Asante Bradford
Originally from Los Angeles, California, Asante Bradford relocated to Georgia after the 1996 Summer Olympics that took place in Atlanta. He worked as a Web Developer and acquired skills and knowledge about 2D and 3D technology. At a time when animation and gaming were relatively unknown in the state, Asante created 3D animation short films, which won multiple awards. To showcase his interest in animation and gaming, Asante founded the Independent Black Film Festival, which screened shorts and features that highlighted this genre.
During this time, students were leaving the state of Georgia for other jobs in the industry. The Georgia Film Office decided to create a digital entertainment position that would offer attractive incentives to grow jobs in the digital sector. Asante was employed as the Project Manager to promote film, music, and videogame development initiatives, educate prospects and clients about the Georgia Entertainment Industry Incentives Act, and promote the availability of these incentives. Utilizing his technology skills and his work in the entertainment industry, Asante went on to work in the Global Commerce Division department, offering additional state incentives, including the work tax credit, and other programming resources.
Currently Asante functions as the Senior Industry Engagement Manager for the Georgia Center of Innovation (COI), the state of Georgia’s leading resource initiative. In this role, Asante helps to promote the growth of the creative media industry as well as identify initiatives that will help grow businesses for the state of Georgia in interactive entertainment and emerging technologies.
The Center of Innovation is a strategic arm of the Georgia Department of Economic Development, a provider of a wide range of services and programs to businesses of all types and sizes.
Todd Harris
Todd created and submitted his first computer game to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill as part of his college application since writing games was more fun than writing essays. After obtaining his BS in Computer Science from the same university, Todd moved to Atlanta as a computer programmer at NCR before eventually leading product development at Radiant Systems and then BlueCube Software.
In 2005 Todd co-founded Hi-Rez Studios to deliver exceptional online entertainment via computer games. Hi-Rez Studios is now one of the largest video game studios in the Southeast with over 450 employees. Over 100 million people around the world have played a game developed here in metro Atlanta by Hi-Rez Studios.
In 2020, after building esports infrastructure and capability within Hi-Rez Studios, Todd and a partner completed a management buyout of that esports company, called Skillshot Media. Skillshot Media recently relocated from Alpharetta to Buckhead, taking space at the Lindbergh Center, now being redeveloped by Rubenstein as Uptown Atlanta, and working with that developer to position that area to be a gaming and esports hub.
Skillshot is in the business of connecting leading brands, engaged esports fans, and positive social impact. The company has hosted thousands of esports tournaments, paid out over $10M in prizing to players in competitive video games and delivered over 1 billion views of esports content.
Todd is also helping to give Atlanta a professional esports team to cheer for. Ghost Gaming is a professional esports team and gaming lifestyle brand with over 13 tournament championships and 30 million followers. In 2020 Todd and other Atlanta partners helped bring Ghost Gaming from Los Angeles, where the brand was built, to Atlanta with a focus on building a truly diverse and inclusive gaming community and brand.
Finally, with a passion for education, Todd serves as Chairperson for the non-profit North America Scholastic Esports Foundation, or NASEF, which uses video games as a trojan horse for positive learning outcomes in K-12. NASEF is the leading scholastic esports solution for high school students, providing opportunities for all students to use esports as a platform to acquire critical communication, collaboration, and problem-solving skills.
Todd also serves on the Board of Make-A-Wish Georgia and Chairs the Atlanta Esports Alliance, a division of the Atlanta Sports Council. Todd continues to garner industry recognition including “2019 Most Admired CEO” by the Atlanta Business Chronicle as he works with partners toward advancing the gaming industry both here in metro Atlanta and globally.