Genna Bain answers questions on reddit

As all three of us have been in this industry for awhile, we know a bit of what to expect in terms of ROI. I think most teams, when initially formed without some substantial angel investment, don't expect to turn a profit for a number of years. We have no expectations of profit out of the gate of course. We would like to achieve breaking even, but that is as much as I am hoping for the short term.
We are already working on identifying potential sponsors. I think the fact that both Husky and TB have a substantial amount of viewership in the gaming community (not necessarily just Starcraft) may swing the odds in our favor of acquiring stable long term relationships.
As players are taken on, my hope is to be able to cultivate their media presence in a way that makes them more accessible to the community. I think there is a lot of room for improvement in the way this is currently being done with regards to Korean pro players. We see them at events, they win money, but unless you're MC and do a murloc dance or speak extremely good English, their celebrity status is next to nonexistent. I want to show the NA and EU markets that these guys have personality and they can be a marketable commodity if given the exposure.
I will definitely not commit to saying no foreigners will ever join the team. It has always been a dream of mine to support a team of professional gamers and put to rest the idea that gaming cannot be a career. Obviously Koreans are not the only ones that need help with this matter. I am hoping to add more players as the team becomes better supported by sponsors. My ideal would be a maximum of 5 players for now. I think having time for each player is important and that can be rather difficult with a larger roster.

You obviously didn't watch LO3 last night... You would know what happens when asking such questions. :D

For now my focus is Starcraft. I have shared a love for many eSports like Quake and CS 1.6, but Starcraft feels like home for me right now. I believe participating in additional games can split your focus as a team owner and I really don't know if I will ever be in a position to do that. I'm not exactly one of those incredible top level people who can just delegate and expect things to get done. I have to be hands on with any passion project I pursue.

The idea for a team house has definitely been discussed. Obviously it would be a great training environment, as well as open the potential for relationships with other teams. As far as running the house, I would not know for the time being. There have been several emails already with people in Korea who are wanting to be involved with the team in some capacity. It is definitely a wish for me to be able to have a house fully staffed to really provide the players with the ultimate support so they can concentrate on honing their craft.
CranK's English is actually very good, even though he does not feel 100% confident in himself. I am in the process of engaging a tutor for him so that he can express himself with more ease at future events. I have also begun to learn a bit of Korean.

Our next steps would be to first secure additional sponsorship to come up with the ideal budget that allows us to support each player in a comfortable manner. The amount of funding a team requires is always larger than you initially plan for. Unexpected instances like flights being cancelled, hotels being overbooked, etc., can happen to anyone. We want to be sure we are completely prepared before taking on additional players.
I will be making the usual rounds to events and keeping an eye on promising players who might be without a team or nearing the end of their current contracts. One of the greatest things about being sponsored by TB and Husky is that we already have so many players coming to us asking to be on the team, that scouting hardly seems necessary. I will say that I am being extremely selective as I want this team to gel well together. Personality conflicts and drama will be avoided at all costs. While they might keep your team name in the spotlight from a publicity standpoint, I'm hoping that we can just focus on the games. Naive, I know.
I don't see a reason why we would really require many volunteers for this project. I am hoping to get a website together rather quickly for the team and, at that point, perhaps some volunteer writing staff might be requested to keep things active. Aside from that, if anyone would like to volunteer, please provide me with an idea of how you would volunteer.

