Full Sail Stories

With a recent event in Lake Nona, the pro esports leg of the NBA’s Orlando Magic – Magic Gaming – brought NBA 2K League play to Central Florida communities. Official NBA 2K League teams Magic Gaming and Atlanta-based Hawks Talon GC went head-to-head in a live LAN match held at leAD Lake Nona Sports & Health Tech Accelerator in June.

The event, which was free to the public, invited the local community and Magic fans to watch top players compete in person while enjoying free-play gaming and complimentary snacks.

“Magic Gaming’s recent in-person game at leAD in Lake Nona was a great example of how gaming provides a different platform for the Orlando Magic, and the NBA, to engage fans. Fans of all ages came out to Lake Nona to enjoy the day, play games with one another in the video game hub, and watch professional 2K players compete at the highest level,” shared Jay Riola, Executive Vice President of Strategy & Innovation at Orlando Magic. "It was made even better by Magic Gaming’s incredible performance [the team beat Talon GC 96-57], delivering a victory for fans to experience firsthand.”

Full Sail University served as the production partner for the event, providing support to the livestream with hosting, casting, tech, and stream support.

“There are so many opportunities for our students right now,” said Full Sail Director of Esports Business Strategy Jacob Kaplan. “An event like this one with a recognized and well-respected brand like Magic Gaming helps us show organizations within Central Florida what we can do. We are able to showcase the power, knowledge, and professionalism of our students – which leads to even more opportunities.”

Full Sail students and staff who worked during the event.

Clayton Wollner and Conrad Volsch, two students studying sportscasting at Full Sail, served as casters for the livestream which aired on the official NBA 2K League Twitch channel. Fellow sportscasting student Skyler Blaine served as the show’s host, while Armada students in areas of study including game business and game design  (Brittany MacLeod, Jagger Fenwick, and Najee Dyson) assisted staff with technical setup and tournament management.

“Full Sail is a great production partner to Magic Gaming, the NBA 2K League, and the broader esports industry. For all three of Magic Gaming’s in-person games produced over the past two years, Full Sail has provided event production support, and working with them has been wonderful. The students and staff always demonstrate strong subject-matter knowledge in production capabilities, sports – particularly esports – journalism, content creation, and sportscasting,” said Jay Riola.

Working with NBA 2K League to host their 2024 draft and a recent exhibition match at the Kia Center in Orlando, Full Sail is proud to work alongside teams like Magic Gaming to bring unique work experiences to students.

“These students are learning to set up and run a broadcast in non-traditional spaces, such as professional arenas, outside on the beach, and even in high school gymnasiums,” adds Jacob.