The Lodgz Podcast
by Juan Rodriguez
Welcome to The Lodgz Podcast, an interview-style gaming and esports show highlighting business professionals, streamers, content creators, and pro esports players. Hosted by Juan Rodriguez, Founder of Lodgz Financial. Every week Juan hosts notable people in gaming to share their career, journey and story of how they got to where they are today. New episodes drop every Thursday.
Episodes
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EP 66 - with Arpit "Paradox" Manaktala | Founder of Paradox Customs
Arpit “Paradox” Manaktala is the Founder of Paradox Customs. He’s taken the industry by storm this year building custom PC’s for streamers, content creators, esports players, professional athletes and even those in the music industry. Since quitting his job in early 2020 to pursue Paradox Customs...
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EP 65 - with Chris Lamarucciola | President of Parabellum Esports
Chris Lamarucciola is the President of Parabellum Esports, a Canadian based esports organization. At its inception, Parabellum Esports was first known as Shattered Dreams (SxD). After two years of growing the team and its brand, SxD was acquired by YDX Innovation, a global leader in the...
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EP 64 - with Frozone | Top 5 in Kills & Earnings in Warzone
Drew "Frozone" Bienusa is a Twitch Partner and Warzone content creator. He is ranked top 5 in the world for total kills and also ranks in the top 5 for total Warzone event earnings. This includes winning the Nickmercs MFAM Gauntlet main event in April and finishing second in the Toronto Ultra...
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EP 63 - with David Chen | Investor in FaZe Clan & President of NA Collegiate Gaming League
David is an investor in FaZe Clan, President of the NA Collegiate Gaming League, Podcast Host, ex-Deloitte Partner and Founder of his own private equity firm. After spending 10 years with big four firm Deloitte, David embraced his entrepreneurial spirit and founded two different venture capital...
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EP 62 - with Bobby Solez | Facebook Gaming Partner
Bobby Solez is a full-time Facebook Gaming Partner, content creator and entrepreneur. Recently, Bobby signed with Ford Models to their “Esports and Gaming Division”, where the world-renowned modeling agency is now representing talent within gaming and esports. He is also Co-Founder of NYC Console...
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EP 61 - with SweatPapi | Internet & Stream Optimizations
Sweat is the owner of Sense of Quality, an internet and stream optimization service. He is partnered with Net Gear Gaming. He provides numerous services in addition to internet and stream optimizations including PC build recommendations, free tutorial guides for “do it yourself” optimizations and...
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EP 60 – with Pavan Lakhat | Professional Madden Player
Pavan Lakhat is a professional Madden player. He was the 2019 Madden Club Series Champion, winning $100,000. He is ranked #6 on the all-time Madden Championship Series money list with nearly $150K in tournament earnings. Pavan is also a streamer on Twitch and content creator on YouTube where he…
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EP 59 – with Mark Cai | Esports Brand Partnerships at Powerspike
Mark Cai is a Junior at Arizona State University majoring in marketing & computer information systems. In addition, he is currently an esports brand partnerships associate at Powerspike. He’s grown relations for Powerspike with some of the top names in gaming including Loaded, Evolved, Cloud9,...
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EP 58 – with Tampa Association of Gaming
During this episode we welcome the members of the Tampa Association of Gaming to discuss gaming & esports in Tampa Bay. Our guests include Derek Watford (Co-Founder of High Point Gamer), Chris Green (Founder of Game Drive LLC) and Marcus Howard (Founder of ProjectMQ). We discuss how to engage the...
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EP 57 - with Justin Jacobson | Manager of Ford Models Gaming & Esports Division
Last week Ford Models announced the creation of their gaming & esports talent management division. Justin Jacobson, entertainment & esports attorney in NYC, is the manager of the division. Founded in 1946, Ford Models has been one of the most prestige modeling agencies to date. Outside of working...
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EP 56 – with Richard Huggan | Managing Director of Hitmarker
Richard Huggan is the Managing Director of Hitmarker Jobs. Hitmarker is the industry’s leading job board for gaming & esports opportunities. They assist both hiring companies & candidates looking to break into the space. Richard shares about some of the roles he carries on a day-to-day basis, how...
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EP 55 – with Bryan Reedy | Founder of Gamer Advantage
Bryan Reedy is the Founder of Gamer Advantage. Gamer Advantage creates blue light gaming glasses designed for gaming & everyday wear. Bryan shares how & why the company got started, what sets their blue light glasses apart from competitors, why blue light glasses should become a new “norm” for...
