Allyson Gormley, Riot Games, Director of Global Operations, Remote Broadcast & Production – Remote Broadcast Center powered by AWS

Allyson (Ally) Gormley is the director of global operations, remote broadcast & production at Riot Games. Elevated to her current role in September 2022, Gormley oversees both of Riot’s innovative global circuit of Remote Broadcast Centers (RBCs) powered by AWS, launched under the name “Project Stryker.”

In her role, Gormley oversaw the construction and launch of the first RBC in the Swords region of Dublin, Ireland, securing and renovating a 50,000-sq.-ft. former night club into a state-of-the-art broadcast facility supporting live esports events around the world. Following the launch of the Dublin RBC, she quickly pivoted to lead the development of Riot’s second RBC, located in the Greater Seattle, WA, U.S.A. area which was completed in late 2023.

A 11-year veteran of Riot Games, Gormley has risen from serving as executive assistant supporting numerous C-Suite Riot executives across North America and EMEA. During that time, she served as a dual chief of staff for both Riot’s global esports and EMEA enterprise division, leading a team of 24 across Europe in administrative, IT, real estate, and frontline operations.

Mike Buetsch, Chess.com, Director of Broadcast Engineering and Production

Evan Cervantes, Lux Machina, Director of Business Development

Evan Cervantes serves as the director of business development at Lux Machina Consulting, specializing in virtual production and broadcast/live events using video technologies. He works with clients across film, television, live events, esports, broadcast, universities, and other permanent installations. Drawing from experience in audio engineering, concert touring, technical directing, and working in virtual production, Cervantes guides teams to execute seamless preproduction and production experiences, enabling creatives to achieve their visions with the best-suited technology.

Austy Champion, Allied Esports and HyperX Arena, Brand Manager

Austin “Austy” Champion is a passionate esports enthusiast with an undeniable flair for entertainment. He currently leads brand initiatives for Allied Esports after having performed and produced events for hundreds of thousands of people through various fields of production.

Jason Dachman, SVG, Editorial Director, U.S.​; SVG Esports Production Summit Program Director

Jason Dachman oversees all aspects of SVG’s North American editorial operations – including all news on sportsvideo.org and the daily SVG Insider newsletter – and is one of the primary contributors to SVG’s coverage of the sports-video-production industry. A member of the SVG team since 2009, Dachman also serves as Program Director for SVG’s Esports Production Forum, Regional Sports Production Summit, Sports Content Management Forum, Sports Graphics Forum, and TranSPORT conference, as well as spearheads the SVG NEXT innovation initiative and annual event.

Prior to joining SVG, he covered local sports for The Patriot Ledger in Quincy, MA, and served on the production staff of SiriusXM’s The Ron & Fez Show. Dachman began his career in the Sports Information department at Northeastern University in Boston, where he earned a BA in Media Communications and Cinema Studies. A native of Denver, CO, Dachman currently resides in Queens, NY, with his wife Alyson and children Hank and June.

Corey Dunn, OpTic Gaming & Esports Stadium Arlington, Executive Director

Corey Dunn has worked professionally in esports for 20 years. He began his esports career by commentating 30+ video games over a 10 year span. During his commentating career, the industry migrated from internet radio, to peer-to-peer streaming, to using streaming platforms like twitch.tv. Noting the industry change, Dunn focused on storytelling by graduating from the University of North Texas and becoming a director for large notable esports events.

For the past 6 years, he has focused on developing the largest dedicated esports facility in North America: Esports Stadium Arlington. Dunn coordinated with the City of Arlington to develop the technology and spaces required to be revered as the best esports facility in NA.

Heather "sapphiRe" Garozzo, Raidiant, Founder and Freelance Producer/Observer Director

Randell (Guru) Hammond, Esports Engine, Director, Broadcast Engineering

Randell (Guru) Hammond is the director of engineering at Esports Engine, an ESL FACEIT Group company. In this role, he is responsible for curating and developing a highly effective, top-tier engineering team. Hammond and his team have been tasked with the design, execution, and maintenance of all technical aspects of Esports Engine’s live broadcasts.

