TBD: Beyond the Basement
41 episodes - English - Latest episode: almost 2 years ago -The biggest and best business of esports podcast to come out of the UK and Ireland. Hosts Dan McLaren, Trevor Keane and Ben Finnegan guide you through the hottest topics and most pressing matters every fortnight, with top guests joining them once a month. Follow, subscribe and don't miss out.
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Episodes
TBD Chat: 100 Thieves are making a video game (!) - a risky move or the obvious next step?
May 25, 2022 11:24 - 15 minutes - 35.2 MBThis week Dan and Trev got together to chat about the announcement from Nadeshot that 100 Thieves are making the move into video game publishing. In a video published last week, he and co-founder John Robinson let fans know about the move, and the intention to have them involved in the process. Watch the video here > https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r6yfj5kB0Aw For one the biggest teams in esports, and these days more of an entertainment company then esports team, this could be seen as a ri...
TBD Chat: The FIFA and EA split, who are the winners and losers?
May 16, 2022 21:53 - 16 minutes - 37.9 MBThe big talking point recently, especially in the sports gaming space, has been the long anticipated parting of ways, or conscious uncoupling, of world football governing body FIFA and gamers publisher EA Sports. How has it come to this and what does it mean for both the people, like us, who play it at home, and for the professional esports circuit? We talk about this and many other elements to this news. What do you think, who will come out smelling of roses? TBD --- Send in a voi...
TBD Chat: The FIFA and EA split, who will be the winners and losers?
May 16, 2022 21:53 - 16 minutes - 37.9 MBThe big talking point recently, especially in the sports gaming space, has been the long anticipated parting of ways, or conscious uncoupling, of world football governing body FIFA and gamers publisher EA Sports. How has it come to this and what does it mean for both the people, like us, who play it at home, and for the professional esports circuit? We talk about this and many other elements to this news. What do you think, who will come out smelling of roses? TBD --- Send in a voi...
TBD Chat: Ben heads to Kansas City for the Halo Majors
May 11, 2022 13:33 - 18 minutes - 42.7 MBThis week we chat about Bens recent trip to Kansas City for the Halo Majors, an international Halo tournament with teams from around the world. Did it live up to expectations? Any big observations? Hear it all here. If you enjoy this podcast then make sure you subscribe or follow. TBD --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/tbd-esports/message
Interview #18 - Misfits Gaming Group: The how & why of launching blockchain gaming platform Block Born
April 19, 2022 12:00 - 28 minutes - 65.9 MBWelcome to another episode of TBD and we're delighted to welcome a couple of fantastic guests from Florida-based esports org, Misfits Gaming Group (MGG), to speak with us. Will Pazos is SVP of Block Born, the new blockchain gaming platform recently announced by MGG, and Vas Roberts, the EVP Head of Global Partnerships. In this week's episode you can find out; How Misfits position themselves compared to other teams The values MGG use when talking to prospective commercial partners How Blo...
Interview #17: James Fraser-Murison, National award winner of Innovation & Esports Director at QMC
April 11, 2022 14:00 - 32 minutes - 75.2 MBThis week we welcome James, a national award winner of Innovation, Esports Director at QMC & National Trainer for Pearson for the esports BTEC. He's also a speaker at the Festival of Education, BETT, EGX and a NASEF mentor. And on top of that he is Manager of QMSAMURAI. Quite a lot for one person! We spoke to James about both his role in bringing one of the first BTEC in Esports courses to Queen Mary's College in Basingstoke, as well as his more recent role in helping his local tech giant Y...
Interview #17: Anil Kumar Peri, Co-Founder & CEO at SwiftSkill
April 04, 2022 13:00 - 20 minutes - 46.3 MBAnil is the co-founder of SWiftSkill, a platform aimed at helping anyone "become a monster gamer with analytics, strategy, and efficient team collaboration in esports." Ben was at the wheel for this one and finds out more about Anil's journey to setting up SwiftSkill and what it is that they do using data that will help you and me to become better at the games we love. We hope you enjoy this episode, check back at our other interviews to get some great insights about this amazing industry....
TBD Chat: Ben & Trev talk Misfits x Tezos, Mokens League and Upcomer laying of majority of writing staff
March 28, 2022 10:02 - 22 minutes - 52.2 MBThis week Trev and Ben deep dive into some of the stories that have captured their notice in recent weeks including; Misfits Gaming & Tezos - an example of a good Crypto partnership? Mokens League, by Barcelona-based Monster League Studios, has been launched and could actually be an example of a play-to-earn NFT game done well? Complexity Gaming x Miller Lite extend their partnership with a new range of limited-edition merchandise and support minority voices in esports. But does the dive...
