[INTERVIEW] Ange: I think for the fans
Following the official announcement of http://gamingessence.net/images/flag/prancis.gif Laurent 'Ange' Blum replacing OpTIXy as manager, myMYM has caught up with Laurent to find out more about his initial thoughts on joining his new home and how he will make use of his expertise and experiences from his impressive E-sports portfolio to help the team function as one conducive unit.
For someone who specialises more in the Warcraft scene with the Shadow-league event, he reveals many insights into the DotA scene and how he wants to make MYM's DotA team the best in the world. Read on to find out more.
For those of us who do not know you, can you give us a short introduction of yourself?
Hello, I am Laurent "Ange" Blum, I'm 24 years old and i am working as producer/scenarist for the french TV. In esport i used to manage the tournament Shadowleague recently for Warcraft3 and led the professional team "Bet" some years ago.
Many of our readers/fans of the team must be wondering why the sudden decision to start managing in the DotA scene, seeing as you specialise more from connections in the Warcraft 3 scene from Shadowleague
Well, i am following the dota scene since long time now. I always liked the game by itself (used to play it in IDEC some years ago). The fact is this game is getting bigger day after day, the community is really huge and the number of fans is awesome. Gathering my interest to the game, the playstyle of mym which i am myself a fan the mission was totally for me. I am here to bring my knowledge of management and marketing into a new scene I appreciate a lot.
What will your role primarily encompass? You mentioned earlier you want to help MYM's playstyle evolve, does that mean you may be taking the role of a bit-part coach as well as manager?
My first goal is to promote MYM.dota into the scene and being there for any thing related to the management, organisation, recruitment and so on. However you are right, I would like to bring my capacity to analyze replays and to bring new strategies into mym gameplay but this needs time and Maelk is really good for this. I will surely bring my advices but at the moment the team is running really well and the strategies seems optimum.
Can you give us an indication of how exactly your past expertises will help you with managing the team, and the unique qualities you bring to the squad?
Well I have a long experience in esports, I started with the MCL 10 years ago and managed a few important teams so i fit with how to make a good mood in a team, how to create a unique gamestyle and how to promote it. I am thinking about dota in a different way because i am first for having a thought for the fans. They are the one that watch the games and follow us. They are the ones that support us and are here when we need them. I will try to make them the center of the project.
Who is BeT-Ange outside of the E-sports scene? You mentioned you work with a French TV as producer/scenarist. Does that help you in any way in dealings with the E-sports scene or they are isolated events?
I ended my business school in Paris one year ago and right after this we won an important contest in france called "The french trophee of enterprise maker". We had an interesting and original idea so I got contacted by a producer and the dream came true: we started to work as scenarists (a friend and I) for the french tv. It consists in thinking about new ideas for big shows or real tv shows. I do think my experience in this sphere can help MYM and the project because I have good links with important brands. We are dealing with them everyday.
What heights are you aiming to reach with the team in order to be labelled as a successful manager? Is the team's progress measurable in any way?
You can measure the progress in two ways, the first one is mathematical and linked to the number of wins in the big tournaments. That is our primary goal, to be successful and to win as much prizes as possible. The second thing is the gamestyle you provide. How intense MYM games are? How many fans like to watch you?
Did you ever think why Moon was making so many different strategies (sometimes not successful at all) in every tournament? It is not all about winning, it is about having a lot of fans and viewers cheering for him and enjoying the special moves.
Do you think that DotA has the potential to be regarded as one of the best E-sports day? As the game is still suffering from a lack of recognition but hosts one of the strongest communities among the games of today, what do you think is lacking in the scene to make it commercial?
I do not think that the question is about "Is dota going to be successful in esport economic market". The fact is millions of fans are present and following the game. The question is more about "Will important tournaments and powerhouse put dota behind the scene?" Sponsors are seeking for viewers so it is all about what the powerhouses show them. By the way my opinion about it is: DotA is going to be really huge in term of fans and money, but its a bit earlier right now. It needs more time to increase and i think it will explode when dota two comes out.
Let us move on to some trivia questions now.
Favorite food: French food, foie gras
Favorite WC3 player: MaDFroG
Favorite DotA player: Blowyourbrain
Favorite event: Dreamhack
Favorite mouse: Razer diamondback
Thanks for the interview, we hope you have a great time during your tenure here with MYM. Last words are yours
Thanks for your time preparing it, I am sure we are going to build up something really good. I want to thank all the people that helped me to discover dota and the scene: Wahed, Drunkin, Mali, Saddam, Gunz_le_meroux, Bundai, Wiesel, Rocjhoward, and all the ones i forgot. Special thanks to MYM and Dennis that gave me the opportunity to join them.
Source: http://www.mymym.com/en/article/1063.html
