High School Esports League (HSEL), the largest North American competitive gaming organization for high school students, approached us to boost their brand awareness and differentiate them from emerging competitors. This was a multifaceted challenge because of mainstream press’ general lack of familiarity with esports and limited media interest in varsity-level (amateur) esports. We crafted messaging to promote HSEL’s initiatives to support students with scholarships and career opportunities and announced key partnerships with major brands such as Microsoft, Zaxby’s, etc. We secured multiple exclusives and interviews with the Associated Press, FOX Sports, The Hollywood Reporter, and VentureBeat.