Esports and gaming company OverActive Media has announced a new creator-focused business venture called the Content Creator Academy.
The Academy features a roster of 20 influencers that will represent various OverActive brands such as esports organisation MAD Lions, Call of Duty League franchise Toronto Ultra and Overwatch League’s Toronto Defiant.
Highlighted as a “meaningful audience driver” by Alyson Walker, Chief Commercial Officer at OverActive Media, the move aims to create a roster of talent that supports the company’s three brands and improve its engagement in Spain and Canada. The influencers included in the Academy’s first roster have a combined audience of around 15m fans across Twitch, YouTube, Twitter, Trovo, TikTok and other platforms, according to the company.
Out of the 20 influencers and creators, nine will be focusing on Toronto Ultra, another nine on MAD Lions, and only two creators will be creating content for the Toronto Defiant.
This goes in line with the state of the Overwatch League and the uncertainty that surrounds it. The Toronto Defiant did sign a sponsorship deal with the Overwatch League earlier this year, and Activision Blizzard agreed to waive CAD$ 10.8m (6.5m) of fees that OverActive paid throughout its time in the league.
In the announcement, Adam Adamou, Co-Founder and Interim CEO of OverActive Media, also hailed the recent Toronto Esports Strategy created by Ontario Creates and the City of Toronto. Furthermore, noted that the Creator Academy will combat the “creator brain drain” in OverActive’s global markets.
He added: “As an industry leader, this initiative, paired with our strengths in production, broadcasting and live events, reinforces our efforts to grow gaming and esports content opportunities for creators.”
