Geek of the Week
profiles the characters of Pacific Northwest tech, science, games, innovation,
and more. Be a Geek of the Week! Fill out our questionnaire to be considered.
eSports lawyer Bryce
Blum
Bryce Blum recently
left his comfortable job at a Seattle law firm to launch his own legal practice
and a new startup — both focused on the exploding eSports industry.
eSports lawyer Bryce Blum
Competitive video
gaming is just starting to take off, especially around the Seattle region,
where industry giants like Valve and Microsoft continue to attract a lot of
attention from gaming enthusiasts. Don’t understand all the hype? Just check
out the scene from the last time gamers competed for $18 million in prizes at
the Dota 2 championships inside Seattle’s Key Arena in April.
It’s a big-money
industry with lots of potential, and Blum wants to get in on the ground floor.
He maintains a legal
practice that represents eSports teams, event organizers and others in need of
legal services around the industry. He’s also the Director of eSports and
in-house counsel for Unikrn, a startup that burst onto the tech scene earlier
this year and has already drawn national attention and caught the eye of
investors like Mark Cuban and Ashton Kutcher.
“I’m a lawyer, sports
fan and an avid gamer,” Blum said. “Somehow, I managed to combine these
passions into a single career.”
Meet our new Geek of
the Week, and continue reading for his answers to our questionnaire.
unikrnWhat do you do,
and why do you do it? “I have a full-time practice in eSports law, representing
teams, leagues, tournament organizers, influencers, and other service providers
in the eSports industry. I’m also the Director of eSports and In-House Counsel
at Unikrn, an eSports startup based out of Seattle. Our mission is to heighten
viewership and engagement around eSports.
The why is pretty
simple: I love my industry and want to support its growth in any way I can.
It’s also just a lot of fun.”
What’s the single most
important thing people should know about your field? “That it exists. I like to
say eSports are the largest phenomenon no one has heard of. If you’ve never
heard of eSports, take the Google deep dive. Trust me, your mind will be
blown.”
Where do you find your
inspiration? “I’m a sucker for the texts from early American history, and for a
good movie speech. I get that it’s corny and cliché, but this type of stuff
actually resonates with me.”
What’s the one piece of
technology you couldn’t live without, and why? “My iPhone. I travel a lot and
I’m pretty much wired in 24/7 — much to my girlfriend’s chagrin. It’s
everything I could possibly need to stay connected, and it fits in my pocket.”
Work out in the morning. Getting exercise out
of the way will give you more energy and it frees up evenings for fun — or more
work.
What’s your workspace
like, and why does it work for you? “I have two work spaces: my condo and an
office at the WeWork in South Lake Union where Unikrn is based. Home is better
if I need total silence to just hammer out deliverables, but the energy from
the Unikrn team is contagious and too fun to miss out on for more than a couple
days in a row.”
Your best tip or trick
for managing everyday work and life. (Help us out, we need it.) “Work out in
the morning. Getting exercise out of the way will give you more energy and it
frees up evenings for fun — or more work. Plus it makes you feel like you’ve
started off the day on a productive foot.”
Mac, Windows or Linux?
“Windows.”
Kirk, Picard, or
Janeway? “Kirk.”
eSports lawyer Bryce
Blum
Transporter, Time
Machine or Cloak of Invisibility? “Time Machine. But I want the version that
comes with a remote control for life. I want to be able to rewind, fast forward
or go slow motion at will. Start by quickly rewinding to invest in Google, Microsoft,
Snapchat, Uber and Twitter. Then fast forward back to the present, bring an NBA
team back to Seattle and pretty much do what I’m doing now — but without having
to worry about money ever again. With that out of the way, I’d revel in being
able to skip the worst parts of life — traveling, mostly — while being able to
relive the best moments at the click of a button.”
If someone gave me $1
million to launch a startup, I would: “Do something in eSports. I can’t tell
you what. This dream might actually come true and if it does I’ll kick myself
for spilling the beans.”
I once waited in line
for: “When I was 10 years old, I waited in line for a few hours starting around
11 p.m. to see the national premiere of Rush Hour. So worth it.”
Your role models: “My mom,
who never stops trying to improve the world around her. My dad, who commands
the respect of everyone he meets by being the most thoughtful and genuine
person I know. And my grandmother, whose entire life is a constant reminder
that family is everything.”
Greatest Game in
History: “Super Smash Brothers for Nintendo 64, or basketball.”
Best Gadget Ever:
“Vitamix.”
First Computer: “I
honestly don’t remember. I know, I’m an awful Geek.”
Don’t stop pushing until you find a career you
love. It won’t be easy, and it might take a long time.
Current Phone: “iPhone
5.”
Favorite App: “Twitch.”
Favorite Cause: “The
Center for Children & Youth Justice. I have a lot of causes I’m passionate
about, but I love this organization. It focuses on juvenile justice and foster
care systems reform.”
Most important
technology of 2015: “Is the Google driverless car done yet? If so, I pick
that.”
Most important
technology of 2017: “Jet packs. I feel like we’ve been promised jet packs since
my childhood. Still holding my breath.”
Final words of advice
for your fellow geeks: “Don’t stop pushing until you find a career you love. It
won’t be easy, and it might take a long time. But life is too short and you
spend too much of it working to do anything that doesn’t make you excited to
get out of bed in the morning.”
BY JACOB DEMMITT on
September 29, 2015 at 3:00 pm
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