Joining us today are Jimmy Baratta and Paul Dawalibi, hosts of the Business of Esports podcast, investors, entrepreneurs, and references in the gaming industry.

Jimmy is the Chief Gaming Officer at Holodeck Ventures, he is an instructor at the University of California, and he is a business development and brand strategy specialist. 

Paul is the CEO at Holodeck Ventures; he is an esports and gaming expert, founder and creator of the 2020 Fastest Growing Company in Canada, and creator of the world’s first esports NFT.

Our conversation spins around authenticity vs. authority, the things the gaming community is doing right and wrong, and the proper way to get into esports. They even gifted us a couple of predictions for the industry in the forthcoming years. We discuss the distinction between gaming and esports, the lack of innovation, and the untapped opportunities in the industry.

Resources:

Visit the Business of Esports website: https://thebusinessofesports.com/.

or Connect with Jimmy and Paul on LinkedIn:

Paul: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pauldawalibi/

Jimmy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jimmybaratta/

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Full Episode Breakdown:

1:39 – Paul talks about the genesis of the Business of Esports podcast.

3:45 – Jimmy talks a bit about how he met Paul and his journey into esports.

7:38 – Jimmy describes how it was for him to put resources behind an idea and the process of becoming part of the Business of Esports podcast.

12:01 – Paul talks about the importance of building authority rather than being worried about being authentic.

14:01 – It starts with adding value. Jimmy talks about what he considers is the best way to get into esports.

18:35 – Paul shares his thoughts on the best way to get into an industry in high demand, like the esports industry.

21:35 – Paul explains why he hates the distinction between esports and gaming.

26:14 – Jimmy talks about the positives in the space that we could look at and replicate.

31:08 – Comfort is the enemy of innovation. Paul talks about the alarming lack of innovation in the industry.

34:41 – Paul shares his thoughts on what he sees wrong in the esports space.

39:02 – Jimmy talks about what he considers are some untapped opportunities in the esports industry. 

43:37 – Paul describes what he considers has been done correctly in the industry and what he believes are some of the untapped opportunities.

49:31 – Paul talks about the things they learned about the content they put out there.

51:45 – Jimmy shares some of his predictions for next year in the industry.

54:38 – Paul shares what he would like to see happening in the industry in the next year.