Influencers and gamers are finally being taken seriously. Jason Moore, former manager of reality TV star Paris Hilton, and his new company Renown Management, are now hoping to take professional gamers and influencers to the next level, by showing them the path into mainstream popular culture.
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With a wealth of experience and several years in Hollywood, Jason believes he’s perfected the formula that turns minor celebrities into major personalities. This time, he’s hailing gamers and social media tycoons, like Stephanie “missharvey” Harvey and FaZe Bizzle, as the new kind of celebrity worth investing in.
Jason has just launched his new pro gamer and influencer management company Renown – it was formerly known as Agency for Professional Esports aka APE Agency, and the focus was only on esports.
Who is Jason Moore?
Managing Paris Hilton, he said, “kind of fell into my lap by accident.” At the time, nobody understood what the value was working with her, but the moving parts that launched Paris to fame were intriguing, Jason told Dexerto; “I really felt like I was creating a new culture and that fired me up.”
Rather than coming from a business background, it was his artistic experience that made him able to “connect on a personal level” with the clients that his company managed. “I felt like art had to be natural and these people that I was surrounded by didn’t actually have that… I kind of came in a different direction and I got lucky.”
Jason now believes that over the years, he has built up the perfect formula for pushing these social media stars as far as they can go.
From Paris to Gaming
Jason made Paris Hilton into the legendary figure she is today, but this type of celebrity is no longer new.
Today’s still come with their own challenges. But the gaming industry is different from Hollywood. “Gamers think their career is going to end in four years no matter what,” he said.
When Jason first started working in Hollywood, there weren’t so many opportunities to have influence. Now there are so many different platforms and a plethora of influencers out there, which means they’re also quick to get rid of.
He described cancel culture as “like a battle royale hunger game.”
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“Imagine Fortnite with the lobby of a million people. People aren’t paying attention to the game until it gets down to the final 30. Even then you’re not really paying attention until it gets down to the final 20.”
Jason thinks gamers and influencers should be treated the same as athletes, explaining that “gaming is a passion, it’s a hobby, it’s a lifestyle, it’s no different than traditional sports.” But while the scene makes a lot of noise, it still hasn’t broken through to the mainstream. “Once they start inviting people outside of that world and onto the red carpet that means they’re established,”
“All it needs is controlled chaos.”
Jason emphasized that having a manager is about connecting the dots, “It’s the overall vision of where this brand is going.” His client Stephanie “missharvey” Harvey “is a pioneer in female pro gaming and a 5-time world champion” while FaZe Bizzle “will go down in history.”
Controlling the chaos
So, how can Renown management actually transform pro-gamers and influencers into mainstream stars? Just like how he connected with Paris one-on-one, Jason’s tactic is deep personal involvement in the client.
This is Jason’s philosophy: Rather than projecting your ideas onto the person, you should first find out who they are as individuals, and work up from there. “How do they envision themselves? What do they want to do?”
For example, aside from gaming, Jason explained that FaZe Bizzle is very into golf. Through this other interest, “you have an opportunity where Bizzle could transcend over into the golf industry and that awareness.” Tapping into a “larger fan base, which then will bring in more people that want to market withed you.”
When it comes to missharvey, Jason wants to capitalize on her “influence as well as what she’s done, her dynamic as a pro and her position.”
missharvey has the ability to talk about inclusion, diversity issues, and gender issues. He added that without her, “CLG wouldn’t be able to have those conversations at panels or at conferences and represent the organization. They wouldn’t be able to do partnerships with certain brands that are looking for that relevance. She brings that to the conversation. ”
Perhaps this kind of support for influencers is needed now more than ever. “It would now be more accepted and understood to evolve from an agency into a management company,” Jason said. “Now is the perfect time in the industry.”