Interview 16: Sam Cooke, CEO and co-founder at Esports Insider
February 28, 2022 22:04 - 26 minutes - 61.8 MBThe Esports Insider, or ESI, has been one of the industry go-to destinations for the latest news and events for the last few years. In this episode we speak to co-founder and CEO Sam Cooke, the driving force behind the UK-based media company. Trev, Ben and Dan find out how ESI came about back in 2015, and how the industry (and industry events) has taken shape since then. And we find out how the pandemic affected the business, one heavily reliant on in-person events, and how this has shaped...
Interview #16: Sam Cooke, CEO and co-founder at Esports Insider
February 28, 2022 22:04 - 26 minutes - 61.8 MBThe Esports Insider, or ESI, has been one of the industry go-to destinations for the latest news and events for the last few years. In this episode we speak to co-founder and CEO Sam Cooke, the driving force behind the UK-based media company. Trev, Ben and Dan find out how ESI came about back in 2015, and how the industry (and industry events) has taken shape since then. And we find out how the pandemic affected the business, one heavily reliant on in-person events, and how this has shaped...
Interview #15: Oliver Weingarten, co-founder LDN UTD
February 08, 2022 18:47 - 24 minutes - 55 MBThis week's interview is with LDN UTD co-founder Oliver Weingarten. A man with an enviable career history, tells us how he went from being a Solicitor at EPL to being CEO and co-founder of the Esports & Social movement, LDN UTD. Oliver brings some insightful ideas for brands that might be interested in the Esports and gaming space. Oliver also wonderfully articulates his thoughts on how Esports orgs can use their platform to effect change in society or help raise important social issue. ...
Interview #14: Nyki Inskip, Lead Teacher of Computer Science at Queen Mary's College, Reading & Manager of QMCentaurs (Minecraft Esports Team)
February 01, 2022 14:58 - 24 minutes - 57.1 MBWe are back with another interview, this time Trev sat down with Nyki Inskip, Computer science lead teacher at Queen Mary's College Basingstoke for a chat on all things minecraft. What followed was a fascinating insight into how Nyki and the College are using Minecraft to engage and educate pupils. From using Minecraft to learn numbers to working as a team, Minecraft and indeed gaming as a whole are becoming a large part of the education system. Have a listen. TBD --- Send in a voice m...
Interview #13: Josh Martin, Head of Commercial @ The SimGrid
January 17, 2022 22:25 - 26 minutes - 61.5 MBIn our first interview of 2022, Trev and Dan sat down with The SimGrid's Head of Commercial, Josh Martin. SimGrid is a place for amateur and professional sim racers to compete against fellow drivers in leagues and endurance events. A place that has grown as sim racing has become hugely popular during the pandemic. In a wide ranging chat we cover everything from non-endemic brands moving into the space, to whether a future F1 champion could be found from sim racing. --- Send in a voice m...
TBD's 2022 Gaming & Esports Predictions!
January 11, 2022 17:20 - 25 minutes - 58.9 MBWe're back for another year and looking forward to making it the best one yet! Trev, Ben and Dan join up once again to go through what is going to be big this year - for the curious amongst you they include; The continued growth of P2E Blockchain games The increase of non-endemic brands into gaming and esports VR esports to become more prevalent with Metaverse tournaments The increase in educational opportunities - for example the work Chris Smith is doing with schools in Australia, Jame...
TBD Chat: why Ubisoft's move into NFTs hit all the wrong notes, and are we all going to live in Meta's Metaverse?
December 14, 2021 10:17 - 20 minutes - 47.8 MBThe week we go guestless and instead offer twenty minutes of podcasting gold as Trev, Ben and Dan discuss primarily Ubisoft, and a move into NFTs that has generated headlines such as; "Ubisoft Quartz is just NFT snake oil" and "Ubisoft's NFTs are a new shade of beige" But was it really such a terrible idea, or a good idea that was packaged all wrong? Listen for some great insights into the whole drama. And also we touched on the move by Meta (Facebook) with their US launch of Horizon Wo...
Interview #12: Erik Londré, CEO at Karta
December 06, 2021 13:56 - 24 minutes - 56.8 MBThis week's guest is Erik Londré, CEO of Karta, which specialises in experiential marketing in the metaverse. Erik has come from an events background, where he helped Fnatic raise the bar as Head of Events until 18 months ago. But with the advent of COVID, the events industry took a major hit and opportunities in the space were much reduced. But where one door shuts, another can open just as quickly. Now he can be found helping brands make sense of the 'metaverse', one of the newest and m...
