MrBitter Profile Joined January 2008 United States 2912 Posts Last Edited: 2015-02-05 01:39:31 #1



Anyway, and, I guess in that same vein, today I want to take a look back at what I'll affectionately refer to as the "Glory Days".



This afternoon I had lunch with an old colleague. It's been a couple years since I really sat down and caught up with him, and throughout our conversation, I was overcome by such an awesome sense of nostalgia.



The NASL days are really not so far gone. It was just a little over a year ago that I jumped ship, but anyone who's read even a little bit about it knows that the boat had been taking on water for some time. To really speak to the glory days, we've got to go back about one more year to the time of NASL Season 4.



Moving "behind the scenes" in the industry has never been something that bothered me. My time spent casting StarCraft accounts for some of the best years of my life, but it wasn't something that was hard for me to move on from. Yet, recently, I've found myself more and more driven to write blogs and talk to the community. Ultimately I think it's just important to stay close to the communities you care about, and maybe doing this is my way of doing that?Anyway, and, I guess in that same vein, today I want to take a look back at what I'll affectionately refer to as the "Glory Days".This afternoon I had lunch with an old colleague. It's been a couple years since I really sat down and caught up with him, and throughout our conversation, I was overcome by such an awesome sense of nostalgia.The NASL days are really not so far gone. It was just a little over a year ago that I jumped ship, but anyone who's read even a little bit about it knows that the boat had been taking on water for some time. To really speak to the glory days, we've got to go back about one more year to the time of NASL Season 4.



While I'm very proud of every event I've worked on, a part of me will always believe that the show we put together for the NASL Season 4 Finals was the best show I've ever been a part of.



I've never worked harder, longer hours in my life. But I've also never had more fun working with some of the most creative, passionate people I've ever had the honor of knowing. While plenty of the names that graced the NASL staff sheet belong in the clown book, just as many of them continue to be leaders in our industry, and I feel strongly that the show we put together in Long Beach really was one of the best eSports had seen to date.



At a time when crowd shots and countdown timers were the norm, we took the concept of zero down time and delivered on it as well as we possibly could. From Fierce Fitness to Carbot, to amazing art work by Soe to compelling interviews and hilarious free for alls, the show was absolutely packed. Tack on some of the best finals matches we could have possibly hoped for and we were left with an incredible recipe for a perfect final.



Except, at the end of the day, it wasn't. As proud as I was of that show, no one really came to see it. Most the crowd shots you'll see from the final were of the first four rows, because the many more behind them were empty. And most the conversation you'll find about that final amounts to the same. "Why's there no audience?"



It really stung that, at the end of the year, when people would talk about "the best events of the 2012", NASL Season 4 was just an afterthought. Of course it wasn't as hype as DreamHack or MLG. You can't fake crowd. But the show was so much better! Why couldn't anyone else see that? Who else put in the hundreds of hours of filming? The thousands of hours of editing? The weekends spent planning, and shooting, and writing, and revising?



Of course, the answer is easy. At the end of the day, it's not about the show, it's about the games. It's not about the work that goes into a finals. It's about the players competing there.



In the end, I understand that the NASL Season 4 Finals were forgettable for most people. I can get why no one recollects SortOf's amazing run, or Hyun's creepy-as-fuck massage.



While I'm very proud of every event I've worked on, a part of me will always believe that the show we put together for the NASL Season 4 Finals was the best show I've ever been a part of.I've never worked harder, longer hours in my life. But I've also never had more fun working with some of the most creative, passionate people I've ever had the honor of knowing. While plenty of the names that graced the NASL staff sheet belong in the clown book, just as many of them continue to be leaders in our industry, and I feel strongly that the show we put together in Long Beach really was one of the best eSports had seen to date.At a time when crowd shots and countdown timers were the norm, we took the concept of zero down time and delivered on it as well as we possibly could. From Fierce Fitness to Carbot, to amazing art work by Soe to compelling interviews and hilarious free for alls, the show was absolutely packed. Tack on some of the best finals matches we could have possibly hoped for and we were left with an incredible recipe for a perfect final.Except, at the end of the day, it wasn't. As proud as I was of that show, no one really came to see it. Most the crowd shots you'll see from the final were of the first four rows, because the many more behind them were empty. And most the conversation you'll find about that final amounts to the same. "Why's there no audience?"It really stung that, at the end of the year, when people would talk about "the best events of the 2012", NASL Season 4 was just an afterthought. Of course it wasn't as hype as DreamHack or MLG. You can't fake crowd. But the show was so much better! Why couldn't anyone else see that? Who else put in the hundreds of hours of filming? The thousands of hours of editing? The weekends spent planning, and shooting, and writing, and revising?Of course, the answer is easy. At the end of the day, it's not about the show, it's about the games. It's not about the work that goes into a finals. It's about the players competing there.In the end, I understand that the NASL Season 4 Finals were forgettable for most people. I can get why no one recollects SortOf's amazing run, or Hyun's creepy-as-fuck massage.



But I'll never forget.



When I'm buried in planning for the next big show, wondering how I'm ever going to dig myself out, it's the NASL glory days that I'll think back to and remember fondly. And while I hope like hell we never see another NASL repeat, I'm always seeking to once again feel that pride that comes with delivering a show that I poured my heart into.



Just a few of my favorite moments. There were so many more.



Fierce Fitness

But I'll never forget.When I'm buried in planning for the next big show, wondering how I'm ever going to dig myself out, it's the NASL glory days that I'll think back to and remember fondly. And while I hope like hell we never see another NASL repeat, I'm always seeking to once again feel that pride that comes with delivering a show that I poured my heart into.Just a few of my favorite moments. There were so many more.Fierce Fitness



Rotti's beautiful "Rotti-pose"

Rotti's beautiful "Rotti-pose"



The Caster Bash

The Caster Bash



Soe's amazing art work

Soe's amazing art work









