Esports
Dota 2 stage host Eri Neeman has had a pretty unconventional journey into esports. We caught up with him to talk about how it’s been so far and what his dreams are for the future.
One weekend, there’s a real possibility that Eri Neeman may be hosting a wedding for a few hundred people. Fast forward to another and he’s bringing the hype to a raucous SEA crowd at a Dota 2 event as a stage host. From his first appearance on the scene back in 2013, through to his most recent Dota event appearances on the DPC this year, he’s now a familiar face on the circuit.
His hype is infectious, as well as his inherent love for the local audience and SEA fans who are widely considered among the best in the world. He also introduced the Dota world to the now famous “Macho Man” feature, where some of the scene’s favourite casters competed in a wonderfully goofy contest at each event Eri was at.
We sat down with Eri to discuss just how he stumbled into the world of Dota 2, how he got to where he is today, his lofty career aspirations, and his thoughts on the crowds in the Philippines – plus plenty more.
You appeared on the Dota 2 scene practically out of nowhere. How did you end up in the world of esports and what was your first impression at your first event?
My very first esports event would be MSI Beat It back in 2013 with Mineski. That was the start of my working relationship with the organisation. This was also where Macho Man was born, a segment that made some noise in future esports events I had with Mineski and ESL over the years. I got to meet two of the premier casters in the scene, Tryke ‘Tryke’ Gutierrez and Marlon ‘Lon’ Marcelo. This was the first time I saw them cast together and the first time I've seen casters cast Dota 2. It was so entertaining. Lon is now the VP of Mineski and Tryke is the CEO of Tier One Entertainment, an esports agency. Those two were great together – in fact the best duo I've seen in the Philippines. I hope they have a reunion cast one of these days.
Watch one of Eri’s famous Macho Man segments below:
My initial impression of esports was me thinking to myself, ‘Wow, this is awesome.’ I had no idea what was going on in-game as this was the first time I saw Dota 2 played; but this was video games. People gathered to watch video games. These guys all play video games. It was so easy to get along with everyone. I felt we were all on the same wavelength. Anyone who grew up playing would more than likely get along I'm sure.
You're loved by the community for your sheer energy and passion. How do you motivate yourself and prepare for a job with long days?
I honestly just love what I do and I love the community. I remember a few years ago I was at a fork in my career. I was doing too many things, and I asked myself where I feel the happiest and most fulfilled. That was hosting.
Then I asked myself which sort of events or crowds do I enjoy hosting for the most. I enjoyed and felt the most fulfilled when I was hosting for a gaming or anime audience, or for a wedding. I felt the happiest after hosting any kind of event involving one of the two.
Two to three years after that decision, here I am and I'm very happy doing what I am doing.
You were involved with Galaxy Battles, which wasn't quite the event it initially was laid out to be. How did the event go from your side? Just how good are Filipino fans?
Obviously with the bad PR surrounding the event, and the PR the organisers were facing themselves, there was some caution heading into the event. But the organisers asked way before all of that happened and we all got along during our meeting. The only thing that changed was all the events that unfolded the months after. I didn't want to let that get in the way of my commitment to them. I wanted to see how it was to actually work with them and base my own opinion from that.
They are honestly good people. Just lacking in experience and foresight. You get the latter through experience and you get the former by making mistakes. I certainly hope they push forward and learn from everything they went through. If their heart is in the right place moving forward, they will grow.
I enjoyed working with them. They were very open as you've seen. I've never had an organiser or any brand or entity for that matter be willing to make fun of themselves the way they did considering the circumstances. There is a sort of maturity that comes with that. You have to be willing to admit your mistakes to be able to let that happen, which obviously takes a degree of maturity.
The Filipino fans are the best fans in the world. I recommend everyone comes here one day and feels the energy for themselves. Feel the emotion behind the roars of the crowd. That would be enough for everyone to know where I'm coming from.
You also hosted at ESL One Genting, again in front of an SEA crowd. How do you see the SEA scene in Dota 2 and esports in general?
The SEA scene is hungry and on the rise. There's a momentum you feel from here. The organisers, players, talent and audience feel they can be just as good as any other scene. They want to be as good, and they want to be at the same level as the other regions. ESL One Genting was even better than last year. I expect things to level up even more in every regard over the years here in SEA. You can do pretty much anything if you have the hunger for it. We are hungry.
Away from esports you host personal functions such as weddings and the like. How different are your roles and what do you enjoy doing most?
Every event comes down to one thing as a host: energy and flow. Different factors affect the flow of an event, but once you understand the nature of a program flow, it's all the same. Just different factors.
The role of a host is to manage the energy and flow of an event. That’s my role in any event. Be it for 200 people in a private venue or 20,000 people in a stadium. Esports and weddings are two different things. They each have something wonderful in their own right. Seeing everyone come together celebrating a game that they love and the kind of people you meet in esports. That’s special. Seeing people and families celebrate two people in love and seeing those two celebrate their love. That’s special as well. I love both. That's why I chose both
What's your ultimate aim in esports? If you could stage host one event, what would it be and why?
I would like to host The International. That’s my goal. It’s the biggest tournament in Dota and I'd be honoured to get to be part of that. You only live once so might as well go all the way.
I also have a sketch that can only be done at TI. It can only be done there, and if Valve would say yes to it – there’s a 90 percent chance they won’t I feel – that would be the biggest check on my meme list. That meme would be a dream. I already got to meme Shanghai and I'm so grateful for that, but this sketch would easily top it. If by some miracle Valve would let it fly, I would personally consider it one of the biggest memes ever done for the community.
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