Interview #11: Patrik Jackiewicz, Senior Partnerships Manager at Challengermode
November 30, 2021 08:00 - 23 minutes - 53.9 MBThis week Trev spoke to Patrik Jackiewicz, Senior Partnerships Manager at Stockholm-based startup Challengermode. He made the move mid-pandemic from London to Sweden and has been working with brands in helping them to set up competitions with the maximum of ease, with so much of what they do automated. Meaning human resource to run an event is kept to a minimum. Make sure you listen to find out more on this exciting startup, and how they are adapting now that it's not 100% online events, a...
Interview #10: Grant Rousseau, Director of Esports at Guild Esports
November 24, 2021 10:57 - 21 minutes - 50.2 MBAfter mentioning this esports team in every podcast that we have done, it was great to finally get someone in from the team to talk to us. Grant Rousseau was a fantastic guest and even managed to settle a bet between Ben and Trev as to the origins of the Finn Harps shirt sponsorship - it's a great story and worth listening to see who was right. In this episode we cover the team's commitment to building a grassroots base, the position he sees the UK esports scene as being in compared to the...
TBD chat... ESI London, the Metaverse and Oats Overnight moves into esports
November 15, 2021 21:35 - 19 minutes - 43.5 MBThis week we take a pause on the interviews, though we have some great ones already 'in the can', to find out what the news was from the recent 'ESI London' event held at Boxpark Wembley. One that our own Trev Keane was able to fly over for and hosted a panel on the topic of "Eyes on the Prize - How to seize the attention of the streaming generation" - and enjoyed being able to meet people... actually in-person! There is lots to cover in this one (including Trev's terrible panel hosting jok...
Interview #9: Chris Kissack, Esports Advisor for Digital Isle of Man
November 08, 2021 22:23 - 24 minutes - 56.6 MBWe've been wanted to get Chris Kissack onto TBD for a while now and it was great to finally get him on a call. He's been a gaming enthusiast most of his life, and has managed to turn his passion into his job. His corporate expertise has helped to develop the esports scene in the Isle of Man, an island that has an independent government from the UK and is famed in the eGaming (betting) space, as well as IT and sports (Isle of Man TT race for example). We got Chris's views on a number of su...
Interview #8: Conor Barron, Digital Marketing Manager @ An Post, & Colm Roche, Sponsorship Director @ Core Sponsorship
October 26, 2021 15:10 - 27 minutes - 62.9 MBFor this episode, Dan and Ben spoke with Conor Barron from An Post, what you might see as a traditional company that is Ireland’s leading supplier of postal, e-commerce and financial services. And Colm Roche from Core Sponsorship, who have worked closely with An Post on their move into the world of esports. An Post launched their new product, Money Mate, which is aimed very much at that younger gaming generation, and teamed up with Legion Esports to form an Irish initiative is aiming to ca...
TBD chat Belfast Storm in the NLC, the new F1 Esports season & Norwich City launching 1J ESports
October 14, 2021 15:26 - 20 minutes - 47.2 MBThis week Trev, Dan and Ben get together to chat about some of the highlights from gaming and esports in UK and Ireland. And there was a lot to go through! Belfast Storm have started life in the NLC, the Northern League of Legends Championship, and it's one that Ben has been keeping a close eye on. F1 Esports launches the new season in October, with four rounds being held at Gfinity in London. The drivers battle on 12 tracks to determine who will win this year's driver and team championshi...
TBD talk JLINGZ esports, benjfishy's mum and Misfits Academy
September 13, 2021 20:51 - 23 minutes - 53 MBAfter an extended summer break Trev, Ben and Dan are back together, and more committed than ever to bring things 'beyond the basement'. There was plenty to talk about, but there was only one place to start. JLINGZ esports... the first move from Manchester United's Jesse Lingard into esports, and all brought together by our very own Trev Keane! So Ben and Dan took the opportunity to find out how it all came about. We also talked about NRG player benjfishy's mum, Anne Fish, and her recent mo...
Tourism Ireland unveils new Assassin’s Creed Valhalla campaign, NFTs, and what the financials of Guild Esports reveal
July 04, 2021 13:53 - 20 minutes - 45.9 MBThis week Ben and Trev got together to chat about the latest developments in the esports and gaming space. Trev has been very busy working on the launch of ex-guest and now-ex Leicester City football Christian Fuchs on his NFT launch, whilst Ben has had his hands full with the arrival of a new baby son. They discuss the new financial release from David Beckham-backed Guild Esports and why the lack of revenue for this year isn't something they are worried about. A new campaign from Touris...
