From Hype Beast Radio, I'm Jeff Staples, and this is the business of hype, a show about creative entrepreneurs, brand builders, innovators, and the realities behind the dreams they've built.

What's up, everyone? Jeff Staples here and welcome to the business of hype.

On this week's episode, we are going to do something a little bit different than my usual in-studio recordings.

We are actually coming live from a virtual panel hosted by Oman.

I had the honor of hosting a discussion with two leading figures in the current technology and gaming space.

For those of you don't know about Omen, it's HP's premier gaming line of laptops, desktops, and accessories.

And yes, HP, as in the tech giant Hewlett-Packard.

So today's guests are no strangers to the immense change our culture is facing when it comes

to gaming.

First I have Darrell Butler, who's a marketing connoisseur having a quarter century of experience

under his belt, working at Nike, beats by Dre, and currently heading up marketing at

HP.

And then we have Nikan Nadim, also known as Phase Nikon, who plays a huge role in shaping the creative concepts that Faye's clan uses for their main channel videos.

While gaming has always been popular, I mean, think back to the good old days of Atari and Nintendo Game Boy.

But unless you've been living under a rock, you know that in recent years, the onset of

e-sports has skyrocketed this industry. Companies like Faze Clan are the early innovators

behind this. They're an esports team, a media company, and a marketing agency all in one. Not to

mention, they have a healthy apparel line, an in-house production studio, a talent management business,

a sales team, and so much more.

Gaming isn't what it was in the past.

You know, that hobby that was seen by your parents as procrastination from your real work?

Well, if any of you stuck with it, it is now a billion-dollar industry, expected to surpass more viewership than the NFL, Major League Baseball, and the NBA.

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