Well, I never have a problem saying "no", so that's helpful. Contrary to popular belief, I am not entirely the Angelina Jolie of eSports. I don't need or want to adopt every orphaned Korean player just to build up a formidable roster.
I'm definitely aware that several players who have lost their passion, but are still a decent name, are looking for a stable and comfortable stint with a team. I'm afraid I have no interest in supporting those players. If you are a consistently average player and have no intention to aspire to anything more, than you will be paid a consistently average salary. I would rather take on a teamless player off the ladder with no pro circuit experience than to engage a seasoned prima donna who has lost his desire to improve or rethink his game. At least the teamless newbie would have that drive to achieve something. Unfortunately, it is an eventuality for people in just about any line of work. When you have no job and are desperate to make ends meet, you will take any job and any wage. When you have a job, then you suddenly become miserable because you obviously deserve a better job and a better wage, right? After a period of dedication to that better job, then obviously you deserve a raise or perhaps some reduced responsibilities, right? Next thing you know, the whole world owes you. I'm afraid that with the rate at which players jump from team to team in eSports, there is a lack of loyalty. As a team owner, you want a player to foster a relationship with the organization so that when we shoulder the slumps, it can be accepted gracefully because we shared in the peaks as well. If a player comes to you from another team where several peaks were reached but all they have given you is slumps, you have no reason to retain that player for future seasons.
I will be screening players based on their last 12-months of competitive history, recommendations from industry professionals, past achievements and reputation with former teams.

1) I would hope to at least have 3 of the 5 anticipated team member slots filled by the year's end.
2) Right now I will be focusing on Korean talent, but that does not mean that you will never see an NA or EU player join Axiom. Korean players are definitely not the only ones being undervalued and underpaid.
3) My biggest primary concern was actually time rather than money. I guess one does impact the other in my line of work. If there ever comes a time when I don't have the time to address all of my player's concerns and expectations, that will be my cue that I might need to change strategy and find another way to support eSports. Cost is obviously a factor but there is a lot of money in this world, and it can always be obtained with the right strategy.

At this time, we have no intentions of withdrawing our personal sponsorship with BlinG. It would not be fair to punish him just because we had an idea to start a team.

I am not 100% on all of the details of BlinG's contract with Team Dignitas, but he has never expressed to me a desire to leave his team. In the event that he does have a wish to join Axiom and reaches the end of his current contract agreement, then we would explore those options just as we would with any other potential candidate.

Cynical Brit is an official sponsor of Axiom. They are not one and the same. They are two separate entities as unusual as that might seem. Axiom provides a vehicle to bring more brand awareness to Cynical Brit just as BlinG currently does by wearing the patch on his Team Dignitas jersey. Obviously, in the beginning, Cynical Brit will be providing more exposure to Axiom instead of the other way around, but I am hoping to change that as we go along. I have no doubt there are several Koreans that have never heard of Cynical Brit or TotalBiscuit. CranK had no idea who we were when we first approached him about MLG Raleigh.

1. Living with anyone who is "famous on the internet" is hard. You deal with the hate mail, the death threats and the constant scrutiny. Rarely does a day go by that I don't get notified that someone dislikes me just because I'm married to TB. Where we live right now, no one knows who TB is, so life is pretty normal. When we are at events, however, I am just the woman who needs to move out of the camera shot or take the picture or hold the x,y,z, items while they get a signature or photo with TB. The worst part is eating. When we're on location at events for eSports or just general gaming, mealtimes are the only points of the day when we are not working. It's the only time we get to be alone together before going back into the fray. So having nothing that is sacred, even a meal with my husband, is problematic for me. When we travel to Sweden, where we have the largest viewership density, everyone seems to know who he is. It rivals on par with celebrities in Hollywood. Swedes, unlike the Hollywood paparazzi, are extremely polite and respectful, so it always makes visiting a fun experience.
2. I started out playing a lot of platform games as I think most kids tend to do when they get their first Nintendo. I had such limited resources in the way of a capable computer that I only played console games for a time of my adolescence. When I did finally get a computer that would run games without making me rage, I got into playing Diablo II, Warcraft 3, Broodwar, CS 1.6 and Quake. Sadly enough, afterwards I spent 6 years playing WoW and rarely any other game due to raiding commitments. After achieving a number of world firsts and then seeing the direction of cough cough Disney cough cough I mean Blizzard/Activision, I decided it was time to move on. Since then and until now I play a little bit of everything. I like RPGs, FPS and strategy games mostly. Sorry for the long answer to the question, but even after so many years, I'm not afraid I really know which specific genre I enjoy the most. I just enjoy games.
3. TB has made me appreciate indie games more. I have had the chance to interact with a lot of the developers over the years through his career. You begin to learn a lot about what it takes as an indie developer vs getting published and how publishers begin to change the wonderful piece of art you have created to conform to what they feel is more widely marketable.
4. TB subsides on nothing more than tears, expressed in large quantities thanks to our mutual acquaintance, Jesse Cox.

