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Interview with Frodan about ESGN - Page 3

Forum Index > SC2 General
63 CommentsPost a Reply
Prev 1 2 3 4 Next All
c0ldfusion
Profile Joined October 2010
United States8293 Posts
July 02 2014 22:53 GMT
#41
On July 03 2014 01:44 Torte de Lini wrote:
Show nested quote +
On July 03 2014 01:42 Antoine wrote:
On July 03 2014 01:27 Torte de Lini wrote:
Frodan: Hahaha well sadly I didn't bring a poster of Rita Hayworth for my office space, but I did try to find an exit path somewhere in May. Initially, I held out on believing things could turn around for a month due to loyalty ties. After all, management took a chance on me when I was relatively unproven and I have benefited much from this entire ordeal despite having gotten myself involved in quite the conundrum. I primarily felt bad for other legit esports people that were victimized by this such as Susie Kim (lilsusie), but I didn't know how to warn her because our company kept warning us of NDA agreements.


This sounds similar to myself.

Also, the launch event is Public Relations and Marketing; not Business Operations (or is he referring to the Business Development side of the company [as opposed to the Media half]).

It seems like the Business Development side. He pretty exclusively talked about two sides of the company, not specific departments within the BizDev half.

Good interview, thanks to Frodan for opening up on it.


Yeah, that's probably what he meant.

Are you planning on staying in Germany?
Torte de Lini
Profile Blog Joined September 2010
Germany38463 Posts
July 02 2014 23:06 GMT
#42
On July 03 2014 07:53 c0ldfusion wrote:
Show nested quote +
On July 03 2014 01:44 Torte de Lini wrote:
On July 03 2014 01:42 Antoine wrote:
On July 03 2014 01:27 Torte de Lini wrote:
Frodan: Hahaha well sadly I didn't bring a poster of Rita Hayworth for my office space, but I did try to find an exit path somewhere in May. Initially, I held out on believing things could turn around for a month due to loyalty ties. After all, management took a chance on me when I was relatively unproven and I have benefited much from this entire ordeal despite having gotten myself involved in quite the conundrum. I primarily felt bad for other legit esports people that were victimized by this such as Susie Kim (lilsusie), but I didn't know how to warn her because our company kept warning us of NDA agreements.


This sounds similar to myself.

Also, the launch event is Public Relations and Marketing; not Business Operations (or is he referring to the Business Development side of the company [as opposed to the Media half]).

It seems like the Business Development side. He pretty exclusively talked about two sides of the company, not specific departments within the BizDev half.

Good interview, thanks to Frodan for opening up on it.


Yeah, that's probably what he meant.

Are you planning on staying in Germany?


I have several citizenships, so I am keeping my options open as a Swiss, American, Canadian.
https://twitter.com/#!/TorteDeLini (@TorteDeLini)
URLateral
Profile Joined October 2012
275 Posts
July 03 2014 00:26 GMT
#43
Really good interview! feel bad for Frodan and everyone at ESGN
Bigtony
Profile Blog Joined June 2011
United States1606 Posts
Last Edited: 2014-07-03 01:07:31
July 03 2014 01:07 GMT
#44
On July 03 2014 03:00 Waise wrote:
incredible interview, frodan's insights seem really smart and fair and kind of cast a different light on the situation. i don't think it's right to say he's drinking the koolaid given that he was pretty candid about the failures and misdeeds as well as the few positives. it is possible, after all, for well meaning people to get involved with something they really believe in and still screw up abysmally because of incompetence and/or idealism. maybe it's fair to say he knew what he was getting into, maybe it's fair to call the whole thing "shady," but i don't see any reason to doubt his version of events


From the word go everything about the project said 100% failure. It was IPL/Azubu/NASL all over again.
Push 2 Harder
soon.Cloak
Profile Blog Joined August 2010
United States983 Posts
July 03 2014 03:47 GMT
#45
That was surprisingly optimistic and positive, all things considered. Thanks for the interview.
digmouse
Profile Blog Joined November 2010
China6333 Posts
July 03 2014 09:17 GMT
#46
On July 03 2014 10:07 Bigtony wrote:
Show nested quote +
On July 03 2014 03:00 Waise wrote:
incredible interview, frodan's insights seem really smart and fair and kind of cast a different light on the situation. i don't think it's right to say he's drinking the koolaid given that he was pretty candid about the failures and misdeeds as well as the few positives. it is possible, after all, for well meaning people to get involved with something they really believe in and still screw up abysmally because of incompetence and/or idealism. maybe it's fair to say he knew what he was getting into, maybe it's fair to call the whole thing "shady," but i don't see any reason to doubt his version of events


From the word go everything about the project said 100% failure. It was IPL/Azubu/NASL all over again.

