Exceptional Swiss Professions: Esports & Gaming Expert Manuel Oberholzer
The esports and video game industry has seen a rapid growth in popularity in recent years. Manuel Oberholzer is among the lucky professionals who have contributed considerably to that development. The COO of MYI Entertainment, an esports and gaming agency, has turned his hobby into his profession. In the following interview, he provides an exclusive insight into his exceptional job.
Manuel Oberholzer has been a passionate gamer since childhood. Early on he got involved in the gaming communities taking on administrative roles in internet forums or creating logos for his gaming teams. Later, he also organized tournaments himself. In 2016, together with other enthusiasts, he founded MYI Entertainment, an agency for esports and gaming, which now has over 20 employees.
Esports is a subcategory of gaming where sports competitions take center stage. If you picture reserved guys hiding in a room, you are wrong. The parallels to the sports business are surprising. Esports is played according to clearly defined rules in tournament formats, and games are being played more and more often in front of a live audience. The top games are even staged with big shows featuring commentators and analysts — just like in classic sports. Esports is an entertainment format that not only encourages people to play, but also to watch and cheer. Manuel notes that gaming, unlike watching television, is an active and very social hobby.
Together with his team, Manuel organizes competitive events. Some of you might have heard of the gaming and fantasy convention HeroFest, the SwitzerLAN, which is the largest LAN party* in the German-speaking world, or the TCS eSports League, the biggest rocket league competition in Switzerland. All of these events are (co-)organized by MYI Entertainment. Their broad involvement includes LAN parties, trade fairs and Esports LiveEvents as well as various online tournaments. In addition, Manuel’s startup also manages the Esports organization mYinsanity as well as various YouTubers, streamers, and Esports commentators. They serve as consultants for companies looking to establish themselves in the Esports community. MYI is not only an organizer, but also often an esports customer. “We have a large portfolio of own projects: from the Esports team, the LAN party to the YouTube channel”, Manuel explains.
Although Manuel has always been a passionate gamer, he never thought that he could turn his hobby into a profession. Originally Manuel had planned on becoming a structural engineer and completed his apprenticeship with this goal in mind. Afterwards, he pursued his vocational baccalaureate and the university aptitude test, which enabled him to go on to university to study business administration and marketing at the University of St. Gallen. Just like for many other young Swiss, Manuel was able to profit from the permeable Swiss education system which allows young people to keep their prospects open after their initial training. Today, Manuel is responsible for project work and human resources in his role as COO at MYI. Contrary to the common understanding that people like Manuel spend their day gambling, his work as esports and gaming expert requires a lot of effort. Every day he holds meetings with project managers to discuss the status of various projects. On top of that, Manuel meets with clients, develops new concepts, and publishes new blog posts on Linkedin and the MYI website. As a human resources manager he is also responsible for hiring new employees and evaluating the performance of his team members, a task that is not always easy in a collegial but demanding environment. When asked what the most important qualifications for the job are, Manuel answers as follows: “Apart from a great affinity for digital entertainment, the job requires a high ability to work in a structured manner. Especially at events, full commitment is expected. You shouldn’t be afraid to get your hands dirty.”
Manuel is ready to roll up his sleeves and get to work. He enjoys working with his team and “flying on the same spaceship to new adventures”. The next milestone is to expand into Germany, where MYI has been present since the beginning of this year. Manuel aims to continue the steep upward trend with MYI Entertainment and to keep inspiring people in Europe for esports and gaming.
This article is part of a social media series presenting exceptional Swiss professions created by the Consulate General of Switzerland in Atlanta. Next week, join us as we explore a job of dizzying heights at the ski jumping resort Einsiedeln.
Learn more about MYI Entertainment : https://myientertainment.com
Connect with Manuel Oberholzer on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
*A LAN party is a gathering of people in a place where a local area network (LAN) is established for gamers to participate in video games together.
