Today we’d like to introduce you to Steve Suarez.
Hi Steve, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
My personal background consists of creating unforgettable and incredible experiences for unique audiences. This ranged from being the founder, creator, and executing the fitness festival Wodapalooza to launching BlackStage Productions, which specializes in all aspects of event ideation with a client roster that includes the NFL, Kanye West Sunday Services, Super Bowl LIV, Formula 1 Racing, Concacaf Soccer, The Miami Marathon, Ultra Music Festival. In 2018, I became more involved in the gaming industry as I watched my kids become interested in Fortnite and saw a big gap in the market when it came to having a collective place to bring gamers together. In the fitness world, contests exist to find the fittest athletes on the planet, but in the gaming world, no such competition exists. I transferred my audience-driven experience and wisdom to the gaming space, and from this, Ultimate Gamer was born to provide an outlet for gamers to compete on an even playing field across all game titles.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
I don’t believe any entrepreneur can honestly say that the road to building a company has been smooth, especially when you are pioneering an idea in a massive industry and doing something that has never been done before. That jumping off point in itself creates a lot of bumps on the road because, from the beginning, you need to break down common thinking and craft a compelling story that the entire community can get behind. We set out to create the world’s largest and most diverse group of gamers and, as a community, we come together to celebrate gaming through a competition to find the best Gamer on Earth. I began by funding this project on my own.
As we proved the concept and saw the community getting behind the idea and embracing us with open arms, I saw the immediate need to raise capital in order to scale this project globally as quickly as possible. This was the most challenging part as I had never had to raise money before and was basically selling a vision to investors. After a year of meeting every major banking institution, a private equity firm, and venture capitalist in the USA, I found the perfect partners and was able to raise the money needed in order to operate the business. I am very proud of what we have accomplished so far and I am certain the road ahead will be filled with many struggles but ultimately with great triumphs.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?With over three million registered users, Ultimate Gamer is on a mission to build the world’s largest and most inclusive community of gamers. We are focused on bringing gamers of all skill levels and backgrounds together. We are used to seeing esports communities focused on becoming experts in one title or genre, but Ultimate Gamer is providing a central place for all esports fans and gamers to come together to test their skills in a variety of titles and play against gamers from all over the world. One way we are building the biggest gaming community is by launching a premier worldwide competition to identify and crown the ‘Best Gamer on Earth’ and award a $1 million prize. Gamers of all ages and from all corners of the earth can join Ultimate Gamer Arena, which is an environment where players are able to hone their skills, compete for prizes, connect with other gamers, and start training to become the best gamer in the world.
We are also partnering with organizations like Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation and After Action Network to produce content that promotes how gaming can reduce social isolation and the importance of making gaming accessible to everyone. I am also very proud to announce we are creating the first-ever “Adaptive Gaming” division in order to give gamers with upper-limb mobility issues a chance to compete on a global level. On the local level, we are partnering with Fort Lauderdale to create its first-ever esports recreational program. Similar to rec programs, Ultimate Gamer will add in an educational component where coaches on Zoom or Discord teach kids stretches and how to prepare for the game ahead, then do thirty minutes of training, followed by an hour of gaming where they play against each other. A percentage of all registration fees will go toward scholarship opportunities. It’s important for both the City of Fort Lauderdale and Ultimate Gamer to make gaming accessible for underprivileged youth and give all kids the opportunity to game.
What was your favorite childhood memory?
I have so many incredible childhood memories but I would say that one of my favorites was always our annual family Christmas trips. The location would change each year but my parents did a great job of providing my sister and me with unforgettable experiences.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://ultimategamer.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the.ultimate.gamer
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/theultgmr
