Meet Tequila Jones! Though she goes by Ms. Jones today, Kalena once knew her as Tequila, her high school classmate. Today, she is an educator and the assistant coach to the Martha Stilwell School of the Arts Esports Club. Kalena chatted with her about how she got her start in esports, the pride she takes in seeing her students succeed beyond the club, and her own outlook for the future of gaming in education.

Meet Nick Moran! Let’s introduce you to the man behind my access to DreamHack ATL 2025. Nick is a public relations professional at JSA + Partners. He’s spent years of his career in marketing and has taken his own love of gaming and esports with him as he transitioned and positioned himself in the realm of PR. Last Thanksgiving, Kalena got a chance to sit with him to discuss the vision of DreamHack, his own fandom, and his aspiration and predictions for the future of competitive gaming.

Meet Asante Bradford! Asante and I spoke back in May about his role within Georgia’s Department of Economic Development as the digital entertainment and innovation manager. He talked about his career at the state level, his own aspirations for the future of digital entertainment, and how Georgia is uniquely set up for expansing in this industry.

Meet Monica Dinsmore! I had the opportunity and pleasure of speaking with Monica at this year’s DreamHack gaming festival in Atlanta, GA. With the state of Georgia seeing a surge in the gaming industry, particularly in game development and esports, I jumped at the chance to ask the Head of Esports for EA Sports about their plans for expanding opportunities and fandom engagement in the state and worldwide.

Let me re-introduce John Bonoccorse. When I met John at his lovely home, not only was he well into his career as an assistant director, we also chatted about his co-ownership of the toy store Rhen’s Nest. It’s flagship store is currently at Ponce City Market in Midtown Atlanta. Here’s John.

Let’s re-introduce Greg Waddle. At the time of this interview, I met Greg at his storage unit were he kept his equipment. He was working as a set dresser then. Now, he’s president of Local 479 of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, Moving Picture Technicians, Artists, and Allied Crafts(IATSE for short). He’s a political strategist and a tireless advocate for economic development and workers rights here in Georgia.