About three months after it announced a $20 million Series A funding round, Loaded has revealed a dramatic expansion of its business. The talent management company, which works with top gamers and streaming personalities like Myth and Ludwig, has announced the launch of a consulting business and a production wing.
The new division of Loaded is called Open World, and it is designed to serve two primary functions. Brands that are looking to gain a better understanding of the gaming industry (while also increasing their presence within it) can link up with Loaded through Open World Solutions, a consultancy that will build off Loaded’s previous brand connections. In a press release, the company highlighted its partnership with footwear retailer Journeys — which it connected with creator Karl Jacobs — as an example of the sort of work Open World Solutions will do.
The other piece of the Open World puzzle will be Open World Studios, which will develop “culturally-relevant content for the next generation,” according to the release. The programs cooked up by Loaded’s in-house studio will appear across digital, social, traditional, and Web3 platforms.
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The new unit will be boosted by some high-profile hires. Paul Conroy will be the overall head of Open World. The division’s consulting wing will be led by VP of Strategic Partnerships Nadia Tseng (pictured above, right), a former CAA agent who has helped brands like Gillette, Beats By Dre, and Patron establish themselves in the gaming space. The studio side of Open World will be helmed by Cesar Martinez (pictured above, left), who will be President of Studios at Loaded after previously working at Latin American media companies Remezcla and Mitu. Jeremy Azevedo, formerly of 100 Thieves and Machinima, will lead content development and production for Open World Studios.
When Loaded raised its $20 million funding round, it cited its consultancy as one part of its business that would expand, so the launch of Open World Solutions does not come as a surprise. “Loaded started with a world-class talent base and expanded to include supporting brand and game developer partners looking to establish and grow communities and positions within gaming,” said Loaded CEO Josh Swartz in a statement. “Recognizing the need for direct-to-client creative and strategic support for non-endemic brands entering the gaming space, Loaded Ventures, under Paul’s leadership, is launching Open World, applying the same principles that have driven our success to a new constituency.”
Loaded is not the only company that is looking to combine talent management and content production under a single roof. With influencer marketing campaigns commanding higher price tags than ever before, those two facets of the creator economy are becoming increasingly entwined. Another firm that recently expanded its operation is Wheelhouse DNA, though that company took the opposite path from Loaded. After starting as a production company, it recently launched a talent management wing of its own.
