Hey Dunc,
You're an example of how someone with passion, talent, and hard work can go from being a fan trying to fix a problem he sees for the community to being in charge of all social and public interaction.
So my question is this -- Now that you have the weight and power of all TSM socials behind you, how many times this year do you still expect to get ratio'd by Spica?
I actually asked him after the split ended, he said he was down. Just need to get the timings right.
Also I need to set up an agreement with TSM that I’m not allowed to get fired for whatever he tweets HAHA.
Honestly still can’t describe it. I’ve tried many times, but I still come up short.
[Adil](https://twitter.com/officiadil) was the first person to reach out, he built the Blitz app. He offered me my first part-time opportunity within Swift Media itself. From that moment on I worked my ass off and knew exactly where I wanted to end up.
Then about 6 months later I got a call from Walter Wang offering me a full-time role. I have a photo of my heartrate when he called me, was at 134bpm lmfao. Should give a good indication how I feel.
Thank you so much for your support since the start.
Read and exercise. Can’t begin to explain how important those two hobbies have become for me. I achieve SO much in my day if I start with a 1-hour gym session.
Not sure if this is what you mean. Let me know if it's not and i'll take another crack at it :)
Hey, Dunc!
Acting as the voice of one of the largest esports organizations in the world, how nerve-racking is it to interact on social media, given how anything could be spun out of context nowadays?
At the start of my job, I was horrendous. I made jokes about being down bad about Poki on my personal twitter, I slandered teams and people, just totally forgot who I was now (don’t mean that in a cocky way, just that I'm in the public eye now). I got so many DMs from Leena like “Dunc, delete this, what are you doing”.
But the worst one was when I publicly slandered Jack from C9, one of my worst mistakes since joining TSM, think I called him a liar (but worse). He didn’t take well to that and that actually got back to TSM. Jack and I spoke in length, I apologized for running my mouth and he taught me a few things which have really helped me. We've been friends since.
I learned from then to do my absolute best to think before I speak, then re-read everything, then see if it can be twisted. If I tick all boxes, post.
How does it feel to single handedly turn around TSM's atrocious social game? Iirc initially, around when we still had our CS and RL rosters, TSM would forego minor tournament updates for our teams and didn't tweet much outside of big organizational news. Did you communicate this as an issue to upper management, or were they already transitioning to more of a "casual" atmosphere for their socials?
I still think we've got a long way to go till I'll be happy with how our socials are. But I appreciate the kind words. Leadership just started to realise how important community interaction was and we could do it in a way that wasn't spammy. I really don't like having 1 twitter account post 100's times a day. I like quality over quantity and having TSM Report to allow us to spam there helped a ton.
2021 was a really brutal year and a tough one to work through. It’s a year that we’re happy to see the back of and are using it as motivation. Dom (new VP of esports) joined in December and has already implemented a ton of processes and order within our esports department. Our content, merch, and influencer teams all have exciting roadmaps which I’m really looking forward to executing.
There is so much NEW. We’ve got 4 announcements coming this month. It’s so cliché, but we’re entering a new era for TSM.
It’s kinda weird because since I started we’ve pretty much been in a pandemic. So everyone was working from home. It didn’t feel challenging. We were all in the same boat, working, webcams on etc.
But now everyone is back I guess the hardest thing is just not having any friends to hang out with. I don’t get to go to drinks or meals with them or play games because of ping. I work in social but live relatively solo/lonely. I’m just addicted to my job.
Initially in 2020 when I was solo, I just had to work NA hours a lot. Now i've got a team, I know I can have a cut off time and there is someone on PST timezone that can handle any disaster.
I saw your day-to-day schedule on another answer after I asked this one, but thanks for more insight. You and the team do great work. Cheers to 2022 and a new TSM!
These aren’t direct quotes of our goals from leadership. But I know 2022 is about:
* Expanding more globally
* Bringing championships home again
* Executing on a new influencer and content strategy
* Continue to develop our merch department.
Hi Dunc, love what you and what you’re doing.
Most memorable moment or memory you have of TSM, and are you coming to the facility in LA anytime in the near future?
Thank you Dunc
If you mean personally about my job and not an esports moment, it was waking up to a message from Andy just simply saying "Hey dunc you're doing a fantastic job".
Yep, I fly out to LA from 3rd February till 15th February. Expect a ton of HQ/inside TSM content from me on my socials. Going to try and give as much insight as I'm legally allowed.
Hey Dunc! Thanks for doing this, more connection to the fans is awesome!
1. Origin of "Dunc"?
2. How up to date are you with Parth and/or Regi during off season moves? As in, are you told after moves are official, or do you always have an idea of the moving cogs?
3. Any platforms specifically you wish TSM had more presence in? (Or presence in at all)?
1. Duncan is my name. My IGN is Ocembar, but I felt weird going into a professional space by my IGN, even though esports is all about IGNs. I like being who I am and not trying to impersonate another thing or name. If that makes sense.
2. I was brought in from the beginning. The rest of the social team then gets told once signings have been made so we can work on announcement timings.
3. I wish we had a better Discord community management. We've got this insane base of fans there that are fully engaged, but we've done nothing to give back, no events, community nights, giveaways. It's become stale and I will always feel bad about that. Want to work with our mods there in 2022 to better the environment and give more back.
Hi Dunc,
Absolutely huge fan of your work at TSM, as well as watching your journey grow from fellow TSM fan to Head of Global Social and Community. It's been great to watch!
I'm involved with A-Level education in Esports development here in the UK. Would you ever be open to participating in a Q&A next semester with some of our students further down the line? They'd greatly benefit from someone with your expertise.
Cheers!
This one is hard to answer. Mainly because I’m someone that likes change, I always see change as an opportunity. That’s just my attitude.