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EP 54 – with Jadd Schmeltzer | Director of Esports at CEI
Jadd Schmeltzer is the Director of Esports at CEI (The Center for Educational Innovation) in New York City. In 2018 Jadd approached CEI with the idea of creating an esports division. Since then, they’ve created programs in under-served middle schools & high schools that combine education &…
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EP 53 – with Justin Varghese | NA Marketing Manager for DreamHack
Justin Varghese is the North American Marketing Manager for DreamHack, an esports broadcaster & podcast co-host of the DreamHack Download. Justin entered the gaming world back in 2014 when he began to broadcast esports events. He has worked events with Activision Blizzard, MLG & The Pokemon…
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EP 52 – with Ghost Wacke | Streamer & Content Creator for Ghost Gaming
Ghost Wacke is a streamer & content creator for Ghost Gaming! We chat with him about his progress as a streamer over the years including this year, which has been his biggest yet. In 2020 he’s landed a partnership with G Fuel & been signed by Ghost Gaming. He shares how important Tik Tok has been...
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EP 51 – with Alex Gonzalez | Sponsorship & Promotional Lead at RESPAWN Products
Alex Gonzalez is the Sponsorship & Promotional Lead at RESPAWN Products. RESPAWN is a gaming furniture brand that produces gaming chairs, gaming desks, recliners & rockers. Alex handles incoming sponsorship & partnership opportunities with teams, brands, events, influencers & organizations. He…
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EP 50 - Lodgz 2.0
During episode 50 we unveil what's new & in store for the Lodgz brand. This includes The Lodgz Podcast, as well as Lodgz Financial. You'll also hear from the only other member of our Lodgz team, Tre Tipton. Tre has served has the head of creative/graphic design for all of our brand images.…
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EP 49 – with Darren Traub | Esports & Entertainment Attorney
Darren Traub is an Attorney & Partner at Davis Wright Tremaine LLP in New York City. He serves clients in the entertainment, esports, fashion & lifestyle industries. In esports he represents all segments of the industry including leagues, teams, content creators, investors, promotions & more. Due...
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EP 48 – with Sara Machado | Studiotypes Recruiter + Women in Games Ambassador
Sara Machado is a recruiter in the gaming industry for Studiotypes - based out of London, UK. She specializes in recruiting for programming, art, production & design roles. She shares how her recruiting process works, provides some tips for those who are interested in these opportunities & how...
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EP 47 – EsportsBizz Latam Roundtable Discussion – “Future Esports Jobs”
This episode is a recording of the EsportsBizz Latam roundtable discussion of “Future Esports Jobs”, that took place on May 21st. Juan served as the host of the panel which featured Matthew Benson (Founder of eFuse), Nathan Clauss (Managing Partner of New Level Recruiting) & Marcio Teixeira...
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EP 46 – with Sam Kulikov & Mark Josey | Co-Founders of the Kansas City Pioneers
Sam Kulikov & Mark Josey are Co-Founders of the esports organization, Kansas City Pioneers. Sam is the Director of Marketing & Mark is their Managing Director. The Kansas City Pioneers are a premier esports org comprised of individuals, teams, & content creators who compete internationally in...
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EP 45 – with Keisha Howard | Founder of Sugar Gamers
Keisha Howard is the Founder of Sugar Gamers, Marketing Lead for LiveCGI, a 2x TEDx speaker & previously featured in VentureBeat. Her company, Sugar Gamers, is a passionate organization of trendsetters who are on a mission to make the worlds of tech, geek culture and gaming accessible to...
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EP 44 – with Landon Gorbenko | Esports Mental Performance Consultant
Landon Gorbenko is a Mental Performance Consultant working with professional esports players. He specializes in training of mental skills, team dynamics & preparation. This includes anxiety/anger management, managing mental fatigue, optimal training zones & more! During this episode we…
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EP 43 – with Nic Sabet | Associate Attorney at K&L Gates
Nicolas Sabet is an Associate Attorney at K&L Gates law firm. He is playing a key role in developing the esports practice within the firm. Aside from his concentrated practice, Nic now advises owners, agents, players & others on applicable legal matters in the gaming & esports world. This…
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EP 42 – with Drew Schwartz | Esports Chiropractor
Dr. Drew Schwartz is a licensed Chiropractor in Cleveland, Ohio where he’s ran his Chiropractic clinic for seven years. Drew is the Founder of “For the Wellness Blog”, which is dedicated to improving the lives of esports athletes, casual gamers/streamers & day to day office workers. Specializing…
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EP 41 – with Luis Montejo | Digital Media Coordinator at JAG Insurance Group
Luis Montejo is the Digital Media Coordinator at JAG Insurance Group in Miami, FL. Luis leads the content creation team at JAG where they create informative & creative content around the insurance industry. He also records & produces podcast episodes for “The Transition Podcast”, which highlights...
