Seattle-based esports organization Evil Geniuses has hired former WarnerMedia executive Krystal Hauserman as its vice president and global head of marketing.
Hauserman was with WarnerMedia, whose brands include HBO and CNN, for more than a year and was vice president of global brand marketing and communications. According to Evil Geniuses, she helped with WarnerMedia's digital transformation and brought Gen Z-focused campaigns to many of WarnerMedia's brands.
“Krystal Hauserman has all the personal and professional qualities we strive for in a leader at Evil Geniuses,” Nicole LaPointe Jameson, CEO of Evil Geniuses, said in a news release. “Her deep roots and knowledge in traditional entertainment will help shape the future that we envision for EG as a brand, and her undeterred commitment to excellence will bring big ideas and a fresh perspective.”
Hauserman also worked with the NBA on its global "That's Game" advertising campaign. She also spent more than two years at Fullscreen, a digital media company.
Evil Geniuses, founded in 1999, is an organization of esports teams that compete in games like Valorant and League of Legends. The organization has partnerships with consumer brands such as Monster Energy, Coinbase, Bud Light, Elysian Brewing and Absolut. Evil Geniuses also has a partnership with the Wolverhampton Wanderers, an English Premier League soccer team.
“Evil Geniuses and the company’s bold leader, CEO Nicole LaPointe Jameson, are unwavering in the commitment to build a values-led gaming entertainment organization and disrupt an industry that, frankly, needs some disruption,” Hauserman said in a news release. “Nicole is an inspiring ‘dream big or go home’ leader who is wicked smart, deeply understands the complexities of the industry, and is determined to make a lot of noise as we expand beyond competitive play into a multi-faceted global entertainment brand."
Gaming brands are a growing presence in the Seattle area. Earlier this month, Los Angeles-based Riot Games announced it had bought a 156,000-square-foot building on Mercer Island that will eventually house more than 400 employees. Riot is behind both League of Legends and Valorant. Bellevue-based Bungie, meanwhile, is expanding its headquarters and occupying two floors of the 2+U tower in Seattle.