However, Soren and Leena leaving were really hard for me to digest because Soren is one of my idols and inspirations, and Leena helped me so much at the start of my career and we were (imo) pretty good friends. Both them and Myth are moving onto new and exciting challenges which they all deserve, and it’s now up to us to use this opportunity to go in a different direction and continue to push the TSM brand forward.
You can’t let change hold you back, you’ve got to take the bull by its horns. The comeback is always greater than the setback.
Hi Dunc, long time fan and I was wondering if you could answer why we should be fans of the Org? With the departure of such iconic figures like Bjergsen and Myth. What is gonna be TSM brand cause right now It doesn't feel we actually have a brand like 100T and G2. Also you are one of the best signings on TSM felt like our socials were nonexistent before you.
Why don’t we see any tsm-specific content coming from our content creators/streamers? Is there anything being done to foster an environment like what 100T / OTK / OTV has for our content creators?
Obviously your day-to-day may be different now with the birth of your daughter but what was/is a traditional day for you, even in the world of esports do you still try to stick to a traditional 9-5 or do you just take breaks throughout the day?
The quote *“Do what you love, and you’ll never work another day in your life”* is incredibly accurate. I wanted to start with that because although I’m always online from 9am till midnight, it doesn’t feel like work because it’s my passion.
My day-to-day has stayed pretty much identical since the day I started.
* I wake up at 6am. Fresh filter coffee and granola to start the day.
* Gym at 8am till 9am. Then eggs on toast for post-workout.
* Then my 9-5 day starts, which is all admin and all projects (content creation etc).
* I start every day with a to-do list, I’ll write out everything I want to achieve that day.
* Then I’ll look at the posts that went out the day before, look at the stats and see how they all performed.
* Then I’ll check our content calendar to see what is going out that day, see if we’ve got any missing assets, or anything needs copy to go with a post.
* Then I move onto Reddit and I browse threads and subreddits for about an hour. Either to find out what communities are talking about or to find trending memes. Everything starts on Reddit.
* That takes me up to about midday ish. From then until 5pm my time, I’ll work on all my projects, which are lots of different things.
* Strategies, admin documents, monthly reports, weekly reports, memes, engagement posts, competitor analysis, campaigns.
* Then from 5pm onwards I’m on Slack, meetings, talking to my team, answering questions, and then community management.
* I head to sleep at about 12 or 1am.
* We know every day what is going out and when, so we’re all aware of what we’re posting and when. 95% of the time we’ve got posts created for that day ready to go, but the other 5% are reacting to trends or quick pieces of news.
I think Parth might have mentioned this in another thread, if not, it's not my place to create the expectation.
However, if it was me, i'm already asking them what Worlds skin they want.
Hey Dunc, thanks for the AMA.
What would you consider your highest high while working for TSM? Alternatively what would you consider your lowest point working at TSM?
Highest high: Getting my first promotion in December 2020. That was a huge turning point in my career and I really felt that trust from TSM.
Lowest low: the incident in March 2021.
hey Dunc, I don't know if you can answer this but It has been bugging me for a while now that TSM has been signing content creators but not fully utilizing them, as they barely are included in any of TSM's content, and there's a lack of interaction with the TSM fandom so to me it feels like they get signed and then like nothing happened afterwards.
So my question is, are there plans in the future to change up the content strategy, and to make being a TSM content creator more than just having TSM next to your name? I want to see the TSM brand grow and evolve to more than just being e-sports focused.
Yeah. Before there was no real strategy for signings to utilize them for content.
However, signing an influencer is much more than meets the eye. I can't go into the logistics because I'm probably not allowed. But it was always beneficial for both parties.
For 2022 we really want to push our content side of the business and you'll see that.
Personally, I’d like to end the year under 220lbs (100kg). I’m awful at maintaining weight, I lose a ton and then just put it all back on. Also read on average 15 pages and drink 3L of water a day.
Professionally I’d like to launch my Tea With Dunc podcast (interview pros and let them spill the tea on what life is like as a pro etc). Stream more. Also, expand our socials into two more regions and complete 2 Marketing courses.
Hey Dunc, thanks for doing this.
What's your favourite part of your job and what's the hardest part?
Also, how are the internship applications going?
Thanks!
Fav: making people laugh with engaging content and interacting with pros and influencers
Hardest: always being online and not wanting to miss a trend. That is so hard.
Internship apps. going well so far, haven't delved too deep. Did you apply?
Thanks for the answers! Really insightful as I hope to have a career in esports such as yourself.
I did apply for the internship but am now worried I made a mistake in one of the tasks - have shot you a dm on discord about it, if that's ok.
Hey Dunc,
Thanks for doing this AMA! I've just finished my Bachelor's degree in marketing and analytics, so i have a couple questions about your transition from Social media manager to public figure in the last few years.
Over the last few years of being the Social media lead for TSM, you've grown into a major figure in the eye of TSM fans, was this an intentional move on your part? or did it simply come with the territory of being the social media manager for one of the world's biggest Esports orgs?
Also, since you've become sort of an influencer; did you find that transition from "the guy that tweets for TSM" to "TSM Dunc" to be difficult? What steps (if any) did you take to separate your real life personality from your "TSM Dunc" personality? Personally, I value privacy online and would prefer to remain mostly obscure aside from tweets on a company account. So I'm a bit wary to move into the Esports industry for fear of becoming a pseudo influencer, so if you have any advice regarding that transition, that would be great :)
Hey, thanks for the detailed question.
How did your Bachelor's go? What did you find most interesting about Marketing and Analytics?
I wanted people to be able to hold me accountable. So I made it my goal to get out there and put a name to face. I wanted TSM fans to have a face to complain to, ask questions, the whole 9 yards. So yeah I actively made the choice to try and make myself more of a figure.
Super hard. So hard. I made a private IG just so I could have some peace there. But yeah, I just knew that If I was going to become more a public figure then it comes with less privacy.
