speakers

Matt has been a leader in the esports industry since he founded UGC in 2005. His vision for the company emerged from his love of video games and competition. Under his guidance UGC has expanded to include three core businesses - online tournaments, live events, and content creation - and evolved from operating out of 625 square foot attic space to producing record-breaking events in global stadiums for some of today’s most popular video game titles with such strategic partners as Microsoft, Caesars Entertainment, Blizzard, the United States Army, Red Bull and more. In 2016 Matt partnered with Lineup Media Group to scale the company globally. Matt's entrepreneurial spirit coupled with the skillsets he obtained from earning an architecture degree, underscore his management of all aspects of UGC. In his role, Matt is responsible for business planning, budgeting, fundraising, new business, strategic partnerships, production services, original content, streaming and merchandising. Additionally, Matt has been hands-on with all patent/technical writing since the inception of the company. Prior to founding UGC, Matt earned a Master of Architecture from Southern Illinois University Carbondale with a focus on modular design, digital fabrication, 3D printing (rapid prototyping), and sustainable design. He also holds Manufacturing Skill Standards and OSHA outreach trainer certificates while instructing at Rend Lake College. Personal Research includes industrial design, manufacturing, electronics, mold creation/casting, CNC fabrication, 3D printing, graphic design, silk screening, and dye sublimation. Instructor at Rend Lake College focusing on Architecture, manufacturing, and Digital Fabrication. Interests include: Advancing architecture, manufacturing, and digital fabrication. Growth of competitive video gaming (esports) to a sustainable future for viewers/competitors. Creating innovative jobs for emergent technologies and industries.

Matt McCullah has made significant contributions to the game development industry over the past 25 years. His journey began with an impressive start at The Art Institute of Atlanta, where he graduated in 1999 with the award for Best Portfolio in Computer Animation. His professional career kicked off as a graphic designer in the casino gaming industry, and over the span of ten years, he transitioned exclusively to 3D character animation. One of the notable milestones in Matt's career was his time at Cartoon Network's online games team, where he served as a 3D Artist/Animator. He played a pivotal role in creating animations for some of their most popular online games, including Project Exonaut, Fusionfall: Heroes, and Adventure Time Battle Party. Currently, Matt is a valuable asset at Hi-Rez Studios, where he has been contributing for the past decade. His work includes game and cinematics animation for titles such as the award-winng action MOBA Smite, Paladins, Realm Royale, and Rogue Company. Matt is now the Lead Animator for Smite 2.

Esports expert and Enterprise Account Executive at Dolby OptiView, the latest technology from Dolby Laboratories. Has been a key contributor to understanding the needs and pain points of the Esports industry and how Dolby technology can best support broadcasters, creators, streamers, players, leagues, and tournament hosting platforms in this space. Has also worked with several partners to launch their Remote Production workflows for major esports and sports broadcasters (i.e. Riot, NXTE.app, Whisper.tv, and more!) University of Oregon Alum, where he studied Business and Music & Audio Technology. Passionate about Esports, video games, and A/V technology.

Oversee digital, social, and broadcast for the premiere professional soccer team in the southeast.

Mac Dougan serves as the Assistant Director of Digital Initiatives for Special Olympics Illinois, where he strives to connect technology solutions with and for individuals with intellectual disabilities. He is a graduate of Indiana University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Special Education. After graduation, he joined Special Olympics Illinois to begin his career in serving individuals with intellectual disabilities through the power of sport, training, and competition. In 2020, Mac started the first ever Special Olympics Unified esports program, to provide continued competition for Special Olympics athletes during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Starting with just four athletes, his program has grown to over 300 athletes and Unified Partners across Illinois. This work, in tandem with an importance of teaching digital citizenship, has led to an increase of interactivity, safety and growth for athletes in online spaces. What began as an effort to bring athletes together virtually during the pandemic, has now grown to a successful statewide team with multiple championship titles, including the inaugural Special Olympics USA Games esports tournament in Orlando, Florida. Mac’s biggest passion is for working with and for individuals with disabilities and continuing to push for technology solutions that are equitable and inclusive for all walks of life.

