FaZe Clan's Matt 'BK' Augustin on the growth of gaming

It’s no surprise that Brooklyn-born Matt “BK” Augustin has always been into video games. “My parents are not from America, so they didn’t like to buy us stuff unless it would help us become a doctor or a lawyer,” he jokes. “So it was a big deal when I got my first gaming system.” He started on a Super Nintendo and is now a self-confessed XBox fanboy. See Ad Age's 40 under 40 list here. Augustin’s road to becoming the director of brand and creative strategy at FaZe Clan, a professional esports and entertainment organization, was all about mentorship and networking. “I was in Atlanta in 2018 and had the opportunity to work with Activision/Blizzard while I was at 72andSunny, which put me on to the gaming space," he says. "My background is in social media and social strategy, so I was really excited to put together games and social.” Thanks to a LinkedIn connection, Augustin ended up chatting with Adam Bauer, the head of partnerships and business development at FaZe Clan. “I knew of FaZe, but my understanding of gaming was more about playing NBA 2K with my friends,” the 31-year-old says. “It was so cool to learn about all that FaZe was doing. Chatting with Adam felt natural and the rest was history.” Now, he's focusing on new business leads and growing brand partnerships beyond FaZE Clan's existing roster of McDonald's, DraftKings, G Fuel, Beats by Dre, SteelSeries, Nissan and Corona. If you could have dinner with one person, alive or dead, who would it be and why? Diddy. He is a mogul, he’s transcended decades and is still relevant. I would love to have dinner with him because I think he would have a conversation with me that would tell me a lot about myself. I think he wouldn’t be afraid to tell me what I should be doing, or what I can do better. One of my professional goals is to work with him. What are the top two social media sites you use on a regular basis? It used to be Twitter and Instagram, but now, since the pandemic, my number one is actually LinkedIn. I realized that I would go farther if I just started being myself, so you’ll see that “BK” is on my LinkedIn. Once I put Matt and BK together, that authenticity got me in front of other people and LinkedIn helped open a lot of doors. My second is still Instagram. It’s my favorite place to window-shop, travel from a distance. What’s currently on your bedside reading list? Right now I’m reading “Start Up: Insider Secrets on Building Your Business Credit” by Herman Dolce, Jr. It sounds odd, but I’ve always been good at randomly finding money, be it freelancing or a side project. For me, this book asks, “What if you put some rationale behind these decisions instead of going on a whim?” The other, because I’m getting married this weekend, is “Why Marriages Succeed or Fail” by John Gottman. I’m very private with my emotions, I’m a Virgo, and this book is helping me realize how keeping it in can impact my relationship. I do want to add that my favorite book of all time is “Think and Grow Rich” by Napoleon Hill. What was the last show you binge-watched? Right now I’m watching “Titans” on HBO Max. I love the Marvel movies, but what DC is doing here is awesome. It’s the grown-up, more violent Teen Titans. At what age do you hope to retire? I don’t want to. A large part of my personality is working toward something. Maybe I’ll retire in the sense of not going to work from 9-5, but I think I’ll work until I physically cannot. See Ad Age's 40 under 40 list here.

FaZe Clan's Matt 'BK' Augustin on the growth of gaming

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