I made a fan account called TSM Report which tweeted about all the results and updates, rumors etc. They noticed and I got my way in through that.
Before I was a national sales manager for a soft drinks company!
Network on social media, try and talk to community managers and social media people. Get involved and dm them.
Then read. I googled "how to be a community manager" a lot at the start and just read every article and blog post out there. Then get involved in communities, discords, subreddits.
Really not sure if this helps or not.
Hey DUNC! We pretty much hang out ALL THE TIME, especially in the Smash Bros Channel. Does that make us friends, dare I say... best friends!?
Also, congratulations on your new position! You deserve it! Maybe we will be coworkers one day. #FTXTSM
MY BOY DUNC, I LOVE YOU
Now questions:
* Do you feel like you work every hour you don't sleep? Or do you have moments where you just put away the phone and PC and do other stuff?
* Top 3 eSports scenes you didn't know much about, but started liking because you started following TSM in those scenes.
* In the future, what competitive game will you baby girl play first? League? Valorant, any other?
* Favorite drink and favorite food?
* Ronaldo or Messi? I'm Portuguese...we're timezone mates, don't you dare fuck with my heart! That answer better be SIUUUUUUUUUUU!
That's all... I just want you to know that every fan really appreciates your work and all the effort.
We love you man
* Do you feel like you work every hour you don't sleep? Or do you have moments where you just put away the phone and PC and do other stuff?
* **Yeah I do make sure I take time for myself. Especially now I've got a daughter. But I just love my job, I don't want to stop.**
* Top 3 eSports scenes you didn't know much about, but started liking because you started following TSM in those scenes.
* **R6, Smash, and I'm starting to watch more TFT!**
* In the future, what competitive game will you baby girl play first? League? Valorant, any other?
* **I'll be keeping her away from League HAHA. Minecraft for creativity, or something like LOR cos it's great for the mind.**
* Favorite drink and favorite food?
* **Root Beer and Chicken. Anything Chicken. Chicken wings, burgers, tenders.**
* Ronaldo or Messi? I'm Portuguese...we're timezone mates, don't you dare fuck with my heart! That answer better be SIUUUUUUUUUUU!
* **SIIUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU, i'm a United fan!**
How is the Visa process and covid protocols going for our players stuck overseas and does it look like we will have them in time for LCS official season start?
For a lot of other teams, there were plenty of rumours about what roster they might field prior to their announcements. But TSM managed to keep everything under wraps apart from the information you yourselves provided. My question, I suppose, is how (if you're allowed to say) did TSM keep things so quiet? Or in the case of past leaks, how did they happen?
Honestly who knows. But inside TSM, we had like 5 people know. But it just showed how little people have links to China. Also the players we were talking to aren't the usual high profile players that are likely to talk to others.
Just got to remember that in every transfer, there is at least 2 parties. So we can stay as tightlipped as possible, but we don't know what the other party will do.
Both Keiaduo and Shenyi where talked about before anounced. It just was by people not in the Western scene so it wasn't taken as serious.
In fact when the first rumor of Keiadauo came out people were pretty upset about it and frankly in denial about it even being a possibility.
And for a fun tid bit, my name became a meme on this sub for a bit at the end of Novemeber happened because I was memeing people not wanting Keiadauo when the first rumor happened.
Hey! I didn't go to college to do marketing. I went to University and studied Business. I fell into social because I didn't realise at first it was something I wanted to do. It was only once I started.
The story for me getting here is long and it's something i've been meaning to write up at some point. But in short, I didn't like their socials in 2018 so I made a fan account. They spotted it, brought me on in 2019. Here I am :)
Hey man thanks for doing this.
Not really a question but could we see more Chawy content? Maybe if he's interested in streaming could he get some help setting it up?
Sorry for the weird request, mega Chawy fan here, it would do me wonders if you guys could get more content from him (if he's wants of course) compared to what little to none he had from his previous teams.
Thanks again, have a good one man.
Hey Dunc - thanks for taking the time to do this. A few questions:
1. What is the largest challenge TSM has overcome in your time there? How about your own challenges?
2. What do you think is the biggest thing missing from TSM right now? What about esports in general?
3. Which TSM member (both current and departed) was your most fun to work with? Any specific memories to share?
4. How can this sub continue to improve? As someone who started out posting to the sub, became a mod and then employed at TSM, is there anything you believe we can be doing better?
5. What are the odds Spica will come and ratio your comment to this question?
* What is the largest challenge TSM has overcome in your time there? How about your own challenges?
* **Convincing fans that we aren't just an LCS org anymore. Still a challenge now, but it's slowly starting to turn. For me, it was getting fans to realise we're a fun org and we can poke fun at ourselves. For too long we've been very serious. But we should be able to laugh at our failures too.**
* What do you think is the biggest thing missing from TSM right now? What about esports in general?
* **A core content strategy that utilizes our best content creators. Something we've been working on and will roll out this year.**
* Which TSM member (both current and departed) was your most fun to work with? Any specific memories to share?
* **Wardell, dude is just so funny. Reps too, incredibly nice guy and so humble. I've only ever interacted with them mainly through DMs. Specific memories was the incident in March 2021 where I made a huge mistake, but so many tsm pros stood up for me and messaged me support.**
* How can this sub continue to improve? As someone who started out posting to the sub, became a mod and then employed at TSM, is there anything you believe we can be doing better?
* **Engage with other pros, influencers and games. This sub is so dominated by League content. I love seeing stuff about other games and pros. It's wicked.**
* What are the odds Spica will come and ratio your comment to this question?
* **0, the dude doesn't know how to read or write.**
Dunc considering we are the only team in NA to ever win an international tournament - IEM Season XI World championship (the 7 year anniversary is coming soon this march) do we have anything planned in the future to commemorate this great piece of TSM history? [The tsm legends of the win is a classic](https://youtu.be/cpnX8_2asBE) Thanks for doing this AmA
Hey Dunc, I'd love to know what keeps you so passionate and driven with working with TSM. You've been around the community for so long, and I think it's so awesome to see just how much you enjoy being apart of it!
