Esports and gaming agency Unlocked is expanding its presence at IBC this year with a speaker programme spanning all four days of the show. Led by Co-Founder Steven Leunens, Unlocked aims to bridge the gap between traditional broadcasting media and the rapidly evolving world of esports.
Steven Leunens has been deeply involved in gaming and esports for nearly two decades. His journey began in 2004 when he founded his own gaming team, which quickly grew into one of the largest Call of Duty (CoD) communities in the world. After selling this venture in 2008, Leunens shifted his focus to the event business within the industry, laying the foundation for what would eventually become Unlocked. Today, Leunens serves as the Co-Founder of Unlocked, a company dedicated to connecting brands with the Gen Z and Millennial audiences through innovative marketing and event strategies in the gaming and esports industry.
“We create all kinds of experiences to make sure that the audience that loves esports gets the message and gets it in a way that is true to their nature as a gamer,” says Leunens. “We create virtual worlds where they can engage with the brands that they want to, that want to reach them, but in a very natural way. We try to make marketing about experiences and make it exciting for the audience - not just a plain ad being slapped in your face by the latest in a long line of competitors trying to grab your attention.”...
You are not signed in
Only registered users can read the rest of this article.
On the box: Harnessing sustainable set technology for Treehouse
RD Studios’ new live-action children’s TV series – which itself has a sustainability theme – has been made using 100% recyclable sets, writes David Davies.
From crowd to cloud: Esports broadcasting in 2025
The recent Global Esports Industry Week (GEIW) and BLAST.tv Austin Major provided a real-world insight into the relationship between esports content production and high-end broadcast. Ivan Simic reports.
IBC Accelerators: Master Control Cloud
The Master Control Cloud project, part of the 2025 IBC Accelerator Media Innovation Programme, aims to build a proof-of-concept system that reimagines the traditional broadcast master control room as a scalable, cloud-native service.
Build-up to IBC2025: Content Everywhere companies take stock
In just a few weeks’ time, the global media and entertainment industry will convene at the RAI in Amsterdam for this year’s IBC. As usual, technology innovations and new business models will be on show, along with the usual presence of informative and influential speakers.
SkyRace des Matheysins: Reliable live production in hostile terrain
Favoriz Production used Haivision technology for agile live production in the French Alps – a landscape with limited 4G coverage and no public IP infrastructure.
.jpg)
.JPG)
