Johnathon Angers, Esports Stadium Arlington, Marketing and Partnerships Manager

With over 5 years of community building and live events curation experience, Johnathon Angers played a critical role in building the bridge between esports interests and both Louisiana State University and the state of Louisiana. His background has proved immensely valuable in the coordination of marketing and live event activations on behalf of organizations such as the Houston Outlaws and OpTic Gaming. Angers is most recently credited for developing the marketing and partnerships verticals at Esports Stadium Arlington as a founding member of the team.

Jason Baker, Do Not Peek Entertainment, Co-Founder

Jason Baker has been involved in esports since 2001. He innovated some of the first CS broadcasts in 2006. Baker also helped launch ELeague for Turner Sports and Overwatch League for Blizzard Entertainment. He is now the co-founder of Do Not Peek Entertainment.

Josh Beaudoin, WJHW, Managing Principal/Vice President

Josh Beaudoin actively pursues prospective clients, negotiates fees, develops strategic business relationships and manages projects for WJHW. Beaudoin has benefited from working in all aspects of the technology construction industry including audio video design build system integration and sales; electrical contracting; audio consulting; and professional audio equipment manufacturing and international business development.

This unique blend of experience has provided Beaudoin with the knowledge of each discipline and process required to complete modern stadiums, arenas, and convention centers. His experience has given him a special insight into not only the consulting business but the entire construction process from equipment manufacturing, to system design; procurement, and installation; as well as commissioning.

Kevin Cottam, Ross Video, Director, Global Sports and Live Events

Kevin Cottam is the director of sports and live events at Ross Video. A graduate of Cambrian College of Applied Arts and Technology, he began his television broadcasting career in 1996 with CTV News. In 1998, he began working with CTV Sportsnet (now Rogers Sportsnet) in Toronto, Canada. Cottam was at Sportsnet for 13 years as a technical director/studio director, working on studio and live sports productions.

Cottam began freelancing with Ross Video in 2006 as a demonstration artist and trainer, with a focus on professional sports and entertainment productions. He joined Ross Video full-time in 2011 and has been working extensively with professional and collegiate sports teams for game day productions, as well as high-profile entertainment productions. In 2013, Cottam was promoted to head up Sports & Live Events for the U.S. and Canada. In 2018, he started to take on global responsibilities. Cottam’s team of solutions experts create cutting-edge designs and manage projects from conception to completion in the traditional sports venues, esports, and live event venues vertical markets.

Jason Dachman, SVG, Chief Editor

Jason Dachman oversees all aspects of SVG’s North American editorial operations, including the thrice-weekly SVG Insider newsletter and SVG’s annual print publications. A member of the SVG team since 2009, Dachman also serves as program director for SVG’s RSN Summit, Sports Content Management Forum, Sports Graphics Forum, and TranSPORT event. Prior to joining SVG, he spent three years covering local sports for The Patriot Ledger in Quincy, MA, and two years on the production staff of SiriusXM Satellite Radio’s The Ron & Fez Show. Dachman began his career in the Sports Information Department at Northeastern University in Boston, where he also earned a B.A. in media communications and cinema studies.

Corey Dunn, Esports Stadium Arlington, VP of Broadcast & Esports Locker, President

Rich Eilers, Canon U.S.A., Nationals Accounts Sales Director, TV Production Sales Division

Rich Eilers is the national accounts sales director for Canon U.S.A.’s Professional Products Sales and Engineering Group. A veteran of the broadcast business and Canon, he has been leading the company’s strategic approach to the sports production market. Serving in a number of field and sales management positions over his tenure, Eilers has been coordinating and managing the support efforts by Canon for over 25 years at the largest sports events the industry handles.

Robert Erickson, Grass Valley, Advanced Technology Director

A member of the Grass Valley team since 2008, Robert Erickson has more than 19 years of experience in the broadcast and IT markets with previous roles covering systems engineering, television station management, broadcast network design, and RF transmission systems. Throughout his career, his focus has been on designing and maintaining infrastructure and playout systems based on new and emerging technologies for both existing and greenfield broadcast facilities.

