Although esports – competitive, organized gaming – has exploded into a billion-dollar industry, diverse representation among its corporate leadership is still remarkably hard to come by.
For Dilemma Esports CEO, Alan Henderson, this issue is personal.
“I really hope to learn more about the insides of Esports business. Not just for personal or financial reasons — of course, but because I want to be able to help others, with similar passions, succeed.”
At age 16, Henderson began his entrepreneurial endeavors by initially creating content on YouTube.
His earliest videos online were based around a fictional police force in the popular video game title: Grand Theft Auto 5 — a game notorious for allowing players to prowl the streets of Los Santos and become the criminal of their dreams.
By allowing players to roleplay as the heroes, as opposed to the villains of the game, Henderson gave a voice & platform to an underlying community of people hungry for a new perspective.
Expectedly, his YouTube series was a hit & took off almost immediately, quickly becoming one of the largest gaming communities on Playstation 4.
In 2017, After ‘growing out’ of the roleplay content, Henderson created Dilemma Esports & now uses his experience as a content creator to help further grow his brand.
When he first started his team, Henderson was in high school and Dilemma served mostly as a passion project.
The teams completed only in amateur competitions, mostly for recognition, and topped the ladders globally on both Fortnite & Rainbow Six Siege. (MLG)
Now, a freshman in college, pursuing a Master’s degree in Business & a Juris doctorate in business law, Henderson hopes to use his growing knowledge of how corporations work the further influence inclusivity and diversity amongst Esports leadership.
2021 marks the team’s first year in professional operation, and the organization already has the attention of major North American brands — like Champion; who’s currently working with the team on limited edition, co-branded, merchandise.
As the team prepares to unveil their first multi-platform slate of content creators, Henderson hopes to use this time to field connections, friends & partners to help make their teams story unfold.
“Continuing to grow this Esports Organization is a Marathon — not a sprint & right now I’m primarily focused on building connections and forming partnerships with brands and people who, too, share our vision of industry equality.”
Considering all the success he’s had chasing his dreams thus far, at just 20 years old, I can only imagine the future is limitless for this young man.
