Updated at 2:20pm Eastern
Envy Gaming, the Texas-based esports and entertainment company that in March saw Gray Television invest $28.5 million in its Series C fundraising round, has added two directors and filled one empty seat on its board of directors.
One of the new directors represents Gray.
Now on the Envy board is Hilton Howell III, the son of Gray Television Chairman and co-CEO Hilton Howell Jr.
This was incorrectly reported in early editions of this article at RBR.com.
This Howell is an influencer marketing and gaming industry entrepreneur and investor “with a finger on the pulse of the latest developments in entertainment and emerging markets,” Envy says. “He brings experience in running gaming tournaments and coordinating digital campaigns to reach young audiences.”
Since 2015, Howell Jr. has been the CEO of 3sUP LLC. From May 2018-September 2019 he was at Cox Media Group flagship WSB-2 in Atlanta, as Digital Campaign Coordinator.
Joining him on the Envy Gaming board is Cary Glotzer. He is the CEO, founder and Chief Content Officer at Gray subsidiary Tupelo Honey, a producer of original programming, music content, live sports and branded content.
Taking the empty seat on the Envy Gaming board is Angela Betasso, the former Chief Revenue Officer at Tribune Broadcasting who currently serves as President/CEO of media sales and marketing consultancy JDA.media. Betasso was recruited to join the board by Envy Gaming owner and chief gaming officer Mike Rufail.
Envy Gaming includes a network of competitive gamers and esports teams, content creators and streamers with global reach. The organization owns and operates esports teams Dallas Fuel in the Overwatch League, Dallas Empire in the Call of Duty League and the Team Envy franchise competing in popular games including Rocket League, Valorant, Halo, Super Smash Bros. and Magic: The Gathering.
Gray’s investment in eSports follows a similar path paved by radio broadcasting company Beasley Media Group, which owns an Overwatch League franchise in Houston.
Both companies see large long-term revenue opportunities from eSports, an additive in the non-traditional revenue category that can help balance decreasing advertising revenue, which is forecast for both Radio and Television over the next decade.
FROM THE RBR+TVBR ARCHIVES:
The InFOCUS Podcast: Adam Rymer, Envy Gaming
