I’ve benched at least 10 posts I’ve written over the last 2 months. It’s weird.
I get into click publish mode and then I do a re-read and think.. this isn’t very good. A friend pointed out to me the other day that I have a problem with accepting work that isn’t really really good. Thanks El. Possibly also challenging to assess the value in something that’s being communicated to the interwebz rather than a person. I wonder how actually talented writers do that, pretty amazing if you think about it.
Anyhow!
Of the small handful of folks that know me, I’ve been asked a little about why I left Fnatic and what this Level99 thing is. I figured I’d shed some brief insight into those things before I push through one of my actual draft posts later. I’ll do it in an FAQ style because my brain just really digs that typa thing.
Leaving Fnatic
I started my esports journey with Fnatic and that’s something I’ll never forget. I met some of the most amazing people in my life today because of being at Fnatic. When I got there we were in a small office by the Old Street roundabout in London with just enough room for 4 people to have their own desk space. Patrik (always CGO), Elroy (Then GM & Starcraft Manager), myself (Anything with a $ sign) and Oliver (Then graphics designer soon to be LoL manager) would huddle around two shared desks in an office building that was once a fire fighters place of work. Seemed fitting because there was always something to do.
There were a lot of weekly Nando visits, late evenings, some game sessions but all in all just primarily 4 dudes talking esports everyday.
Fast forward to now and I still sit back and feel proud of how far Fnatic came in just 2 years since 2013. A lot of new faces, professional experience and even later nights.. good stuff.
I left Fnatic because I’ve really always rooted for the little guy, the one coming up. I think you’re humbler and hungrier when you’re small and lean but it’s hard to keep that going as you grow. The amazing people at Fnatic all contributed to growing the business to a size the owners could be proud of and I think that’s where I started to miss the little room with 3 guys. Probably some of the most incredible moments were shared in that room, coming up with new ideas for partners, trying to disrupt a little bit of what we knew was accepted practice and screaming at a screen when the teams played their games.
It’s worth the brief story above. If I just said I left because I missed the little room with 3 guys… interpretation changes a tad bit eh?
If past results are anything to go by, Fnatic will continue to grow and be a brand standard in the space. I really wish everyone there the best.
What’s Level99?
I think that’s a question the handful of us are figuring out with one another right now. I do know that we all want to work on things we love, uninhibited by hierarchy and ego (this isn’t an easy one to overcome). Level99 is in essence a creative agency that will selectively work with people we like and people we know we’re the best to help. Right now we’re very involved in growing a DOTA2 brand with some of the most incredible people I’m honoured to even know. We’re also working with about 3 notable brands in the space but looking to slim that down and really focus for the coming year.
What does Level99 believe in?
This is really more important than what we do and I’ve thought about it a lot. Truthfulness, finite creativity, friendship and probably the most important.. a stubborn belief that you must always ask why. No matter who it is or what you’re doing.
What does Level99 do?
I’ll be a little bit more ambiguous and say.. Brand strategy & development, Advertising and storytelling. In some way they’re all commercial pursuits but I think the most amazing advertising is something more than just an association with a product or service I buy. It’s got to be for something that adds a significant perceived value to my life. Probably shooting myself in the long-term foot here but if the product/service isn’t solving some sort of problem then I don’t want anything to do with it.
And to those that know me, they’ll also know I don’t really want for much in life. Until a little while ago I used the same phone for years, pretty much rotate through a couple different pairs of the same looking Khaki’s and until encouraged by concerned family and friends, don’t really do haircuts until life calls for it. Given all that, I still buy things that would excite me or others. I’m a very harsh consumer. Maybe the worst type out there because you really need to prove to me that something you sell is exciting enough for me to have. I didn’t actually buy a single apple product (was a firm believer in RIM- makers of blackberry- because I love Canada) until after Jobs died when I read the Isaacson biography. Something clicked. I don’t know why.. just happened.
Who is Level99?
We’re a small group of dudes all hailing from different backgrounds. We often refer to ourselves as United Benetton.. if you ever saw their ads back in the day, you’ll know what I mean. Funnily enough, I’m also one of the least experienced in the team so how I managed to convince this group of guys to work with me is probably the reason I’m here.
People wise, I’m referring to Elroy Pinto, Chris Hana, Andreja & Mateja Mahovic, Joe Kurts, Kim Rom, Daniel Yordanov, Eddy Tritten and myself. There are actually at least 10 others that are part-time folks for now and if they feel like taking the plunge eventually, they’ll be added to that full-time list.
If I were to go on about each of these people individually, I’d need to change the name of this blog and go full biopic on each of them. In short.. just a group of amazing human beings.
What is that logo?
I didn’t think I’d describe the logo or the name because it means something to a small group of people who all might have different takes on it. Nonetheless, for me personally it reminds me a little of the things I loved as I was growing up in Dubai, London, Kelowna/Vancouver (been around, I know).. Nostalgia is one of those really cool things I like to talk about.
The word itself is a nod to a time when 99 was either a final level or one of key importance to a game. There’s so many games that I could add to this list but I’ll leave that to the imagination. Even the concept of levelling up was something games did and continue to do so well- make reference to mini achievements that sum up to one epic experience. Level99 just felt good.
The pixels are self-explanatory but the colours are borrowed from a time when a single blue coloured texture for clouds were a thing in games. Yeah, for some reason the blue just stood out as being memorable and a time when something so simple could be utilized creatively in a rich game experience.
And finally the cube. This one’s a little more personal but I know at least one other person on 99 feels this way. The cube is a nod to Steve Job’s project after he left Apple- NEXT. He basically ended up designing what looked like a perfect cube but was intentionally designed as imperfect. The story behind NEXT is worth a read but something about the entire brands existence resonated. I don’t even think this bit was planned but it’s just how I see it.
And on..
We’re still busy questioning each other’s website concepts to know when the actual thing will go live but it’ll happen eventually. It’s changed so many times now, I’m now worried for when we’ll finally settle on something. Beyond that, we’re honoured to be working with a few very cool brands both in the space already and those about to make the jump.
I think what I’ll do over time is post examples of the things we’ve worked on after they’ve gone live with permission of the brand owner then just hear out anyone’s perceptions/thoughts.. maybe a little outside questioning will ensure I keep things grounded where I always want to belong.