Interview #7: Jan Neumeister, Head of European Operations at GameSquare Esports Inc.
June 07, 2021 15:21 - 30 minutes - 69.2 MBThis week's guest has moved through the worlds of advertising and Premier League football before moving into esports with FaZe Clan and now GameSquare. With Trev and Ben otherwise engaged, this time Dan sits down with Jan Neumeister to discuss this journey and all of this; Jan's passion for audience behaviour, and how the relationships between teams and fans differ in esports compared to sports. The acquisition of Code Red by GameSquare and how it came about. The differences between work...
Why 'Smurfing' is killing Warzone, Celebrity Esports, and why we love the idea of subscription Training Camps for Gamers
May 25, 2021 12:57 - 26 minutes - 61.8 MBIn this episode, Trev and Ben (no Dan this week due to the sniffles) get into the heart of what's happening in esports and gaming. Including; Warzone - banned 500k cheaters, what is 'Smurfing', how Rambo could get Ben back into playing the game. Roblox - a golden opportunity for brands and Trev talks about how he competes with his son in the game. Training camps for gamers - Guild (with David Beckham leading the way) are launching subscription training camps, and why Ben things this is a...
The Olympic Virtual Series, Conor McGregor as a game character, and why Ben can watch COD for hours on end but not rugby
May 10, 2021 08:55 - 26 minutes - 60.1 MBThe gang's back together, with Trev, Ben and Dan finally finding the time in their hectic schedules to chat about the latest news and developments in esports and gaming - with very much a sports hat on. This time they dig into the Olympic Virtual Series, which was announced recently as a first step by the IOC in working with governing bodies in this field. But the mix of sailing, rowing, motorsport and cycling leaves a lot of questions as to the direction they are taking and how successful ...
Interview #6: Dan Parise and Paul Brewer from esports engagement platform, Rival
April 26, 2021 09:20 - 28 minutes - 65.9 MBIn this episode Trev and Ben spoke to the Chief Marketing Officer, Dan Parise, and Chief Revenue Officer, Paul Brewer from Rival. Rival is a platform that helps organisations leverage the popularity of gaming and esports. Connecting the massive global appeal of the sector with sports teams, leagues, brands and media properties. A fascinating chat that is one not to be missed. Find out more about Rival by visiting https://www.gorival.com And make sure you follow us on your platform of ...
The "definitely not a filler" episode - Trev & Ben with the latest gaming news
April 06, 2021 00:00 - 30 minutes - 70 MBTrev and Ben this week look back at some of the most significant news from the gaming and esports scene. From Guild Esports deal with Subway to Ben's COD frustrations, we have it all in this week's show. We'd love to hear your thoughts and also the issues you would like us to discuss in future episodes. With more news shows and interviews coming up in the next few weeks there's a lot to get excited about! Link to Rocket League Sideswipe: https://www.rocketleague.com/news/announcing-rocket-l...
Interview #5: Chris Smith, Founder & CEO at BIG Esports
March 15, 2021 10:16 - 46 minutes - 107 MBFor interview no.5 on TBD we brought in one of the most well known people on the business side of esports, thanks to his stream of industry content on LinkedIn and also his podcast. Chris Smith has been involved in almost every aspect of the business, having started out being a semi-pro player, organised events and been a commentator, before setting up BIG Esports in 2017. Chris has great insights and views on all aspects of the esports scene from; teams seeing themselves as marketing agenc...
Interview #4: Dan Bravato, President at SeventySix Capital Sports Advisory
March 01, 2021 01:00 - 37 minutes - 86.8 MBIn this, our 4th interview, we welcome Dan Bravato to TBD. Dan is the President of SeventySix Capital Sports Advisory and has moved from the sports worlds into esports. Something we've seen a lot of in recent years. From NASCAR to client side with Quicken Loans and then onto Fathead and Manchester City, Dan has a huge amount of experience in the business side of sports. But he wanted to take more of a 30,000ft view of the industry, and esports became a big part of that vision. His experie...
Interview #3: Ben Feferman, CEO at Amuka Esports
February 15, 2021 01:00 - 30 minutes - 70.9 MBIn the second of our series of interviews on the business side of esports & gaming, we chatted with Ben Feferman and he gave us some absolute gold on his experiences in the gaming and esports space, and where the opportunities lie. He is the CEO of Amuka Esports, Canada's leader in gaming venues, online leagues, esports media and competitive teams. He is also the co-founder of Level SUX esports incubator, the country's first and only incubator for early stage esports startups, and still wor...
