Owner Mike Rufail adds chief gaming officer role as organization expands leadership ranks
The largest esports organization in Texas has a new CEO. Adam Rymer, an industry veteran in film, digital media and entertainment will join Envy Gaming, Inc. on July 13 to oversee all business operations for the company, which is ranked by Forbes as the 8th Most Valuable Esports Organization in the World. Rymer will report to the Envy Gaming Board of Directors, which is led by Chairman Ken Hersh.
Owner and former CEO, Mike Rufail, isn’t going anywhere. Rufail is transitioning to the newly created full-time position of Chief Gaming Officer and will put his 15 years of esports industry experience to work scouting, recruiting and working with the organization’s competitive players and coaches, as well as oversee team operations staff. Rufail also retains his board representation.
“Adding Adam to our leadership team will help accelerate the steps we are taking to grow and reach Envy Gaming’s potential as an organization that delivers world-class entertainment, events, fan experiences, content and more,” said Rufail. “I have focused on building a runway for Envy and the company’s teams, leagues and properties for many years. With Adam onboard, I can dedicate myself to my first passion: developing players and fielding competitive esports teams that maintain and build on our organization’s winning tradition. I look forward to coming to work every day with someone of Adam’s caliber and experience as we take the Envy brand to new heights.”
Dallas-based Envy Gaming is the owner and operator of the Dallas Fuel team in the Overwatch League and the Dallas Empire team in the Call of Duty League, and a founding member of Flashpoint, a professional tournament series for competitive CS:GO in which the Team Envy franchise competes. Envy also fields professional teams and players in Rocket League, Super Smash Bros. and Magic: The Gathering, with plans to announce entrance into additional competitive esports titles coming soon.
The Dallas-based organization currently employs nearly 100 front-office staff, professional players, coaches and support staff. Envy maintains an in-house media production team that produces, airs and streams esports themed content and original programming. Experienced in large-scale live event and virtual event production, Envy hosted the first home games in esports history in April 2019 with multiple Dallas Fuel matches played to sold-out arena audiences. The organization counts Jack in the Box, Acer’s Predator gaming line, Frontier Communication, CORSAIR, Jack’s Links, and Samsung among its largest sponsors.
Rymer joins Envy with nearly two decades of leadership in media industries including film, television, digital marketing, music, and gaming. A graduate of Harvard University and The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, Rymer will oversee business initiatives for the company as it expands its core offerings in esports and diversifies with greater emphasis in digital media, merchandising and content creation. Previously, Rymer served in executive leadership roles at Legendary Entertainment, Nerdist Industries and Universal Pictures. He co-founded, led initial funding, and managed as partner and executive producer an award-winning film production company. Most recently, Rymer served as a consultant to multiple new media companies.
“Gaming is the fastest-growing sport and most exciting area in all of media and entertainment right now,” Rymer said. “As a lifelong fan, harnessing that potential to drive forward an organization as highly regarded as Envy and working side-by-side with some of the top industry leaders is a huge honor, and a challenge I’m looking forward to taking on.”
