In 2015, Danny Martin co-founded Geekletes, a DeSoto-based esports development company that helped gamers go pro. But when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, the CEO saw an opportunity to transform his business into a comprehensive online hub.
EDUCATION
Learn-and-Earn Gamer
Danny Martin
What emerged is Esposure, an accredited STEM.org platform for gamers, students, and entrepreneurs to learn about the business of esports. The pivot meant that the team would be more focused on supporting all aspects of esports education, while still providing support for professionals.
Esposure now sits at the intersection of esports and community: Its “learn-and-earn” model includes master classes, enrichment programs, and resources for gamers of any level. The customizable platform allows students to follow their own curriculum in a self-learning or instructor-led format, and be part of groups enabled with chat and video capabilities.
But it’s also a communal way for esports users to connect in an emerging industry—and a rite of passage for a growing user base.
“With shelter-in-place orders instituted throughout the country earlier this year, we knew it was time to refocus our energy on esports education and doubled down on our efforts to support the competitive gaming community with online education used to develop their careers during this time,” Martin previously said.
“We’ve always had a well-rounded approach to STEM education, esports and competitive gaming and with this shift in focus, we have been able to highly prioritize online education growth and development—and it’s opened so many new doors for us.”
One of those newly opened doors is inside Dallas’ Southern Methodist University.
It was recently announced that Martin will be lending his industry expertise to the school this year through a new Esports Business Management online course. The esports expert will contribute curriculum and instruction based on team organization, management, and recruitment, with a specific focus on career development.
The virtual program, which includes one hour of group class and three hours of self-paced work a week, began March 15. Martin hopes it will accelerate his mission to empower 20,000 young adults with an esports education by 2025.
“Looking back on my journey so far and thinking about my goals for the future, I’m extremely grateful for my mentors—past, present and future,” Martin said in a news release. “Participating as an instructor in this course is just one way I hope to pay it forward and empower individuals with the skills to pave their own paths in esports.”
Martin was featured in Dallas Innovates’ Future 50 in Dallas-Fort Worth in the 2021 edition of our annual magazine.
A version of this story was originally published in Dallas Innovates 2021: The Resilience Issue.
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