In his former roles as a tech manager and spanning NGE’s merger with Esports Engine, Hammond brought his extensive experience to over 100 esports events around the globe. These include some of the industry’s highest-profile live events, including Fortnite World Cup, Rocket League Championship Series, Borderlands 3 Reveal, TwitchCon, and many others.

With a lifetime of technical expertise, Hammond is passionate about leading innovative efforts both in the studio and on the road, challenging the status quo and redefining the industry.

Jeff Jacobs, NEP Group, SVP and Head of Production

Jeff Jacobs is the senior vice president and head of production at NEP Group. Prior to joining NEP, he spent 10 years with NBC Sports/Olympics and another 10 with Viacom’s MTV Networks.

Following two decades at the network level, Jacobs formed his own company, Skyline New Media, a third-party sports and entertainment content production company specializing in alternate production workflows and creatives. He is a six-time Emmy Award winner and sits on several advisory boards, including for the Sports Video Group.

Based in New York City, Jacobs is well known for his innovations and ability to develop content applications for emerging technologies, as well as advances in the expansion of live events, live streaming, augmented reality, and revenue streams. In August of 2020, he sold Skyline New Media and soon after joined NEP Group as SVP and head of production for the global media technology partner’s newly expanded production division.

Bryce Kongvold, Snapback Productions, Principal and CTO

With over 11 years in live entertainment, custom integration, film/tv, and beyond, Bryce Kongvold built-up a robust portfolio before founding Snapback Productions in 2020. Armed with a specialized background in systems engineering and server programming, he now leads a team of creative technologists, collaborating on projects that range from esports tournaments to live award shows, concerts, and even cruise ship integrations.

Andrew Lane, EFG / ESL FACEIT Group, Senior Director, Production North America

Paul McAniff, Canon, Senior Technical Specialist

Paul McAniff began his career as an ENG camera operator and video editor covering NFL, NHL, MLB, and NBA for local news outlets before pivoting into the vendor space. Since then, he has worked for Canon, Panasonic, and Adobe where his focuses have included broadcast, digital cinema, and content development.

Now in his 11th year at Canon, McAniff is a senior technical specialist in Canon’s Client Services Group focusing on broadcast customers.

Guillermo Parga, ESL FACEIT Group, Senior Director, Event and Festival Operations

As senior director of event and festival operations at EFG, Guillermo Parga and his team need to balance the needs of their broadcast and events teams to ensure that both the stream and arena experience equally meet the high quality and standard their fans and partners have expected of them. As you can imagine, this becomes an exponentially larger challenge in a festival setting with multiple stages and broadcast streams under one roof.

Lydia Pendergrass, OS Studios, Senior Manager of Broadcast Production

Lydia Pendergrass is the senior manager of broadcast production at OS Studios, a gaming and entertainment production agency, where she oversees production on all broadcast-focused projects.

George Rudaj, OS Studios, Senior Technical Producer

George Rudaj is a broadcast technical manager and event producer with 15 years of experience in esports broadcast and production, collaborating with top publishers like Activision Blizzard, Riot Games, EA, Microsoft, and 343 Industries. Currently serving as the senior technical producer at OS Studios, a Project Worldwide Company, he oversees all technical aspects of their productions.

Claudia Souza, Advanced Systems Group (ASG), Chief Cloud Officer

Claudia Souza is the chief cloud officer of Advanced Systems Group, a cross functionally integrated solutions and managed services provider for media creatives and content owners. The company’s headquarters are in the Bay Area, with offices throughout the U.S. Souza has spent the last six years leading teams at the forefront of media and entertainment’s cloud transition.

Ethan Spencer, OS Studios, Executive Producer and Director of Broadcast

Ethan Spencer is the executive producer and director of broadcast at OS Studios, where he leads gaming broadcasts for clients like Riot Games, Activision, Microsoft, and EA. He executes major events with his team of producers and production managers as seen in the most recent Call of Duty: Next and CitizenCon broadcasts. He is intimately involved in pitching, budgeting, crewing, and showcalling. Previously, as manager of broadcast operations at Esports Engine, Spencer produced hundreds of esports events and studio broadcasts like the Call of Duty League Championship and the Halo World Championship. A graduate of NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, he discovered his passion for merging gaming and live television through internships at Major League Gaming and Blizzard Entertainment. Today, Spencer is dedicated to crafting memorable experiences and mentoring the next generation of creators.

