlanta esports community joined with Gronk, Ninja, Lil Jon, Waka Flocka, Rascal Flatts, and over 100 other celebrities, athletes, musicians, and gaming influencers for a live-streamed gaming event raising money for COVID-19 relief
  • Gamers.Vote @ InvitationATL: Atlanta esports community leverages gaming & live-streaming to help Georgians participate in democracy -- including an online voter registration drive to register tens of thousand directly from Twitch.TV
  • NASEF: This global non-profit, based in Georgia, is the leading scholastic esports solution for K-12 students, with local affiliates across the US and in 11 other countries. The NASEF mission: Provide opportunities for ALL students to use esports as a platform to acquire critical communication, collaboration, and problem-solving skills needed to thrive in work and in life.

Convenient Destination For Live Events?

  • Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport is the busiest airport in the US (and in a typical non-Covid year, the world)
  • With non-stop service to more than 220 destination cities, Atlanta is the single easiest destination to reach for both competitors and fans
  • There are 170,000 hotel rooms in the state and 25,000 hotel rooms in the Atlanta area.
  • There is hospitality capacity to host the biggest events in traditional sports as demonstrated by hosting the Olympics, multiple Super Bowls, the College Football National Championship, the NCAA Basketball Final Four, and many others. These venues and hospitality assets are leveraged for large global gaming events as well.

History of Events & Attendance?

Annual live gaming events include:

  • Spring: MomoCon since 2005. ~39,000 attend
  • Summer: DragonCon since 1987. ~70,000 attend
  • Fall: Dreamhack Atlanta (& B2B Esports Summit) since 2017. ~39,000 attend
  • Winter: Smite World Championship since 2015. ~4,000 attend

Esports Event Recruiting and Turnkey Hosting?

  • The Atlanta Sports Council is the nation’s first sports commission to recognize esports by creating the Atlanta Esports Alliance (www.atlantaesportsalliance.com), a coalition to facilitate the growth and development of esports in the region.
  • The AEA recruits and can host major regional, national and international esports events.
  • Contact AEA if you are interested in hosting an esports event in our region, partnering with the many existing large esports properties here, or investing in the rapid growth of gaming & esports.
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NACE, NASEF, and Skillshot Media To Host Scholastic Esports Championship This Weekend
Skillshot Media
,
April 18, 2024
The three-day Scholastic Esports Championship culminates the spring competitive season, including high school championships, college championships, additional gaming competitions, and workforce development content supported by partners Microsoft, HyperX, Twitch Student, eHire, and Queens Gaming Collective.

(Atlanta, GA – April 22, 2021) – The National Association of Collegiate Esports (NACE), the North America Scholastic Esports Federation (NASEF), and Skillshot Media will host and broadcast the spring Scholastic Esports Championship between Friday, April 23 and Sunday, April 25, 2021.

“We are thrilled that this event is the first integration of high school and collegiate esports nationally,” said Todd Harris, founder and CEO of Skillshot Media. “We are appreciative of the participation from NACE universities, NASEF high schools, multiple game publishers, and many partners. Beyond showcasing competition across six game titles and three hardware platforms we are emphasizing student education and skill development throughout the event, truly combining playing with learning.”

All competitions and programming will be broadcast in partnership with Twitch Student on twitch.tv/skillshot per the schedule below:

Friday April 23 at 5pm ET:  NASEF (High School)

  • Madden PS4 Championship
  • Madden Xb1 Championship
  • Rocket League Semi-Finals
  • Rocket League Championship

Saturday April 24 at 5pm ET:  NACE (Collegiate Day 1)

  • Madden PS4 Championship
  • Madden Xb1 Championship
  • FIFA PS4 Championship
  • FIFA Xb1 Championship

Saturday April 24 at 5pm ET:  NACE (Collegiate Day 1)

  • Hearthstone Championship
  • CS:Go Championship
  • Fortnite Spring Cup Finals

HyperX is supporting the event by awarding a Cloud series gaming headset to every winning player and team.