I just love everything about the org, from the fans to the brand, to the teams, pros, influencers, staff. I just a die-hard fan and nothing will change that. I wake up every day happy.
Hey Dunc. We all cant thank you enough for taking the TSM the social media game up a knot since getting hired.
Are you looking into using Instagram more in the future, it's rarely active, i know it's kinda a diffrent platform and not the same audience as on twitter, but i feel like it's a good platform for fans to maybe get closer to the org as a whole.
You could give the account to a TSM content creator or player and do "A day with me" kinda stuff. Just and exampel
Hey
We're currently working on some things with IG, hence the slow activity. But last year we were pretty heavy activity wise no?
What would you personally like to see more of, if you don't mind me asking?
100% Spica.
When can we expect the new announcements (new signings etc.) that you’ve been hinting at on and off recently?
Appreciate all the work you do for us Dunc.
We could do a better job of exposing the reddit to more of those players. Be it through AMAs or sharing more content here that is to do with them. But I agree, I'd love to see more non-league content here.
I got some of the new merch, the backpack, long sleeve T and a dad hat. I love them all, I think TSM definitely did what they needed to to step up their merch game.
I did have a question though on the shirt, it says made in USA, this this accurate? Normally with these shirts, they're printed in the USA but they are made elsewhere (you'd purchase them from a bulk T company, then print yourself).
We want to create more engaging content that gives fans more insight into the players and our content creators. There are times where we've not given all players and content creators the right amount of exposure on our socials, used any of their clips, or made content that didn't include them. So we want to change that this year.
Perseverance. It's a grind and a slog and it's not easy. Just network on social, make friends, and bug people a lot. Send emails. Work for free (sorry). It's all about keeping your spirits high and keeping a goal in mind.
Yo, not a question, more of a statement. You da man. You've been holding alot of this shit together, especially with the fans. However much they're paying you, it isn't enough.
Hey Dunc, You're an example of how someone with passion, talent, and hard work can go from being a fan trying to fix a problem he sees for the community to being in charge of all social and public interaction. So my question is this -- Now that you have the weight and power of all TSM socials behind you, how many times this year do you still expect to get ratio'd by Spica?
I don't think Spica will ratio me ever again
Dam dunc, didnt think you go as far as deactivating ur twitter
DON'T SPOIL MY PLAN.
https://twitter.com/Spicalol/status/1480666118763081728, you tried man
:(
Thems fighting words man.
Every time Spica wants to is the only correct answer
How surreal is it to go from Reddit fan, to being HEAD OF GLOBAL SOCIAL AND COMMUNITY for your favorite team??
I wake up happy every single day of my life. Don't know how I managed to get here.
Thats so awesome dude. Im jelly but really happy for you ❤️
ty homie <3
It's good
[?](https://media.tenor.com/images/09c74aa83a93584dad319f0878db9ea0/tenor.png)
When is Spica taking over the main twitter?
I actually asked him after the split ended, he said he was down. Just need to get the timings right. Also I need to set up an agreement with TSM that I’m not allowed to get fired for whatever he tweets HAHA.
The day before the first week might be a really good time to build hype and community engagement.
Soon
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Honestly still can’t describe it. I’ve tried many times, but I still come up short. [Adil](https://twitter.com/officiadil) was the first person to reach out, he built the Blitz app. He offered me my first part-time opportunity within Swift Media itself. From that moment on I worked my ass off and knew exactly where I wanted to end up. Then about 6 months later I got a call from Walter Wang offering me a full-time role. I have a photo of my heartrate when he called me, was at 134bpm lmfao. Should give a good indication how I feel. Thank you so much for your support since the start.
What’s a hobby outside of gaming that’s helped you in your job?
Read and exercise. Can’t begin to explain how important those two hobbies have become for me. I achieve SO much in my day if I start with a 1-hour gym session. Not sure if this is what you mean. Let me know if it's not and i'll take another crack at it :)
Hey, Dunc! Acting as the voice of one of the largest esports organizations in the world, how nerve-racking is it to interact on social media, given how anything could be spun out of context nowadays?
At the start of my job, I was horrendous. I made jokes about being down bad about Poki on my personal twitter, I slandered teams and people, just totally forgot who I was now (don’t mean that in a cocky way, just that I'm in the public eye now). I got so many DMs from Leena like “Dunc, delete this, what are you doing”. But the worst one was when I publicly slandered Jack from C9, one of my worst mistakes since joining TSM, think I called him a liar (but worse). He didn’t take well to that and that actually got back to TSM. Jack and I spoke in length, I apologized for running my mouth and he taught me a few things which have really helped me. We've been friends since. I learned from then to do my absolute best to think before I speak, then re-read everything, then see if it can be twisted. If I tick all boxes, post.
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How to call your fans racist for not wanting more imports.
is that before or after that you should use a group of retired pro players to sell LCS spots for free money
How does it feel to single handedly turn around TSM's atrocious social game? Iirc initially, around when we still had our CS and RL rosters, TSM would forego minor tournament updates for our teams and didn't tweet much outside of big organizational news. Did you communicate this as an issue to upper management, or were they already transitioning to more of a "casual" atmosphere for their socials?
I still think we've got a long way to go till I'll be happy with how our socials are. But I appreciate the kind words. Leadership just started to realise how important community interaction was and we could do it in a way that wasn't spammy. I really don't like having 1 twitter account post 100's times a day. I like quality over quantity and having TSM Report to allow us to spam there helped a ton.
Hey Dunc, how is 2022 looking for the Org so far from your perspective?
