The Bravery to Master the New Johanna Faries ® Commissioner, , Blizzard

TRAILBLAZER Faries cites the “ability to listen” as a key quality EXPERIENCE in her career growth and leadership style. “Hyper- listening. Listening for blind spots, listening for what’s LATEST TRANSITION BASED not being said, listening for body language, not just Sport Esports USA wants coming out of somebody’s mouth… it’s been a really powerful tool for me in my experiences.” As a Convergence Trailblazer, she is convinced feel a little risky,” she tells SRI. “It’s been one of the that employers will in future be looking outside best decisions I could’ve made for my career because their sector for talent: “I think that if you’re a sports there’s only been upsides in making the jump. entity…or part of the entertainment industry focused The amount that I’ve now learnt having taken the on competitive content, the media trends and the new step, even though I hadn’t written that in my consumer behaviour trends are changing too rapidly mind that I was going to leave traditional sports and not to be able to try to mine for people who can enter esports has been just incredibly rewarding; in speak multiple languages in that regard.” ways that the transition only could afford me.” The Call of Duty League is establishing a network Interview with Chris Jordan of 12 city-based franchises that includes , Head of Esports & Gaming City, , , , and [email protected] For 12 years Johanna Faries climbed the ranks at the National Football League (NFL), . Faries hopes that over time these franchises rising to a series of Vice President roles before she was handpicked by gaming giant will become as powerful and well-loved as the city- based teams of traditional sports. to build an international esports league around the phenomenally Now she is taking the lessons she learned in popular shooter game Call of Duty. gridiron and applying them to the Call of Duty League. She has introduced celebrity-laden Hype Johanna Faries is happy to acknowledge that she was Duty League, based on the first-person shooter Battles into the programming, and hoodie and “having the time of my life”. The Harvard University game that is so popular; it makes more revenue bomber jacket uniforms that reflect the streetwear graduate had built a remarkable career working than the cumulative box office of Star Wars. culture of the players. She also wants to replicate for the National Football League, the most popular the NFL’s success in establishing appointment sports league in the and the one with “Competitive content, the media to viewing times for fans, introducing a similar the highest average attendance in the world. trends and the consumer behaviour Sunday pattern for broadcasts of Call of Duty Having joined the NFL in an entry level role, she League contests this season. was steadily promoted through the organization, trends are just changing too rapidly” becoming Vice President for Marketing Strategy and Fan Development and then Vice President for Club As Commissioner, Call of Duty League, Faries is Business Development. the first and only female commissioner of an esports “I was very fulfilled, incredibly stimulated by the league. She has been named in FORTUNE magazine’s work that I was doing for the NFL, and in many cases, list of 40 under 40 business leaders for 2019. you would think that’s the dream job for a sports Faries says she was able to make the transition industry executive to have,” she says. “I was…really to Activision Blizzard by being willing to embrace not looking to leave.” change. “It’s really a testament to remaining When she was persuaded to head to the world open to new companies, of esports in 2018 it was because she was being new ways of working, new offered a rare opportunity: to establish the Call of opportunities, even if they

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