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EP 40 – with Jordan Rodriguez | Multi-Sport College Athlete
Jordan Rodriguez is a multi-sport college athlete having competed in both basketball & football. During his senior year of high school basketball, he was a part of the all-city & all-area team in Huntsville, Alabama. Early in his senior year he was recruited by & signed with the University of...
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EP 39 - with Ivan Curtiss (Aka "OGKINGCURT") | GM & Head Coach of Brooklyn NetsGC
Ivan Curtiss is the GM & Heach Coach of the Brooklyn NetsGC, the affiliate NBA 2K team of the Brooklyn Nets. Previously, Ivan played 2K competitively before the official NBA 2K League was launched. In 2016, he Co-Founded MPBA2K, which became & remains one of the most popular NBA 2K Pro-Am…
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EP 38 - Lodgz Gaming Against COVID-19 Tournament Winners
During this special episode we host the winning team from the Lodgz Gaming Against COVID-19 Tournament! On March 27th the podcast hosted a charity tournament, specifically for professionals working in gaming & esports. We had 72 business professionals square off in Call of Duty Warzone....
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EP 37 PT. 2 – with Roger Caneda | Director of Esports for Visual Sound
During part two of the Roger Caneda story, we dive into his time as General Manager of the Dallas Mavericks NBA 2K team. While in Dallas, Roger created & launched the Mavs 20,000 square foot gaming facility, which made him a trailblazer in the league for others to follow. He led the Mavs social...
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EP 37 PT. 1 – with Roger Caneda | Director of Esports for Visual Sound
Roger Caneda is currently the Director of Esports for Visual Sound. During part 1 of the Roger Caneda story, we dive into his time with the Miami Flamingos, previously a professional gaming organization who competed in CS:GO. Roger initially joined the Flamingos part-time as their Director of...
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EP 36 - with Jeff Eisenband | Esports & Sports Journalist
Jeff Eisenband is an esports & sports journalist. He's worked for companies such as ThePostGame, DraftKings, Front Office Sports, MSG Networks, the NBA, the NBA 2K League & others! Jeff walks us through his career in journalism including chatting about his time at Northwestern University, where…
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EP 35 - with Bryce Browne | Director of Esports at Mamba Sports Academy
Bryce Browne is the Director of Esports at Mamba Sports Academy in Newbury Park, California. After spending 4 years in the U.S. Air Force as a structural engineer, Bryce transitioned into the fitness industry. This transition came after spending two months bedridden due to suffering major back...
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EP 34 - with Justin M. Jacobson, Esq. | VP of the Jacobson Firm
Justin Jacobson is an attorney & the Vice President of the Jacobson Firm in New York City! He's successfully negotiated various forms of deals with Netflix, RCA Records & Universal Music Publishing. He's worked with notable individuals including professional athletes, pro gamers, musicians &...
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EP 33 - with Rob Gonzales | On-Air Personality
Rob Gonzales is an on-air personality with experience in numerous roles including hosting, commentating & broadcasting live esports events. Last year he hosted some of the biggest esports events of the year including the Fortnite World Cup, E3 (Apex Legends), DreamHack Atlanta (Rainbow 6) &…
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EP 32 - with Gabriel Causse | Partnerships Manager for Magic Gaming
Gabriel Causse is the Esports Partnership Manager for Magic Gaming, affiliate NBA 2K League team of the Orlando Magic. Originally from France, Gabe moved to the United States in his early 20's to begin a new adventure. Shortly after graduating from the University of Colorado he spent over 3 years...
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EP 31 - with Chris Smith | Founder of BIG Esports
Chris Smith is the Founder of BIG Esports, a gaming & esports consulting firm & agency located in Australia. Chris has spent 10+ years in the industry sitting in various different roles including playing as a semi-professional player, esports commentator, event organizer & now on the business…
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EP 30 - with Erin Ashley Simon | TV Anchor at Cheddar Esports
Erin Ashley Simon is many things - TV Anchor at Cheddar Esports, Co-Host of the Grass Routes Podcast, Forbes featured & ex-D1 athlete, to name a few. She started her journey in media at the age of 16 when she started her blog, Box of Mess, where she highlighted top tier high school basketball...