I don't think IPL and NASL are the same with the ESGN case.
TranslatorIf you want to ask anything about Chinese esports, send me a PM or follow me @nerddigmouse.
snowbird
Profile Blog Joined October 2005
Germany2044 Posts
July 03 2014 10:06 GMT
#47
On July 03 2014 06:19 Canucklehead wrote:
Should have asked frodan, what happened to gom snowbird? The guy was a boss translator at gom taking over for john, then he left to pursue an opportunity in germany which turned out to be clauf and then disappeared off the face of the earth. Haven't heard or seen anything of him ever since he left gom.


Happy that someone remembers me, my time at GOM seems so long ago!
I'll figure something out and will be just fine. Just got married actually (good timing), the bad news hit me on my honeymoon, which I'm still on.
I'll start pondering what I'll do next when I'm back, want to enjoy the remainder of my first long holiday in... forever.

As for ESGN, I'm sad that it didn't work out and ended like it did and sincerely hope that everyone on the team will be fine. For me personally, I believe it was a worthwhile experience all things considered and some valuable lessons were learned.
Cheers!
@riotsnowbird
OgerGolg
Profile Joined August 2011
Germany65 Posts
July 03 2014 10:15 GMT
#48
On July 03 2014 19:06 snowbird wrote:
want to enjoy the remainder of my first long holiday in... forever.


You had your vacation during your university years^^

Good Flight back
OERTW
Torte de Lini
Profile Blog Joined September 2010
Germany38463 Posts
July 03 2014 10:35 GMT
#49
On July 03 2014 19:15 OgerGolg wrote:
Show nested quote +
On July 03 2014 19:06 snowbird wrote:
want to enjoy the remainder of my first long holiday in... forever.


You had your vacation during your university years^^

Good Flight back


That's forever for him, he's old now
https://twitter.com/#!/TorteDeLini (@TorteDeLini)
Waise
Profile Joined June 2013
3165 Posts
July 03 2014 12:01 GMT
#50
On July 03 2014 10:07 Bigtony wrote:
Show nested quote +
On July 03 2014 03:00 Waise wrote:
incredible interview, frodan's insights seem really smart and fair and kind of cast a different light on the situation. i don't think it's right to say he's drinking the koolaid given that he was pretty candid about the failures and misdeeds as well as the few positives. it is possible, after all, for well meaning people to get involved with something they really believe in and still screw up abysmally because of incompetence and/or idealism. maybe it's fair to say he knew what he was getting into, maybe it's fair to call the whole thing "shady," but i don't see any reason to doubt his version of events


From the word go everything about the project said 100% failure. It was IPL/Azubu/NASL all over again.

i'm not sure what this has to do with my post or how it contradicts what i said (if at all)
c0ldfusion
Profile Joined October 2010
United States8293 Posts
July 03 2014 12:13 GMT
#51
On July 03 2014 08:06 Torte de Lini wrote:
Show nested quote +
On July 03 2014 07:53 c0ldfusion wrote:
On July 03 2014 01:44 Torte de Lini wrote:
On July 03 2014 01:42 Antoine wrote:
On July 03 2014 01:27 Torte de Lini wrote:
Frodan: Hahaha well sadly I didn't bring a poster of Rita Hayworth for my office space, but I did try to find an exit path somewhere in May. Initially, I held out on believing things could turn around for a month due to loyalty ties. After all, management took a chance on me when I was relatively unproven and I have benefited much from this entire ordeal despite having gotten myself involved in quite the conundrum. I primarily felt bad for other legit esports people that were victimized by this such as Susie Kim (lilsusie), but I didn't know how to warn her because our company kept warning us of NDA agreements.


This sounds similar to myself.

Also, the launch event is Public Relations and Marketing; not Business Operations (or is he referring to the Business Development side of the company [as opposed to the Media half]).

It seems like the Business Development side. He pretty exclusively talked about two sides of the company, not specific departments within the BizDev half.