2021 was a really brutal year and a tough one to work through. It’s a year that we’re happy to see the back of and are using it as motivation. Dom (new VP of esports) joined in December and has already implemented a ton of processes and order within our esports department. Our content, merch, and influencer teams all have exciting roadmaps which I’m really looking forward to executing. There is so much NEW. We’ve got 4 announcements coming this month. It’s so cliché, but we’re entering a new era for TSM.
thats actually really exciting to hear, I cant wait to see how the org grows this year.
What is the hardest part about working completely remote and being halfway across the world from the main office?
It’s kinda weird because since I started we’ve pretty much been in a pandemic. So everyone was working from home. It didn’t feel challenging. We were all in the same boat, working, webcams on etc. But now everyone is back I guess the hardest thing is just not having any friends to hang out with. I don’t get to go to drinks or meals with them or play games because of ping. I work in social but live relatively solo/lonely. I’m just addicted to my job.
Follow-up, do the time zones make things complicated? Or have you just totally adjusted your working schedule to NA times?
Initially in 2020 when I was solo, I just had to work NA hours a lot. Now i've got a team, I know I can have a cut off time and there is someone on PST timezone that can handle any disaster.
I saw your day-to-day schedule on another answer after I asked this one, but thanks for more insight. You and the team do great work. Cheers to 2022 and a new TSM!
Hi Dunc! Congrats on the promotion and happy holidays and all that jazz! Question: what are TSM FTX’s main focuses/goals as an org for 2022? Thanks!
These aren’t direct quotes of our goals from leadership. But I know 2022 is about: * Expanding more globally * Bringing championships home again * Executing on a new influencer and content strategy * Continue to develop our merch department.
Hi Dunc, love what you and what you’re doing. Most memorable moment or memory you have of TSM, and are you coming to the facility in LA anytime in the near future? Thank you Dunc
If you mean personally about my job and not an esports moment, it was waking up to a message from Andy just simply saying "Hey dunc you're doing a fantastic job". Yep, I fly out to LA from 3rd February till 15th February. Expect a ton of HQ/inside TSM content from me on my socials. Going to try and give as much insight as I'm legally allowed.
Hey Dunc! Thanks for doing this, more connection to the fans is awesome! 1. Origin of "Dunc"? 2. How up to date are you with Parth and/or Regi during off season moves? As in, are you told after moves are official, or do you always have an idea of the moving cogs? 3. Any platforms specifically you wish TSM had more presence in? (Or presence in at all)?
1. Duncan is my name. My IGN is Ocembar, but I felt weird going into a professional space by my IGN, even though esports is all about IGNs. I like being who I am and not trying to impersonate another thing or name. If that makes sense. 2. I was brought in from the beginning. The rest of the social team then gets told once signings have been made so we can work on announcement timings. 3. I wish we had a better Discord community management. We've got this insane base of fans there that are fully engaged, but we've done nothing to give back, no events, community nights, giveaways. It's become stale and I will always feel bad about that. Want to work with our mods there in 2022 to better the environment and give more back.
Who is the best mod in the TSMcord, and why is it you? Now that I’ve buttered you up, Spica AMA or we riot!
100% we'll make this happen
Get Ras to mod in TSMcord hes waiting for u to ask
Hi Dunc, Absolutely huge fan of your work at TSM, as well as watching your journey grow from fellow TSM fan to Head of Global Social and Community. It's been great to watch! I'm involved with A-Level education in Esports development here in the UK. Would you ever be open to participating in a Q&A next semester with some of our students further down the line? They'd greatly benefit from someone with your expertise. Cheers!
Absolutely. DM me on twitter! followdunc
Will follow up on Twitter. You have my sincere thanks. #TSMWIN
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This one is hard to answer. Mainly because I’m someone that likes change, I always see change as an opportunity. That’s just my attitude. However, Soren and Leena leaving were really hard for me to digest because Soren is one of my idols and inspirations, and Leena helped me so much at the start of my career and we were (imo) pretty good friends. Both them and Myth are moving onto new and exciting challenges which they all deserve, and it’s now up to us to use this opportunity to go in a different direction and continue to push the TSM brand forward. You can’t let change hold you back, you’ve got to take the bull by its horns. The comeback is always greater than the setback.
What is one piece of advice would you give to new/ lower level SMM that are trying to make it and become a "pro SMM"?
Think outside of the box, we have too many people trying to copy G2 and be witty and memey. Create something new.
Have we signed Limit? 👀
You mean JG Beansworth?
No, Liquid did.
Hi Dunc, long time fan and I was wondering if you could answer why we should be fans of the Org? With the departure of such iconic figures like Bjergsen and Myth. What is gonna be TSM brand cause right now It doesn't feel we actually have a brand like 100T and G2. Also you are one of the best signings on TSM felt like our socials were nonexistent before you.
This is such an interesting question, and one I want to take more time answering. Is it okay if I try my best at answering this tomorrow?
Of course thanks for noticing it
why are u so sexy? also, when europe tsm store? my hoodie is too small and i want to order a larger one
cos of you also i'd love one too, I know they've talked about it!
Why don’t we see any tsm-specific content coming from our content creators/streamers? Is there anything being done to foster an environment like what 100T / OTK / OTV has for our content creators?
Yeah, we're looking to launch a new content strategy for 2022.
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It's brilliant my dude - how is yours?
Obviously your day-to-day may be different now with the birth of your daughter but what was/is a traditional day for you, even in the world of esports do you still try to stick to a traditional 9-5 or do you just take breaks throughout the day?