As a visionary leader in digital entertainment, I pioneer the convergence of traditional business excellence with the explosive world of esports. After establishing myself as one of HuffPost's Top 5 Most Influential Women in Fantasy Sports and driving industry-wide growth as Executive Director of the Fantasy Sports Trade Association, I recognized a similar inflection point in competitive gaming. This insight led me to found the Esports Trade Association (ESTA), which I've transformed into a powerhouse that's reshaping how the esports industry evolves and thrives. ESTA stands at the forefront of industry innovation, uniting global leaders through our landmark EsportsNext Conference, authoritative publications, and dynamic chapters. We're not just participating in the esports revolution - we're architecting its future by creating unprecedented opportunities for professionals, teams, leagues, and brands to forge powerful alliances and drive industry advancement. My leadership philosophy, shaped by a Master's in Industrial Psychology and enriched by multi-faith studies, champions both strategic excellence and inclusive innovation. This distinctive approach has earned recognition through nominations like the WISE Women of Inspiration Awards and established me as a sought-after executive and speaker who delivers transformative insights to organizations ready for extraordinary growth. From my Chicago base, I combine bold vision with proven strategy to build bridges between traditional business mastery and digital entertainment's limitless potential. By creating spaces where diverse perspectives and innovative thinking converge, we're catalyzing the next evolution of esports and digital entertainment. Ready to be part of this extraordinary journey? Let's connect and explore how we can shape the future of competitive gaming together.

Micah Epstein is an illustrator and concept artist working in the publishing and entertainment industries. Over more than a decade in these fields, he has created work for collaborations with a wide variety of leading clients, including Macmillan, Hachette, Penguin Random House, Dark Horse, Hasbro, and Wizards of the Coast, as well as authors including Brandon Sanderson and George RR Martin. Originally trained as a traditional oil painter, Micah blends his classical training with modern techniques and sensibilities to bring his unique vision of design and storytelling to his collaborations, which can be seen in his work on properties ranging from Magic the Gathering to The Murderbot Diaries.

Leading the creation, implementation and growth of varsity collegiate esports programs across the U.S. The NACE is the largest membership association of varsity collegiate esports for 156 colleges and universities (and growing!). 90% of all varsity programs in the U.S. are currently members!

A seasoned professional with extensive leadership experience in media, nonprofit management, and strategic growth, currently serving as General Manager of Esports at Fastbreak AI. Core competencies include growth strategy, strategic partnerships, and leveraging innovative approaches to drive organizational success and impact. As President and founder of The Lab Basketball, a nonprofit youth basketball organization, contributed to fostering character, development, and community engagement through sports. Successfully led significant initiatives, including securing high-profile partnerships, implementing analytics-driven performance strategies, and driving substantial corporate fundraising efforts to expand access and programming opportunities. Passionate about creating meaningful impact through collaborative leadership, strategic vision, and disciplined execution.

Michael Park, D.O., graduated with a bachelor's degree from University of California, Los Angeles, and his Master of Medical Sciences from Drexel University College of Medicine in Philadelphia. He earned his Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree from Touro University Nevada College of Osteopathic Medicine. He has been practicing at Piedmont since 2015 as a Primary Care Physician. In his spare time, Dr. Park is an avid PC gamer playing mostly MMOs (massive multiplayer online) and live service looter shooter games.

Executive with strong C-level relationships, P/L management, and a proven track record raising capital, building assets, creating culture and leading organizations. Focused on strategic growth and revenue generation initiatives across sponsorship, digital video/mobile and audio content, integrated media and analytics in both traditional sports and esports.

Michelle Davis is an associate in Arnall Golden Gregory LLP’s Corporate & Finance and Technology practices and a member of the Emerging Technologies and Entertainment & Sports industry teams. She represents buyers and sellers of technology, providing comprehensive legal support to protect and monetize their intellectual property in the digital age.

As a lifelong teacher, educator, coach & field instructor I have created environments for people to learn experientially about subject matter, the world around them, and about themselves. Seeing context as the classroom, curriculum can be lived when it is built around big-picture ideas that are worked through in practical, applied settings. Learning about ecological systems and human geography by traveling the landscape of rivers and watersheds with local farmers and fishers. Developing an understanding of health and human performance by working personally through general physical fitness and mental performance. Using the natural world to explore math and science using the power of observation and testing hypotheses. This is how education develops passion, sparks life-long-learning, and becomes a catalyst for personal growth and a desire to change the world around ourselves.

Mike Quigley is a seasoned marketing executive with over 30 years of experience in the gaming industry with a focus on user acquisition, community engagement, and player retention. Most recently, Quigley served as the CMO at Niantic, where he led global marketing efforts for the company’s real-world augmented reality games, including the blockbuster mobile game, Pokémon GO. Prior to Niantic, he was Director of Consumer Marketing at Google/YouTube, managing the marketing strategy and execution of campaigns for both original programming and live-stream events including Coachella and SXSW. Quigley also spent 11 years at Electronic Arts where he served as Group VP of Global Marketing for the EA Games Label. Mike is currently Chief Marketing Officer of Prize Picks, the largest daily sports operator in North America.