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EP 29 - with Kieran John | Esports Agent at DULCEDO Management
Kieran John is an entrepreneur, YouTuber & Esports Agent at DULCEDO Management. At the age of 14 he grew his YouTube channel to 80,000 subscribers & over 5 million views in just two months. A couple of years later he founded Elusive Esports Agency which represents professional players, streamers,...
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EP 28 - with Derric "Famous Enough" Franklin | GM & Head Coach for Heat Check Gaming
Derric Franklin, also known as "Famous Enough", is the GM & Head Coach for Heat Check Gaming. Derric walks us through his life story beginning from his time served in the U.S. Army. He shares how he originally made a splash in the NBA 2K community & what his name, "Famous Enough", means. He also...
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EP 27 - with Chris Kissack | Head of SMP Esports Division
Chris Kissack is from the Isle of Man, UK & serves as the Head of the SMP Esports Division. Prior to joining SMP, the company did not have a presence in the esports space. Chris approached the company in August of 2019 & was successful in persuading the company to splash into the esports scene.…
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EP 26 - with Tom Newton | Director of Operations at eFuse
After finishing his MBA at Ohio State University Tom joined eFuse to begin his role as the Director of Operations. The web & mobile application, eFuse, provides validated opportunities for those in the gaming & esports space. We also chat about the inaugural Call of Duty League season - our...
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EP 25 - with April Bliz | Founder of Trailblazing VR
After 10 years in corporate America, April decided to shift her focus and pursue a career in the VR industry. We chat about her experience as a participant of the Oculus launch pad program, her AR app she created - ‘WAR of the AI’ & how she’s been working to enhance the viewing experience for...
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EP 24 - with Will Hershey | Co-Founder & CEO of Roundhill Investments
Will Hershey is the Co-Founder & CEO of Roundhill Investments. Roundhill aims to develop products that enable investors to participate in the esports industry via public markets. We chat with Will about Roundhill Investments, the “streaming wars” between different live-streaming platforms over...
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EP 23 - with Cris Reed | Esports Startup Advisor
Cris Reed is an esports startup advisor, podcast host & content creator. Our conversation focuses mainly on content creation on platforms such as Tik Tok & LinkedIn. Cris also provides insight & advice to startup founders & entrepreneurs including pitching to VC’s & his thoughts on raising…
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EP 22 - with Sam Speaker | Founder of GamrPod
Sam Speaker is the Founder of GamrPod - the first fully equipped gaming & streaming soundproof studio! Sam joins us to chat about all the details of the company, including how it got started, plans for the future & their recent sponsorship from Logitech. Tune in to the final episode of 2019!...
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EP 21 - with Austin Alderman | Streamer Success Manager for Stream Elements
Austin Alderman is a Streamer Success Manager for Stream Elements. Stream Elements is a platform that provides community & revenue growth tools for streamers. Austin shares his unique story of how he landed his job at Stream Elements & how others who are looking to work in esports can learn from...
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EP 20 - with Tim “oLARRY” Anselimo | ESPY Award Winner & NBA 2K League Player for Cavs Legion GC
Tim Anselimo is an NBA 2K League Player for Cavs Legion GC & ESPY award winner of 2019 for “Best Esports Moment”. We chat with Tim about his process of entering the 2K league, his career to date, his ESPY award winning moment, health in esports & more! Connect with the show: Follow Tim on Twitter...
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EP 19 - with Betts Waller | Partnered Streamer on Mixer with 105K+ Followers
Betts Waller (aka "Forrest Dump) is a partnered streamer on Mixer with 107K+ followers. We chat about the challenges of becoming a successful streamer, the opportunities a streaming career has provided him & the different partnerships he’s secured, including most recently with G Fuel. Connect…
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EP 18 - with Juan Rodriguez (Host) | A Lodgz Update
Happy Thanksgiving week to everyone! This episode is a solo round. I talk about the progress of the podcast, updates & tease upcoming guests in December. I also talk briefly about my entrepreneurial journey thus far & how the last 6 months have gone.
About this show
Welcome to The Lodgz Podcast, an interview-style gaming and esports show highlighting business professionals, streamers, content creators, and pro esports players. Hosted by Juan Rodriguez, Founder of Lodgz Financial. Every week Juan hosts notable people in gaming to share their career, journey and story of how they got to where they are today. New episodes drop every Thursday.
Hosted by
Juan Rodriguez