Wim Stocks, Frequency Advisors, Chief Commercial & Corporate Development Officer

Wim Stocks has been a progressive pioneer, leader, and industry authority in gaming, esports, media, and web3/metaverse businesses since 1990. From 2001 to 2006, he was executive vice president of the “new” Atari engineering – a roll-up and amalgam of Hasbro Interactive, Infogrames, and GT Interactive, thus creating, leading, and managing one of the broadest-reaching interactive entertainment publishing networks in the world. In 2006, Stocks started an entrepreneurial online game publishing business named Elephant Entertainment, assuming the role of president and COO. In March 2008, he successfully negotiated the acquisition of Elephant by the leading games publisher THQ; he assumed the role of EVP and leader of the Online Gaming division @ THQ and related digital gaming initiatives. In 2010, Stocks was recruited to join the executive management team of Virgin Gaming (now WorldGaming) as executive vice president. In this role, he helped launch the company and platform in 2010; and developed strategic investor, technology, game publisher, retailer, and other brand partnerships. In late 2014, Stocks led Corporate Dev and investment initiatives with the leading movie theater and LBE operator Cineplex, and in April 2016, was named CEO of WorldGaming & Collegiate StarLeague, which was fully acquired by Cineplex in the Fall of 2015, accomplishing a strategic diversification objective for the company. In July 2020, Stocks led the acquisition of Collegiate StarLeague & WorldGaming Network by Playfly Sports, a traditional sports & esports multi-media rights (MMR) management company, and was responsible as chairman for leading the esports business, strategy, sponsorship/partnership sales, and cultivation, as well as other investor and partner relations for the company. In late 2020, he joined the executive management team of Vindex, founded by esports industry pioneers and leaders Sundance DiGiovanni and Mike Sepso, leading all commercial, partnerships, sponsorships, business development, and retail initiatives in esports, gaming, web 3 & blockchain gaming, and the emerging metaverse space. In early 2023, Stocks was part of the leadership team that successfully negotiated the acquisition of Vindex by Saudi/PIF backed Savvy Gaming and ESL-FaceIt Group (EFG). Currently, Stocks serves as chief commercial officer and is on the Executive Management team for the bespoke tech, gaming, media, and entertainment advisory firm Frequency Advisors.

Stocks currently serves as an advisor to the Special Olympics International; advisor to Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment (MLSE) and Ryerson University’s ‘Future of Sports Lab’; advisor and part of the ownership group of NYXL (parent company of the New York Excelsior, the professional NYC-based franchise in the Overwatch League, and the NY Subliners, professional NYC-based franchise in the Call of Duty League); strategic advisor to Rivalry.gg, an online esports and trad sports betting company; board member of Gamerji, an online mobile gaming esports platform operated in India and the Middle East; board member of National Public Radio’s ‘Marketplace’ programming; and is also a trustee and on the Board of Directors of the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis. Stocks joined the faculty of the University of New Haven as an adjunct professor of gaming & esports in the Pompea School of Business, teaching classes and coursework for ‘Investments in Esports’ (Winter/Spring of 2022), and has extensive work underway in gaming & esports for scholastic and collegiate advisory development with key gaming companies, i.e. Playstation, Capcom, Take Two Interactive/2K Gaming, and others.

Stocks has also served on the boards of Allina/Abbott Northwestern Hospital, the Sister Kenny Rehabilitation Institute in Minneapolis, MN.

Jake Tejada, Deloitte Consulting, Media Engineer

Jake Tejada leads teams of engineers that bring new technologies together to deliver facilities that enable cutting-edge workflows and solutions to unique business needs. In recent years, he has been a key engineer to deliver a ST 2110 and CDI hybrid ground/cloud distribution and playout facility, multiple Remote Broadcast Centers, and a highly resilient ST 2110 production facility. Tejada has a creative background as a musician and recording engineer that provides a foundation for a focus on IP audio workflows and developing IP media system architectures.

