Meet Doug Cortez

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

Hi Doug, what is the most important factor behind your success?
I think it’s a combination of a few things: 1) being miserably stubborn about certain things in life and 2) insisting that I find things out myself. There were so many times, especially early on in my career, that I was told how hard it would be. How impossible it is to get to the level I wanted to get to. And to be honest with you, I believed it to an extent. But the combination of the two things above were the driving forces for me. I could either a) believe people telling me that it was too risky, too difficult to get there, that spots are limited and there are tons of others who are gunning for the same things OR I could find out myself. I didn’t get here without my fair share of bumps and bruises along the way, but I’d say that the stubborn desire to find out for myself paid off in the long run.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Boy, this is a loaded question. I think there are a few things in my career that I’ve been really proud of accomplishing. Casting the first ever VCT match with a live crowd audience in Copenhagen. The first ever VCT Americas match in the Riot Games Arena. The first ever VCT Americas grand final. The Masters Shanghai final. That one was particularly special. Starting a slow clap with 10,000 people in a sold out Mercedes Benz arena might be a top 5 moment in life for me.

Getting here took many years of spinning wheels, wondering if I was wasting my time, DMing people with no replies, working shows for next to nothing, sometimes even just volunteer work so I can get some film to show people. It was discouraging for a while. There also weren’t many people around me that were telling me that something like this is possible and that I should go for it. If it wasn’t for my being so hellbent on seeing this thing through to the end, I don’t make it this far. I would have hated quitting somewhere along the way and spending who knows how long wondering what if I hadn’t quit? What if I hadn’t given up? It’s a dangerous question – “What if?” because it pushes you to find out. And that’s a scary thing to do.

I’ve learned a fair amount along the way. Trying to boil it down to one or two is tough. I think a big one for me was learning that time is precious and finite. It’s cliche and whatnot, but 15-20y from now nobody is going to think about how many YouTube subscribers I had, or twitter followers, or lines I used in matches, or anything like that. The only people that will know all the work put into this craft are those closest to me. And so with the limited amount of time that I do have I ask myself how do I strike the balance between pushing to be the very best that I possibly can be at what I do, while also realizing that there’s so much more to invest into both in the short term and in the long term. It’s hard to zoom out when you’re in the trenches of stuff, but that’s the only way to really wrestle with and appreciate the bigger picture.

What do I want people to know about my story? Man, I have no idea. I guess I want people to know how deeply I love and appreciate the craft of commentary. I spend so much time studying it. Thinking about it. Listening to others in my field that I look up to and admire. Mess with and tweak different little things like tone, pacing, emphasis, all things that most people probably don’t even think twice about. Or even once about, actually. But I love the craft. I LOVE storytelling. I love getting to paint a picture in the minds and ears of spectators. I also think that the players deserve that level of attention and care to the craft. For many, these few years of competing very well might be some of their best. These are stories they’ll tell for decades to come. It’s a disservice to them and to the sport to not approach the craft of commentary with equal regard.

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.
The beach is a non-negotiable must. I try to go every morning before the day begins. Teddy’s for the best birria of your life. Wellsbourne and Chloes for cocktails. The Getty is time incredibly well spent for the art enthusiast. There are a number of excellent oyster spots along the coast too. You can’t go wrong if that’s what you’re in the mood for.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
There are so many greats that have come before me. Both in esports and in traditional sports. I have tremendous respect and admiration for a few that I consider the best to ever do it. Kirk Herbstreit, Chris Fowler, Alex “Machine” Richardson, Chad “Spunj” Burchill. In my opinion, these are some of the few that have made commentary what we know it to be today. And I’m incredibly thankful for them and how they approach the craft.

Instagram: https://instagram.com/esportsdoug

Twitter: https://twitter.com/esportsdoug

Image Credits
Colin Young-Wolff