HYPEPOTAMUS — After a week where Drake, Scooter Braun and Michael Jordan made investments in eSports companies, it appears that the market for competitive online gaming is as hot as it gets. And the funding numbers corroborate that: North Carolina-based Epic Games announced a $1.25 billion capital raise last week, bringing total venture funding in the space to above $2 billion in 2018.

And eSports is different from many tech-driven industries in that market activity is not concentrated on the West Coast. In one recent analysis by WalletHub, Atlanta was ranked the top city for “Gaming Environment” in the U.S. and the #3 best overall city for gamers.

HYPEPOTAMUS — Thousands of gamers will flock to the Georgia World Congress Center on November 16-18 for the return of DreamHack, the world’s premier gaming and digital festival. The 24-hour-a-day festival weekend features all things gaming under one roof.

DreamHack, based out of Europe, is recognized by the Guinness Book of Records as the world’s largest LAN party and computer festival with the world’s fastest Internet connection and the most generated traffic. It first came to Atlanta last year, drawing nearly 25,000 visitors from 48 states and 25 countries.

ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION — Georgia’s booming film and television industry might see new talent emerge from the the DeKalb Entertainment Commission’s Entertainment Expo this weekend. 

And for the commission’s executive director Shelbia Jackson, the expo — now in its second year — means training DeKalb residents to break in to the entertainment industry. 

ATLANTA MAGAZINE — illed as the largest LAN party in the world, the annual three-day event at the Georgia World Congress Center brings gamers from across the country—and an audience of thousands—to compete for nearly $2 million in cash winnings. 

WXIA 11-ALIVE, “The A-Scene” — ATLANTA — Dreams for a career behind the scenes in the industries of television and film usually require investing in upfront costs. But a local program in Clayton County pays its students and designed to get them in the entertainment workforce.

WXIA 11-ALIVE, “THE A-SCENE” — ATLANTA

SPORTS BUSINESS JOURNAL, “THE ESPORTS OBSERVER” — Hi-Rez Studios  will bring its annual Hi-Rez Expo to DreamHack  Atlanta 2018, as part of a new partnership with the gaming/digital festival organizer.

Since 2015, the event has been used by Hi-Rez to not only reveal new games and content, but also to stage multiple esports tournaments. The 2017 Hi-Rez Expo featured the SMITE  and Paladins  World Championships for PC and console, all of which will be part of the DreamHack-hosted Hi-Rez Expo.

WXIA 11 Alive, “The A-Scene” — John Driskell Hopkins the founding member of the Zac Brown Band and his six-piece band will play Smith's Olde Bar on Thursday, October 4 at 7:00 p.m.

WXIA 11-Alive, “The A-Scene” — The 24 hour-a-day festival weekend features all things gaming with nearly $2 million in pro eSports tournaments, cosplay, expos, concerts, and more.

ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION — A familiar but amplified voice boomed through Atlanta’s City Hall atrium as I walked toward City Council chambers on Monday. “Don’t sell the city down the drain!” it bellowed. Entering the chambers, I could see Derrick Boazman, a former councilman/rabble rouser at the podium. Boazman, first up for citizen comment, was setting the stage for a three-hour public harangue. It was a grand spectacle of noisy democracy, in which dozens of folks ambled up to the mic and voiced concerns about issues dear to them, wrapping their arguments around the monstrosity that is the Gulch Giveaway. Say what you will about the $1.75 billion (with a B!) tax subsidy, opposition to the plan has united Atlantans like few other controversies.

WXIA-11 ALIVE “The A-Scene” — ATLANTA — Premier gaming lifestyle festival DreamHack returns to Atlanta for three days Friday, November 16 – Sunday, November 18, 2018, at the Georgia World Congress Center. DreamHack made its Atlanta debut in 2017 bringing nearly 25,000 visitors from a total of 48 states and 25 countries.

The 24 hour-a-day festival weekend features all things gaming under one roof and will be jam-packed with nearly $2 million in pro esports tournaments, collegiate matches, world famous LAN party, music concerts, cosplay championship, panels, art, activities, expo and more; sponsored by Monster & H4x.

ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION — A new organization is hoping to development a workforce for the state’s growing entertainment industry, starting with a training program in Clayton County. The group, We Show Up, will help connect people interested in working in films with jobs such as security, protecting sets from damage and assisting productions on crowd control, sanitation, neighborhood notification, permitting and parking.