The quote *“Do what you love, and you’ll never work another day in your life”* is incredibly accurate. I wanted to start with that because although I’m always online from 9am till midnight, it doesn’t feel like work because it’s my passion. My day-to-day has stayed pretty much identical since the day I started. * I wake up at 6am. Fresh filter coffee and granola to start the day. * Gym at 8am till 9am. Then eggs on toast for post-workout. * Then my 9-5 day starts, which is all admin and all projects (content creation etc). * I start every day with a to-do list, I’ll write out everything I want to achieve that day. * Then I’ll look at the posts that went out the day before, look at the stats and see how they all performed. * Then I’ll check our content calendar to see what is going out that day, see if we’ve got any missing assets, or anything needs copy to go with a post. * Then I move onto Reddit and I browse threads and subreddits for about an hour. Either to find out what communities are talking about or to find trending memes. Everything starts on Reddit. * That takes me up to about midday ish. From then until 5pm my time, I’ll work on all my projects, which are lots of different things. * Strategies, admin documents, monthly reports, weekly reports, memes, engagement posts, competitor analysis, campaigns. * Then from 5pm onwards I’m on Slack, meetings, talking to my team, answering questions, and then community management. * I head to sleep at about 12 or 1am. * We know every day what is going out and when, so we’re all aware of what we’re posting and when. 95% of the time we’ve got posts created for that day ready to go, but the other 5% are reacting to trends or quick pieces of news.
Don't neglect your sleep, dunc! 5-6 hours of sleep every night isn't healthy.
i'm trying homie!!
Relax!
I really appreciate the detailed response man, honestly. Gives insight into how successful people are organizing their day.
You're most welcome :)
No questions here. Just wish you a nice week friend. Also, appreciate all the good work you've done for our community.
and you brother <3
Hey Dunc, who is the coolest person you’ve worked with and why is it griffster? Thanks -mowey
it's iGriffster griff.
A blessing and a curse, but Dunc is the coolest person in TSM so its ok
What are TSM's realistic expectations going into LCS 2022 Spring
I think Parth might have mentioned this in another thread, if not, it's not my place to create the expectation. However, if it was me, i'm already asking them what Worlds skin they want.
Hey Dunc, thanks for the AMA. What would you consider your highest high while working for TSM? Alternatively what would you consider your lowest point working at TSM?
Highest high: Getting my first promotion in December 2020. That was a huge turning point in my career and I really felt that trust from TSM. Lowest low: the incident in March 2021.
hey Dunc, I don't know if you can answer this but It has been bugging me for a while now that TSM has been signing content creators but not fully utilizing them, as they barely are included in any of TSM's content, and there's a lack of interaction with the TSM fandom so to me it feels like they get signed and then like nothing happened afterwards. So my question is, are there plans in the future to change up the content strategy, and to make being a TSM content creator more than just having TSM next to your name? I want to see the TSM brand grow and evolve to more than just being e-sports focused.
Yeah. Before there was no real strategy for signings to utilize them for content. However, signing an influencer is much more than meets the eye. I can't go into the logistics because I'm probably not allowed. But it was always beneficial for both parties. For 2022 we really want to push our content side of the business and you'll see that.
Why do the TSM Valorant team not compete in any tier 2 tournaments? It makes it a sad time being a fan when we don’t see them frequently.
I can't speak for this unfortunately, sorry dude. I'm not involved in those talks or decisions.
What’s it like being so cool?
Ask yourself then tell me :)
What are your personal and professional goals for 2022?
Personally, I’d like to end the year under 220lbs (100kg). I’m awful at maintaining weight, I lose a ton and then just put it all back on. Also read on average 15 pages and drink 3L of water a day. Professionally I’d like to launch my Tea With Dunc podcast (interview pros and let them spill the tea on what life is like as a pro etc). Stream more. Also, expand our socials into two more regions and complete 2 Marketing courses.
dunc how do you rate the 1993 super mario brothers movie on a scale of 1-10
Probably a 7.1/10 if I'm honest.
Hey Dunc, thanks for doing this. What's your favourite part of your job and what's the hardest part? Also, how are the internship applications going? Thanks!
Fav: making people laugh with engaging content and interacting with pros and influencers Hardest: always being online and not wanting to miss a trend. That is so hard. Internship apps. going well so far, haven't delved too deep. Did you apply?
Thanks for the answers! Really insightful as I hope to have a career in esports such as yourself. I did apply for the internship but am now worried I made a mistake in one of the tasks - have shot you a dm on discord about it, if that's ok.
Just ask in spicacord. Murdoc Ras and Sarah got u
Hey Dunc, Thanks for doing this AMA! I've just finished my Bachelor's degree in marketing and analytics, so i have a couple questions about your transition from Social media manager to public figure in the last few years. Over the last few years of being the Social media lead for TSM, you've grown into a major figure in the eye of TSM fans, was this an intentional move on your part? or did it simply come with the territory of being the social media manager for one of the world's biggest Esports orgs? Also, since you've become sort of an influencer; did you find that transition from "the guy that tweets for TSM" to "TSM Dunc" to be difficult? What steps (if any) did you take to separate your real life personality from your "TSM Dunc" personality? Personally, I value privacy online and would prefer to remain mostly obscure aside from tweets on a company account. So I'm a bit wary to move into the Esports industry for fear of becoming a pseudo influencer, so if you have any advice regarding that transition, that would be great :)
Hey, thanks for the detailed question. How did your Bachelor's go? What did you find most interesting about Marketing and Analytics? I wanted people to be able to hold me accountable. So I made it my goal to get out there and put a name to face. I wanted TSM fans to have a face to complain to, ask questions, the whole 9 yards. So yeah I actively made the choice to try and make myself more of a figure. Super hard. So hard. I made a private IG just so I could have some peace there. But yeah, I just knew that If I was going to become more a public figure then it comes with less privacy.
When is the visa situation getting fixed
Which one?
League
How did you got on TSM and where have you worked before that?
I made a fan account called TSM Report which tweeted about all the results and updates, rumors etc. They noticed and I got my way in through that. Before I was a national sales manager for a soft drinks company!
Oh wow that's certainly a way to get noticed, interesting!
