Adding value to a company is, without a doubt, the easiest way to put a foot in any industry. If our business card is a concrete plan for improving a business, we will most likely get hired for the position or, going even further; the company might create the job position for us. 

Our guest, Mike Cotton, certainly mastered this skill throughout his exciting and multifaceted career. He is the Founder, President, and COO of Wondr Gaming and the President and COO of Gamelancer, the largest Gen Z social gaming network. Mike is also the Founder and Chief Investment Officer at Rumble Gaming and an Investor and Advisor at PropSwap LLC. 

In this episode, we delve into Mike’s vertiginous professional career. We explore his background as an economist and “statistics nerd” that helped him differentiate himself in the traditional sports and esports industries. He shared his experiences, the lessons learned, and some practical advice for those interested in joining sports, esports, or any other industry.

We also talk about his experiences in the VC world, his time as COO of Toronto Esports Club, and his current role at Gamelancer.  

Resources:

Visit Gamelancer’s website: https://gamelancer.com/.

or connect with Mike on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikecotton/details/experience/

Full Episode Breakdown:

1:52 – Mike talks about his decision to leave Canada to study Economics at NYU to realize that the bureaucratic life wasn’t for him. 

6:42 – Mike remembers his experiences at internships and serving thousands of coffees before going up in the food chain.

9:04 – Mike talks about the importance of creativity when thinking of getting into an industry.

12:03 – Mike talks about his passion for statistics and how that helped him make room for himself in the traditional sports industry. 

16:34 – Mike describes his first experience at a live esports event.

19:54 – Mike talks about how he decided to join the gaming and esports industry. 

25:43 – Mike shares details of how he got his foot in the door in esports.

29:51 – Gary and Mike discuss the importance of brand association to increase esports pro players’ value.

35:33 – Mike talks about Gamelancer and its three revenue buckets.

38:23 – Gary and Mike talk about why transplanting another industry’s business model into gaming don’t work.