In an industry as skeptical as the gaming industry, being the interpreter between two groups of people that need but can’t talk to each other is a rare and priceless skill. Our guest, Jay Hairston, is one of those few people in the industry who fluently speaks both languages, the one companies and brands talk, and, as a gamer himself, the one spoken by esports athletes and gamers. 

Jay Hairston is currently the Social Director at Mogul, a customer-centric esports tournament hosting platform. He worked as Director of Social Media and as a Community Manager at Envy, and as a Global Community Manager at Funimation. 

In this episode, Jay shares how he got in touch with the world of special needs, where he spent several years helping kids with physical and cognitive disabilities to learn skills so they can be productive members of society and integrate into the community. 

We go through Jay’s journey into the gaming industry, his experiences in public speaking, and the importance of understanding what brands want and need and translating it into the language that the gaming community speaks. We also talk about the cancel culture, the gaming community’s skepticism, and Jay’s top tips for getting into the gaming industry.

Resources:

Visit Mogul website: http://esh.mogul.gg/

Follow them on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/esportsmogul/

Add them into your Facebook’s friends list: https://www.facebook.com/MogulOfficialGG

You can connect with Jay on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jayhairston/

Full Episode Breakdown:

2:49 – Jay Hairston introduces himself. He talks about his past experiences and some of the brands he worked for.

4:05 – Jay narrates how disappointing it was for him not to get a call from Duke or North Carolina. 

10:14 – Jay talks about why he decided to take public speaking classes and how that decision would affect his entire career in the gaming industry.

13:19 – John and Jay discuss what’s more challenging for public speaking, small and intimate or big audiences?

18:30 – Being eager is not enough. John and Jay talk about how important it is to get ready and prepare ourselves to get into the gaming industry.

25:01 – Esports is all about eyeballs. Jay talks about the pros and cons of being the Social Media department’s head.

31:18 – The cancel culture and brands trending for the wrong reason. Jay shares his take on why it is so hard to communicate effectively with the gaming community and why many brands get it wrong.  

34:51 – Turtle Wax Scratch & Swirl Remover’s successful advertisement. Jay and John discuss the gaming community’s skepticism. 

39:43 – John shares a story about Nike and the skateboarding community to illustrate how brands should approach the gaming community.

43:37 – Being the interpreter between two groups of people that can’t speak to each other. Jay talks about his experiences at Envy being the interpreter between Jack Link’s beef jerky and the esports team.

49:31 – The biggest cheat code to get into esports. Jay shares some valuable advice for those interested in joining the industry.