Women in Esports Ones to Watch – Top 5 in Broadcast and Production

This International Women’s Day, Women in Esports are running a week-long campaign (Centre Stage) to highlight existing and upcoming talent in the industry.

In this piece, we look at a few individuals, recommended to us, who are rising stars in the broadcast and production sector, and share some of the work they have been doing in their career so far.

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Pronouns: She / Her

Role: Observer and Student at Staffordshire University

Charlotte said: “My name is Charlotte, I go by Lotty online. I specialise in Observing in titles such as Overwatch, Valorant and Apex Legends. I started observing back in May of 2022, helping a college with a charity event in Overwatch, since then I have had the pleasure of working in Open Division and Contenders, and even helping out at Red Bull Home Ground in December 2022!

“Having worked in the last year with so many amazing groups such as NUEL, NSE, Epic.LAN and even Red Bull, meeting so many amazing observers (shout out to ALL OF YOU LOVELY PEOPLE) and other talented production staff, it has fuelled my drive to keep working and pushing myself every day. After I graduate, I hope to continue being able to do this as I have found somewhere I fit in and feel like I am constantly learning and growing with each experience!”

Quote from Becca from the NUEL: “Lotty is an awesome multi-game observer who is rapidly growing and appearing at more and more events! Concurrently, she also finds the time to give back to her university’s gaming society as the NUEL/NSE representative as well as supporting her peers’ journeys into the esports industry.”

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Pronouns: She / Her

Role: Freelance Observer / Production, NSCG Student

Emily said: “The reason I wanted to get into esports is overall the passion for video games I’ve had throughout my whole life. I grew up watching and competing with my brother in games like Mario Kart and then with friends online on call of duty and overwatch. Gaming and esports has always been a core part of my life and I’d love to be involved in it in any way I can.

“I’ve already as a college student competed in tournaments as well as working in production for amateur organisations and tournaments for games like Overwatch and Valorant and currently for coursework learning how to develop and create my own tournaments which is overall just growing my love for the industry.”

Quote from Connaire at NSCG: “Emi has really gone above and beyond the position she is in, and connected with the industry in ways that are far above her peers. From championing NSCG’s OW team last year to now working on some UK based esports opportunities.

“Through this she has begun championing the role of women in esports and can act as an inspiration to others in similar positions. It has been great to see and her own motivation to do this has been phenomenal to watch and support with, seeing this continue would be amazing for her own opportunities and show to those in esports that gender should not, and does not matter.”

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Pronouns: She / Her

Role: Production and Events Project Manager at Epic.LAN

Sarah said: “I first got into esports by running a collegiate level esports org, which aimed to provide students with the opportunity to play, cast, produce etc through that community at University. Whilst studying my MA in Broadcast Production and Events Management, I chose to focus my projects around esports and gaming, encouraging me to push the resources my university had to achieve the best I could in my studies.

“Half way through this masters year I applied for the Production Assistant role at Epic.LAN, hoping to leave my studies with full time employment. During my last year at Epic.LAN I’ve worked on some amazing projects with really cool brands; Intel, RedBull, NSE, Insomnia to name a few. A lot of what I do is white label, but it is incredibly fulfilling to be a part of. A big part of my new job role is to create pathways for new people into esports and provide grassroots opportunities; which means a lot to me having just left my studies myself.”

Quote from Becky from NSE: “I first had an introduction to Sarah when she was still a student and was organising events for her university. Seeing her hard work pay off when she was still studying and then going to work with EPIC.LAN and take on more responsibility there, it’s great to see her progression. Now having worked with Sarah on multiple projects between NSE and EPIC.LAN, Sarah always comes across as switched on and driven, I’ll be looking forward to seeing her career develop.”

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Pronouns: She / Her

Role: League of Legends Tournament Admin at NSE

Flora said: “I’m currently a final year Neuroscience student at the University of Leeds, but I’m originally from London. I always really liked playing tournaments with my friend as I enjoyed the mix of being able to meet new people, have fun with my friends, and have a taste of being competitive. I also started following LoL esports, which led me to meet so many more incredible people and travel to new countries for finals and other events.

“I started running tournaments for LoL & TFT on content creator and pro-player discords – these were really cool to do as I got to grow the community & connect with so many different people. I also got involved with my University esports society – I was the LoL ambassador last year, which made me a lot more familiar with the University tournament scene. In September 2022, I saw that NSE were hiring for a new LoL tournament admin & the role sounded super cool to me – to get experience and get to know students from around the country. I started officially on the NSE Winter Split in October.

“Aside from LoL, I was an admin at the NSE NARAKA University Invitational in December, which was super cool as it was my first live event in gaming. I’ve also had the opportunity to work on some WNB tournaments in Valorant and more recently Overwatch, which I ran by myself for the first time. I really enjoy these tournaments as we always get numbers and it’s nice to see so many women & non-binary students have a safe space to play tournaments.”

Quote from Becky from NSE: “Flora was brought on as a freelance admin for NSE’s League of Legends within the British University Esports Championship (BUEC) to help provide support to our full-time league operators. Since starting, she’s been very reliable and helpful when it comes to running our tournaments which will have thousands of students taking part, so much so that we’ve also had her work on a few other tournaments outside of her comfort zone which sit outside of BUEC.”

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Pronouns: She / They

Role: Esports Student at Access Creative College, Player in Access “Aces” Overwatch team competing in Student Champs

Eva said: “Esports is something I’ve been interested in for years now but I only started to consider a career in it when I became invested in the Overwatch league in 2017.  It opened my eyes to the variety of job roles and experiences you could acquire through Esports and I have been hooked ever since.

“My main goal is to create a space in Esports for women to compete and create without discrimination and to support those who wish to get into the industry like those who have helped me up to now, as well as further improve the quality of tournaments, events, creators and players to achieve the highest possible levels of entertainment and to further improve Esports reach and  the industry as a whole.”

Quote from Emily at Access Creative College: “Eva has been proactively championing women in Esports since before I met her as a student, and has stated numerous times that she wants to continue pioneering the advancement of equality within Esports and gaming in the UK. Eva has a long history of experience with event management and team leadership, and I have seen her take control of and run events effectively and efficiently. Eva is a go-to person when it comes to operations management. As she is heading to university in the future, and has a firm finger on the pulse of the industry, Eva will definitely be someone to watch out for in the very near future of UK Esports.”

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All of these incredible individuals are making a name for themselves in the grassroots scene, and pushing to make change for other women and marginalised genders in esports.

To find out more about these individuals, and what else Women in Esports is doing for International Women’s Day – follow Women in Esports on Twitter. 

You can also support Women in Esports’ chosen charity, WomanKind Worldwide, during this campaign over on JustGiving.