Welcome to the esports side of me! This page outlines all of my work experience in relation to esports. Use the table as a snapshot of my experience, and learn about each of my roles by clicking on the job title.
| Job/Role | Organization/Employer | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Collegiate Rainbow Six: Siege Player & Captain | Full Sail Armada | November 2020 – March 2022 |
| Collegiate Rainbow Six: Siege Coach | Full Sail Armada | August 2022 – June 2023 |
| XP League North American Finals 2023 | Full Sail Armada | July 2023 |
| XP League Valorant Coach | Grind Gaming Arena | August 2023 – July 2025 |
| NACE Grand Finals 2024 | Full Sail Armada | April 2024 |
| XP League North American Finals 2025 | Grind Gaming Arena | July 2025 |
XP LEAGUE NORTH AMERICAN FINALS 2025 | GRIND GAMING ARENA | JULY 2025
To be completed
NACE GRAND FINALS 2024 | FULL SAIL ARMADA | APRIL 2025
To be completed
XP LEAGUE VALORANT COACH | GRIND GAMING ARENA | AUG 2023 – JULY 2025
Description
While working the North American Finals, I approached the owner of one of the team that was local to my area, creating a connection that I followed up with after the event. From there, I was invited on as a coach for their Valorant team, due to my experience in coaching and playing shooter games. I coached many different versions of the roster over the 2 years, but the philosophy always stayed the same.
The company I worked for shut down following the conclusion of the North American Finals 2025. This ended my role as the Valorant coach but left many doors open to continue my coaching journey.
Responsibilities
- Analyzed individual and team gameplay, noting flaws in strategy and performance
- Provided solutions during matches to common problems they faced
- VOD reviewed previous matches to pick out major issues in gameplay
- Gave each player homework to complete over the week until the next practice. This included drills like aim training or utility training, practicing active communication, or watching and analyzing professional matches to learn from
- Encouraged and assisted players in creating and writing down strategies
- Examined and tested each player’s playstyle and assigned roles or specific characters to learn a play
- Coordinate match setup with opposing team
Achievements
During the North American Finals 2025, I was awarded the XP League Valorant Coach of the Year! This came as a huge surprise as I did not know my work was seen outside of my bubble. I never really got to interact with other coaches and staff outside of setting up match lobbies. So to receive this award is both incredibly shocking and a major confidence booster.
View my award here:
XP LEAGUE NORTH AMERICAN FINALS 2023 | FULL SAIL ARMADA | JULY 2023
Description
The staff at Armada generously invited me back to Florida to work an esports event as a way to help me gain experience in esports productions and to open up the door to potential networking opportunities. This event is ran by XP League, the largest youth esports league in the United States. The event consists of the top teams around the nation competing in an in-person tournament to crown the champion of their respective game. The games played at this event were Valorant, Overwatch, Rocket League, Apex Legends, and Fortnite.
I helped out in a number of different areas in this event. Anything from general setup, equipment troubleshooting, game observation, and a number of other small and random tasks.
Responsibilities
- Assisted in setting up 100 computers, monitors, and all peripheral devices for each station. Downloaded/updated drivers and games for each computer as well
- Assisted in setting up the gameplay observation room. This included setting up computers and software and working with the Gameplay Director to test the video feed coming from each computer
- Gameplay Observation:
- Hosting custom lobbies and coordinating with teams to get all players in the game to begin matches
- Working with the Gameplay Director to make sure the action of the round is shown on the broadcast
- Working with other observers to account for other angles throughout the round
- Following the conclusion of the event, I assisted in teardown and palletizing the computers and other equipment
COLLEGIATE RAINBOW SIX: SIEGE COACH | FULL SAIL ARMADA| AUG 2022 – JUNE 2023
Description
After I graduated from Full Sail University in March, the torch was passed to the next roster to continue competing. I continued to keep my foot in the door, staying in touch with the team over the summer. Nearing the end of the summer and the start of the academic year, I was offered a role in coaching the R6 roster over the next few seasons. I accepted as I felt more than qualified for the role with my expertise in the game and my time as the former captain left me with some experience as a pseudo-coach as my teammates looked to me for help and improvement.
My role was eventually discontinued as there were not enough eligible people to fill the roster.
Responsibilities
- Due to my connections in the collegiate R6 space, and my prior experience, I essentially took the managerial part of the team over again. This involved coordinating schedules and practices and matches, continuing to be the point of contact for the team
- Analyzed and reviewed individual and team performance, noting areas of success and areas of concern
- Used VOD review of scrims and matches to point out mistakes in gameplay
- Created strategies for the team to follow and practice. Allowing freedom to change them as needed
- Provided solutions to improve player performance. Solutions included aim training, repetitions of strategy, communication training, etc
Achievements
The roster improved significantly over the course of 3 seasons. They went from mostly brand new players with little idea of how to navigate the game, to a strategic unit always putting in the effort to win, despite the losses. While progress was slow, their highest achievement was reaching semi-finals of the NACE Starleague Varsity Plus League.
COLLEGIATE RAINBOW SIX: SIEGE PLAYER & CAPTAIN | FULL SAIL ARMADA | NOV 2020 – MARCH 2022
Description
My introduction into esports! I joined the collegiate Rainbow Six: Siege team for Full Sail University’s esports club, Armada. Through this, I was motivated to practice and improve my skills in a game that I loved. I started as just a simple player, doing my best to fill the in-game role. But very quickly I found myself as the captain of the team, tasked with managing the team both inside and out of the game. I held this role until my graduation.
Responsibilities
- Coordinate and create practice and match schedules
- Report to Armada staff for updates, match times, or roster issues
- Become the point of contact for anything related to the R6 team
- Became the in-game leader, directing strategies and managing the flow of the round in high intensity scenarios
Jest0pher 