In his current role, Erickson is a participant in the Alliance for IP Media Solutions (AIMS) and advocates for proper implementation of current and emerging broadcast standards on live production equipment. He spends much of his time engaging with customers to educate them on emerging IP technologies and trains internal staff on how IP technology drives different system designs. Erickson also designs and manages IP POC (proof of concept) systems for customers worldwide, testing and implementing solutions based on a diverse product line that includes cameras, servers, routers, multiviewers, various processing nodes, and VM-based software solutions.

Erickson is an active participant and frequent presenter in many of the major industry associations, including the Society of Broadcast Engineers (SBE), Society of Television Engineers (STE), Society of Motion Pictures and Television Engineers (SMPTE), and Hollywood Post Alliance (HPA).

Ben Grafchik, Sneaky Big, Director of Business Development

Ben Grafchik joined Sneaky Big in September of 2018 as the director of business development and has been tasked with overseeing the growth of Sneaky Big’s Live Vertical. Grafchik has been fortunate enough to work on such high profile series as CBS Thursday Night Football, CBS Sunday NFL, NBC Sunday Night Football, NBC Horse Racing Triple Crown, the 2016 Rio Olympics, and Super Bowls XLIX and LII. A native of Louisville, KY, Grafchik holds degrees from UNC-Chapel Hill and Georgetown University.

Chris Hendrie, BlackStar Group, Founder and CEO

Chris Hendrie has worked in esports since 2008, first as a freelance network engineer, and now as founder and CEO of BlackStar Group. Hendrie and his team at BlackStar Group have designed, built, and secured the network backbones for hundreds of games and events around the globe including EA’s FIFA & Madden, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive , Overwatch, and Call of Duty. Having established BlackStar Group as the preeminent specialty provider, Hendrie has worked alongside and consulted for titans of the esports industry such as Major League Gaming, Activision/Blizzard, and ESL.

Bob Jordan CVE, 1337 Facilities, CEO; Venue Road, Founder

Robert D. Jordan CVE, is a 30 year veteran in major project development and operations in sports and entertainment venues and public assembly facilities. Jordan is an established voice in the “Smart Stadium” movement typically providing consulting services to traditional sports teams, venues, property owners, and developers. The recent development of 1337 Facilities, a JV with esports standards Jordan Rambis and Real Time Strategies, with Venue Road and sports integrator Ampthink, was created to aid institutions in the conception, design, construction, and sponsorship of campus gaming. It develops solutions (software and process) and facilities (brick and mortar) that integrate the best practices of the traditional sports space identified and centered with the requirements and expectations of the gaming ecosystem. The resulting intersection of the esports industry with the traditional sports-learned lessons amplifies the expectation that all the electronic systems in all types of modern venues migrate into an integrated operating and content distribution platform that improves the fan and game experience. The resulting integration is a unique platform to bring new activations and experiences to the fans, the partner, and all stakeholders for both esports and traditional sports.

Jordan is champion of creating dynamic customer experience platforms and partnerships within the design context of the venues that value revenue and the customer as a common driver of design and activation. Providing subject matter expertise to leagues and team owners maximizes the relationship of the built environment to the brand, the program delivery, and the technology integration to support the revenue generation and the operational cost reduction in facility design, team operations, and partnership integration.

Prior to Venue Road and 1337 Facilities, Jordan was with Van Wagner’s Team and Venue Services group, specializing in technology infrastructure at sports facilities and mixed-use districts. Projects included consulting on SunTrust Park and The Battery Atlanta for Major League Baseball’s Atlanta Braves, plus Little Caesars Arena and the District Detroit – the ballpark and arena both opened in 2017. The AlamoDome and the Mission Rock Development are also projects in his portfolio.

