The Madison Square Garden Company Names Nick Allen Vice President of Esports
September 20 2017 - 12:00PM
The Madison Square Garden Company (NYSE:MSG) today announced that
Nick Allen has been named head of MSG’s growing esports division,
effective October 2. Mr. Allen, a well-regarded esports
industry executive, most recently served as vice president of
Esports for Twitch.
As MSG’s vice president of Esports, Mr. Allen will be
responsible for driving the company’s efforts to expand its
presence in the esports industry, with a primary focus on operating
Counter Logic Gaming (CLG), MSG’s newly acquired esports franchise.
Mr. Allen will serve as CLG’s chief operating officer,
working closely with CLG Founder and President George “HotshotGG”
Georgallidis on advancing the company’s initiatives. This includes
finding new and innovative ways to grow the brand, driving
marketing partnerships, developing media rights opportunities and
creating live, ticketed events. In addition, he will develop
relationships with major game publishers, leagues and entities
across the esports industry, including the NBA2K esports league, as
well as help create events to showcase esports teams and content at
MSG’s venues across the country.
“We couldn’t be happier with the addition of Nick to our team
here at MSG as we start to take a leadership role in the growth of
the esports industry,” said Jordan Solomon, executive vice
president, MSG Sports, Madison Square Garden Company. “Nick brings
with him an extensive knowledge of esports and a deep set of
relationships developed through overseeing some of the industry’s
most popular events, and he has created initiatives that have
continued to grow the gaming community. His vision for the esports
space will be an invaluable asset to The Madison Square Garden
Company and to CLG.”
“Nick is one of the best people I know in esports. I've known
him for many years and seen firsthand the passion he has for the
space and what he has done for the industry," said Georgallidis.
"We are excited to have Nick here on the CLG team and know that he
will bring with him that passion and experience to take CLG to new
heights for many years to come.”
“It is an honor to become a part of The Madison Square Garden
Company as the organization continues their journey into the
esports industry,” said Allen. “And I couldn’t be more excited to
be joining the CLG family. I’ve known George since the early days
of League of Legends, and admire what he has accomplished as a
player and what he has built with CLG. I’m looking forward to doing
incredible things with George and the amazing players and staff
that have created one of the strongest teams and brands in all of
esports.”
Mr. Allen most recently served as vice president of Esports for
Twitch, where he was responsible for establishing and executing
Twitch’s global esports strategy, including overseeing their annual
esports budget, and organizing and developing Twitch’s first
formal, cross-functional approach to promoting esports viewership
growth. In addition, he played a critical role in negotiating
and executing Twitch’s largest developer partnerships and building
and managing Twitch’s esports team, which handled league
operations, marketing and individual esports programs and
initiatives. Prior to joining Twitch in 2015, Mr. Allen was
the esports operations manager for Riot Games, establishing the
organization’s first team dedicated to the operation of esports
competitions, including League of Legends World Championships,
Championship Series, and Challenger Series. Before Riot
Games, he served as an esports division and operations manager for
IGN Entertainment. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in social
work from Sacramento State University.
About The Madison Square Garden CompanyThe
Madison Square Garden Company (MSG) is a world leader in live
sports and entertainment experiences. The company presents or
hosts a broad array of premier events in its diverse collection of
iconic venues: New York’s Madison Square Garden, The Theater at
Madison Square Garden, Radio City Music Hall and Beacon Theatre;
the Forum in Inglewood, CA; The Chicago Theatre; and the Wang
Theatre in Boston. Other MSG properties
include legendary sports franchises: the New York Knicks
(NBA), the New York Rangers (NHL) and the New York Liberty (WNBA);
two development league teams -- the Westchester Knicks (NBAGL) and
the Hartford Wolf Pack (AHL); and one of the leading North American
esports organizations, Counter Logic Gaming. In addition, the
Company features the popular original production – the Christmas
Spectacular Starring the Radio City Rockettes – and through Boston
Calling Events, produces outdoor festivals, including New England’s
preeminent Boston Calling Music Festival. Also under
the MSG umbrella is TAO Group, a world-class hospitality group with
globally-recognized entertainment dining and nightlife brands: Tao,
Marquee, Lavo, Avenue, The Stanton Social, Beauty & Essex and
Vandal. More information is available at
www.themadisonsquaregardencompany.com
About Counter Logic Gaming Counter Logic Gaming
(CLG) is a premier North American esports organization known for
its passionate fan base and winning culture. Founded originally in
2010 as a League of Legends team by George Georgallidis, it is one
of the largest esports organizations in the world. CLG fields teams
in all leading esports titles: League of Legends, Counter-Strike:
Global Offensive, Super Smash Bros., and H1ZI. It is also known for
its past success with teams in Dota 2, Hearthstone, Halo and Call
of Duty. CLG has won multiple championships throughout its history:
the LCS Summer 2015 Championship at Madison Square Garden, the LCS
Spring 2016 Championship at Mandalay Bay; and the Halo 2016 World
Championship in Hollywood, California. More information is
available at www.clgaming.net
Contacts:Ryan Watson/ Ryan.watson@msg.com /
212-465-5945
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