“We began the spring season with 227 registered university teams, and it all comes down to this weekend,” said Michael Brooks, executive director of NACE. “The finals will be fiercely contested and we are excited that college coaches can also get a view into up and coming high school talent via this combined event.”

During breaks in the competition, event sponsor eHire and other partners will provide video tips to viewers around securing a job inside and outside of the massive gaming industry.

“The NASEF approach uses esports to build life and career skills,” said Gerald Solomon, founder and executive director of NASEF.  “Events like the Scholastic Esports Championship allow the thousands of high schoolers participating in NASEF clubs to gain insight into college scholarships, and pathways to higher education and employment.”

Added Christie St. Martin from Queens Collective, “At Queens, our goal is to democratize access to gaming and economic opportunity for women worldwide.  We are proud to support the Scholastic Esports Championship and their message of inclusive competition and game-based education for upward mobility.”

Media Contacts:

Skillshot, hi@skillshot.com
Emily Cox, ecox@NACEsports.org
Claire LaBeaux, claire@NASEF.org

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Ghost Gaming Collaborates with Georgia Film Academy and Skillshot Media to Launch Student Esports Path To Pro
Skillshot Media
,
April 18, 2024
Mentoring and internships open additional gaming, esports career opportunities

ATLANTA — March 24, 2021 — Ghost Gaming, the Atlanta-based esports organization and gaming lifestyle brand, has announced its collaboration with the Georgia Film Academy (GFA) and esports production company Skillshot Media to develop Georgia’s workforce for the growing gaming and esports industry.

As a result, Ghost Gaming establishes a relationship with students on Georgia’s public college and university campuses, who are eligible to participate in GFA’s Digital Entertainment, Esports & Game Development Certification.   Each semester the GFA, Ghost Gaming, and Skillshot Media will identify opportunities for students to have additional hands-on exposure and internships.

The collaboration kicks off this Spring 2021 semester, with GFA’s Fundamentals of Esports class, which includes twenty-six students designing and operating an invitational collegiate esports tournament in the popular game Valorant.  Three members of Ghost’s professional Valorant team roster will serve as coaches for the college teams competing in the final match on Thursday, April 8, with GFA students executing the event management, tournament operations, marketing, live-stream production, and on-air hosting and commentary.  

“The GFA is excited to collaborate with Ghost Gaming and Skillshot Media to offer students professional experience and exposure, leading to high-demand careers and the growth of the full eco-system within the digital entertainment, gaming, and esports industries here in Georgia.”  - Jeff Stepakoff, Georgia Film Academy Executive Director

Ghost Gaming has competitive teams and creators in the most popular competitive titles including Fortnite, Rocket-League, Valorant, Call of Duty Warzone and PubG Mobile.

“In relocating Ghost Gaming to Atlanta one key consideration was the availability of talent as we grow.  We’re excited to collaborate with the Georgia Film Academy and Skillshot Media to provide students additional industry learning opportunities and to help fill our own workforce needs” - Andrew Steinberg, Ghost Managing Partner

The GFA is a collaboration of the University System of Georgia and the Technical College System of Georgia created to meet education and workforce needs for high-demand careers in Georgia’s creative industries.  Last year, Skillshot Media worked with the GFA to establish an esports pilot class at Georgia State University.  The initiative has quickly grown to include additional institutions and an expanded certification to include multiple new courses.

According to the Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD), esports has emerged as one of the fastest-growing industries in the state, with gaming having an economic impact of over $830 million last year.

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Heart Transplant Recipient Competes with Father In Esports Tournament for Make-A-Wish Georgia
Skillshot Media
,
April 18, 2024

Shawn Byrd received a heart transplant and was granted a wish four years ago. He is now giving back  

IMMEDIATE RELEASE

December 14, 2020 (Atlanta, GA)

Four years ago, Shawn Byrd had three open-heart surgeries and in November of the same year, he received a heart transplant that saved his life. Following his transplant, the Make-A-Wish Georgia Foundation granted Shawn his wish to go on a Lord of the Rings Tour in New Zealand. Shawn and his family traveled to the country and toured the Lord of the Rings set. While Shawn has enjoyed a full and healthy life for the past four years, he is currently in the hospital with some complications and may be playing at this event from his hospital room.