Ryan Thompson, Esports Engine, Co-Founder and Chief Production Officer

Ryan Thompson is the co-founder and chief production officer of Esports Engine, a Vindex company. In his role, Thompson oversees the design, production, and execution of the industry’s most iconic events and leagues across Esports Engine’s portfolio of partners, including AAA game publishers, brands, and other key stakeholders, such as Microsoft, Nintendo, Twitch, Activision, and more.

A 20-year veteran of the industry, Thompson is responsible for bringing hundreds of live esports tournaments and broadcasts to life across a multitude of game titles. Prior to founding Esports Engine, Thompson served as director of technical production at Activision Blizzard, where he led esports production for the publisher’s most valuable properties and landmark events, including the Call of Duty World League. As a founding employee at Major League Gaming, Thompson made an early impact in the world of esports production, bringing competitive gaming content to life through proprietary platforms before the likes of Youtube or Twitch existed, as well as on major networks, such as ESPN and HBO.

Michael Ulaky, Riot Games, Engineer in Charge, Riot Games Seattle Remote Broadcast Center powered by AWS

Michael Ulaky is the engineer in charge of Riot Games’ Remote Broadcast Center (RBC) powered by AWS where he is responsible for the management and operations of Riot’s Seattle RBC. First opened in late 2023, the Seattle Remote Broadcast Center is Riot’s second facility that supports live esports broadcast production and operations for all of Riot’s regional and global live esports events. Under Ulaky’s leadership, the Seattle RBC provided remote support on more than 70 live esports event days this year including the LCS Spring and Summer Spilts, VCT Americas, VCT Game Changers, and VCT Champions.

Ulaky brings more than 12 years of engineering and production management experience with gaming brands to Riot, previously serving as a technical production manager for G4 and more than six years on the engineering team for ESL – Turtle Entertainment. He is a graduate of the University of North Carolina – Charlotte with a Bachelors of Science in computer engineering.

Dave Van Hoy, Advanced Systems Group (ASG), President

Dave Van Hoy is president of Advanced Systems Group, a cross-functionally integrated solutions and managed services provider for media creatives and content owners with headquarters in the Bay Area and offices throughout the U.S.

Van Hoy is recognized as a leading voice on technology innovations for the media and entertainment industry. As a specialist in technology transitions, he’s known for his ability to move companies forward in the most productive manner.

Van Hoy is a leader in the discussion and implementation surrounding cloud infrastructure for broadcast and high-end A/V installations. Under his supervision, ASG developed the Virtual Production Control Room (VPCR), a native cloud solution that requires no on-prem services to deliver real-time, broadcast quality production and delivery of live events. Since starting the company in 1997, ASG has become one of the largest providers of design, installation, support, and managed operational and creative services for media and entertainment applications. It was ranked #14 among Systems Contractor News magazine’s “Top 50 Systems Integrators” 2023 list.

Keith Vidger, Panasonic Connect, Engineering Manager

Keith Vidger has been working in television for over thirty years, both in production and manufacturing. His career spans the transitions from analog to digital, SD to HD, and SDI to ST 2110. On the production side, Vidger has worked as a camera shader, editor, and TD. His first manufacturing role was at Sony, evangelizing new standards, and now he is the engineering manager for professional video and audio, designing systems for Panasonic’s live production customers.

Lucas Wilson, Advanced Systems Group (ASG), Business Development

Lucas Wilson has 30 years of experience at the intersection of technology and creativity, with leadership roles in media and entertainment. As VP of sales for Cameron|Pace Group, he helped drive the adoption of theatrical 3D. As CEO of Supersphere, he led over 250 live immersive media productions for major clients like Paul McCartney, Meta, and Samsung. Wilson is now part of the team at ASG helping to pioneer the widespread adoption of cloud production. A member of the Producers Guild of America, he was the first producer admitted for his work in virtual reality.

JD Wu, Tata Communications / The Switch, Production and Gaming Lead

JD Wu is an avid gamer who got his start as a professional League of Legends player. He is now an Emmy Award-winning live media professional. With over a decade of experience in esports and gaming, Wu specializes in the live broadcast of gaming and esports events. He is passionate about telling stories in all forms and growing with the ever-evolving gaming industry.

