A growing number of gaming stars such as Ninja, Shroud, TimTheTatMan, Anne Munition, and CouRage, are now making a living in an industry that could be worth $300 billion by 2025.

Behind the scenes, execs like Bridget Davidson and Nick Allen from gamer management firm Loaded scout out new talent and keep the deals coming. Davidson, VP of talent, just joined Loaded from Riot Games, where she served as senior esports manager. Allen, SVP of Partnerships and Operations, has been with Loaded for about a year after stints at Twitch, Madison Square Garden, and other firms.

Ahead of the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences’ (AIAS) annual D.I.C.E. summit in Las Vegas this week, we sat down with Davidson and Allen to talk talent management and finding the next big esports player. Here are edited and condensed excerpts from our conversation. 

Bridget Davidson, you just joined Loaded from a long career at Riot Games. What persuaded you to make the leap?

[BD] Loaded has an incredible roster of talent and is in the position to elevate and drastically expand the marketplace for professional gamers. I joined because I'm excited to be part of this, and want to help them continue to define this space and create trailblazing opportunities for streamers and content creators in gaming.

At Riot you helped create the League of Legends' Championship Series, which now has evolved into 13 leagues with 1,000+ professional players across the globe.

[BD] At Riot I learned that understanding your audience better than they understand themselves is the key to serving them. It's important to listen and be data informed, but being part of the gaming community yourself and investing the time to really empathize with who you are serving at the end of the day will lead you to better decision making on their behalf. This approach allowed Riot to stay ahead of the curve in esports, and I plan to carry over this mentality at Loaded.

Nick, the theme of this year’s D.I.C.E. is 'When anything is possible, what lies ahead for the world’s biggest entertainment art form?' What does that mean for you?

[NA] Gaming creators/influencers have been incredibly impactful over the last few years in bringing attention to game titles through their content. But the relationship between creator and game developer can be so much deeper by integrating the creator earlier in the development cycle. Creators have a deep understanding of games as viewer entertainment, as well as game design, on a different and complementary level to those that are making the games.

You've both worked at all the big names including Twitch, Riot Games, and IGN. Does the future of the industry lay in the consolidation or vertical integration between influencer/player agencies, distribution networks and live presentation stadium venues? For example, Microsoft buying Mixer caused interesting ripples within the community. Are we going to see more of these big deals do you think?

[NA] With massive organizations sitting above distribution platforms, like Amazon above Twitch and Microsoft above Mixer, we're already seeing, and will see more of, integration of creators and content into aspects of business that reach into those parent companies. For example, The Overwatch League's broadcasting deal with YouTube includes tie-ins with Google's Cloud Service. This will become more common over time.

It's amazing how the industry has grown. When Brandon Freytag left Twitch to set up Loaded, little existed that gave such structure to professional players' careers. How is Loaded different from the competition today, in what you offer to players or the view you have of the industry as a whole?

[NA] Without giving out our “secret sauce,” we have continued to adapt to the needs of our talent. Because we embraced this space early, we were able to understand all of the facets that make up what a gaming influencer does on a daily basis as the industry has grown. 

Which begs the question, are you both gamers too? And, if so, what did you start playing and when?

[BD] Yes! I mostly play League and TFT [Teamfight Tactics] currently, but my first love was Contra on the NES [Nintendo Entertainment System]. I played that with my brother in the early 1990s before I got a Game Boy and became addicted to Pokemon and Tetris.

[NA] 100 percent. Received an NES when I was very young and never looked back. I'm still gaming almost daily.

What should younger players know about the industry before getting involved?

[BD] That there is a ton more infrastructure [today]. Managers, broadcasting deals, and sponsorships are all commonplace in the world of gaming now. There are more people making a living by playing video games than ever before.

Talking of young players, Ninja is not yet 30. How can you ensure that he continues to grow in his career and not burn out, or lose relevance? Or is age just not a factor within your field today?

[BD] It's easy to get caught up in all of the exciting and lucrative opportunities right now, but we need to help our talent keep the long view in mind. There are projects and investments that they can be taking on now that set them up down the road. Our goal is to help them develop successful strategies that work toward a future they're authentically excited about. 

Back in December, Ninja posted a plea for better manners amongst content creators/influencers/gamers—i.e. to ditch the bitching online. Did it work? Or do you find yourself helping your roster navigate the treacherous waters of public opinion as part of your job? 

[NA] We work closely with our talent on how to be appropriate and constructive when presenting opinions online. Their voice is core to their identity and community, and we are constantly collaborating with them on how best to navigate the challenging dynamics that occur when voicing criticism over social media.

On that pastoral service note, Nick, you studied social work at Cal State. How did you transmute that into the video gaming industry?

[NA] I don't get many questions around my pre-video game industry career, so I appreciate you asking! Social work taught me a ton about social justice, mediation, and understanding the needs of individuals. 

Are there any parallels at all between the two halves of your career?

[NA] All of those things are incredibly useful in working with creators/influencers, and more broadly, people I've had the privilege of working with over my career. It’s also very useful as Loaded aims to do its part in helping making the video game industry a more inclusive, welcoming place.

Bridget, in your view, what are the next big platforms and avenues these players are looking at now? 

[BD] On the content creation side, TikTok has become an important focus for creators everywhere. Aside from the folks whose content careers started on the platform, other types of creators—live streamers, YouTubers—have started to use the platform to create original content to engage new audiences that has the side benefit of marketing/elevating their core content.

Finally, how can up and coming players get on your radar? Where are you looking for tomorrow's rising stars today?

[BD] We're looking for talented and entertaining gamers who are motivated, have defined personalities, and know how to build and mobilize their fanbases. We want people with different backgrounds and archetypes who can connect with different audiences. Being a successful streamer and content creator can be a dream come true, but is still a job at the end of the day, which means we're looking for people who are taking this profession seriously and are putting in the work. 

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