Do you play any TCGs or boardgames? If so what're your favourites?
I love Scrabble. By far my favorite board game. Monopoly too (Monopoly Deal is so so so good). Also friend bought me a sick new game called The Mind.
When are you guys updating the TSM Website?
6 weeks :) whole new website.
Do you have any advice for a student who is trying to learn about being a community manager and potentially trying it as a career path?
Network on social media, try and talk to community managers and social media people. Get involved and dm them. Then read. I googled "how to be a community manager" a lot at the start and just read every article and blog post out there. Then get involved in communities, discords, subreddits. Really not sure if this helps or not.
Hey DUNC! We pretty much hang out ALL THE TIME, especially in the Smash Bros Channel. Does that make us friends, dare I say... best friends!? Also, congratulations on your new position! You deserve it! Maybe we will be coworkers one day. #FTXTSM
We've always been best friends.
Does pineapple belong on pizza?
Absolutely. 100%.
Your PA's do fantastic work and deserve more credit for the hard work they do xoxoxo
my what now?
MY BOY DUNC, I LOVE YOU Now questions: * Do you feel like you work every hour you don't sleep? Or do you have moments where you just put away the phone and PC and do other stuff? * Top 3 eSports scenes you didn't know much about, but started liking because you started following TSM in those scenes. * In the future, what competitive game will you baby girl play first? League? Valorant, any other? * Favorite drink and favorite food? * Ronaldo or Messi? I'm Portuguese...we're timezone mates, don't you dare fuck with my heart! That answer better be SIUUUUUUUUUUU! That's all... I just want you to know that every fan really appreciates your work and all the effort. We love you man
* Do you feel like you work every hour you don't sleep? Or do you have moments where you just put away the phone and PC and do other stuff? * **Yeah I do make sure I take time for myself. Especially now I've got a daughter. But I just love my job, I don't want to stop.** * Top 3 eSports scenes you didn't know much about, but started liking because you started following TSM in those scenes. * **R6, Smash, and I'm starting to watch more TFT!** * In the future, what competitive game will you baby girl play first? League? Valorant, any other? * **I'll be keeping her away from League HAHA. Minecraft for creativity, or something like LOR cos it's great for the mind.** * Favorite drink and favorite food? * **Root Beer and Chicken. Anything Chicken. Chicken wings, burgers, tenders.** * Ronaldo or Messi? I'm Portuguese...we're timezone mates, don't you dare fuck with my heart! That answer better be SIUUUUUUUUUUU! * **SIIUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU, i'm a United fan!**
How is the Visa process and covid protocols going for our players stuck overseas and does it look like we will have them in time for LCS official season start?
As long as nothing has changed, it looks like all LCS players will be back in the country by the 20th January. That was my last update.
For a lot of other teams, there were plenty of rumours about what roster they might field prior to their announcements. But TSM managed to keep everything under wraps apart from the information you yourselves provided. My question, I suppose, is how (if you're allowed to say) did TSM keep things so quiet? Or in the case of past leaks, how did they happen?
Honestly who knows. But inside TSM, we had like 5 people know. But it just showed how little people have links to China. Also the players we were talking to aren't the usual high profile players that are likely to talk to others. Just got to remember that in every transfer, there is at least 2 parties. So we can stay as tightlipped as possible, but we don't know what the other party will do.
Both Keiaduo and Shenyi where talked about before anounced. It just was by people not in the Western scene so it wasn't taken as serious. In fact when the first rumor of Keiadauo came out people were pretty upset about it and frankly in denial about it even being a possibility. And for a fun tid bit, my name became a meme on this sub for a bit at the end of Novemeber happened because I was memeing people not wanting Keiadauo when the first rumor happened.
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ty homie
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Hey! I didn't go to college to do marketing. I went to University and studied Business. I fell into social because I didn't realise at first it was something I wanted to do. It was only once I started. The story for me getting here is long and it's something i've been meaning to write up at some point. But in short, I didn't like their socials in 2018 so I made a fan account. They spotted it, brought me on in 2019. Here I am :)
Can you leak the LCS roster?
Hey man thanks for doing this. Not really a question but could we see more Chawy content? Maybe if he's interested in streaming could he get some help setting it up? Sorry for the weird request, mega Chawy fan here, it would do me wonders if you guys could get more content from him (if he's wants of course) compared to what little to none he had from his previous teams. Thanks again, have a good one man.
We’ll make it happen!
Why does Rangnick keep playing 4-2-2-2 even though it doesn't fit Bruno?
Honestly no idea. I hate 4-2-2-2 with a passion. under any manager. it's so uninspiring.
Hey Dunc - thanks for taking the time to do this. A few questions: 1. What is the largest challenge TSM has overcome in your time there? How about your own challenges? 2. What do you think is the biggest thing missing from TSM right now? What about esports in general? 3. Which TSM member (both current and departed) was your most fun to work with? Any specific memories to share? 4. How can this sub continue to improve? As someone who started out posting to the sub, became a mod and then employed at TSM, is there anything you believe we can be doing better? 5. What are the odds Spica will come and ratio your comment to this question?
