Just a few months after he made his entrance into the professional casting scene he achieved what every DotA 2 caster out there would dream about, an invite at the biggest tournament of the year, The International.
We had the pleasure to have a nice chat with the youngest caster from the TI5 panel in which we discussed about his career, future plans and of course, about the hype that Seattle brings into his life.
The interview was conducted via Skype by Andreea 'divushka' Esanu
Hello, congratulation on your TI5 invite, how did you receive the news?
Thank you! I can't wait! I was told by a mysterious man (not sure if I'm allowed to say who) via Skype, who informed me that I was going to be going to The International!
Did the "mysterious man" told you to keep it a secret until he gives you the green light to post it on Twitter?
They let us know when to talk about it publicly, but the time of being told, and being told to share it, were very close together!
What was the first thing you did when you received the news that you got invited to TI5?
Well I was absolutely over the moon! To be invited by Valve to cast THE INTERNATIONAL is literally the dream! I got all my local lads who play Dota with me to head down to the pub, and got the drinks in to share the good news!
The International it is a huge event, I think it’s safe to say the biggest you can dream about, are you nervous thinking about the exposure that will bring for you?
It is indeed a massive event, and I can't wait! I'm doing my best to deal with any nerves now, by preparing the best I can, in order to do my part in making sure that this International will be one of the most exciting to watch and follow! As for the exposure, I'll just have to make sure that I don't mess up, so that any exposure will be positive!
LD came out few days ago with a blog regarding this year’s invites, do you share his feelings on the subject?
It's a hard topic that one. Of course, I feel that people who put a lot of time and effort into the scene, should indeed receive some sort of gratification, at least an acknowledgement, but at the end of the day this is Valve we are talking about. And Valve seem to have a very particular way of going about business.
I think that all the names LD mentioned in his blog deserve at least a ticket to enjoy TI, as as he wrote at the end, these people would not have made plans themselves to travel and attend as they would have been holding out for an invite. For this to mean that certain people that close to the scene miss out entirely on a chance to attend is slightly crazy.
There is a part of me of course, that does trust the way that Valve has done it, and hopefully the viewers will enjoy the people that have been lucky enough to be invited to work there this year, and the event is one of the best yet.
When you were watching TI4 did it ever cross your mind that you will be on the casting panel of the next year’s event?
At the time, I had been casting for a good few months or so, so like for any other caster, that was the dream. When watching, I was just thinking how awesome it would be to be there, in front of a live crowd, getting hyped up about Dota! In all reality though, I never felt I could achieve it by TI5, and still can't get over how far I've been fortunate enough to climb over the last year!
You are fairly new on the casters scene, how did it all start for you?
In terms of the professional caster scene, indeed I am only about a few months old! But, as a Dota 2 caster, I have been casting UK, and Amateur Leagues for over a year and a half now! It started off with these smaller events, and then I was fortunate enough to get a break of sorts recently with the snowballing from that 3 hour game on BTS, to being invited to cast DreamLeague in Sweden, then working the TI5 qualifiers, and now being sent over to Seattle for The International itself!
For most of the DotA 2 fans you got noticed and Reddit went nuts about you after you casted the 3 hours long game between Cloud 9 and SFZzz , do you feel like that was the break you needed to boost your career?
It certainly did help a lot! Until that point I never really had a boost of sorts, and just remained at a smaller underground level, and that game certainly changed that. At the same time, I feel it was fortunate to come at a perfect time, at time after which I had had hundreds of hours practicing with the smaller leagues, so it felt like it was the right time for casting to be exposed to thousands. All in all, it certainly felt like a small miracle!
Right after the Insomnia LAN in UK you quit your regular job, moved to Sweden and entered the big scene with DreamLeague 3. How did the 2GD studio collaboration started?
Well, it was simply James adding me on Skype, and saying "Hey, want to come to Sweden to cast DreamLeague". This of course was incredible offer, because as you mentioned, meant that I could look to try casting fulltime. I'm incredibly thankful that James and DreamLeague took it upon themselves to give me a real shot in the scene, which of course was a bit of a risk for them, as I had never done anything on quite that scale in terms of tournaments!
