Imagine seeing a random tweet from a long time friend and fellow broadcaster that they’ve joined, arguably one of the most established publishers in gaming and esports? Lewis Johnson catches up with Geoff Butler, Entertainment Producer with EA Sports on his transition from traditional tv production to the burgeoning esports industry. COVID-19 has spun live events on its heels. Listen and see how entertainment and production considerations as we know it will change and how esports is primed to capture the hearts and minds of the future generation sports enthusiasts.
Full Episode Breakdown
0:00 – Introductions and background on Geoff Butler going back to 1987 and mutual experiences with Lewis Johnson over the years, NBA Finals, Five Olympics to name a few!
4:15 – Changes with the pandemic – What are we missing with the COVID world?
5:21 – Talking about instant gratification in TV and 17entertainment, especially in live programming and in esports
7:07 – The lure of TV production and Geoff’s path from the age of 17 years old at the local station to the Olympics
8:15 – The roots of Geoffbutler.tv and check out Geoff’s travels around the world, one mile at a time
12:22 – Breaking down the roles of producing an EA events. Director, Technical Director, Producer
14:41 – The transitions between traditional entertainment and esports event production
15:05 – Capturing the sentiments in esports as one would in traditional sports
17:07 – Geoff’s path to esports and games he plays
18:29 – COVID changing Live Events and EA’s response
20:38 – Cloud Broadcasting – New term to accommodate remote broadcasting, no TV Trucks!
22:36 – Challenge of knowing connectivity in advance with the nature of esports talent and internet connectivity in real time.
23:33 – Kids in esports competitions and accessibility to develop talent
27:42 – The challenges of having an entirely remote team to produce shows
29:40 – The danger of not traveling to events and production operations and future of REMI’s
31:44 – End of an era from a production and staffing
35:00 – Sense of COVID 19 has allowed esports to grow and Geoff’s marvel of watching
38:00 – Growth of esports and interest with traditional athletes and teams
40:36 – Esports as a conduit to introduce to a new community and audience
42:00 – The accessibility and dream of being a professional esports competitor
43:00 – Power Players League with MAP Esports, go to: PPL.gg