Interview #2: Jill Downey, Managing Director at Core Sponsorship
February 01, 2021 01:00 - 35 minutes - 80.8 MBIn the second of our series of interviews on the business side of esports & gaming, we chatted with Jill Downey on what she thinks the opportunities and challenges are for brands and esports in 2021 and onwards. It's a fascinating chat on their experience from a brand perspective and there are so many nuggets in here to listen out for. Thanks for tuning and do remember to let other know about our fledgling podcast, every little helps! You can find us on; Trev Keane https://www.linkedin.com...
TBD Interview #2: Jill Downey, Managing Director at Core Sponsorship
February 01, 2021 01:00 - 35 minutes - 80.8 MBIn the second of our series of interviews on the business side of esports & gaming, we chatted with Jill Downey on what she thinks the opportunities and challenges are for brands and esports in 2021 and onwards. It's a fascinating chat on their experience from a brand perspective and there are so many nuggets in here to listen out for. Thanks for tuning and do remember to let other know about our fledgling podcast, every little helps! You can find us on; Trev Keane https://www.linkedin.com...
Our top 10 reasons for getting involved in gaming & esports in 2021
January 18, 2021 01:00 - 32 minutes - 73.8 MBIn this episode Trev, Ben and Dan give us their lowdown with 10 reasons why you should get involved in gaming and esports in 2021. They include; Esports evolution as media houses. Rights holders and athletes getting more involved brings more credibility. Teams and orgs starting to focus on pathways. Young & growing audiences. Accessibility Communication & community. Revenue outstripping Movies and Sports combined. Not many brands are involved yet, opportunity is ripe, get in early. It w...
TBD Chat #2: Our top 10 reasons for getting involved in gaming & esports in 2021
January 18, 2021 01:00 - 32 minutes - 73.8 MBIn this episode Trev, Ben and Dan give us their lowdown with 10 reasons why you should get involved in gaming and esports in 2021. They include; Esports evolution as media houses. Rights holders and athletes getting more involved brings more credibility. Teams and orgs starting to focus on pathways. Young & growing audiences. Accessibility Communication & community. Revenue outstripping Movies and Sports combined. Not many brands are involved yet, opportunity is ripe, get in early. It ...
TBD Interview #1: Christian Fuchs - Leicester City footballer & founder of NFG Esports
January 04, 2021 00:00 - 26 minutes - 60.6 MBIn this, our first interview on the TBD podcast, we go big straight away with an amazing guest. He's a Premier League winner, entrepreneur and gamer who in 2018 founded the NoFuchsGiven Esports Academy team.... it's Christian Fuchs. It was fascinated to find out how the move into esports came about, his own exploits in playing FIFA (for charity), what his hopes and aspirations are for NFG in the next few years and what his advise would be to others planning to follow in his esports footstep...
Interview #1: Christian Fuchs - Leicester City footballer & founder of NFG Esports
January 04, 2021 00:00 - 26 minutes - 60.6 MBIn this, our first interview on the TBD podcast, we go big straight away with an amazing guest. He's a Premier League winner, entrepreneur and gamer who in 2018 founded the NoFuchsGiven Esports Academy team.... it's Christian Fuchs. It was fascinated to find out how the move into esports came about, his own exploits in playing FIFA (for charity), what his hopes and aspirations are for NFG in the next few years and what his advise would be to others planning to follow in his esports footstep...
TBD Chat #1: Why are athletes investing in esports?
December 21, 2020 01:00 - 23 minutes - 54.6 MBIn this, our first 'chat' episode of TBD. Trev, Ben and Dan discuss the increased number of team owners from the sports world into esports, and how this is going to affect the industry. Will they stick to FIFA? is it a trend that will fizzle out? and how have sports teams adapted to the attention demanded by gaming and younger audiences over the last few years? Towards the end you can hear and snippet from our first TBD Interview, a prize* for the first person who can guess who it is! *the...
Why are athletes investing in esports?
December 21, 2020 01:00 - 23 minutes - 54.6 MBIn this, our first 'chat' episode of TBD. Trev, Ben and Dan discuss the increased number of team owners from the sports world into esports, and how this is going to affect the industry. Will they stick to FIFA? is it a trend that will fizzle out? and how have sports teams adapted to the attention demanded by gaming and younger audiences over the last few years? Towards the end you can hear and snippet from our first TBD Interview, a prize* for the first person who can guess who it is! *the...
Going 'Beyond the Basement'
December 09, 2020 20:30 - 10 minutes - 24.2 MBWelcome to a brand new show from Trev Keane, Ben Finnegan and Dan McLaren. One where we take a look at the latest news and views from the business behind esports and gaming. For this intro episode we attempt to give some background on who we are and why we're doing this! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/tbd-esports/message