TORONTO, March 28, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Tiidal Gaming Group Inc., a Canadian leader in professional esports and entertainment, is pleased to announce the appointment of Mr. Neil Duffy to the Company’s board of directors and the formation of its board of advisors. Each member brings extensive management experience and expertise across traditional sports, esports, technology, and entertainment to help scale Tiidal Gaming as it pursues its mission of becoming a global leader in the rapidly growing and evolving esports industry.
Neil Duffy is the Chief Commercial Officer of World Gaming and the Collegiate StarLeague (CSL), which were acquired by Cineplex Entertainment in 2015 under Mr. Duffy’s leadership. Over the past four years, Mr. Duffy and his team have grown CSL to become the world’s largest collegiate esports league and tournament operator with participation by over 1,600 campuses with 50,000+ student-gamers playing across 13 different games. Mr. Duffy has been a leading sales and partnerships maker in esports having worked with brands like EA Sports, 2K, Riot Games, Bethesda and Capcom and brings this extensive experience with him to serve on the Company’s board of directors.
The inaugural appointments to the Company’s advisory board include:
- Brenda Andress is the founder and President of SheIS, a global organization established to leverage the power of women in sports. Ms. Andress is the former commissioner of the Canadian Women’s Hockey League where she shaped and led the CWHL’s vision by creating the world’s most exceptional women’s professional hockey league. The Hockey News named Ms. Andress a top 100 influencer in the game of hockey and she is recognized as a global thought leader and champion of female sports. In 2013, Brenda was recognized with a Women of Distinction award by the YWCA for her work in championing accessibility and diversity in sport. The Hockey News named Andress one of The Powers of the Future, in their annual Power and Influence issue. In 2014 and 2015 Andress was named one of the Most Influential Women by the Canadian Association for the Advancement of Women and Sport.
- Andrew Brandscombe is a successful executive in the internet and social gaming industries dating back to 2000. Currently he is an executive at JackpotJoy PLC, a leading online gaming and entertainment organization, and has been an active investor and operator with the company since its initial launch on the Toronto Stock Exchange and subsequent listing on the London Stock Exchange.
- Conor Daly is a celebrated American professional racecar driver with extensive knowledge of sports sponsorships and teams from his personal experience as a professional athlete. He began his racing career at the age of 10 winning the World Karting Association Grand Nationals. 2009-2010 saw Daly compete and win the 2010 Star Mazda Championship. 2011 Daly contested the Indy Lights series, part time, winning the Grand Prix of Long Beach. 2012-2013 Daly moving over to Europe contested GP3 and GP2 posting GP3 wins at Barcelona, the Valencia Street Circuit, along with 11 podium finishes. During that time he also conducted straight line testing with the Force India Formula 1 team. 2013 brought Conor back home to the USA to start his NTT IndyCar career. Daly will attempt to qualify for his sixth Indy 500 this May in the No. 25 U.S. Air Force Honda driving for Andretti Autosport. Conor, a gaming enthusiast, is proud and excited to also become the official ambassador for Lazarus Esports FORZA and GT Sports players and teams.
- Carrie MacGillivary is a leading researcher in emerging high tech trends as well as advising global business advisor. She is currently Group Vice President responsible for Internet of Things and Mobility Research with IDC – a market research firm based on Boston, MA. Carrie has been recognized as a leader many times over – including being named one of the top 25 most influential women in IoT by the IoT Institute and a top 30 IoT Infuencer by Onalytica. She is a frequent speaker, presenter and moderator at industry conferences around the globe and also provides industry analysis to media outlets, including the New York Times, USA Today, Wall Street Journal, NPR, and CNBC.
- Mark Stepp is an Emmy Award winning media content creator. Mark began his career editing and eventually directing music videos, concerts, commercials, documentaries, sports and episodics for ABC, CBS, HBO, and ESPN. Mark became the Key Editor and Post Supervisor on feature films, award shows, and TV series, and over time has worked with talent such as Tom Hanks, Ben Stiller, Robert Downey Jr., Michael Mann, Larry David, and Cameron Crowe. Over his career Mark has been called on to direct, edit, or produce projects ranging from, Lexus Design, Toyota Racing Development, Lotus, The CMA Music festival (12 years), NFL Super Bowl Halftime Show (9 years), NHL Awards (5 years), NBA All-Star weekend (6 years), NBA Awards (3 years), Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame inductions (18 years), US version of Top Gear (4 seasons) and The Academy Awards (13 years).
- Iris Yen is currently the Head of Social Marketing at GUESS Inc., and oversees gaming sponsorship initiatives and stewarded the company’s partnership with Twitch. Iris has honed her skills in marketing and branding with premier companies such as Quiksilver, Universal Music and American Eagle Outfitters. Iris has worked with well-known brands, organizations, artists and athletes such as Nelly, Britney Spears, Kelly Slater, Torah Bright and Tony Hawk to amplify their presence and share a thoughtful, relevant and meaningful story. She has guided artists, athletes and brands through historic world-stage events such as the Olympics, the Grammys and the Super Bowl. Iris has a proven history of driving significant brand growth. Iris is an architect of change and passionate about crafting the DNA and culture of a brand.
“We are excited about the immense growth and opportunities present in esports today and equally excited to appoint each one of these exceptionally accomplished and respected individuals to our growing team,” said Charlie Watson, CEO, Tiidal Gaming. “As leaders in their respected fields we will look to leverage their excitement, knowledge, and operational expertise in scaling Tiidal into a global esports platform.”
About Tiidal Gaming Group Inc.
Tiidal Gaming is a leading premier esports and entertainment company. Our mission is to be the most culturally impactful global gaming organization. We are a platform company focused on enabling three areas: esports, entertainment, and gaming ecosystem. With deep roots in esports and a history dating back to 2010, our competitive team brand Lazarus Esports, which was originally founded as SetToDestroyX, was Canada’s first esports group and manages and supports our top ranked athletes. We’re reimagining the future of gaming, competitive play, and entertainment. For more information visit www.tiidal.gg
David Brisson
Tiidal Gaming Group
President
Telephone: 647-803-4653
Email: david@tiidal.gg