Interview: Unicorns of Love Owner/CEO Jos "UOLDad" Mallant

On today's episode of the Rough Drafts Podcast, Chase "RedShirtKing" Wassenar and Walter "Ceades" Fedczuk sit down with UOL CEO, owner, and Sheepy's father Jos "UOLDad" Mallant. Together, they discuss the past, present, and future of one of Europe's most marketable teams, as well as what UOL does differently when acquiring talent in the offseason.01:05 Intro02:20 Jos's role as the CEO/team dad and how UOL was founded06:10 The early days of UOL's history09:30 UOL's start as a family business13:20 UOL's approach to young talent and roster turnover17:15 “If Csacsi and Hyli were to leave tomorrow, I would sit in the corner and cry”17:50 What happened when Kikis left20:25 “To be honest, it was a slap in the face, was hard, was difficult for us, but we still have a good relationship.”20:55 How Kikis' departure changed the team's identity and playstyle22:45 “Losing Kikis cost us a Worlds position”26:10 How UOL has grown since their founding29:50 Diamondprox's visa issues and why he was a huge loss for the team36:15 How UOL makes up for being a smaller org and lets their individual players shine38:05 “There are always companies that will pay better, but that does not always lead to better results”42:10 “I'm watching a lot of tryouts, and after a couple of hours of playing, I called Sheepy and said take [Exileh]. He's unbelievably good.”42:45 Why analysts and fans should readjust their judgments on young players44:55 How UOL uses nontraditional picks to great effect48:30 UOL's status as a repeatedly underrated team50:05 Why “Chaos Style” is an inaccurate description51:10 “The only plans we have is to get as far as possible with our team...to get to worlds, and to one day beat a team like SKT...This is the only thing they should look for”52:55 UOL's Lagardere deal and what it means for the team and esports in general57:55 The ins and outs of securing sponsors1:01:15 UOL's plan for the future, in and out of League of Legends1:04:30 How regional tournaments are changing the European LoL scene1:08:00 How the lack of revenue sharing and limits on sponsors hurt organizations looking to expand, and how UOL compensates for these issues1:11:45 Why you should be a UOL fan1:15:45 UOL's goals at IEM Katowice1:17:05 Final words to EU LCS fans1:18:15 OutroEnjoyed the episode? Consider supporting us on our Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/roughdraftspodWant to watch the full video, complete with stats and the lovely faces of your analysts? Watch the podcast here: https://youtu.be/T4SV_98TjWoIf you prefer audio only versions, be sure to subscribe to the Esports Rough Drafts Podcast on iTunes to keep up with every episode here: ihttps://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/rough-drafts-podcast/id1050361444?mt=2.Twitter: https://twitter.com/roughdraftspodFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/roughdraftspodSoundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/esportsroughdraftsGo to http://www.unikrn.com today to bet alongside all your favourite esports matches for the chance to win awesome prizes. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chasewassenar.substack.com