THE ESPORTS OBSERVER — DreamHack  will host its first event in South America next year, in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil. The three-day festival will take place in the Parque Olímpico, with the former Olympic Arenas to play host to a bring your own computer (BYOC) area, gaming expo, and $100K prize pool Counter-Strike: Global Offensive  tournament.

The announcement today marks DreamHack’s 24th anniversary, and growth from a school-cafeteria LAN party to a global gaming and esports brand. In addition to Rio, there will be debut events in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, and Dallas, Texas. Further event locations include Leipzig, Germany; Tours, France; Valencia and Sevilla in Spain; two more North American events in Montreal, Canada and Atlanta, Georgia; plus two festivals in the company’s home country: DreamHack Summer and Winter in Jönköping, Sweden.

STAR 94.1, “JEFF & JENN SHOW” — We talked with John Driskell Hopkins and got a special Christmas performance!

ASSOCIATED PRESS — Miami City Ballet has been awarded $3 million in support from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. The grant is part of a $37 million Knight Foundation investment announced Monday to further strengthen Miami art and culture organizations that fill out the city’s arts ecosystem, bringing Knight’s total investment in the sector to $165 million since 2005.

LOS ANGELES TIMES — George Balanchine thought of his “Nutcracker” as a gift to America’s children. Indeed, not long after the founder of the New York City Ballet premiered his 1954 spin on E.T.A. Hoffmann’s tale, the dance title with roots in 19th century Russia became an American holiday classic.

It can be an enticing present, and the return of Balanchine’s “The Nutcracker” by Miami City Ballet at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion this weekend does offer the traditional treats, even if wrapped in some unfortunate packaging.

WXIA-11 ALIVE, “THE A-SCENE: — ATLANTA — ATLANTA — Atlanta is not only home to a billion-dollar film and television industry. But it’s also a world-class destination for the gaming industry.

Dreamhack, featuring everything gaming under one roof, hosted more than 30,000 visitors 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. 2018 is expected to bring even more visitors to experience this festival.

DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES NEWS — For decades, The Nutcracker has been a holiday staple at performing arts centers across the country, with families returning year after year, little kids in tow, to watch the “Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy” and “The Nutcracker Suite.” Although occasional productions wound up in Downtown Los Angeles over the years, they have been sporadic.

NPR/90.1FM WABE, "City Lights" — Musicians John Driskell Hopkins and Joe Gransden join Lois Reitzes to talk about their Christmas album and about performing at the 2018 National Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony.

BUSINESS RADIO X, “CEO EXCLUSIVE” — On this CEO Exclusive we talk with Chris and Mark LeDoux with Crafty Apes about trends in the visual effects industry.

Crafty Apes is a full service visual effects company based in Culver City, CA. Launched in July 2011, the company was founded by three visual effects veterans with more than 20 years of combined experience: Jason Sanford, Chris LeDoux, and Tim LeDoux.

NPR, 90.1FM WABE, ATLANTA — The Georgia World Congress Center was transformed into a game lover’s haven this past weekend.

DreamHack Atlanta, a worldwide gaming lifestyle festival, brought in more than 30,000 attendees to the event space from Nov. 16 to 18 for their second-ever convention in Atlanta.

Justin Burnham, creative director for DreamHack, said this year’s event has grown in all areas since last year. The festival’s focus around games has expanded to include art, film and music that appeals to those within the gaming lifestyle, such as performances by EDM act Riot and hip-hop producer London on da Track.

“Besides giving gaming it’s own red carpet direction in terms of growth, adding all those different areas, we also want to break the label. I don’t like labels,” Burnham said. “I think gamers are super intelligent. They are programmers. They’re artists … So what I want our event to do is to smash those labels, destroy those labels and come together and just enjoy what we are creating.”

WXIA-11 Alive, “The A-Scene” — ATLANTA — Beginning Wednesday, thousands of video gamers from across the world will be here in Atlanta.

They are joining forces to celebrate the rapidly growing world of gaming which has already passed the $1 billion mark globally. The name of the big kick off? The city's first-ever E-Sports week!

We got a look at the newest entertainment and gaming venue where it’s going down. What if I told you that 2.6 billion people play video games around the world? Or that 400 million viewers watch and cheer on their favorite gaming teams.

NPR/90.1FM WABE ATLANTA — Game enthusiasts, professional players and skilled cosplayers will be coming out to DreamHack Atlanta this weekend.

The worldwide gaming lifestyle festival is slated to make a stop in the city from Nov. 16 to 18 at the Georgia World Congress Center, 285 Andrew Young International Blvd. NW, Atlanta

WXIA 11-ALIVE, “THE A-SCENE” — People came out to find out how to get into the business.