Robert Gaxiola heads up creative at esports firm Ampverse

Robert Gaxiola has joined gaming ecosystem Ampverse as head of creative to spearhead the company's creative direction and product evolution into original content and Web3. This includes bespoke metaverse experiences. Gaxiola (pictured) joins from Something Else, the digital content and NFT studio for Vogue, Esquire, and Robb Report, where he was director of creative and content.

At Something Else, he was responsible for the commercial development of its team, production services, and creative resources, reporting to Media Publishares' president Michael von Schlippe. Before that, he was heading content production house KellerMedia, which he co-founded with broadcast presenter Denise Keller. Gaxiola is a well-known name in the adland, having helmed leadership roles at Mangham Gaxiola, which was acquired by the dentsu network in 2015, as well as Ogilvy.

Aside from Gaxiola, Ampverse has also made a slew of leadership appointments, one of them being Thomas Jouanno (pictured below left) who joins as head of marketing and D2C. He is a digital and tech entrepreneur with over 12 years of experience in digital marketing, eCommerce, data analytics, and product monetisation. Jouanno has built and successfully exited several companies and previously served as president and CMO for Atmosol.

The company has also brought on board Tine Hansen (pictured above second from left) as head of commercial partnerships. Hansen is a senior commercial executive with over 10 years of experience in the entertainment industry, focusing on IP and branded content. She has worked across Europe, the US, Latin America, and APAC, holding director-level positions at the likes of Sony Pictures and NBC Universal.

At the same time, it has promoted Jenny Hall (pictured above right) to head of strategic partnerships. She has over 15 years of experience in business development and brand partnerships. Hall now leads the company's new strategic partnership business unit, developing new commercial products and partnerships across the group's portfolio of IP.

Charlie Baillie, Ampverse's chief strategy officer, explained that when companies are building an innovative company in such a dynamic sector as gaming and diverse region as Southeast Asia and India, a world-class team is vital to realise the scale of Ampverse's ambition.

"The latest additions to the management team all have their unique strengths but also share common traits – they are entrepreneurial, passionate, self-driven, and not afraid to challenge the norm," Baillie said.

Over the last year, Ampverse increased its headcount from 60 to more than 100 employees and saw revenue grow 125% during the same time period. Its portfolio of leading esports IP includes Thai esports brands Bacon and MiTH; Vietnamese team SBTC Esports and India’s 7Sea as well as Amp Guild, its owned and operated Play & Earn guild with a network of scholars across Axie Infinity, Townstar, and Spider Tanks.

Earlier this year, the company bagged US$12 million in Series A funding and plans to strengthen and scale several key business units, including commercial, Web3, marketing and strategic partnerships.