Brian Cooley, formerly of educational company EVERFI, has joined North American high school esports platform PlayVS as its Chief Marketing Officer.
Before joining PlayVS, Cooley spent over a year at mentoring technology company Boulevard as President.
Cooley announced the news in a LinkedIn post on September 26th, expressing his excitement about shaping the future of gaming in North America and beyond. As Chief Marketing Officer, Cooley will assist in reaching students to help them develop career skills.
Although not rooted in esports, Colley brings over 20 years of marketing and sales experience. Starting as a Director of Washington DC Operations for Sport and Social Clubs of the United States, Cooley has worked with various technology and education companies, including IT services and consulting provider IBM and education platform Blackboard.
Cooley also spent nearly nine years at EVERFI, an international company helping companies meet corporate social responsibility goals. At PlayVS, Cooley will reunite with several of his former EVERFI colleagues, most notably PlayVS’ CEO Jon Chapman.
Founded in 2018, PlayVS is a North American operator of high school esports leagues. The company provides competitive opportunities in Canada and all 50 states of the United States. Its portfolio of esports leagues includes League of Legends, Rocket League, Super Smash Bros, and more.
Last year, PlayVS faced widespread criticism for its conduct and operations, allegedly using exclusivity deals to shut out competitors and misrepresenting its partnerships. After the departure of former CEO Delane Parnell, Jon Chapman was appointed to replace him in June 2023.
PlayVS continues to engage in partnerships to diversify its offering to students. In August, the company announced a deal with esports apparel brand Emerge Apparel. Emerge Apparel specialises in producing custom apparel for sports and esports teams. The company enables interested high schools to create and sell merchandise with a 50% revenue-sharing programme.
Brian Cooley commented on joining PlayVS via LinkedIn: “Esports is well recognised as one of the fastest growing competitive platforms in the world and the positive impact that it has on participants is remarkable.
“I’m looking forward to sharing these transformational stories and further growing our impact on students, coaches, schools and communities. Game on!”
