Regan Connaire, Social Media Coordinator for the Philadelphia Fusion
In Career Spotlight, the*gameHERs profiles women professionals in the gaming industry, who share their stories, experiences, and advice for our community of gameHERs. It is our hope that by showing the ways in which women have forged paths in gaming, more and more gameHERs will consider possibilities for themselves to follow their own passions.
In this installment, we feature Regan Connaire, Social Media Coordinator for the Philadelphia Fusion. Regan spoke about her job responsibilities, the FTW initiative, social media in the esports world, and women in esports in general.
Can you tell us a bit about your job and what your responsibilities entail?
For the past year I’ve been lucky enough to serve as the Social Media Coordinator for the Philadelphia Fusion, one of 20 international teams participating in the Overwatch League.
My position’s key role is to try to embody the voice and spirit of the Philadelphia Fusion to connect our fans to our team and players to help not only grow our personal fanbase, but also awareness for the team and league as a whole.
Basically I spend a lot of time organizing when content gets released, I’ll go on shoot days to catch some behind the scenes goodies and other photos that I’ll use across socials for the duration of the season. It’s a lot of forward-thinking, taking photos and videos now that we’re gonna bank for later. But I do have a lot of flexibility, getting to banter with our players and other teams from the Fusion handle. Social media moves really fast, you never want to be behind on a joke or trend, which makes it an exciting job that’s always shifting.
Regan Connaire, photo courtesy of the subject
You work in communications within the esports world. What do you find to be unique about esports versus other industries and what is similar to other industries in which you have worked previously?
Previous to esports I served as a Communications and Marketing Specialist for my local Chamber of Commerce, so clearly it’s a bit of a leap from traditional communications into esports. The biggest difference was how much more urgency the esports world has. It's not a normal 9 to 5, that’s for sure.
At the same time, there are absolutely mundane parts to being in esports. I still spend a lot of time messing around in Photoshop and asking my peers, “does this look weird to you? How about now?” Just because esports is skewed to a younger workforce doesn’t mean there’s not still a business operating behind it like any other traditional job! This is one reason I really value my time at the Chamber of Commerce; it was much smaller scale than my current work, but it was so impactful in shaping the structure of how I work today.
How did you come to the esports and gaming world?
I grew up around gaming. It was something I enjoyed both with my family and friends, although I never really considered it as a career path. When Overwatch came out I hadn’t watched esports before or even played an FPS, but the inaugural Overwatch World Cup was the first esports event I’d ever really sat down with the intent to watch. Following that, when the Overwatch League was announced and teams started to pop up on social media with this creative banter and unique branding I remember telling one of my friends, “I’m going to do that one day.”
So I did just that--which admittedly is as many parts luck as it is hard work. Experience was important, but I also worked incredibly hard to get my name out there to those who mattered. I lived closest to Philadelphia, so I went to their events, I introduced myself to people, and with all the luck in the world, it worked out.
What are your favorite parts of your current job?
It’s so hard to say! I’ve only been here a year, and I think everyone can agree that COVID-19 has made 2020 one of the strangest years of anyone’s life. But I believe it’s also made social media even more impactful, since people are relying on it now more than ever in lieu of going to events in person.
It’s been a pleasure for me to act as a bright spot to fans, through jokes online, or even simply replying to comments from the team account. It’s so easy to be nice to people — who better than those who support the team the most — and even those who don’t! We all know people spend way too much time on social media and it’s easy to fall into negative spaces. Being able to control the content people see, to keep happiness and normalcy? It’s really special.
What challenges do you think women face in esports?
There’s a ton of adversity for women in the gaming space. The most obvious is lack of female representation on the actual roster, so often it’s cited that “they just don’t have the same mechanical skill.” It’s frustrating.
Even worse is that when women find success in esports or gaming overall, their gender overshadows their achievements. Headlines and titles always highlight their femininity before their success, when gender is not the key role in their skills or achievements. We should strive for both casual and competitive gaming to be a neutral space. No matter our gender, successes should be measured and celebrated equally.
As consumers and fans of esports, is there anything we can do to make the industry a better place for women who work there?
Fans are the heartbeat of the esports and gaming industries. Events, giveaways, and the community as a whole are made for the fans. As a whole, fans set the precedent for what actions, comments, etc. are acceptable in the gaming space. Speaking up to shut down discrimination or hurtful language when you hear it, tuning in to female-oriented tournaments and events, or even organizing/participating in events geared toward female inclusivity in the gaming space are all ways to make the overall community a safer and more welcoming place for any person regardless of their gender.
Can you tell us a bit about the FTW initiative?
For the Women, or FTW, is a really inspirational movement that was launched organically by some of the amazing women within Spectator Gaming. FTW is dedicated to connecting, supporting, and inspiring growth and advancement of women across all sectors of the gaming landscape. Our goal is to create an inclusive space for women who work or aspire to work in the gaming industry by empowering them through networking, professional growth opportunities, and esports tournaments that help drive the industry forward hand-in-hand with our male allies.
Some initiatives include panels and mixers to help women network. Most recently, FTW teamed up with Nerd Street Gamers and Riot Games to host the first-ever all women Valorant tournament! We are always seeking more ways to get in touch with the community and help pave the way for a more inclusive future for women in gaming and esports.
What advice would you give to young gameHERs who want to work in the gaming or esports industries?
Everyone says it, but it’s always worth repeating: don’t get discouraged by failure. I applied to countless esports and gaming opportunities, interviewed for them, and got turned down more times than I can remember. At the same time I was learning how to interview, building connections within the industry, and learning where I was weakest so I knew what skills to improve upon to make myself a more desirable candidate.
The Philadelphia Fusion, photo courtesy of the subject
Taking a dream job and making it a reality doesn’t just fall into your lap. You’ve gotta wake up and want it and work for it each and every day. Being a woman in gaming, you’ve immediately got a network of other women who understand some of the struggles you face, so you’re never really alone. We’ll all continue to work hand in hand to make the space more inclusive for everyone so that in the future, young people won’t need to worry about whether they’ll fit in the gaming and esports space because of their gender.
Check out FTW on Twitter:
Twitter: @FTW_us
Follow Philadelphia Fusion:
Twitter: @Fusion
Instagram: @PHL_Fusion
Follow Regan Connaire:
Twitter: @ReganConnaire
Instagram: @ReganConnaire
For more women in esports, check out our interview with Brittany Lattanzio, the Senior Talent Manger of Team Liquid
For an interview with the cofounders of Ateyo, an esports apparel company, check out: Breanne Harrison-Pollock & Rachel Feinberg, Co-founders of Ateyo
Loved this interview? Share it by clicking the social media icons below: