Kivo Daily Staff, Author At Kivo Daily

Jimmy Baratta on Giving Back in Esports Through the NACL

Kivo Daily Staff on January 2, 2021

Up until recently, no one would have thought that esports would become as big as it is today. There are esports events and tournaments worldwide, and there are even professional players and teams. As a result, the gaming community grew, and there are now several platforms where players and enthusiasts can interact and bond over their shared interests. Jimmy Baratta has helped create a new way to support collegiate esports athletes in this new frontier through his nonprofit league, the NACL.

Jimmy Baratta was trained as a civil litigation attorney. After six successful years working in a prestigious law firm in California, Jimmy decided it was time for him to pursue his love for gaming. “I am incredibly passionate about esports,” he shares, “I have been a gamer my whole life.” After making that decision, Jimmy has successfully shifted careers from law to esports business development.

Apart from founding ICEBRKRSCLAN, a network of content creators and competitive players founded by Baratta in 2017, and consulting for Granderson des Rochers, a high profile entertainment law firm in Beverly Hills, in 2019 Jimmy Baratta established the North American Collegiate League (NACL) with FaZe Clan seed investor David Chen. Jimmy Baratta and David Chen noticed that scholarships are usually only given to traditional sports athletes or academic achievers, and decided to fill a void, so that competitive esports players also can attain higher education. The NACL, they state, is a non-profit organization that aims to support collegiate competitive esports players through scholarships.

Baratta’s NACL now has over 220 colleges and universities affiliated, that compete and participate in NACL events. The NACL maintains broadcast licenses in some of the biggest games in gaming: from Fortnite to CS:GO, Madden, and more. The NACL has hosted tournaments every month since its launch and distributed over $100,000 in funding. The NACL also streams events and tournaments through their partnership with Chinese service Huomao and iSunTV across 8 Asian territories, Latin America, and the U.S. This large fan base gains the NACL nearly 1.5M in viewership, establishing itself as the predominant name in collegiate gaming.

A brief history – the NACL hosted their first event in November of 2019 at the ISM Raceway during NASCAR’s 2020 Championship weekend. NACL ambassador and NASCAR driver Anthony Alfredo led the campaign, where students competed against each other and against NASCAR drivers to claim the esports prize. The event was such a success, it was repeated on March 15, 2020 at Phoenix Raceway, where the NACL showcased NASCAR Heat 4 to the public in a tournament that was crowned with the winner of the LS Tractor 200. Since then, the NACL has shifted its model to support online tournaments, both increasing viewership, participation and charitable reach.

Apart from his philanthropic endeavors and founding of the NACL, Jimmy Baratta has continued to build a successful career in the esports business. He is currently a consultant for XSET, and fondly calls Clinton Sparks a mentor and friend. Jimmy also sits on the board for The Esportz Network. Jimmy also works with software developer Wizard Labs as head of user acquisition, and is the new VP of Special Events for XR Sports. Besides his corporate roles, he also accepted a position at the University of California Irvine as a professor of esports.

Following his passion has made such a positive impact on Jimmy Baratta’s life. Despite his success, he never forgets his commitment to the community – most evident in the NACL. He wants to encourage young people to see gaming and esports as a positive influence in their lives, now more than ever. To help with that, he has a mentoring program through the ICE clan, and also gives back by providing college scholarships through NACL to individuals who want to use their skills in esports to get a college education.

In pursuing a career in esports, Jimmy Baratta followed an unconventional route. But his decisions have paid off, and he hopes to inspire anyone else wanting to switch jobs or pursue their passion.

For more information on Jimmy Baratta, you may check his LinkedIn profile.

Symple: A Tech-Forward Brand Making Groundbreaking Innovations

Kivo Daily Staff on January 2, 2021

Despite the global crisis and many businesses shutting down left and right due to the pandemic, Symple found a way to establish itself in the business industry. Offering tech-forward smart furniture, it intends to revolutionize home living, one innovative piece of furniture at a time. As it transforms homes into a safe haven that is both comfortable and easy to manage, more and more people are drawn to its remarkable products.

For Symple, proving ultimate comfort means ushering in the next wave of smart home innovation by offering state-of-the-art furniture that features high-quality materials, beautiful aesthetics, and functionality. The company’s first product, The Executive Smart Bed, is a multi-functional bed equipped with exciting features such as built-in charging ports, storage compartments, Bluetooth speakers, touch lights, and electronic massage chairs.