Shawn and his father, Wes Byrd (CEO of the esports apparel company Skullz) will be competing in an InvitationATL (IATL) event, joining corporate teams in a Fortnite private match to crown the Invitation ATL Esports Corporate Champion. Matches will be live streamed on Twitch.TV with play-by-play commentary on Tuesday, Dec. 15, 2020 at 5pm EST.

IATL is a digital event series that combines gaming culture, competition, and celebrity involvement to raise awareness for charities, companies, and causes spearheaded by Skillshot Media.

"Gaming for good is a concept we're always excited to support at Skillshot", said Todd Harris, Skillshot Media’s CEO. "We're excited to have companies across Georgia participating in the first-ever InvitationATL Esports Corporate Challenge.”

The competition fees will grant wishes for local children fighting critical illnesses. For 25 years, Make-A-Wish Georgia has brought transformational wishes to more than 8,000 children and families. The event is considered a casual Fortnite competition that will boost employee engagement and corporate competition from the socially distanced comfort of home.

“Working alongside Todd Harris and the team at Skillshot Media has given me tremendous insight into the selflessness and generosity of the gaming community,” said Tim Earley, Make-A Wish Georgia CEO. “Whenever this community comes together to support the mission of Make A-Wish Georgia through wish granting, fundraising and/or raising awareness, amazing things happen!”

For Wes Byrd and his son Shawn, this event means a lot.

“It is such an honor and pleasure to be able to help give back to an organization that has given so much to us,” says Wes Byrd. “Words cannot describe how much it means to a family that is going through so much. Make-A Wish brings smiles and joy to children and their families who have suffered greatly.”
“Shawn has been in the esports and gaming space and playing at Skullz LAN parties all his life. He is looking forward to using what he has grown up loving as a way to help those who have helped him.”

For more information, visit:

www.iatl.gg

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Georgia
Georgia Film Academy Announces First-Ever Esports Workforce Training Program in Partnership with Georgia State University and Skillshot Media
Skillshot Media
,
April 18, 2024
Pilot Program Immerses Students in One of Georgia’s Fastest Growing Industries

With a mission to put more Georgians to work in all aspects of the state’s multi-billion-dollar entertainment industry, the Georgia Film Academy (GFA), in partnership with Skillshot Media, kicked off its first-ever Esports program at Georgia State University (GSU) on Thursday, August 27th. The GFA 3500 Fundamentals of Esports provides students with real-world professional workforce training while exploring the numerous career paths available at the nearly 160 Esports companies located throughout Georgia. Esports is emerging as one of the fastest growing industries in the state, according to the Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD).

“Georgia is rapidly becoming a global epicenter for both entertainment and technology, and the Esports and videogaming industry are at the nexus of these new economies,” said Jeffrey Stepakoff, executive director of the GFA. “Today, we begin to train Georgians for these exciting high demand careers in Esports and, from a workforce perspective, we start to shape a new industry for our state.”

GSU’s Creative Media Industries Institute (CMII) will house this unprecedented public/private partnership, including online and in-person classes.

"Videogames are now the largest entertainment industry in terms of both revenue and popularity", said Todd Harris, CEO of esports solution company Skillshot Media. "In Georgia, gaming and esports had an economic impact of over $830 million last year and the goal with this new program is providing a well-trained Georgia workforce for this rapidly growing industry."
“Collaborative partnerships like this pilot program between the Georgia Film Academy, Skillshot Media and Georgia State University have been critical to developing the state’s unrivaled gaming software development talent pipeline,” said Deputy Commissioner of Global Commerce Scott McMurray, Georgia Department of Economic Development. “We look forward to seeing the opportunities this program creates for students across Georgia and for our world-class digital and esports recruitment team who work every day to attract prospective companies to the esports capital of the nation.”

GFA plans to expand Esports training beyond the introductory pilot program to offer specialty courses as well as opportunities for coveted industry internships across the state. As the program and coursework grows, the GFA hopes to expand industry hubs and opportunities for all universities and colleges in the state system.