There aren't really any good stories behind them. I read them and then file them in the event that any actual threat is identified and go about my business. My business and personal sanity rely on my family being safe. I'm not one to overreact to your average garden variety of hater, but in this day and age, anyone with access to a computer already knows where you are, where you will be and how to reach you.

Highbrow Studios is a company I founded that basically manages the business that is Cynical Brit. Cynical Brit is just a brand for TB and nothing more. My company runs the YouTube channel, Twitch channel, social media, appearance bookings, and graphic design involved in sustaining the brand that TB has been living under. All of the financials are run through Highbrow Studios as we were looking towards the future of possibly taking on additional projects and did not want to limit ourselves by branding the entire company, Cynical Brit.

We will add additional members to our staff as they are needed. As I already run one company, the majority of what I need from a financial, legal, marketing and PR standpoint are taken care of. Things that are currently in discussion include a coach. While we believe the Korean ladder is one of the best training resources, it never hurts to have a bit more structure added to your regime to keep your goals in focus.
I am honestly considering against adding any additional "middle men" because I know that the majority of Korean players that I have talked to, dislike having to deal with a Korean manager who then reports to the team owner. I want each of the players to feel like they can come and talk to me about their ideas and concerns. From what I know so far, Korean players really appreciate, and are accustomed to, matters being taken care of in a timely fashion. If there is a problem, it needs to be dealt with and not distorted via a conduit or take three days to be resolved.

The hardest part of my job has been actively supporting my husband as a wife and as CEO of the company that manages him. It has taken us a long time to be able to work together in a professional capacity. We are both stubborn and opinionated. As a wife, you basically become invisible when your husband is "e-famous". You go to all the events, you run the company and you do the work, but in the end, he is the one with the long line of fans waiting for his autograph. Knowing that the only reason people are vaguely interested in you is because of who your husband is, is never fun. Originally, I wanted to end up working at a games company because I loved gaming so much growing up. I can't even do that because no one will hire me because of TB. I quote : "It would be a conflict of interest for us to consider you for this position due to your husband's involvement in the gaming community." I guess most company's don't want to take the risk that TB would slam their game in response for any ill treatment towards me professionally.
An interesting fact? Interesting is a subjective term... lol. I only ever own about 3 pairs of shoes at one time. I am told that as a female this is illegal and I should be shunned from my peers.
My husband is the same as he is when you see him, just a bit less exaggerated. When he is working and talking to you about games, you have volume control. Be grateful.

Hi Gen, grats on your success and recognition for your endeavors.

1. What is a day like for you? What time do you wake up, how long do you work for, how much of your time is spenting parenting Orion and how much do you get to yourself?

2. What sort of upbringing did you have yourself?

3. Did you go to University/College, if so what did you study?

4. What would you have been if you weren't doing this?

5. What do you and TB typically do for a fun after work ends, do you guys watch a lot of movies or any other hobby?

6. Will there be a Team house for Team Axiom?

7. Who have you set your sight on for possible pickups for Axiom?

8. Aside from salaries and better working rights, what will Axiom provide for progamers that they wouldn't otherwise get?

9. What is TB's worst habit?

10. We've seen Orion interested in games and such, do you think he has fully realized that his parents have quite a bit of notoriety?

11. What games do you plan these days? Do you still play WoW much?

12. Do you want to move out of Charlotte, NC to a more convenient area (like LA/NYC?). Why/Why not?

13. How much involvement do you have with TB's stuff aside from the accounting/marketing/management stuff? Do you often have to edit or do anything that Alris/Zooc/Stormtamer do?

14. Do you play to visit Korea very often with Team Axiom open?

15. What can we expect from the Axiom brand that others don't offer that would appeal to foreigners who aren't as interested in the Korean scene (or only in specific Korean's/tournaments).

