The first time I walked into IEM Sydney, nobody knew who I was.
That’s not false modesty. I was genuinely nobody. I’d been trying to break into the esports industry for a while and hitting walls everywhere. Outreach ignored. Doors closed. People who should have taken a meeting just didn’t. I had found a way in, but the people who mattered weren’t convinced I belonged there yet.
I showed up anyway.
Year two looked completely different.
Intel sponsored our entire booth for the weekend. People remembered me from the year before. They wanted photos. They were excited about what we were building. The plan was a pre-show and a wrap-up show. About four hours of content a day.
What actually happened was a live show running eight to ten hours a day across the entire weekend.
At one point we were struggling to fill the time. Nick and Josh, two of the most respected team owners in Australian esports at the time, came and sat at the desk with us. They spent an hour or two just talking. Keeping the content flowing. Helping us out.
I remember thinking how surreal it was. These were people I had looked up to. People who didn’t need to give me their time. And yet there we were, just talking, connecting, figuring it out together.
The following year I was representing The Chiefs alongside Nick.
None of that happens if I don’t walk into that first event as nobody. None of it happens if I let the closed doors convince me the industry wasn’t for me.
Here’s what I believe. You have to give yourself the opportunity to experience the magic.
The magic is real. The 1% moments are real. The right conversations, the right rooms, the right people sitting down at your desk when you need them most — all of it is real. But it can only find you if you’re somewhere it can reach you.
Say yes. Show up before you’re ready. Walk into the room where you don’t know anyone.