Mimi Faust is a television personality, entrepreneur, and media figure best known for her longtime role on VH1’s Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta. A prominent reality-TV personality, Mimi has built a career that extends beyond television through business ventures, brand partnerships, and entertainment projects. In 2025, she stepped into the beauty industry and created Oluremi Skin, a skincare brand inspired by her personal journey and passion for healthy, radiant skin. For Mimi, Oluremi Skin represents more than beauty—it is about self-care, confidence, and embracing your skin at every age, tone, and texture. Her entrepreneurial journey continues to evolve as she brings her personal story and passion for wellness into a growing beauty brand.

Monique Paes is a Special Education and Literacy Intervention teacher for Bronx River High School in New York City. Monique's journey into the world of Esports was unconventional but one of the best steps she took towards creating an inclusive community of like-minded student gamers at her school. She learned about the benefits of how creating an Esports team helped foster student's social-emotional skills as well as their communication skills while creating a sense of pride and belonging for those who don't fit into the traditional "sports" mold. Today, her school's teams in Valorant, Rocket League and Smash Bro's are approaching their 4th year and student's are always enthusiastic to learn that there is a place for them in school where they can just be kids and have fun while learning.

My name is Mykiah Bonhom and I am a Product Specialist at Spectrum Industries. In May of 2023 I graduated from Shenandoah University with a degree in Esports Management. I have a vast amount of experience in esports including working with the Washington Justice, Esports Engine, Esports Insider, and the International Esports Federation (IESF). I am passionate about gaming and esports and look forward to using my role at Spectrum to help push the industry forward.

Nabil Ismail is a twenty year veteran of live event management, operations, information technology and client-driven experiences. A former VP of Operations and Technology at Hi-Rez Studios he supported the growth of that videogame company from 50 employees to 450 employees, and operations infrastructure to support 100 million registered game players. As Co-Founder Skillshot Media he has led operations and production for over 100 live gaming events including multiple DreamHacks, influencer focused events, and arena filled esports events.

As Chief Commercial Officer, Neil leads all revenue generating activities across partnerships, sponsorships and events. Securing long term, strategic partners is Neil's focus working with brands like Bell, AMD, Blacklyte, Monster Energy, Little Caesars, SCUF Gaming (Corsair), Red Bull, and more. Securing major esports events, working across local, regional and provincial levels of government to drive material economic impact ($10M+ per event) has been an exciting addition of OverActive Media's roster of assets. - In June, 2025 OverActive Media hosted the Call of Duty Championship Weekend for 10,000+ fans

I’ve worked behind the scenes of of some of the biggest esports events in the world, including the FNCS Global Championship 2024, RLCS 2025 Season, and acting as the host of Collegiate Rocket League. My roles have spanned professional broadcast talent, tournament administration, player support, and production coordination, where I’ve honed skills in technical troubleshooting, workflow optimization, and live event execution. I'm passionate about expanding impact in esports!

Nikki Slaughter has always been fascinated by how people connect with technology and how play brings those connections to life. With a background in UX, emerging tech, and art, she loves exploring how creativity sparks curiosity, imagination, and joy. I’m passionate about crafting experiences that remind us technology can be vibrant, emotional, and wonderfully human.

My name is Noland Johnson and I am an 4L part-time law student at Georgia State University. I am the coach for Georgia State Rocket League, and was the 2025-2026 President of Sports for Georgia State's Sports and Entertainment Law Society. I am also one of the winners of the 2025 Video Game Bar Association’s Scholarship Essay Contest. I have a passion and long history in academic competitions with highlights that include being Team Lead and a Finals participant in the NASA MITTIC competition, quarterfinalist(as well as team captain) for the 2023 HCASC National Championships, and a Hall of Fame Rocket League player for Southern University. Following my time as a competitor, I was an adjunct professor at Southern focusing on academic competition while also acting as the Assistant Director of Esports during my first year and a half of law school. I am the founder and Sole Proprietor of Playful Impact, a new age Esports collective that is focused on bridging the gap between amateur and professional success.. Starting with professional development and acting as an agent, I want to invest in talent and grow them into industry powerhouses using my experience, connections, and experience. I am connecting my developing legal and professional skills with the growing world of collegiate esports. I plan to turn my passion for esports, video games, intellectual competition, and entertainment into a lifelong career full of laughs, love, and innovation.