Meet Alex, Head of Business Development, who is behind the whole G.IO platform! Alex’s career started by professionally playing Call of Duty, which later helped him to get a traineeship at GameInfluencer. 3,5 years later, he’s working closely with the development team to build up the G.IO platform, onboarding new clients and bringing sponsorship opportunities to influencers.
We’ve prepared an inspiring interview with Alex and are excited to share his story with you!
Can you share a little about your background and your career path?
I was born and raised in Edinburgh, Scotland and have been a gamer since before I could remember. I would play silly minigames on my dads computer at a very young age but the first console I got was a Playstation 1. I would spend hours playing the likes of Crash Bandicoot, Spyro and the Loony Tunes game when I first got it.
However, it was not until I experienced my first Call of Duty that I truly became obsessed. From first playing Call of Duty 3 at a family friend’s house, I went on to play the following 15 titles as much as I could, even going semi-professional and earning over $35,000 from competing in tournaments! I also streamed my gaming journey on twitch, gaining over 2000 followers and at one point gaining over 1000 subs. Having this unique experience in the influencer world has definitely helped me here at GameInfluencer.
Even before I started University I knew I wanted to work in the video games industry so I made sure to base as many projects across my studies on it. I even wrote my Masters dissertation on improving Esports experiences using existing business models.
After I graduated I began looking for a job that would allow me to combine my academic knowledge with my love for video games. A traineeship at GameInfluencer caught my eye so I applied and got the job! 3 and a half happy years later and I am the Head of Business Development here, directly contributing to the industry I have always loved.
What are your responsibilities at GameInfluencer?
As a growing start-up GameInfluencer is forever developing and changing, so my responsibilities often do the same; ranging from managing our in-house talents to orchestrating large scale influencer campaigns. I am a part of the leadership team, who, together, make the decisions that steer the company through this ever-growing industry. Specifically I am the Product Lead for our new Automated Influencer Marketing Platform gameinfluencer.io (GIO). I work closely with the development team building up the platform, onboarding exciting new clients and bringing sponsorship opportunities to influencers of all shapes and sizes.
What is the most exciting/interesting part of your work?
It is hard to name just one, but I would definitely say the opportunity for new learning. I have been a Trainee, a Talent Manager, a Campaign Manager, a tournament host and now I am a Product Lead for an exciting new platform. There are few places where you can gain this much experience across so many different areas of the business in such a short time.
What is the most challenging part and how do you handle it?
I suppose the other side of the same coin from my previous answer. Sometimes moving into new spaces requires a lot of responsibility, effort and commitment to learning. It is not for everyone, but I believe that the reward of managing to pull it off is worth it!
What was your most favourite project/campaign you worked on?
As I mentioned earlier, I have always been a huge fan of Call of Duty, in recent times, Warzone. So when I got the opportunity to organise and host ‘EU Rising’ a Facebook Gaming Event with over $37,000 in prizing, partnered with Call of Duty it was a big moment. I was able to utilise my extensive knowledge of the game and tournament infrastructure to successfully, create, admin and complete a great tournament.
Top 3 your most favourite video games.
1. Call of Duty (I can’t choose just 1)
2. League of Legends
3. The Last of Us
Top 3 gaming influencers you follow yourself.
Thebausffs – I love seeing him play at the very top of League of Legends while utilising a ridiculous playstyle. It is always great entertainment
Penta – A true roleplay genius, the characters he creates in GTA RP and th storylines he creates are extremely memorable
Scump – I still love watching Call of Duty Esports, and where better than Scump’s costream
Read more about our other team members and stay tuned for the upcoming series:
Meet Florian, Head of Marketing & Partnerships at GameInfluencer