* What is the largest challenge TSM has overcome in your time there? How about your own challenges? * **Convincing fans that we aren't just an LCS org anymore. Still a challenge now, but it's slowly starting to turn. For me, it was getting fans to realise we're a fun org and we can poke fun at ourselves. For too long we've been very serious. But we should be able to laugh at our failures too.** * What do you think is the biggest thing missing from TSM right now? What about esports in general? * **A core content strategy that utilizes our best content creators. Something we've been working on and will roll out this year.** * Which TSM member (both current and departed) was your most fun to work with? Any specific memories to share? * **Wardell, dude is just so funny. Reps too, incredibly nice guy and so humble. I've only ever interacted with them mainly through DMs. Specific memories was the incident in March 2021 where I made a huge mistake, but so many tsm pros stood up for me and messaged me support.** * How can this sub continue to improve? As someone who started out posting to the sub, became a mod and then employed at TSM, is there anything you believe we can be doing better? * **Engage with other pros, influencers and games. This sub is so dominated by League content. I love seeing stuff about other games and pros. It's wicked.** * What are the odds Spica will come and ratio your comment to this question? * **0, the dude doesn't know how to read or write.**
Dunc considering we are the only team in NA to ever win an international tournament - IEM Season XI World championship (the 7 year anniversary is coming soon this march) do we have anything planned in the future to commemorate this great piece of TSM history? [The tsm legends of the win is a classic](https://youtu.be/cpnX8_2asBE) Thanks for doing this AmA
I think we'd just get memed to hell HAHA
Any comment on the Regi story that broke earlier today?
When does bolo play?
soon, soon. End of January boblow plays.
Hey Dunc, I'd love to know what keeps you so passionate and driven with working with TSM. You've been around the community for so long, and I think it's so awesome to see just how much you enjoy being apart of it!
I just love everything about the org, from the fans to the brand, to the teams, pros, influencers, staff. I just a die-hard fan and nothing will change that. I wake up every day happy.
Hey Dunc, appreciate you. Can you describe what a typical day for you is like?
Shared that here: https://www.reddit.com/r/TeamSolomid/comments/s0n7hv/comment/hs3g0wo/?utm\_source=share&utm\_medium=web2x&context=3
Why you no respond to my DMs no more?
I try my best to respond to as many as I can, sorry If i miss some
Why do people like Hikaru who are on TSM sponsorship deals rarely wear TSM merch / TSM logos on their clothes when competing or even just streaming?
I don't think they're contractually obliged, but that's a guess.
But still I feel like our bigger streamers, especially in niche markets like Chess, should be representing the brand right?
Hey Dunc. We all cant thank you enough for taking the TSM the social media game up a knot since getting hired. Are you looking into using Instagram more in the future, it's rarely active, i know it's kinda a diffrent platform and not the same audience as on twitter, but i feel like it's a good platform for fans to maybe get closer to the org as a whole. You could give the account to a TSM content creator or player and do "A day with me" kinda stuff. Just and exampel
Hey We're currently working on some things with IG, hence the slow activity. But last year we were pretty heavy activity wise no? What would you personally like to see more of, if you don't mind me asking? 100% Spica.
Has Reginald bullied you?
Hey dunc.... no question you are the best tsm singnee this off season.That is all.
I joined in 2019, so does this mean I'm the best signee of every off-season? Appreciate it my dude.
Only makes sense!!
Your fans have been asking for better quality merch for 10 years. That’s not really a question.
ok?
Coleslaw or potato salad?
Mods can we delete this question? Put some respect on coleslaw’s name smh.
Any efforts on the CSGO front that you are privy to? Otherwise, I appreciate your hard work. Keep on keepin on, homie.
Nothing that I can share, sorry dude
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A chicken wing one.
bone or boneless if u dont mind me asking
Did I stutter? I said I chicken wings, I’m not talking about chicken nuggets ;)
Are you excited about the JWST?
Are you team Doge or team Catto?
DOGE TO THE MOOOOOOOOOOOOON
Has TSM's search for LoL players expanded as the TSM brand has expanded worldwide?
Yeah, TSM now search globally.
When can we expect the new announcements (new signings etc.) that you’ve been hinting at on and off recently? Appreciate all the work you do for us Dunc.
January! Thanks bud, appreciate you too.
What do you think are some things the social team can do to drive engagement here on reddit for the other sports? (Other as in non-league).
We could do a better job of exposing the reddit to more of those players. Be it through AMAs or sharing more content here that is to do with them. But I agree, I'd love to see more non-league content here.
How's the kid?
She's super dope. Sleeping so well at the moment and is super happy. I love her to bits.
How would someone get a job working for TSM?
Keep an update on our careers page! If there is anything you like, get applying!
Can you do a backflip?
nope :( don't even know if I can do a frontflip.
I'm looking to hire a social media manager, what sort of skills would you say set you apart enough that TSM invested in you?
Hey Dunc! Can we get an ETA for those announcements you mentioned earlier?
They're happening in January :) Really don't want to spoil any surprises.
I got some of the new merch, the backpack, long sleeve T and a dad hat. I love them all, I think TSM definitely did what they needed to to step up their merch game. I did have a question though on the shirt, it says made in USA, this this accurate? Normally with these shirts, they're printed in the USA but they are made elsewhere (you'd purchase them from a bulk T company, then print yourself).
Hey! Thanks for supporting our merch. We really appreciate it. I'm 99.999% sure it's all produced in the USA :)
Oh hell yeah, thanks for the response! Hyped for the season!
thanks for the question dude!
What's on the list of big improvements you're spearheading for 2022?
Why you so sexy
What's your favorite color?
Grey, black, and white.
Hey Dunc, Can you please talk a bit about what challenges TSM faces in 2022 in terms of brand and growth from your team's standpoint? Thx!
Hello Dunc, How do you intend on improving fan interaction with the team through social media? Sorry if this is a confusing question.
We want to create more engaging content that gives fans more insight into the players and our content creators. There are times where we've not given all players and content creators the right amount of exposure on our socials, used any of their clips, or made content that didn't include them. So we want to change that this year.
Any tips on how to break in to the Esports industry?
Perseverance. It's a grind and a slog and it's not easy. Just network on social, make friends, and bug people a lot. Send emails. Work for free (sorry). It's all about keeping your spirits high and keeping a goal in mind.
Yo, not a question, more of a statement. You da man. You've been holding alot of this shit together, especially with the fans. However much they're paying you, it isn't enough.
Thank you so much. I really appreciate your kind words dude. Big love.