Allyson Gormley, Riot Games, Director of Global Operations, Remote Broadcast & Production – Remote Broadcast Center powered by AWS

Allyson (Ally) Gormley is the director of global operations, remote broadcast & production at Riot Games. Elevated to her current role in September 2022, Gormley oversees both of Riot’s innovative global circuit of Remote Broadcast Centers (RBCs) powered by AWS, launched under the name “Project Stryker.”

In her role, Gormley oversaw the construction and launch of the first RBC in the Swords region of Dublin, Ireland, securing and renovating a 50,000-sq.-ft. former night club into a state-of-the-art broadcast facility supporting live esports events around the world. Following the launch of the Dublin RBC, she quickly pivoted to lead the development of Riot’s second RBC, located in the Greater Seattle, WA, U.S.A. area which was completed in late 2023.

A 11-year veteran of Riot Games, Gormley has risen from serving as executive assistant supporting numerous C-Suite Riot executives across North America and EMEA. During that time, she served as a dual chief of staff for both Riot’s global esports and EMEA enterprise division, leading a team of 24 across Europe in administrative, IT, real estate, and frontline operations.

Mike Buetsch, Chess.com, Director of Broadcast Engineering and Production

Evan Cervantes, Lux Machina, Director of Business Development

Evan Cervantes serves as the director of business development at Lux Machina Consulting, specializing in virtual production and broadcast/live events using video technologies. He works with clients across film, television, live events, esports, broadcast, universities, and other permanent installations. Drawing from experience in audio engineering, concert touring, technical directing, and working in virtual production, Cervantes guides teams to execute seamless preproduction and production experiences, enabling creatives to achieve their visions with the best-suited technology.

Austy Champion, Allied Esports and HyperX Arena, Brand Manager

Austin “Austy” Champion is a passionate esports enthusiast with an undeniable flair for entertainment. He currently leads brand initiatives for Allied Esports after having performed and produced events for hundreds of thousands of people through various fields of production.

Jason Dachman, SVG, Editorial Director, U.S.​; SVG Esports Production Summit Program Director

Jason Dachman oversees all aspects of SVG’s North American editorial operations – including all news on sportsvideo.org and the daily SVG Insider newsletter – and is one of the primary contributors to SVG’s coverage of the sports-video-production industry. A member of the SVG team since 2009, Dachman also serves as Program Director for SVG’s Esports Production Forum, Regional Sports Production Summit, Sports Content Management Forum, Sports Graphics Forum, and TranSPORT conference, as well as spearheads the SVG NEXT innovation initiative and annual event.

Prior to joining SVG, he covered local sports for The Patriot Ledger in Quincy, MA, and served on the production staff of SiriusXM’s The Ron & Fez Show. Dachman began his career in the Sports Information department at Northeastern University in Boston, where he earned a BA in Media Communications and Cinema Studies. A native of Denver, CO, Dachman currently resides in Queens, NY, with his wife Alyson and children Hank and June.

Corey Dunn, OpTic Gaming & Esports Stadium Arlington, Executive Director

Corey Dunn has worked professionally in esports for 20 years. He began his esports career by commentating 30+ video games over a 10 year span. During his commentating career, the industry migrated from internet radio, to peer-to-peer streaming, to using streaming platforms like twitch.tv. Noting the industry change, Dunn focused on storytelling by graduating from the University of North Texas and becoming a director for large notable esports events.

For the past 6 years, he has focused on developing the largest dedicated esports facility in North America: Esports Stadium Arlington. Dunn coordinated with the City of Arlington to develop the technology and spaces required to be revered as the best esports facility in NA.

Heather "sapphiRe" Garozzo, Raidiant, Founder and Freelance Producer/Observer Director

Randell (Guru) Hammond, Esports Engine, Director, Broadcast Engineering

Randell (Guru) Hammond is the director of engineering at Esports Engine, an ESL FACEIT Group company. In this role, he is responsible for curating and developing a highly effective, top-tier engineering team. Hammond and his team have been tasked with the design, execution, and maintenance of all technical aspects of Esports Engine’s live broadcasts.

