Gaming accelerator and mentorship program for teen Fortnite enthusiasts opens applications
NEW YORK – November 21, 2019 – Today, pro esports organization Rogue, in partnership with Find Your Grind Foundation (FYG) and backed by ReKTGlobal, opens applications for the third semester of Junior Rogue, a professional gaming accelerator program that gives young Fortnite players a direct path to pursue their dreams. In just two semesters, 16 Junior Rogue players have gone pro with teams like FaZe and Gen.G or started their own esports organizations.
Do you have what it takes to make the cut for Junior Rogue? Check out this semester’s announcement from Rogue’s Fortnite team captain Benjamin “DrLupo” Lupo here.
“Junior Rogue has already proven to be the best esports program for aspiring gamers and content creators,” endorsed Benjamin “DrLupo” Lupo. “With multiple participants making huge strides, including qualifying for the Fortnite World Cup, I’m extremely excited to see what the next batch of selected individuals can do. The sky is the limit.”
Applicant requirements include:
⦁ Must be 13 to 17 years old on Nov. 21, 2019
⦁ Must reside in the U.S. or a registered U.S. territory
⦁ Must have a waiver signed by a parent/guardian
⦁ Must submit a complete application on juniorrogue.gg prior to Dec. 8, 2019 at 11:59:59pm PST.
Rogue only accepted 2 percent of applicants for its Fall 2018 and Spring 2019 sessions. This time around, the pro esports organization will select 30 players, adding 12 spots to the Junior Rogue squad, which will be divided into three categories: solos, duos and content creators. Players will be mentored by Rogue’s Fortnite pros including DrLupo, named one of TIME magazine’s most influential people. They will also receive a $500 scholarship, access to industry experts, and one-on-one coaching to optimize their gameplay and content strategies.
“For the new semester of Junior Rogue, we listened to our players, who wanted to learn more about the specialized modes they wanted to improve in. So now, we’re inviting the best young U.S. talent at solos, duos, and content creation to make sure we’re providing an even more specialized training experience,” said ReKTGlobal VP of Esports Kevin Knocke. “Almost half of our students who have gone through the program have gone pro, and now further specializing our students means even more can have the chance to earn a living playing the game.”
“Over the past year of Junior Rogue, we’ve been able to see the potential of many of our students realized as professional players,” said Frank Villarreal, Co-Founder of Rogue. “Many that went through our program are now competing at the very highest level of Fortnite, and I’m excited to help others accomplish their goals as a professional player, manager, coach, streamer, or any other esports job they are interested in.”
New to this semester’s program, players will have the opportunity to be recruited to Rogue’s professional team on an interim or permanent basis after 12 weeks of participation in Junior Rogue. Other perks include promotion and recognition by the Rogue organization on social media, weekly professional development activities and Q&A sessions with gaming industry professionals, Junior Rogue-branded streaming and graphical assets for social media and streaming channels, and exclusive Junior Rogue merchandise.
“We are excited to host another semester of Junior Rogue, our pro gaming accelerator for young Fortnite players. The Fortnite World Cup proved that passionate young people are the future of esports, and we want to invest in their talent with top-notch mentorship from Team Rogue, scholarship opportunities from the Find Your Grind Foundation, and more players than ever before!” said ReKTGlobal founder Amish Shah.
Founded in 2016, the New York-based ReKTGlobal esports organization bridges the gap between the multi-billion-dollar business of traditional sports and the burgeoning business of esports and competitive gaming. ReKTGlobal, parent company to Rogue, recently announced their Call of Duty London franchise team and welcomed Michael “ODEE” O’Dell to the global esports organization as Chief Gaming Officer. ReKTGlobal also acquired leading fan engagement platform, Fullcube, Inc., and Greenlit Content, a hybrid company behind some of gaming’s most popular editorial sites and viral branded gaming content, events and activations in collaboration with brands like Xbox, HyperX, Epic Games, Activision Blizzard and Warner Bros.
Media interested in interviews and more information may contact ReKT@maxborgesagency.com.
About Rogue
Rogue is a global professional esports organization with offices in Las Vegas, NV, and Berlin, Germany and teams that participate in Rainbow Six: Siege, Fortnite, Smash, Apex Legends, Rocket League and have a franchise in Riot Games League of Legends European Championship (LEC). Since Rogue’s inception, it has become a globally recognized brand with over a dozen championship wins in multiple games. Rogue’s list of accolades includes a world championship Overwatch team with major tournaments wins in North America, Europe and Asia, a FIFA player winning the 2018 FIFA eWorld Cup, and top-ranked, wildly popular teams in Rocket League and Rainbow Six: Siege, which won the 2018 U.S. Nationals and an Apex Legends team that won the first tournament held earlier this year.
For more information, please visit www.rogue.gg.
About Find Your Grind Foundation
Find Your Grind Foundation has non-profit roots. Nick and Natasha Gross started the foundation in 2015 to empower youth to find passion and purpose. In creating Los Angeles-based programs, events, and experiential learning opportunities, FYG saw an incredible need to show youth what was possible. Find Your Grind Foundation has now been propelled into the education space: writing curriculum, creating live events, and launching a widely accessible online platform.
To learn more about Find Your Grind or the Find Your Grind Foundation, visit findyourgrind.com.
About ReKTGlobal
ReKTGlobal, Inc. is a global esports organization that bridges the gap between traditional sports and esports, providing solutions for the entire ecosystem. ReKTGlobal is also the parent company of professional esports organization Rogue, marketing services company Greenlit Content and Time Magazines Top 25 online Influencer DRLUPO. ReKTGlobal also owns and operates Rogue in the League European Championship (LEC) and investors include Steve Aoki, Nicky Romero Imagine Dragons, Tainy and Nick Gross.