From an early age, Thomas struggled with a stutter, so he turned to gaming as a way to connect and communicate with others. The digital realm became a safe haven where the restrictions of his speech lifted and he was able to forge his own sense of community. While attending Georgia Tech, he met Co-Founders Riley Auten and Gordon Li, who shared his passion for gaming.
They recognized that technology to handle the coordination and monetization for influencers to reach their massive fan base through gaming was lacking – which is where Shotcall comes in. They set out to build a platform to improve fan and creator engagement, which has exploded into an end-to-end solution for creators and fans to connect. Prior to Shotcall, Thomas held positions as an analyst and project manager. Thomas is the recipient of Intercon’s Top 50 Tech Visionaries and graduated from Georgia Tech with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration & IT Management.
Please tell us a little bit about your company – what’s Shotcall all about?
Shotcall is a platform and marketplace that connects content creators and communities of gamers with their fans for a chance to play one-on-one in tournaments settings, as well as hold coaching sessions, Q&As, queue lines, charity events and more to monetize their content. However, content creators don’t have to monetize their content, they can leverage Shotcall to engage with their fans and continue to build their fanbases.
Please tell us a little bit about your background and how/why you started your company?
I graduated from Georgia Tech in 2017 with a Bachelor of Business Administration. I’ve always had a passion for gaming and technology and gaming especially is where I spent most of my time as a kid. Growing up I had a very severe stutter and because of that went through most of my childhood almost entirely mute. Video games became a solace for me and a place where I found a community that I could communicate with and build relationships. I realized it didn’t matter that I had a stutter if I could kick someone’s ass in Call of Duty. Overall it was this sense of community that really was my inspiration for Shotcall.
My co-founders Gordon Li, Riley Auten, and I also were really frustrated with other platforms on the market that felt very one-dimensional and designed only for professional gamers. We were tired of just watching our favorite creators play on live streams and wanted to actually play our favorite games with them — and we assumed we weren’t alone in that. So Shotcall was born on the goal of getting fans into their favorite games alongside their favorite content creators.
What would you say are the top 3 skills needed to be a successful entrepreneur, and why?
- Obsession: You have to have a true obsession with your customers.
- Shameless curiosity: A lot of people feel embarrassed when they ask ‘why?’ or think it’s a stupid question. So many people are also too afraid to admit when they don’t know something and think it will make them look naive. The real truth is, no one really knows what they’re doing, so don’t be afraid to ask questions and be curious about everything around you.
- Integrity: People often say that If you want to make it in the long run, it’s who you know and what they mean is that you have to build a reputation that can be trusted and depended on. It’s not that you don’t make mistakes. But a person with integrity is able to admit when they screw up. They say what they mean and mean what they say. If you’re consistent in your integrity, people are going to know that they can depend on you.
What are your plans for the future, how do you plan to grow this company?
Looking ahead, we plan to continue growing the Shotcall user base and to expand into professional gamers and celebrities utilizing the platform.
How do you go about marketing your business and what has been the most successful form of marketing for you?
Word of mouth and passion for our users. The majority of our users use us because of our team, our integrity, our curiosity, and our obsession with them. When we bring on a new customer they love us and they love our team. In that way, we have been able to turn a customer into an evangelist, which has contributed to the majority of our growth.
What’s your definition of success?
For Shotcall, success is when it’s a global norm that fans are not strictly viewers, but that they are actually endemic to the content that they watch and engage with.
What are the three books or courses you recommend for entrepreneurs?
- Never Split the Difference: Negotiating as if Your Life Depends on It -Chris Voss
- 12 Rules for Life – Jordan B. Peterson
- Republic – Plato
What is your favorite entrepreneurship quote?
Failure sucks but instructs
– David M. Kelly Founder of Ideo
How can our community get in touch with you?
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