In his former roles as a tech manager and spanning NGE’s merger with Esports Engine, Hammond brought his extensive experience to over 100 esports events around the globe. These include some of the industry’s highest-profile live events, including Fortnite World Cup, Rocket League Championship Series, Borderlands 3 Reveal, TwitchCon, and many others.

With a lifetime of technical expertise, Hammond is passionate about leading innovative efforts both in the studio and on the road, challenging the status quo and redefining the industry.

Jeff Jacobs, NEP Group, SVP and Head of Production

Jeff Jacobs is the senior vice president and head of production at NEP Group. Prior to joining NEP, he spent 10 years with NBC Sports/Olympics and another 10 with Viacom’s MTV Networks.

Following two decades at the network level, Jacobs formed his own company, Skyline New Media, a third-party sports and entertainment content production company specializing in alternate production workflows and creatives. He is a six-time Emmy Award winner and sits on several advisory boards, including for the Sports Video Group.

Based in New York City, Jacobs is well known for his innovations and ability to develop content applications for emerging technologies, as well as advances in the expansion of live events, live streaming, augmented reality, and revenue streams. In August of 2020, he sold Skyline New Media and soon after joined NEP Group as SVP and head of production for the global media technology partner’s newly expanded production division.

Bryce Kongvold, Snapback Productions, Principal and CTO

With over 11 years in live entertainment, custom integration, film/tv, and beyond, Bryce Kongvold built-up a robust portfolio before founding Snapback Productions in 2020. Armed with a specialized background in systems engineering and server programming, he now leads a team of creative technologists, collaborating on projects that range from esports tournaments to live award shows, concerts, and even cruise ship integrations.

Andrew Lane, EFG / ESL FACEIT Group, Senior Director, Production North America

Paul McAniff, Canon, Senior Technical Specialist

Paul McAniff began his career as an ENG camera operator and video editor covering NFL, NHL, MLB, and NBA for local news outlets before pivoting into the vendor space. Since then, he has worked for Canon, Panasonic, and Adobe where his focuses have included broadcast, digital cinema, and content development.

Now in his 11th year at Canon, McAniff is a senior technical specialist in Canon’s Client Services Group focusing on broadcast customers.

Guillermo Parga, ESL FACEIT Group, Senior Director, Event and Festival Operations

As senior director of event and festival operations at EFG, Guillermo Parga and his team need to balance the needs of their broadcast and events teams to ensure that both the stream and arena experience equally meet the high quality and standard their fans and partners have expected of them. As you can imagine, this becomes an exponentially larger challenge in a festival setting with multiple stages and broadcast streams under one roof.

Lydia Pendergrass, OS Studios, Senior Manager of Broadcast Production

Lydia Pendergrass is the senior manager of broadcast production at OS Studios, a gaming and entertainment production agency, where she oversees production on all broadcast-focused projects.

George Rudaj, OS Studios, Senior Technical Producer

George Rudaj is a broadcast technical manager and event producer with 15 years of experience in esports broadcast and production, collaborating with top publishers like Activision Blizzard, Riot Games, EA, Microsoft, and 343 Industries. Currently serving as the senior technical producer at OS Studios, a Project Worldwide Company, he oversees all technical aspects of their productions.

Claudia Souza, Advanced Systems Group (ASG), Chief Cloud Officer

Claudia Souza is the chief cloud officer of Advanced Systems Group, a cross functionally integrated solutions and managed services provider for media creatives and content owners. The company’s headquarters are in the Bay Area, with offices throughout the U.S. Souza has spent the last six years leading teams at the forefront of media and entertainment’s cloud transition.

Ethan Spencer, OS Studios, Executive Producer and Director of Broadcast

Ethan Spencer is the executive producer and director of broadcast at OS Studios, where he leads gaming broadcasts for clients like Riot Games, Activision, Microsoft, and EA. He executes major events with his team of producers and production managers as seen in the most recent Call of Duty: Next and CitizenCon broadcasts. He is intimately involved in pitching, budgeting, crewing, and showcalling. Previously, as manager of broadcast operations at Esports Engine, Spencer produced hundreds of esports events and studio broadcasts like the Call of Duty League Championship and the Halo World Championship. A graduate of NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, he discovered his passion for merging gaming and live television through internships at Major League Gaming and Blizzard Entertainment. Today, Spencer is dedicated to crafting memorable experiences and mentoring the next generation of creators.

