eSports Update: MLG Founder Sundance DiGiovanni

28.03.2011
PCWorld's eSports Update will be reporting this week on the GSL, TSL3, and plenty of other exciting events--one of which is the upcoming . MLG 2011 kicks off on April 1st in Dallas, and features competitions in StarCraft 2, Halo: Reach, and Call of Duty: Black Ops, for a prize pool of over $1 million. We were able to go straight to the top of the ladder and pitch a few questions to MLG CEO and co-founder Sundance DiGiovanni.

When and how was MLG started?

I co-founded MLG with my friend Mike Sepso in 2002 to combine my passion for gaming with the excitement of competition. Gaming was becoming a bigger part of the entertainment landscape and we saw an opportunity to create the next relevant sports media property, similar to extreme sports and adding the league element.

What does it take to get a job in the eSports business right now?

Our business is similar to any other media or entertainment business and skill sets vary from job to job. We are always looking for smart, passionate people with an understanding of the industry.

The eSports community seems to be largely a grassroots effort in the U.S. right now. How does MLG handle potential competitors (the recently-announced North American StarCraft League, for example)? Do you compete or collaborate?