Justin Rojas has a diverse background in gaming and esports. However, his love of video games first brought him to a career in anime where he worked in marketing at Funimation. As his career took off, he found himself at various events, which eventually ended up landing him a job with Envy Gaming as the VP of Events.
In this episode, Justin talks about his career, the change of live events due to COVID, and how his team has had to get creative in continuing to build and deepen the connections of the esports community.
Full Episode Breakdown:
2:44 – Justin discusses how a love for video games got Justin on the path for esports, but he never dreamed it would be something that he worked with as he got older.
4:35 – When it comes to companies involved in the gaming world, what kind of social responsibility do they have to making sure the games have a positive impact, and more importantly, can they have a positive impact? Justin discusses the impact of gaming and kids, not just nationally, but internationally.
7:54 – Justin didn’t start his career in esports, but actually in anime at Funimation. He talks about his journey there, and what it was like working in anime for 10 years. (And how one simple statement by his brother set him on the path he’s on now.)
13:59 – He then discusses the transition into esports, and how he went from Funimation into esports.
18:28 – Since Justin is so involved in various events, he talks about some that had to be canceled due to COVID, and how the landscape has changed since we’ve had to stay at home.
23:40 – Justin talks about what it takes to put events on at a large scale (5000+ people), and what happens when the rug is completely ripped out from under you thanks to something like COVID. He talks about how his team his getting creative and finding new ways to connect the community.
27:45 – Justin talks about Studio Nano, a company he co-founded in 2019.
32:19 – How does Justin’s Filipino heritage translate to his work in anime, and what he’s doing to help create more opportunities in creating more diverse story lines.
34:19 – When it comes to a world of social unrest, what can the esports community do to step in and provide a way to connect and understand each other. Justin talks about some great ideas.
38:41 – Justin talks about some of his favorite games, and which game was actually the most emotional game he’e ever played.
To learn more about Envy Gaming, visit: https://envy.gg/
Or Justin’s Studio for Anime Productions, visit: https://studionano.com/