Good interview, thanks to Frodan for opening up on it.


Yeah, that's probably what he meant.

Are you planning on staying in Germany?


I have several citizenships, so I am keeping my options open as a Swiss, American, Canadian.


What about the other folks? Are most people sticking around in Germany? Trying to stay in eSports?
Torte de Lini
Profile Blog Joined September 2010
Germany38463 Posts
July 03 2014 12:17 GMT
#52
On July 03 2014 21:13 c0ldfusion wrote:
Show nested quote +
On July 03 2014 08:06 Torte de Lini wrote:
On July 03 2014 07:53 c0ldfusion wrote:
On July 03 2014 01:44 Torte de Lini wrote:
On July 03 2014 01:42 Antoine wrote:
On July 03 2014 01:27 Torte de Lini wrote:
Frodan: Hahaha well sadly I didn't bring a poster of Rita Hayworth for my office space, but I did try to find an exit path somewhere in May. Initially, I held out on believing things could turn around for a month due to loyalty ties. After all, management took a chance on me when I was relatively unproven and I have benefited much from this entire ordeal despite having gotten myself involved in quite the conundrum. I primarily felt bad for other legit esports people that were victimized by this such as Susie Kim (lilsusie), but I didn't know how to warn her because our company kept warning us of NDA agreements.


This sounds similar to myself.

Also, the launch event is Public Relations and Marketing; not Business Operations (or is he referring to the Business Development side of the company [as opposed to the Media half]).

It seems like the Business Development side. He pretty exclusively talked about two sides of the company, not specific departments within the BizDev half.

Good interview, thanks to Frodan for opening up on it.


Yeah, that's probably what he meant.

Are you planning on staying in Germany?


I have several citizenships, so I am keeping my options open as a Swiss, American, Canadian.


What about the other folks? Are most people sticking around in Germany? Trying to stay in eSports?


For Business Development, I think most are going to keep trying for eSports or mainstream gaming.
For Media, I think Dan knows better than me but my guess would be no as some were introduced to the idea of eSports at ESGN (or at least having further knowledge after working at ESGN). It was a mixed bag of eSports enthusiasts, people from film production backgrounds.

I believe most will stay in Germany, even Berlin.
https://twitter.com/#!/TorteDeLini (@TorteDeLini)
c0ldfusion
Profile Joined October 2010
United States8293 Posts
July 03 2014 14:32 GMT
#53
On July 03 2014 21:17 Torte de Lini wrote:
Show nested quote +
On July 03 2014 21:13 c0ldfusion wrote:
On July 03 2014 08:06 Torte de Lini wrote:
On July 03 2014 07:53 c0ldfusion wrote:
On July 03 2014 01:44 Torte de Lini wrote:
On July 03 2014 01:42 Antoine wrote:
On July 03 2014 01:27 Torte de Lini wrote:
Frodan: Hahaha well sadly I didn't bring a poster of Rita Hayworth for my office space, but I did try to find an exit path somewhere in May. Initially, I held out on believing things could turn around for a month due to loyalty ties. After all, management took a chance on me when I was relatively unproven and I have benefited much from this entire ordeal despite having gotten myself involved in quite the conundrum. I primarily felt bad for other legit esports people that were victimized by this such as Susie Kim (lilsusie), but I didn't know how to warn her because our company kept warning us of NDA agreements.


This sounds similar to myself.

Also, the launch event is Public Relations and Marketing; not Business Operations (or is he referring to the Business Development side of the company [as opposed to the Media half]).

It seems like the Business Development side. He pretty exclusively talked about two sides of the company, not specific departments within the BizDev half.

Good interview, thanks to Frodan for opening up on it.


Yeah, that's probably what he meant.

Are you planning on staying in Germany?


I have several citizenships, so I am keeping my options open as a Swiss, American, Canadian.


What about the other folks? Are most people sticking around in Germany? Trying to stay in eSports?


For Business Development, I think most are going to keep trying for eSports or mainstream gaming.
For Media, I think Dan knows better than me but my guess would be no as some were introduced to the idea of eSports at ESGN (or at least having further knowledge after working at ESGN). It was a mixed bag of eSports enthusiasts, people from film production backgrounds.

I believe most will stay in Germany, even Berlin.

