Former Beanstalk gaming division head joins licensee as head of esports.
Difuzed has made its ambitions in the video games space very clear as it welcomes Dan Amos to the new role of head of esports today (Monday July 1).
Dan (pictured) joins the licensee from Beanstalk, where he spent 11 years, most recently heading up the agency’s dedicated gaming division, Tinderbox. Here, Dan worked with clients including Microsoft Xbox, Activision and ESL, expanding gaming brands into lifestyle categories and making the most of their potential at retail.
At Difuzed, Dan has been tasked with growing the licensee’s already strong position in the gaming apparel space through development in the area of esports. Difuzed already works with major gaming licences including PlayStation, Nintendo and Xbox, while it has also worked closely with Ubisoft on a 6-Siege collection.
As head of esports, Dan will look to build on this strong start, driving the launch of Difuzed’s new ESL collection at retail (which he actually signed while at Beanstalk), as well as identifying new opportunities in the esports landscape.
“I’m excited to join Difuzed, a company that has a deep understanding of the video game industry and its huge potential in licensed apparel,” Dan told Source. “In my agency role I have developed deep strategic relationships with major industry players such as Xbox, Activision and ESL, and I look forward to using this strategic thinking in my new role.
“I am incredibly pleased that in several cases I will continue to work with these clients under a new model, where I can make a meaningful impact to the extension of their brands in the apparel category. In moving to a licensee role, I am excited to have a deeper connection to product development which is a keen interest of mine, as well as influence video games retail executions in ways that as a fan myself, I’d expect.”
Talking about Dan’s appointment, Gilbert El Kalaani, ceo and founder of Difuzed, said: “When we looked at the esports world, we quickly realised that this required a different approach and strategy to the existing successful brand extension model Difuzed works to. We decided to recognise that by creating a new division in the company focused on this growing and demanding market. In Dan, we have the right person with the varied skills needed to head this major business opportunity. We are delighted to bring him into the team at Difuzed with the responsibility of developing product and relationships in this constantly evolving part of the gaming world.”
Dan will continue to work with a number of his previous clients in his new role, including John Friend, director of Halo and Xbox Consumer Products, who commented: “Dan is a gamer, a fan, a strategist and an exceptionally smart brand-builder. He’s an incredible resource for gaming and retail partners, and we’re thrilled to continue to partner with him in his new role at Difuzed.”
In addition, David Hiltscher, vp shop merchandise, licensing at ESL, said: “Dan was instrumental in building the ESL brand licensing programme. Esports is a unique emerging business at the intersection of sports, media, technology, entertainment and video games. Dan checks all these boxes, and combines that with vast experience in licensing and brand building. We’re elated to be able to continue working with him at Difuzed, our partner of choice for apparel and accessories in Europe.”
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