Queens Gaming Collective is increasing its world roster of feminine creators by making them fairness companions
Queens Gaming Collective is a women-run gaming lifestyle company that has its global list of. expanded … [+]
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The gaming industry is becoming increasingly popular with both older and younger generations. According to statistics from Statista for 2020, there were over two billion players worldwide last year alone. Based on a 2018 forecast, global video game sales were nearly $ 105 billion in 2017 and are projected to grow to nearly $ 140 billion this year. In addition, the increase in female players grew during the pandemic. In 2020, Statista also calculated that women made up nearly 41% of all players in the United States, a slight increase over the previous year. As more female gamers enter the market, more resources, like the Queens Gaming Collective, are launched to offer guidance, support, and allies.
Alisa Jacobs, CEO of Queens Gaming Collective, is committed to challenging the diversity and gender equality issues that the industry is currently facing. Co-founded by Justin Giangrande is a women-run gaming lifestyle company that is expanding its global roster of female creators, streamers and competitors through the provision of infrastructure, resources and representation. Jacobs and her team recently went after a $ 1.5 million seed round and oversubscribed by $ 2.2 million. The company has also secured top-notch investors including Amy Finnerty, Lauren Jarvis and Rosie O’Neill.
The women on the roster are equity partners in Queens, in addition to being both represented and the stars of the content. At its core, Queens is itself a media merchandising and management company that creates content. It is also expanding IP with its esports athletes, cosplayers, streamers, gamers, crossover athletes, musicians, models and designers.
“With quarantine,” says Jacobs, “and with everything that was accelerated and tightened by the lockdown, gambling became an arms dealer in war. It opened the floodgates for recruitment and the invitation to what it means to be a gamer, casual gamer, mobile gamer and PC console. … We are truly committed to the cause of fair gameplay, in the true sense of the word, to be here to play as women, as diverse women; We really urge not only to represent gender equality on a visual and industry level, but also to shake the category of economic inclusion. ”
Alisa Jacobs, CEO of Queens Gaming Collective, is committed to challenging diversity and gender … [+]
Jen Johnson
Jacobs began her sports career as an intern with the then Washington Redskins before moving to the NFL Players Association. After moving to Los Angeles, Jacobs worked in marketing, managed sponsorship and events, and built up the sales team. She then spent five years at Diageo, where she led culture and partnerships, before founding her agency LOOP.
Originally, the agency was supposed to embed big brands more sensibly in the culture and take better account of the level and perspective of responsibility. It also helped disruptive startups gain importance in their respective industries. Activision Blizzard became one of Jacobs’ key accounts. She served as a Senior Strategic Advisor and helped found the Call of Duty League.
At that time, Jacobs and Giangrande had a conversation about female players and the resources available to them. In building the business model, they knew they wanted to offer deeper value to their talents and content creators.
“We really felt that the pay-to-play salaries were incredibly detrimental to the company’s long-term health for a number of reasons,” she explains. “Sometimes there is no skin in the game. There is no obligation to the thing. It’s whoever will pay me. We wanted them to make money from branded businesses. … It was important to us that if you want to be part of this mission and a vision-oriented company, you really participate and be supported. Many of these women did not yet have ownership. They didn’t even pay their prices adequately. And it’s an incredible one, not just a wage gap, but just massive inequality, especially for black and brown women, but also for women in the industry. In addition to some of our executives, investors and consultants, we also provided equity. What I mean by that is that we have 22 different, really powerful players in the squad, and everyone who is official is actually a shareholder. “
In May of this year, Queens announced a new investment and strategic partnership with NFL Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver JuJu Smith Schuster and his mother, Sammy Schuster. The mother-son duo supports the gaming community through collaboration and reinforcement and promotes the company’s mission to advocate diversity and gender equality.
Alisa Jacobs, CEO of Queens Gaming Collective, speaks at The Art of Expression Panel, sponsored by … [+]
STEVEN TAYLOR
As Jacobs continues to grow and Queens expands in her career, she focuses on the following essential steps:
- Be curious. Ask why. Being curious and motivated will help you gather enough information and meet the right people to make the best decision.
- Develop patience. Starting a business doesn’t happen overnight. In addition to being patient with others, you need to be twice as patient with yourself. Give yourself room to grow.
- Don’t be a jack of all trades. It can hinder your growth. It’s one thing to be a polymath or a multi-hyphenated professional. It’s another thing to be a generalist.
“Authenticity and integrity are really important in the first place,” concludes Jacobs. “It’s not about being unique, it’s just about being true. If you can truly show up, I think you are more relatable, personable, believable, and trustworthy. They are all so different from the women we work with. … So just really encouraging them to lean into their shoes and be their most authentic selves will both monetize and inspire. “
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