Wassup Gamerzzzzzzzz, and happy Wednesday!
This week on Bronze League we have Esportscenter , run by Dalton Brock. Dalton is 21 years old and started Esportscenter a couple years ago. The start of COVID gave him a lot of time to start this project, and it has been booming since ever since. Esportscenter creates a personable outlet for people to get the latest updates about the gaming industry as a whole, which is why I am excited to work with him this week! Let’s get into it…
Housekeeping:
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Tell us a little bit about yourself and give us a glimpse behind Esportscenter.
My name is Dalton Brock, and I started Esportscenter back in 2020.
I’ve always liked video games, with some of my favorites being Halo 3, Reach, MW2, Black Ops, Madden and CS:GO.I grew up playing a variety of sports (baseball, basketball and golf) but found my passion for business at a young age. One of my many business ventures started at the age of 10 in the form of a small landscaping business. I was able to make $100+ an hour, which funded my first PC build.
Esportscenter started when I was put on furlough at Tesla (April 2020) with the goal to educate people on the basics of esports along with video game tips. While COVID and quarantine left a lot of uncertainty, I thought it would be the perfect time to try something new. I’ve never been one to sit around and do nothing; always looking for a project to work on or another way to make money. I ended up committing myself to making 3 Tiktoks a day, everyday for 90 days. My first video hit 250k views, with 3 of the next 5 touching almost 1M views each. I was hooked and kept making 3 videos a day until July 2021.
Esportscenter today focuses on general gaming information/updates to captivate a larger audience but will eventually tie in more esports and technology related content.
What were you doing before Esportscenter and what made you dive full force into gaming coverage?
Before starting Esportscenter I worked full time at Tesla in sales and customer relations. I worked there for 3 years before leaving for content creation and my business ventures. Gaming content has always sparked my interest plus I see a massive opportunity to educate and inform people about the opportunities within gaming. Especially esports with its massive growth and potential.
Starting on TikTok in 2020 there weren’t many, if any, creators talking about esports or gaming news. Obviously there are a lot more players within the space now but I truly believe there is room for all of us to grow and flourish.
You have found some success on TikTok, how does this differ from trying to grow on YouTube, Instagram, and Twitter?
TikTok has a great opportunity for organic growth with their stellar algorithm but it's also SO early in the process compared to a platform like Twitter or Instagram. On top of that, short form content has taken over the world over the last few years.
Instagram, Twitter and Instagram require a lot more collaboration and volume in content. YouTube is still the best place for creators to monetize but it’s also closer to equilibrium (users demand for content / amount of content uploaded). TikTok on the other hand has not, especially with an algorithm that shows everyone and COMPLETELY different feed. Instagram is trying to stay relevant with reels but it's starting to feel like Facebook did in 2016/17.
What makes Esportscenter different from other gaming news coverage?
Esportscenter covers a variety of gaming topics but maintains a personable feel. On top of that we strive to convey information in the most unbiased way possible.
Esportscenter will play more of a role within the esports community in the near future through coverage, news and education. We want to create a medium that allows the user (regardless of skill level or time spent playing) to understand our content.
What made you switch from posting 3 videos a day for over a year, to wanting to post higher quality coverage less often?
The decision to switch from 3 videos a day was difficult. At first I felt like I was letting myself down a bit but looking at it now I believe it was the right choice to focus on quality over quantity. It’s allowed me to build new connections and work on other projects for Esportscenter. I went from averaging about 10k views per video to now over 250k.
I still post a minimum of 1 video per day but that's much easier to maintain even on slower days with little to no news content.
What is your process before you hit “post” on a new video?
Research is pretty constant throughout the day but I usually research topics or talk to sources for about 20 mins prior to recording. After picking the topic I write the script, record, sync audio, edit and color grade.
After I post, I'm kinda superstitious so I respond to the first 5 mins of comments (the early squad). Then I get off TikTok for at least the first hour of the video being live.
Rapid Fire Round: quick answers without thinking
Socks and sandals? Slides and Sandals fine but no socks and sandals unless you’re 50+
Guilty Pleasure? Big time fast food guy (taco bell, mcdonalds, popeyes, etc.) just no lettuce on anything lol
Favorite Creator (besides me)? Mr Beast! The literally started from the ground up
Stupidest Esport? I wouldn't say “stupidest” but least favorite, mobile esports in general
What game do you wish you could be a god at? League of Legends, that prize pool is insane
Stuck on an island, how do you start a fire? hoping for lightning
Celeb Crush? Selena Gomez
Here is your time to PLUG! Tell everyone what you have been working on and what they should be checking out.
Esportscenter is working on a few exciting projects that will be announced very soon. We are looking to bring on more highly motivated and driven people with at least some gaming knowledge. Check us out on Tiktok/Youtube @Esportscenter and on Instagram/Twitter @_Esportscenter
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