POW With Dani

Let’s welcome Dani, the CEO of Overdrive Studios, a frontrunning sports and gaming design studio based in Southeast Asia, and also the Chief Creative Officer for Metasports.

What were you doing before Web3?

I’m Dani Rogacion, CEO of Overdrive Studios and I also happen to be Chief Creative Officer for Metasports. I’ve been in the Esports + Gaming industry since 2016, and also a proud trans woman.

How did you get into Web3?

Before Web3 I was solely focused on running overdrive as a business, where Rwargl and Joe Josue are my partners and co-founders.

In connection to #2, they brought me in after the two of them deep dove Axie and met a bunch of cool people like Peter Ing which ended up being crucial to what was about to become Metasports.

What was your first crypto or NFT project?

Our first blockchain projects were actually with BSPC, explaining their dashboards at the time, as well as helping design the current look of $GUILD.

How would you explain what you do to someone outside of Web3?

Pretty much the same, just new technology tbh.

Which creator or thought leader do you enjoy learning from?

I’d honestly credit my enjoyment to the same people mentioned here, Rwargl, Nasa, Peter and I enjoy reading Zyori and the Nouns Esports guys’ posts since they have roots in esports as well.

What is the biggest highlight of your career so far?

My biggest highlight is pretty much my work in esports. Collaborating with G2 Esports + Blacklist International (which I did this logo too) on a certain project became a dream come true. That and being the creative mind behind Sibol (the PH national team).

What tech or crypto trend are you watching this year?

I’m looking for tech/crypto brands investing more into branding good marketing (alongside building their products), as a lot of companies are going through the bear, a good brand will last forever. You’ll also see a steady shift towards the creator economy more.

What advice would you give someone starting out in Web3?

It’s easy to distract one’s self by looking at ONLY the wins in the community, when in fact an industry is mainly driving on competition, lots of mistakes and learning along the way. Embrace the suck.

If you could do a TEDtalk on any topic, what would it be?

Why design matters in esports, or probably something wrestling related.

What is the one thing you would bring if you were stuck on a deserted Island?

I would say a laptop w/ Illustrator but the battery would run out eventually, so a sketchbook w/ pen would be the next best thing.

POW stands for “Proof of Work.” It is a new feature article series in The Mega Maxi to highlight the savviest builders in the Web3 space.