Jonathan Stringfield
Vice President, Global Business Research and Marketing
Activision Blizzard
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanstringfield/

What are three attributes that got you where you are now?

Midwestern grittiness, unfailing authenticity, and being able to talk about highly technical things in an accessible way.

What advice would you give to someone who is looking to enter the market?

Be flexible – no career path is linear, and a hard-set plan is only a plan for disappointment. Opportunities sometimes come from where you least expect them, but so long as you’re moving forward you’re doing fine.

Pre-workday, what is your morning ritual?

I’m an avid endurance runner, so often doing just that – I’m almost always marathon training, not due to some goal to run a large number of them (though my count is getting up there), but recognizing that without a big/scary goal to shoot for I won’t otherwise be motivated.

What about your job keeps you up at night?

Regardless of the particulars of my job, I always worry about my team – am I supporting them enough, are they set up for success, and do they feel like they are empowered to have impact. If any of the above are a “no,” I’m not doing a good job.

Where is there still uncharted territory in the esports space?

The person(s) who can crack a monetization model that is equitable for creators/pros, game studios, and other entities within the broader ecosystem (gaming/content organizations, tournament organizers, etc.) will be very admired and respected. The person(s) who can find a path to onboard fans who otherwise don’t play video games into esports viewers will be very rich (and probably still very admired and respected).