SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO, CA: For people who grew up with the advancement of technology, escapism comes in many forms. Social media, streaming services, accessibility, and video games have helped many people get away from the difficulties that life throws at them. In particular, video games have made a huge impact on the lives of millions of people like James Paul Baratta.
James Paul Baratta is one of the lucky individuals who has made a career out of his passion: gaming. He is a gamer who has been incredibly involved in the esports scene, and gaming scene, for his whole life. Growing up, James always found solace with a controller in his hands. From the computer screen, he would bond with other people who shared in this world.
While he is currently living the dream, James had originally started his career from an entirely different field: law. He studied at the University of Southern California before going to Loyola Law School of Loyola Marymount University and obtaining a Juris Doctor degree. He would go on to negotiate copyright deals for Universal Music Publishing Group, and thereafter working in civil litigation for his father, in Orange County, California.
Despite the success he saw as an attorney, James Paul Baratta didn’t feel completely fulfilled. He decided to transition out of law and into his first love: esports.
In 2017, James and his friends founded ICEBRKRSCLAN. The name is derived from their favorite weapon in Bungie’s Destiny, called ‘The Icebreaker.’ Together the clan began to post clips on their social media. They expanded to include nearly 30 content creators with a downstream following of two million across their network. The online group acts as a social media marketing vehicle to Millennials and Gen Z. It was also during this time that James began to consult–for an entertainment law firm–for talent who were interested in gaming.
Not long after, James founded a nonprofit collegiate esports league with an investor. Their organization is called the North American Collegiate League, or NACL, and it offers college gamers esports scholarship opportunities through international tournaments. They have a partnership with an Asian streaming giant that yields two million viewers per tournament monthly. The success of NACL has led to a feature in Yahoo Finance just this past year.
James Paul Baratta started off 2020 on a hot streak. As the director of talent for VY Esports on their event, “Edge,” he demonstrated the strength of his esports network and featured esteemed guests in the industry. He was also recently offered the role of an adjunct professor of esports for the University of California Irvine.
None of this would have happened if James Baratta didn’t make the brave decision to pursue his passion.
To find out more about James Paul Baratta, you may connect with him on LinkedIn.
Company name: FT Empire LLC
Email: jimmy@ftempire.com
Phone: 949 212 7583
Website: icebrkrsclan.com
