EPTMy first week of wT Weekly brought with it many challenges. I had never completely administrated a tournament let alone casted it as well and soon realised I had jumped into a pretty big responsibility. Bless this man’s soul for out of nowhere Flamga (a prominent SEA caster) approaches me and asks if I would like some assistance. I hold a lot of respect for this man and credit a lot of my success to his support.
Ever since restarting wT Weekly it has only been up for me. Being able to cast games from names such as Mafia (only the second SEA player to reach Grand Master on Korean ladder), PiG (a pillar of the SEA community about to compete in Germany), Light (considered one of if not the best Protoss in SEA) and many others on a regular basis has been amazing both for learning and exposure. Every cast has brought with it new challenges but always more rewards. Within such rewards lied an opportunity to be a caster for an upcoming professional team called Team ToR.
Joining a Team
A team in SEA is very different to that of a team in NA (North America) and KR (Korea). It is fair to say the upper tier competitive side of SEA is catching up and expanding at an inspiring rate. This is not to say it is anything but professional and requiring serious commitment.
When approached by Spartaz (considered one of the biggest contributors to New Zealand Esports) to join Team ToR, a gentleman I had many interactions with in the past and a person who had always believed in me, I was taken back.
When I first started casting my main goal was to provide content previously not available to the community whilst starting to create a name for myself. I would have never thought that within 3 months of making a decision to pursue a career in eSports that I would be considered in the top tier of player management. It was a serious decision for me to take but equally one which felt right. Not only would it bring opportunities to cast with my idols such as Maynarde, as well as being able to cast more top tier players of SEA but also was a clear fit with the brand I was and still am creating for myself.
My heart has and always will lie with the community as a whole. My success is directly proportionate to the success of those around me and I will never put myself in a position where I feel I am the only person benefiting. It is only when those around me are looked after and appreciated will I ever take the next step. Team ToR in my mind fits very closely to this. It is why I have a lot of respect for Spartaz as a manager, as a member of the Starcraft II community and as a human being.
+ Show Spoiler [Screenshot of the recent team war betw…] +
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/h5vjx.jpg)
A New Chapter
August is now upon us. I am now into my 5th month pursuing my dreams and a new chapter is about to be written. Opportunities are continuing to open up, my passion is stronger than ever and I am ready to break the international market. This last week has been monumental for me. I have seen an increase in my Twitter following by 44% (@BaldieSC2), an increase in my Twitch following by 30% (Twitch.TV/Baldie24), I was awarded SC2SEA.com’s “Quality Member of the Month” for July and have been recognised as one of the top 10 contributors to the SEA Scene for 2012.
I am humbled by how supportive the SEA scene is and the Starcraft II community as a whole. Although the road so far has not always been rosy and will continue to challenge and push my boundaries I can credit my success only as a result of those who support me and believe in me, especially Reere (a Taiwan Grand Master SEA player) and Spartaz who have been of monumental support. Thank you from the bottom of my heart to everybody who has been a part of my journey thus far. It is only the beginning.
What’s Next?
WCS Oceania is this weekend and with it comes my biggest opportunity to be able to meet many of the people within SEA I have directly or indirectly worked with. I also look forward to meeting many new faces. I’m a strong believer in the concept of making your own opportunities.
Thank you for those of you who have taken the time to read my blog. It is something I will continue to write over the months. This journey is as much mine as it is yours.
International Market, here I come.