Van Wagner acquired Jordan’s firm, Venue Research and Design, in 2012 as Jordan was working with MLB Advanced Media to update MLB ballparks with a standard wireless (DAS/WiFI) platform across the league. His role extended to consulting for MLBAM on its activation of instant replay in baseball as well as league-wide installations of pace of game clocks, Statcast, and iBeacon. Additional milestone projects included VTB stadium in Moscow, Mumbai Cricket in India, and consulting on college facilities such as the University of Washington’s Husky Stadium renovation and Syracuse University’s Carrier Dome.

In 2004, Jordan came on board with the NFL’s NY Jets for the development of the West Side Stadium in Manhattan, as the vice president of design and construction. In 2005, the focus moved to the design and development of MetLife Stadium, the $1.65 billion stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., that opened in 2010 for the Jets and New York Giants. He was also part of the development team for the American Airlines Center in Dallas, which opened in 2001 for the NHL’s Stars and NBA’s Mavericks.

Ken Kerschbaumer, SVG, Co-Executive Director, Editorial

Ken Kerschbaumer is co-executive director of editorial services for the Sports Video Group and SVG Europe. He was a co-founder of SVG along with Paul Gallo and Marty Porter in 2005 and has been writing about how sports networks and leagues use video and audio technology to deliver a quality TV experience since 1991. Kerschbaumer began his career in 1991 at Television Broadcast magazine before joining Cahners where he was founding editor of Digital Broadcasting magazine. In 2000, he joined Broadcasting & Cable magazine as senior editor of technology where he covered all aspects of broadcasting, cable, and internet content creation and distribution.

Marvin Mastin, Populous, Brand Activation Manager

As the manager of the Populous Brand Activation team, Marvin Mastin applies more than 20 years of project management experience in directing the development and delivery of projects. His responsibilities include creating and implementing work plans to manage the creation of innovative environmental design solutions and ensure projects are completed on time and of quality that meets or exceeds client expectations. Over the course of his career, Mastin has completed projects for a wide variety of clients including educational institutions, retail brands, and professional sports teams. His knowledge and insight into contracting and design practices and trends have helped him deliver small and large-scale projects across the nation, from branded environments at the 2018 MLB All-Star Game to an esports facility for Columbia College.

His relevant project experience includes Fayetteville Minor League Ballpark, Fayetteville, North Carolina; Blue Cross Arena Wayfinding, New York City; New York Alamo Draft House New York City, New York; Whole Foods, Kansas City, Missouri; Kansas City Royals Hall of Fame, Kansas City, Missouri; Planet Sub, Texas; Esports Facilities, Columbia College, Columbia, Missouri; Kansas City Federal Reserve Bank, Kansas City, Missouri; Boulevard Brewery Visitor Center, Kansas City, Missouri; and EMC Design, Des Moines Iowa.

Jonathon Oudthone, Esports Stadium Arlington, President

Jonathon Oudthone has over 10 years of experience working directly in esports, with experience in event and broadcast production. From grass roots to the big stage, Oudthone has seen and developed all aspects of the industry and is most recently known for leading the design and development of North America’s largest dedicated esports facility, Esports Stadium Arlington – a $10 million project which was built in partnership with the City of Arlington. After working with brands such as the Houston Outlaws and OpTic Gaming to build out their live events verticals, Oudthone now serves as president of Esports Venues, a company that focuses on the design, development, and sustainability of esports dedicated venues and infrastructure.

Cameron Reed, Ross Video, Esports Business Development Manager and Freelance Esports Director/Producer

Jackson Root, Marshall Electronics, Director of Marketing

For over 30 years, Marshall Electronics has created new technologies for professional AV and TV
broadcast production. Today, Marshall is known for miniature and compact HD/4K streaming cameras
that have become a mainstay of professional indoor and outdoor sporting events throughout the world.

As the director of marketing at Marshall Electronics, Jackson’s focus is to work closely with content producers and product development teams to promote new technologies for delivering immersive and enriching content to viewers.