16. Do you still talk to any of the WCradio crew that aren't working with you guys anymore? Emperor is going strong with VtW and is hoping to expand to livestreaming soon!

17. What's your best moment been over the last 5 years, you've had so many obstacles you and TB have overcome, was there a stand-out moment?

18. Would you bring Titan back with TB? People really take well to the WifeTF's and many haven't been exposed to the awesome that was Titan?

19. Who is your favorite Sc2 celebrity/caster/whoever to work with and why is it Husky?

20. Final question, how can the fan's support you, Team Axiom and everything else aside from the usual things?

Thanks and congrats on your weight loss effort so far, you're absolutely killing it! :D

BONUS QUESTION: How much involvement will TB have with Axiom?

1. I wake up at 7am every day. I generally put in about 5 active hours and then several spurts of half hours depending on when emails come in and important matters arise. Orion is 9, which means he doesn't really want his parents hanging around. We interrupt his video games. Sometimes he lets us play with him. Time that I get to myself is rather limited. I sleep... sometimes. There are days during the week where I will literally do nothing related to work and then days where I work from as soon as I wake up until bedtime. Having your own business is a blessing and a curse. You have to stay motivated to get things done but you have to have balance to achieve any amount of sanity.

2. I grew up on a farm in Ohio. Being raised only by my mother, we were dirt poor but happy. I was an only child but had a million cousins. Life was pretty simple and no one really had any expectations of anyone.

3. I studied Biology with a Microbiology concentration.

4. I would probably still be a graphic designer.

5. TB and I go to the movies every once in a blue moon. We game when we can, rarely together though. We don't really share any of the same hobbies I'm sad to say. I like calligraphy and venturing off to the mountains in Romania or roaming the streets in San Francisco, and he likes .. well games, airsoft and the catching up on the occasional tv series.

6. It's a consideration of course.

7. I haven't really set my sights on any specific players as it appears a lot of them are coming to us first. I want to work on taking care of CranK's needs before taking on additional responsibilities.

8. Axiom will strive to provide its players more exposure to the NA and EU market. We will try to show you each player's personality and make them more accessible to the fans. We will also provide flights that aren't booked at the last minute and time to acclimate before competing at an event. We were able to bring CranK over to MLG Raleigh a number of days early vs. the majority of the Korean competitors who arrived the very morning of the event.

9. TB's worst habit is chewing with his mouth open. It's not that anything is visible when he is chewing, but it's the sound. As someone who is an audiophile, that is just one of my pet peeves.

10. When we took Orion with us to San Diego to meet with Sony Online Entertainment about Planetside 2, I think the reality set in a bit. He has watched some of TB's family friendly videos, so he knows that other people watch his videos. I don't think he will fully understand until he attends an actual event like MLG where he can see TB on the big screen and the fans supporting him.

11. Lately I play a lot of iOS games because they are accessible on planes where I spend a lot of my time. I am also a huge fan of tower defense games because I can easily put them down and return to them without a huge time commitment. Right now I am playing a good amount of Torchlight 2 and Borderlands 2. I haven't played WoW in over a year.

12. While a lot of our business does take place on the west coast, there are so many variables to consider when planning a move. The biggest variable is my son. Do I want to put my son in a school in LA? No. We were contemplating a move to an area north of San Diego where the schools are a bit better and we could have our privacy, but not too far from the airport for work purposes. Sadly, with the amount of difference you would pay for a house on the west coast vs. a house on the east coast, you could salary another pro player on a monthly basis. Maybe even two players. Right now, it's just not worth the cost and stress of an upheaval, even if I do hate the humidity here.

13. The accounting, I do it. The marketing, Zooc does it. The management, I do it. I do ask Zooc to make modifications to specific design items every once in awhile and we brainstorm a lot when it comes to things like logos or merchandise. Alris has not been with the company since April. Stormtamer has never been a part of the company. Zooc, me and TB. That's it.

14. Once we have sponsors in place and we begin looking at options for potential housing in Korea, I will definitely be making some trips. I know having a team owner looking over your shoulder isn't the greatest feeling in the world for many players so I'm not planning on holding hands with them every weekend, but I will make visits to make sure that things are as they should be and that the players have everything necessary.