So, the Dream League job was your first face to face meeting with Draskyl, James, Sheever and some players that you probably admired from afar, what was it like to meet them in person?
It was awesome! Meeting the people that I had been admiring for the past years in person is absolutely awesome. And the great thing as well is that they are all are genuine people, who share the same love for the game. Meeting every individual that plays a part in the Dota 2 scene was, and is, an absolute honour, and I can't wait for TI5 so I can meet even more of these awesome people!
Many casters seem to enjoy the freelancing option is this also your case or do you intend to join a studio?
I think both have their benefits. For me at the moment, freelancing is great, as it means you have a greater flexibility in terms of when you cast. This is good for me, as I feel that casting (certainly with regards to bigger games) should never be a pressured thing, and that the best casting happens when you genuinely are ready to be hyped, and in the moment for that game. If I was to ever join a studio, I would be very careful about what I was "contracted" to cast in terms of tournaments. I understand that this is the risky way of going about casting when you wish to consider it your fulltime occupation, but I just want to make sure that I'm always working in an environment that is comfortable to me, and therefore enables me to give the best casts I can to the viewers at home.
Is there a role model for you in the shout casting area and do you have someone near who’s supporting and helping you in your casting career?
Well without a doubt, the enthusiasm and excitement of LD and Tobi drew me into competitive Dota, and off the back of that, becoming a caster myself. In terms of support, the community and personalities within the scene have been amazing. There are literally so many people who have held out a hand, offered advice, acted as mentors, and they all know who they are. To name a few that have been particular helpful to me personally in terms of developing my career, and taking the time to talk would be Wakey, Lysander, Godz, James, Shane, Draskyl to name a few. But there really is so many, this scene has been very welcoming when it came to growing myself as a caster!
You have a degree in Music Technology which basically means you know how to master sounds, manipulate audio-visual production and how to use the engineering audio programs, did this special ability of yours help you to become unique in the shoucasting area?
Ahah, yeah I would certainly say it did! From things such as helping me keep the microphone sound professional, to indeed giving me the mindset to mess around with music and audio clips during certain games for added entertainment.
I feel by having these quirks at the beginning, it certainly did help me develop my style, but I'm glad that I have also been able to prove that I can still hold my own in a professional environment, and do not need to rely on the cheaper laughs and tools in order to be entertaining!
What people don’t know about ODPixel?
Hmm, well a lot of people don't seem to realise that I have actually been casting regularly for just under 2 years now, just that it was always UK and Amateur Dota. A lot of people seem to not realise that I am 22, and not younger, despite my appearance! Other than that, I'm pretty open, and have been of course on streams such as the TI5 Mango hub, so I'd like to think people know who I really am. Of course as always, I always answer any questions people have, so if anyone really wants to know anything they can always just ask!
Going back on the TI5 topic; there are few weeks left until the group stage will start. Which teams are your favorites?
I mean in terms of favorites to win, I can't flaw Secret. They certainly seem to be doing something awesome at the moment with their latest Tournament run. In terms of favorites to watch, I can't wait to see Virtus Pro in action in Seattle as they are so damn fun to cast! Favorites to follow would be Na'Vi, as I think they could certainly do a lot better than people expect if they keep it together, and also Vega Squadron, who I hope to see climb out from the WildCard spot and bring their manicness to the main event!
Who versus who would you like the most to cast in Seattle?
Mannn there are so many combos, that are going to be awesome at TI, and I think that's the great thing about this year. But in a dream world, give me a Secret vs Virtus Pro Bo5 Grand Final. Or maybe Secret vs EG, or maybe go full crazy and Na'Vi vs VP... GAHHH. So many insane matchups are possible!
Alright, I don’t want to keep you much longer away from the preparation time, have fun in Seattle and if there is something you need to add or if you have any shoutouts to make now it is the time to do so.
Well shoutouts to everyone that's ever helped me on my journey, which is a lot people, but they all should know who they are! And thanks! Going to be my first time in the US, so can. not. wait. It is without a doubt going to be amazing! And thank you for the questions!
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