“We’ve seen first-hand the value of GFA’s film production certification in providing jobs for Georgians,” said Stepakoff. “The intent of this new program is to provide an Esports certification complete with the opportunity to glean real-world experience through internships. The GFA will ensure that our new programs, like our current film production courses, are affordable, accessible, lead to jobs, and provide great value for Georgians.”

Broadly regarded as the Esports capital of the nation, the City of Atlanta annually hosts more than 39,000 gamers and Esports enthusiasts each November for the world’s largest digital festival – DreamHack. The GDEcD estimates that the state will have nearly 12,000 direct and indirect jobs in digital entertainment this year, with an estimated economic impact of $550 million.

Georgia is home to three different professional franchised Esports teams, including the Atlanta Reign (Overwatch League), Hawks Talon GC (NBA 2K League) and the Atlanta FaZe (Call of Duty League). The state also boasts three varsity college Esports teams: Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD), Georgia State University (GSU) and Georgia Southern University (Georgia Southern). Georgia was among the first five states in the nation to recognize Esports as an official competitive high school sport. There are now over 100 high schools in the state undergoing competitive Esports.

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Georgia
Esports and Gaming Companies Celebrate Juneteenth to Take Action for Social Justice
Skillshot Media
,
April 18, 2024
“Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.”
- James Baldwin

As the call for meaningful change and reform continues to sweep across the country, Skillshot is teaming up with gaming and esports partners across the city of Atlanta in the fight for social justice. We are standing with 20+ gaming & esports companies for a virtual gathering to celebrate Juneteenth on Friday, June 19, 2020. This event is presented by Axis Replay.

“This is a time to reflect and rejoice in the progress achieved by the African American community and a reminder of what is still left to do. The event will showcase celebrity guests, spark discussion, educate viewers, and highlight esports gameplay & more,” says Ryan Johnson, Executive Director of Cxmmunity, a non-profit organization focused on increasing minority participation in the esports and video game industry.

On June 19th, 2020 7PM – 12AM, the live broadcast of the virtual esports gathering to celebrate Freedom for All will be available on twitch.tv/axisreplay | youtube.com/axisreplay | facebook.com/axisreplay |mixer.com/axisreplay, and hosted on partner broadcasts, twitch.tv/checkpointXP | ESTV and more. The program will include influencers, entertainers, and pro-athletes like: Erin Ashley Simon, Larry Ridley, Jeezy, Desi Banks. Allies for change include: FaZe Clan, Invest Atlanta, the Atlanta Chamber of Commerce, NFL Alumni Association, EventsDC, Twitch, Fight Tyme Gaming, Black Salt Coreuption, United Way, Cxmmunity, Axis Replay, RIISE Ventures, Gamers Vote, Vote to Live, Atlanta Esports Alliance, ESTV, NutriGMR, Beasley Esports, Checkpoint XP, Atlanta Inno, Esports Insider, Gamer’s Outreach, Ultimate Gamer, eFUSE, Black Python.

“Juneteenth is the oldest, nationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States and a reminder of the pride, resilience and determination of African Americans in American history. Even though COVID-19 has hindered live event celebrations and parades, Axis Replay and our partners are committed to fight for social justice. As an ally, I want to do more, and we do it best by giving our community a way to celebrate and connect, both in-person and virtually. We’re making a difference through our shared love of esports and video games. This is our commitment to the future, and it starts with us. Together we win,” says Allie Young, CEO of Axis Replay.

Through the observance of African American freedom with an emphasis on education, achievement, assessment, improvement and celebration, the event will reflect on this day of independence through the shared voices of the video game community.

“Black history is an essential part of the history of the United States and it is important that we continue to promote awareness, create safe spaces, and be inclusive. In cities across the country, people of all races, nationalities, and religions are joining forces to truthfully acknowledge a period in our history that continues to influence and shape our society today. Being sensitive to the conditions and experiences of others is vital for us as a people to make significant and lasting improvements in our society,” says Todd Harris, Chairman of the Board, Atlanta Esports Alliance.

For more information and a schedule of events and want to get involved, visit www.juneteenth.gg.

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