15. I hope that we will be able to offer more of an inside perspective from a player and team management standpoint. Since we have been so heavily involved with YouTube videos and streaming in our regular business operations, we can use that to our advantage in keeping the players connected to the fanbase through regular casting of their games via Husky or TB, B-reel footage of the player's experiences outside Korea and beyond the tournaments alone, etc. Hopefully we can share more of what we learn as we carry on with the project. Several people have started teams, but I'm not sure if any of them have done it in quite so public of a way. We're going to make mistakes, but we can at least make them entertaining, I hope.

16. I'm afraid I don't really talk to any of the previous WCRadio crew on a regular basis. I had the pleasure of running into the majority of the Casually Hardcore hosts at PAX which was awesome. I also try to keep up with Alris and Stormtamer when I'm able. Emperor always tends to pop up from time to time, which is great. We've all just sort of gone on doing what it is that we do, but hopefully I'm not the only one who recalls a lot of the good memories.

17. The best moment was when TB and I landed at LAX for E3 and I watched him walk through the airport like a vindicated man. For those that don't know, LAX was the airport where he was detained and then removed from the United States and kept in the UK for 3 of the past 5 years.

18. I'm afraid the time for Titan has come and gone. Neither myself nor TB play WoW anymore so that wouldn't be feasible. I do try to collab with TB when he finds a place for me, but that's not always easy as most of his audience appreciate his opinion and that's what they subscribe for, not for us as a duo.

19. I don't think I can really choose just one. Can I choose a duo? I'm going to do it anyway... BitterdaM. MrBitter is just one of those people you always feel a great vibe of positive energy from. He has amazing skin, so every time I've done his casting makeup, he looks incredible before I even begin to add product. He always has a smile on his face, even though anyone behind the scenes knows the kind of patience and stress tolerance this industry requires. RotterdaM is a genuine person and I really admire that. So many public figures let their own personalities hinder their greatness, but he just goes in, does his job and nothing changes. It's refreshing. He also talks to me about the games and players instead of trying to teach me about Starcraft, which I've had happen before. "Oh you're a girl, and you're watching Starcraft. That's so cute. Here let me explain what's happening so you can understand." At events, I spend 99% of it watching Starcraft and the rest doing the caster's makeup and arranging fan signings. I'm pretty sure I know something about the game by now. (PS : I love Husky but I haven't had a chance to work with him too much myself. I will soon though!)

20. The fans can support Axiom by following us on twitter @axiomesports (Hopefully I can manage to get a website out soon). We will obviously be bringing out a merch line when our team uniforms are finished, so, please feel free to show your spirit at events. Support our first player, CranK by watching his stream and cheering for him. He is competing in the MLG vs Proleague tournament and will be attending MLG Dallas as well as IPL5 in November.

Bonus Question : TB will be involved with Axiom in many ways. He's always a great sound board for my ideas and I take full advantage of that. I believe he will be focusing on promoting the team and the brand initially, but we haven't really broken down every detail of what he hopes to achieve with his role.

Do I get an achievement point for playing 20 questions now?

In the event that the players come to visit with us in Charlotte for any period of time, it would be amazing to reach out to the local community and have some type of play session & meet/greet. I've lived here for 13 years thinking that I was the only gamer. When I go to Sweden and see LAN centers crammed full of gamers, it makes my jaw drop. We really need a more connected scene here in the Queen City.

Grubby. He has such an amazing personality and I feel that even over the course of a long career, he still strives to win every event. I admire his determination and his ability to handle himself as a professional. I remember being at BlizzCon when he proposed to Cassandra. Just an all around awesome guy.

For the moment, we have no intentions of bringing CranK out of Korea. His current training environment is not a poor one, so we are content with the present arrangement. Once we begin adding more players to the team, we will have a better view of what type of environment might be required.