Good luck to all you guys!
yido
Profile Joined March 2014
United States350 Posts
July 03 2014 16:04 GMT
#54
Enjoyed Hearthstone stuff. Gl, thanks for putting time and/or money into the industry.
May others build on your failures and find success.
gl hf
Deleted User 26513
Profile Joined February 2007
2376 Posts
Last Edited: 2014-07-03 20:59:07
July 03 2014 20:58 GMT
#55
Frodan is saying that there were no signs... But when I read his words it's so obvious that this was not going to work. First of all they pumped huge amount of money into industry that can't possibly give you enough return to justify that. Then they hired inexperienced people to manage things and they didn't use their assets optimaly. Obviously they were at loss for the entire time... And that can't possibly end well. Even at first glance this project was way too ambitios for the industry.
Canucklehead
Profile Joined March 2011
Canada5074 Posts
July 03 2014 22:19 GMT
#56
On July 03 2014 19:06 snowbird wrote:
Show nested quote +
On July 03 2014 06:19 Canucklehead wrote:
Should have asked frodan, what happened to gom snowbird? The guy was a boss translator at gom taking over for john, then he left to pursue an opportunity in germany which turned out to be clauf and then disappeared off the face of the earth. Haven't heard or seen anything of him ever since he left gom.


Happy that someone remembers me, my time at GOM seems so long ago!
I'll figure something out and will be just fine. Just got married actually (good timing), the bad news hit me on my honeymoon, which I'm still on.
I'll start pondering what I'll do next when I'm back, want to enjoy the remainder of my first long holiday in... forever.

As for ESGN, I'm sad that it didn't work out and ended like it did and sincerely hope that everyone on the team will be fine. For me personally, I believe it was a worthwhile experience all things considered and some valuable lessons were learned.
Cheers!


Wow glad to see you're doing well and congrats on your marriage. Those gom times do seem so long ago now indeed.
Top 10 favourite pros: MKP, MVP, MC, Nestea, DRG, Jaedong, Flash, Life, Creator, Leenock
Sub40APM
Profile Joined August 2010
6336 Posts
July 04 2014 06:19 GMT
#57
Frodan was on Chanman's show a while ago trying to promote this thing, and destiny asked him a basic question something along the lines of 'what unique services are you providing' or 'how are you going to make money as service providers' and frodan didnt have an answer at all. In 2010 you could see how just hoping for some future business evolving out of a content production company, but in 2013 it just seemed painfully naive.
Torte de Lini
Profile Blog Joined September 2010
Germany38463 Posts
July 04 2014 10:17 GMT
#58
On July 04 2014 15:19 Sub40APM wrote:
Frodan was on Chanman's show a while ago trying to promote this thing, and destiny asked him a basic question something along the lines of 'what unique services are you providing' or 'how are you going to make money as service providers' and frodan didnt have an answer at all. In 2010 you could see how just hoping for some future business evolving out of a content production company, but in 2013 it just seemed painfully naive.


This is more because that area was not Dan's expertise. There were ways of making a return and we had some headway in doing so.
https://twitter.com/#!/TorteDeLini (@TorteDeLini)
StarStruck
Profile Blog Joined April 2010
25339 Posts
July 04 2014 10:42 GMT
#59
On July 03 2014 10:07 Bigtony wrote:
Show nested quote +
On July 03 2014 03:00 Waise wrote:
incredible interview, frodan's insights seem really smart and fair and kind of cast a different light on the situation. i don't think it's right to say he's drinking the koolaid given that he was pretty candid about the failures and misdeeds as well as the few positives. it is possible, after all, for well meaning people to get involved with something they really believe in and still screw up abysmally because of incompetence and/or idealism. maybe it's fair to say he knew what he was getting into, maybe it's fair to call the whole thing "shady," but i don't see any reason to doubt his version of events


From the word go everything about the project said 100% failure. It was IPL/Azubu/NASL all over again.


I can say that about many things. There is a reason why I got out back when I did. More power to those who are try and earn a good living off this stuff. I like to think of it like poker where only a select few really profit from it and as for the rest. Well, they're just a bunch of saps who ship it forward and keep the poker wheel spinning. Without those people though where would the new money come? It wouldn't so keep that wheel spinning.
muLe
Profile Joined August 2011
Germany30 Posts
July 05 2014 08:09 GMT
#60
ESGN what? never hear of them, germany company?? I live here and follow the scene but never saw or heard something of them ...
EU-Server ID: HotPotToFU
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