The Executive Smart Bed works best not just for relaxation and sleep but also for working on one’s laptop and daytime lounging as well. The bed also comes with two adjustable genuine leather headboards, a sidearm, boot bed foot, hidden headboard shelf storage, built-in electronic lockbox safe, attached size stool and table, built-in extractable computer desk, and universal electronic remote control.

The bed is made up of wear-resistant microfiber leather, deep cushioning, high-density sponge, and a strong solid pinewood frame and skeleton. The bed size is a king bed frame with a width of 8 feet, a length of 8.5 feet, and a height of 2.5 feet.

It would excite consumers to know that Symple accepts custom designs and features. The company’s main objective is to ensure that the clients get what they asked for. The company is made up of a team of highly skilled workers and partners who are more than able to provide mattresses and in-person installation services. Furthermore, the team members are known for their kind accommodation, creativity, and passion for the work they do.

Company founder Kody Amburgey was motivated to develop Symple as a result of his passion for innovating within the smart home market. “I’m a multi-time founder, and I love bringing new products to the market. I’m on a mission to make home living more enjoyable and simple for everyone, especially during these unprecedented and difficult times,” Amburgey explains.

Aside from The Executive Smart Bed, Symple also released other smart furniture such as the Smart Sofa and Smart Recliner. Overall, clients cannot help but rave about the company’s exciting products. After all, nothing compares to being able to enjoy comfort and innovation at the same time. Symple has perfectly combined the two to create a luxurious and meaningful experience for their clients.

Although it was only recently established, Amburgey is nothing but confident that he and his team will one day make Symple a household name when it comes to smart furniture. In a few years, he envisions the company becoming the number one smart furniture brand in the country that offers a wide variety of innovative products.

Find out more about Symple by visiting its website.

Pavel Kozlov’s Fighting Spirit on the Wrestling Ring and On-screen Inspires Many

Kivo Daily Staff on June 23, 2020

A series of severe challenges and seemingly overwhelming odds could not keep Pavel Kozlov from achieving success in professional wrestling and acting. His undeniable talent, charisma, and indomitable will now serves as an inspiration to many.

Kozlov was the only child of parents who were both math professors at the University of Moscow, Russia. Tragedy struck Kozlov early in his life. He lost his father when he was only 13 years old. As expected of such an experience on someone so young, Pavel was greatly affected.

Around this time, Kozlov discovered American professional wrestling. One night, his mother called out to him from another room to go see what was on TV. It was a WWF show translated into Russian. Kozlov was instantly mesmerized. However, even his pursuit of this new-found interest was wrought with difficulties. Unlike in America, pro wrestling was not yet developed in Russia. What little that was shown on TV only aired once a week and very late at night for only 45 minutes. Determined, Pavel recorded each one using VHS tapes so he could rewatch them again and again.

The lack of schools to learn wrestling in meant that Kozlov had to settle with what was available to him. He trained in self-defense and kickboxing. Although he was already engaged in fighting and sports, he still yearned for professional wrestling. He was drawn to the story telling and characterization in wrestling that was absent from other combat sports. It became clear to him that he needed to move to the USA if he really wanted to become a pro wrestler.

Leaving Russia and moving to America pretty oved to be the toughest challenge of Kozlov’s life. This involved being separated from his mother. He also resolved to drop out of his final year of study in journalism at the University. But as he has proved time and time again, his fighting spirit was enough to drive him to fully commit to pursuing his dream.

Life in America was expectedly hard. Kozlov only knew very little English. Whereas in Russia he had a job in journalism, in America he had to wash dishes and flip burgers in fast food chains. At the same time, Kozlov wasted no time training in pro wrestling. He enrolled at the WWA4 school in Atlanta, Georgia where he studied wrestling for a year and a half. He also participated in various independent wrestling matches. After leaving WWA4, Pavel trained at Team 3D Academy of Professional Wrestling in Orlando, Florida.

In spite of, or perhaps because of, all the obstacles that he had to overcome, Kozlov now enjoys the fulfilment of his dreams. In 2015, he made his first wrestling appearance for the WWE. He is now recognized as Victor Romanoff, the Siberian Fighting Spirit.

Kozlov has also set his sights on Hollywood and has found success there. His talents and drive have earned him roles in a number of short films, TV shows, and independent productions. In both wrestling and acting, Kozlov’s fighting spirit is an undeniable inspiration to many.

Get to know more about Kozlov by visiting his website and his Instagram account.

Published by: Nelly Chavez

Author: Kivo Daily Staff

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Jimmy Baratta on Giving Back in Esports Through the NACL

Symple: A Tech-Forward Brand Making Groundbreaking Innovations

Pavel Kozlov’s Fighting Spirit on the Wrestling Ring and On-screen Inspires Many

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