I believe that there is a disadvantage in the way the community currently bonds with Koreans. With a majority of European players, they speak enough English in interviews and are able to talk to you at length if you approach them for an autograph. If you were to do the same with a Korean, you'd be speaking through a translator. Some translators were actually members of the scene who later became involved to help the players communicate. However, not all translators interpret a player's inflection, tone or mannerisms to really let you know exactly how a player wishes to convey their message. (Don't take this as a slight translators, you know I <3 and respect you for all you do!)
Having watched a number of Korean players, there are so many times I wish I could just tell them how awesome x game was and y engagement was incredible, or just ask them questions about why they made a specific choice in a game. As a fan, I can't just go and ask them these complicated questions. Unless I have a degree in charades or there is a translator willing to offer their valuable services, for free (skills cost $$$) I feel like engaging those players in a conversation is off limits apart from the ever tried and true thumbs up or cheer.
Every player has a story, but not every player has a voice.

We don't actually eat a lot of carbs in the house, but I do know how to make waffles and I make pretty amazing holiday pies.

Making sandwiches by day and ruining eSports by night, I am always in the shadows.

Pirates. You get to have an awesome nickname, a parrot AND an eyepatch. As a ninja, everyone just looks the same.

I'm the voice of the Forsaken Archer and the Succubus in the game, Heroes of Newerth. I've also done many voices for past WoW machinima films, singing for the game MechoWars and various radio advertisements. I've also voiced some of those oh-so-annoying automated voice telephone systems for companies.
For the future, I'm not too sure about podcasts but I am hoping to start my own WTF-esque YT series on mobile games for iOS and Android; for people out there, like me, who find themselves in a situation of frequent travel and a need to know what games are actually worth the money.

I'm afraid I never allow myself to think that is the case by default. I always feel like I could be doing better, trying harder or giving more. TB's job provides consistent results. He makes a video and BAM, a million responses and people give him all the praise in the world (or all the hate, as the case may be). The only gauge I have of my success is whether or not the business remains afloat for another quarter.
I definitely appreciate the people who do look up to me, but I am no great example. I have made far too many mistakes in my lifetime to be the pattern to lead your life by. I think as long as people at least say hello to me when they meet us in person, things will get better. Don't treat me like some dime a dozen eSports pro ho. Some of us females are here for the long haul, whether you boys like it or not.

Nope. My voice is commonly mistaken with that of Aliena who did do raid encounter videos for Tankspot. Be sure to turn your google safe search on if you toss that one in the browser.
I spent a time making content for the EU guild Ensidia which then became part of the Manaflask brand, but that was nearing the end of my WoW days.

While it would be rather ambitious to say Team EG, I'm going to put this out here. EG does many things right, which is why they are where they are. EG is a team with a solid roster of familiar faces and diverse player personalities. This makes them incredibly marketable. EG is also based in America, which gives them a lot of access to sponsorship opportunities. While it's never easy to convince sponsors that they should invest in gaming, I think American based sponsors always want to be the first to try something outside the box. It's that whole American "first" mentality. EG does a great job of making sure that the players are showcased to show any company that they will get the ROI they are looking for. While I am not looking for 20 names on a team uniform, I do want to bring some of that player showcase style to Axiom.
I don't really have any specific teams that I'm look at as a model for my team. If there was already a team out there doing everything that I already wanted to achieve, I'd be an investor and not a team owner.

They could drop me an email : gennabain[at]cynicalbrit[dot]com

Axiom at it's origin means, worthy. When we first offered CranK his sponsorship to MLG Raleigh, he expressed his concern that he did not think he deserved the opportunity. I wanted a name that reassured him and every player selected for Axiom, that they are, in fact, worthy. As I explained to CranK back at Raleigh, this is just an opportunity. I paid for the flight, the hotel, translator and misc. expenses, but at the end of the day, he's the one who played the games and won the heart of the community. I also liked that in it's more modern meaning, Axiom means a premise or starting point, and that's exactly what this is.

It was an amazing experience. Things I learned include :
-Always bring handwarmers. -Never take Ryung to an arcade because he always wins at everything. -Never ever make the statement "Relax TB, it's not like he's going to have to go up against TaeJa."