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Tundra Esports’ award-winning gaming creative director, Danny Lopez, launches new creative studio

Published

3 years ago

February 13, 2023

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Story Mode, a London-based creative studio specialising in youth culture-driven content, is pleased to announce its official launch today. Founded by Danny Lopez, who has a decade of experience delivering video content and creative strategy for world-renowned brands, Story Mode will focus on making authentic, engaging and entertaining content to elevate brand identities, and is already boasting clientele such as Bukayo Saka and Jesse Lingard.

Utilising Lopez’s expertise in the creative and content space, Story Mode will elevate brands, pro players, athletes, musicians and content creators from across the world with a high level of quality content, while also enabling brands to genuinely and regularly connect with elusive youth audiences. Story Mode will focus on five key pillars: Content, Creative, Social Media, Events and Consulting, to create an all-encompassing brand package to ensure their clients stand out. Campaigns will offer multiple touch points needed to grow audiences with key fans through social media to wider brand exposure through live activations.

Current Story Mode clients include England international footballer Bukayo Saka, where Story Mode produced his long-awaited TikTok channel launch, JLingz Esports, the organisation headed up by former Manchester United player Jesse Lingard, Middle-Eastern organisation Falcon Esports and London-based Tundra Esports. Story Mode will continue to grow its network of clientele, spanning across esports organisations, leagues and tournament operators, personal branding for players and creators, mainstream sports, media and entertainment, and corporate brands.

With a decade of experience creating and producing esports, gaming and youth culture entertainment content, Danny Lopez specialises in brand management, strategy, creative, merchandise, social media and content. Beginning his esports career at esports organisation Fnatic as Creative Director in 2015, Danny continued to explore the world of creativity in esports working with publishers and tournament organisers including Riot Games and FACEIT, before heading to North America to work with Immortals and NYXL on the Blizzard Overwatch League. Danny was responsible for generating the brand identity for the David Beckham co-owned sports organisation Guild Esports, which led to him being nominated for Esports Creative of the Year at the 2021 Esports Awards.

More recently as Director of Marketing and Content at Tundra Esports, Lopez oversaw all marketing verticals including social media, content creators and ambassadors, and brand partnership activations. He also produced and directed the Platinum Viddy award-winning music video for Outplayed – the world’s first grime gaming anthem by P Money, featuring international footballer Virgil van Dijk, as well as producing all video content for Tundra’s DOTA 2, Fortnite and Rocket League rosters.

Managing Director of Story Mode, Danny Lopez commented: “We saw a huge gap in the EU market for creative that truly spoke the language of youth culture. At Tundra, we received so many inquiries from brands and personalities asking how we pulled off our own content, we decided to fill the void and build a business around it. Authentic storytelling is something that can be difficult to navigate, but we believe we’ve mastered it at Story Mode.”

Executive Chairman Carleton Curtis also commented: “With the emergence of youth-native platforms such as TikTok, it’s more important than ever to speak authentically and connect with communities in ways that delight and inspire. Story Mode has already established itself as a pioneer in the esports space and will continue bridging the gap between gaming, culture and entertainment. Story Mode will also help individual personalities build their own brands online, and we believe our products will be something others will imitate, but never replicate.”

Alona Shevtsova

Sends CEO Alona Shevtsova moderates Global Gaming Expansion panel in Riyadh

Published

3 hours ago

June 25, 2026

Wladimir P.

sends-ceo-alona-shevtsova-moderates-global-gaming-expansion-panel-in-riyadh

Alona Shevtsova, CEO of Sends, will moderate a panel at The Blockchain show on 29^th June, bringing together experts from entertainment, location-based gaming, and content localisation to examine what it takes to build sustainable gaming ecosystems across emerging markets.

The panel, titled “Global Gaming Expansion: Lessons from Untapped Markets,” will structure its discussion across four themes: the growth dynamics reshaping emerging gaming markets; the role of localisation in creating experiences that genuinely connect with new audiences; the infrastructure and communities needed to build gaming ecosystems beyond the game itself; and the lessons and opportunities that will define successful expansion in the years ahead.

Alona Shevtsova plans to frame the discussion around the central challenge for companies looking to expand globally: entering a new market requires far more than bringing an existing product to a new audience. Understanding local cultures, building communities, adapting experiences, and creating ecosystems that allow gaming to grow sustainably are all as important as the product itself.

Alona Shevtsova, CEO of Sends, said:

“The future growth of gaming will come not only from new technologies, but from understanding people — their cultures, communities, and the experiences they want to be part of. Successful expansion will belong to those who can combine global ambition with local understanding.”

The first segment will examine why regions including the Middle East, Africa, and South Asia are becoming increasingly significant for developers, operators, and investors — driven by young audiences, accelerating digital adoption, and new entertainment models creating substantial growth potential. Panellists will explore how consumer preferences differ across markets and what trends among younger audiences are shaping the future of gaming and entertainment.

The third segment will broaden the lens beyond the game itself, exploring the role of location-based entertainment, gaming centres, esports, and experiential destinations in attracting new audiences and building long-term communities. Panellists plan to address how entertainment ecosystems — spanning physical venues, events, and community infrastructure — accelerate gaming adoption in markets where the category is still establishing itself.

Earlier this month, Alona Shevtsova was shortlisted for the 2026 Great British Entrepreneur Awards in the Established Business of the Year category. Her team is also preparing for the Fintech Connect conference in London later this year. Sends will be a leading sponsor of this event.

*Sends is a trade name of SMARTFLOW PAYMENTS LIMITED, registered in England and Wales (Company No.11070048). For more information, visit sends.co .

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