Wim Stocks, Frequency Advisors, Chief Commercial & Corporate Development Officer

Wim Stocks has been a progressive pioneer, leader, and industry authority in gaming, esports, media, and web3/metaverse businesses since 1990. From 2001 to 2006, he was executive vice president of the “new” Atari engineering – a roll-up and amalgam of Hasbro Interactive, Infogrames, and GT Interactive, thus creating, leading, and managing one of the broadest-reaching interactive entertainment publishing networks in the world. In 2006, Stocks started an entrepreneurial online game publishing business named Elephant Entertainment, assuming the role of president and COO. In March 2008, he successfully negotiated the acquisition of Elephant by the leading games publisher THQ; he assumed the role of EVP and leader of the Online Gaming division @ THQ and related digital gaming initiatives. In 2010, Stocks was recruited to join the executive management team of Virgin Gaming (now WorldGaming) as executive vice president. In this role, he helped launch the company and platform in 2010; and developed strategic investor, technology, game publisher, retailer, and other brand partnerships. In late 2014, Stocks led Corporate Dev and investment initiatives with the leading movie theater and LBE operator Cineplex, and in April 2016, was named CEO of WorldGaming & Collegiate StarLeague, which was fully acquired by Cineplex in the Fall of 2015, accomplishing a strategic diversification objective for the company. In July 2020, Stocks led the acquisition of Collegiate StarLeague & WorldGaming Network by Playfly Sports, a traditional sports & esports multi-media rights (MMR) management company, and was responsible as chairman for leading the esports business, strategy, sponsorship/partnership sales, and cultivation, as well as other investor and partner relations for the company. In late 2020, he joined the executive management team of Vindex, founded by esports industry pioneers and leaders Sundance DiGiovanni and Mike Sepso, leading all commercial, partnerships, sponsorships, business development, and retail initiatives in esports, gaming, web 3 & blockchain gaming, and the emerging metaverse space. In early 2023, Stocks was part of the leadership team that successfully negotiated the acquisition of Vindex by Saudi/PIF backed Savvy Gaming and ESL-FaceIt Group (EFG). Currently, Stocks serves as chief commercial officer and is on the Executive Management team for the bespoke tech, gaming, media, and entertainment advisory firm Frequency Advisors.

Stocks currently serves as an advisor to the Special Olympics International; advisor to Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment (MLSE) and Ryerson University’s ‘Future of Sports Lab’; advisor and part of the ownership group of NYXL (parent company of the New York Excelsior, the professional NYC-based franchise in the Overwatch League, and the NY Subliners, professional NYC-based franchise in the Call of Duty League); strategic advisor to Rivalry.gg, an online esports and trad sports betting company; board member of Gamerji, an online mobile gaming esports platform operated in India and the Middle East; board member of National Public Radio’s ‘Marketplace’ programming; and is also a trustee and on the Board of Directors of the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis. Stocks joined the faculty of the University of New Haven as an adjunct professor of gaming & esports in the Pompea School of Business, teaching classes and coursework for ‘Investments in Esports’ (Winter/Spring of 2022), and has extensive work underway in gaming & esports for scholastic and collegiate advisory development with key gaming companies, i.e. Playstation, Capcom, Take Two Interactive/2K Gaming, and others.

Stocks has also served on the boards of Allina/Abbott Northwestern Hospital, the Sister Kenny Rehabilitation Institute in Minneapolis, MN.

Jake Tejada, Deloitte Consulting, Media Engineer

Jake Tejada leads teams of engineers that bring new technologies together to deliver facilities that enable cutting-edge workflows and solutions to unique business needs. In recent years, he has been a key engineer to deliver a ST 2110 and CDI hybrid ground/cloud distribution and playout facility, multiple Remote Broadcast Centers, and a highly resilient ST 2110 production facility. Tejada has a creative background as a musician and recording engineer that provides a foundation for a focus on IP audio workflows and developing IP media system architectures.

