We had the good fortune of connecting with Chris Erb and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Chris, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
I spent almost two decades leading marketing teams in the gaming industry on brands like Dungeons & Dragons, Pokemon and EA SPORTS. When I left EA and joined Legendary Pictures I saw a ton of agencies supporting the entertainment industry but never had that support in gaming. So I left Legendary and started Tripleclix to essentially build a marketing agency that would support the gaming industry similar to what was being done for films and TV.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
We’d love to hear what sets you apart from others, what you are most proud of or excited about. Coming up on our 10th anniversary, It’s fun to look back and see the journey. When we launched Tripleclix in 2014, we were the first boutique promotions agency focused on gaming. Most agencies were focused on the launch of esports and advertising. Our goal is to be focused on the consumer and helping publishers partner with brands to build marketing programs that ignite the gamers passions. Don’t market to them, build relationships with them. Brands should be thinking about how to make the gaming experience better for their consumers while publishers should be thinking about getting brands to share their games to broader audiences.

How did you get to where you are today professionally. Was it easy? If not, how did you overcome the challenges? What are the lessons you’ve learned along the way.
Nothing is easy but if you work in the industry you love it doesn’t feel like work. I lucked into some great opportunities and put my head down and took advantage of them.
The toughest thing is to take that first step on betting on yourself. Leaving a well paying movie industry job to start a marketing agency from the space bedroom of your house is scary. But having the right support system and built strong relationships in the industry made it a little easier. But the first step is hard…but the best step I ever took professionally.

What do you want the world to know about you or your brand and story?
That we are just getting started! We have some amazing clients (Xbox, Activision, Fortnite, Kellogg’s, Nestle, Duracell, Swarovski, Trolli) that have trusted us to do some really fun and impactful programs (Porsche, OPI, Gucci, Jordan, Taco Bell, etc.) that have landed really well with gamers. But there is a lot more work to do. The more we can do to help brands have authentic moments in gaming without ending up being made fun of on reddit. Think gamers first!

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Wow, tough question when you live in Los Angeles, so much to do.

First thing we would do is go shoe shopping at BAIT and hit Undefeated on La Brea. Then drive downtown to check out the Broad or shoot over to Wilshire to see the Petersen and the Oscar museum.

Lunch or dinner at Craig’s if they want to see celebrities but I would rather go to Dan Tana’s which is my favorite. Maybe head to Broad Street Oysters and then hit the beach in Malibu. Of course I would fit in an In and Out visit if they were out of towners.

Obviously we would do something in gaming, so drive them to Santa Monica and play Call of Duty with some of the dev team or call up Taav Cooperman and get a tour of the Faze Clan compound. Damn, this is making me want to take the day off!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
On the personal side, it really starts at home. My work ethic I saw from my mom and dad in the professional careers helped me understand what was needed to be successful in a corporate role. I also focused on finding a role in an industry I loved. If I was going to be that committed to a career I wanted to do it on something I was passionate about.

On the professional side, I had amazing bosses and mentors. Todd Sitron at EA took a huge chance on me when he handed me the keys to the Madden Franchise when I was young in the space. Having someone in a leadership role trusted you but also provided a safety net gives you all the confidence you need. I try to keep that in mind as I lead my team at Tripleclix. Give people opportunities, let them lead, and be there if needed.

Website: tripleclix.com

Instagram: @chriserb @tripleclix.com

Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/christophererb

Twitter: @chriserb

Image Credits
Tripleclix

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