Ryan Thompson, Esports Engine, Co-Founder and Chief Production Officer

Ryan Thompson is the co-founder and chief production officer of Esports Engine, a Vindex company. In his role, Thompson oversees the design, production, and execution of the industry’s most iconic events and leagues across Esports Engine’s portfolio of partners, including AAA game publishers, brands, and other key stakeholders, such as Microsoft, Nintendo, Twitch, Activision, and more.

A 20-year veteran of the industry, Thompson is responsible for bringing hundreds of live esports tournaments and broadcasts to life across a multitude of game titles. Prior to founding Esports Engine, Thompson served as director of technical production at Activision Blizzard, where he led esports production for the publisher’s most valuable properties and landmark events, including the Call of Duty World League. As a founding employee at Major League Gaming, Thompson made an early impact in the world of esports production, bringing competitive gaming content to life through proprietary platforms before the likes of Youtube or Twitch existed, as well as on major networks, such as ESPN and HBO.

Michael Ulaky, Riot Games, Engineer in Charge, Riot Games Seattle Remote Broadcast Center powered by AWS

Michael Ulaky is the engineer in charge of Riot Games’ Remote Broadcast Center (RBC) powered by AWS where he is responsible for the management and operations of Riot’s Seattle RBC. First opened in late 2023, the Seattle Remote Broadcast Center is Riot’s second facility that supports live esports broadcast production and operations for all of Riot’s regional and global live esports events. Under Ulaky’s leadership, the Seattle RBC provided remote support on more than 70 live esports event days this year including the LCS Spring and Summer Spilts, VCT Americas, VCT Game Changers, and VCT Champions.

Ulaky brings more than 12 years of engineering and production management experience with gaming brands to Riot, previously serving as a technical production manager for G4 and more than six years on the engineering team for ESL – Turtle Entertainment. He is a graduate of the University of North Carolina – Charlotte with a Bachelors of Science in computer engineering.

Dave Van Hoy, Advanced Systems Group (ASG), President

Dave Van Hoy is president of Advanced Systems Group, a cross-functionally integrated solutions and managed services provider for media creatives and content owners with headquarters in the Bay Area and offices throughout the U.S.

Van Hoy is recognized as a leading voice on technology innovations for the media and entertainment industry. As a specialist in technology transitions, he’s known for his ability to move companies forward in the most productive manner.

Van Hoy is a leader in the discussion and implementation surrounding cloud infrastructure for broadcast and high-end A/V installations. Under his supervision, ASG developed the Virtual Production Control Room (VPCR), a native cloud solution that requires no on-prem services to deliver real-time, broadcast quality production and delivery of live events. Since starting the company in 1997, ASG has become one of the largest providers of design, installation, support, and managed operational and creative services for media and entertainment applications. It was ranked #14 among Systems Contractor News magazine’s “Top 50 Systems Integrators” 2023 list.

Keith Vidger, Panasonic Connect, Engineering Manager

Keith Vidger has been working in television for over thirty years, both in production and manufacturing. His career spans the transitions from analog to digital, SD to HD, and SDI to ST 2110. On the production side, Vidger has worked as a camera shader, editor, and TD. His first manufacturing role was at Sony, evangelizing new standards, and now he is the engineering manager for professional video and audio, designing systems for Panasonic’s live production customers.

Lucas Wilson, Advanced Systems Group (ASG), Business Development

Lucas Wilson has 30 years of experience at the intersection of technology and creativity, with leadership roles in media and entertainment. As VP of sales for Cameron|Pace Group, he helped drive the adoption of theatrical 3D. As CEO of Supersphere, he led over 250 live immersive media productions for major clients like Paul McCartney, Meta, and Samsung. Wilson is now part of the team at ASG helping to pioneer the widespread adoption of cloud production. A member of the Producers Guild of America, he was the first producer admitted for his work in virtual reality.

JD Wu, Tata Communications / The Switch, Production and Gaming Lead

JD Wu is an avid gamer who got his start as a professional League of Legends player. He is now an Emmy Award-winning live media professional. With over a decade of experience in esports and gaming, Wu specializes in the live broadcast of gaming and esports events. He is passionate about telling stories in all forms and growing with the ever-evolving gaming industry.