Staff

Austin Remer

Austin Remer is a Senior Designer with Full Sail University’s in-house creative agency, focusing on the Full Sail Armada brand along with associated live and virtual events. In his nine years at Full Sail, Austin has worked on design projects throughout the university including the Armada brand, the Treehouse, and Full Sail’s annual Hall of Fame celebration. A graduate of the university’s Digital Art & Design degree program, he is a lifelong gamer who finds great fulfillment in implementing his design skills in the world of esports. Some of Austin’s favorite event branding work includes Fortress 40, the Search and Destroy Call of Duty Invitational, and the space-inspired Worlds Collide.

Outside of his work with Full Sail, Austin enjoys studying astronomy and film photography and sells a variety of his designs under the name Vector Pizza.

Bennett Newsome

Bennett Newsome is Director of Esports Growth and Development for Full Sail University. A Full Sail employee since 2007, Bennett started working on the school’s esports initiatives in 2018. He works on a range of Armada initiatives, including public relations, networking, partnerships, the Stream Team, and the direction of Armada’s varsity team. Bennett is especially proud of the relationship he’s fostered between Armada and gaming event company Rare Drop; he got Armada involved with GCX, Rare Drop’s livestream charity event, and helped them cross the $6 million mark for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in a livestream from the Fortress in 2020.

Bennett’s livestreaming prowess comes from his time as a Twitch partner. He streams original content as DamnitBennett with a special focus on Destiny 2. He is the co-host of XurWatch on Twitch and the co-owner of whereisxur.com. When he's not streaming or looking for Xur, you can find @damnitbennett on Twitter. And we can't forget to mention his epic beard.

Brittney Carter

Brittney Carter currently works as the Esports Content and Event Producer for Full Sail University. For the last 10 years, Brittney has recorded and edited video content and produced events for Full Sail and a variety of external clients. A graduate of Full Sail University’s Film bachelor’s degree program, Brittney has worked on sports-oriented projects with organizations including Disney’s Wide World of Sports, Florida Citrus Sports, and more. Brittney’s love for video games and her broad skills in production have led to her successes bringing Full Sail esports events to life, including Fortress 40, Battle for the Boulevard, and Worlds Collide.

Her current work sees her turn ideas into reality as she conceptualizes, plans, and directs live events, video projects, and more for Full Sail Armada, the school’s collegiate esports program. A fan of competitive gaming, Brittney finds the greatest reward for her work in esports event production is seeing the energy and excitement in the crowd.

Eric "HeavyCura" Alpizar

Eric "HeavyCura" Alpizar is one of Full Sail Armada’s Team Managers, managing Armada’s varsity teams, organizing involvement in leagues and tournaments, supporting students in leadership roles, and much more. An early adopter of competitive gaming, Eric has spent nearly two decades involved in esports and gaming in a wide variety of roles ranging from managing LAN centers and organizing tournaments to competing in large-scale events including the EVO Championship Series, where he placed in the top 10 percent of Dragon Ball FighterZ players worldwide. One of the founding athletes of the Armada organization, Eric was one of the first Armada Club Presidents and one of the most accomplished competitive players on any Armada team. A veteran of the United States Navy and a graduate of Full Sail University’s Entertainment Business bachelor's degree program, Eric is a passionate gamer and avid fan of storytelling across multiple mediums such as graphic novels, animation, and literature.

Hoyt Dingus

Hoyt Dingus is Full Sail Armada’s Team Manager, working to manage Armada’s varsity teams throughout their time as collegiate athletes. Involved in the Full Sail gaming community before the establishment of Armada, Hoyt has spent season after season managing players, matches, scheduling, and more. A veteran of the United States Air Force, Hoyt is a dual-degree graduate with a bachelor’s in Mobile Development and a master’s in Media Design. Hoyt has greatly enjoyed his involvement in Armada and being a part of a larger goal, particularly the opportunity to showcase Armada’s veterans with the USO Gaming to Connect charity stream.

You can catch Hoyt outside of Full Sail on his YouTube gaming channel under the handle CleverDingbat playing games, working on his Jeep, or at home with his loving fiancé Hayley and miniature pinscher, Daenerys.

Jacob Kaplan

Jacob Kaplan is Director of Esports Business Strategy for Full Sail University. In Jacob’s 15 years working for the university, he has served as a Course Director in both the Digital Arts & Design and Media Communications bachelor's degree programs and continues to enrich the student community through his efforts in project strategy. He takes pride in several of the initiatives he’s been involved with in his time with Full Sail including The Monarch Initiative and the Full Sail University Orlando Health Fortress’s inaugural event, Fortress 40, held during the 10th annual Hall of Fame celebration.

With a bachelor’s in Liberal Arts from UCF with a minor in Digital Media, Jacob continues to work as a designer outside of Full Sail, branding local businesses throughout Orlando. A proud father of two, Jacob is a lover of music, fishing, and eating, and finds fulfillment in sharing these joys with those around him.

Jess Reider

Jess Reider is a Staff Writer and Esports Specialist for Full Sail University, as well as a graduate of Full Sail's Media Communications bachelor's degree program. Jess focused on esports and the video game industry during her studies, creating marketing plans for Twitch and building a business plan for a woman-led independent video game company.

As an Esports Specialist, Jess is involved in Full Sail’s live and virtual esports events from start to finish: She helps organize live gaming events in the Fortress, writes promotional materials, provides color commentary and up-to-the-minute insights as a shoutcaster, and recaps events on the Full Sail Armada website. Jess has contributed to some of Full Sail’s most successful live and virtual esports events, including the Worlds Collide event at Full Sail’s eleventh annual Hall of Fame, the Stream of Thought event, and Full Sail’s high school esports series. Some of Jess’s favorite esports moments include building a positive environment for current Full Sail esports enthusiasts and hosting the Search and Destroy Call of Duty invitational with former pro Halo player Matt "Burns" Potthoff.

Kyle Roach

Kyle “Community Kyle” Roach is Armada’s Community Manager. After graduating from Full Sail’s Creative Writing bachelor’s degree program, Kyle has built up a reputation as the community’s go-to for information on upcoming events, club initiatives, and more.

His background in tabletop gaming and working at fan conventions has enabled him to connect with the community and create space for students to engage as well as offering help with resumé and portfolio-building to those close to graduation. Contributing to Full Sail Armada events and programming including the Red Bull Solo Q, All Access, and Worlds Collide, Kyle has built a bridge between communication and community.

Sari Kitelyn

Sari Kitelyn is the Director of Esports and Project Development for Full Sail University. For the past 15 years, she’s been responsible for developing brand initiatives for Full Sail, including brand campaigns, community outreach projects, new business development and strategic planning. Since 2016, Sari has been building Full Sail’s esports ecosystem, including establishing Full Sail Armada, Full Sail’s varsity esports team. Under Sari’s leadership, Full Sail’s esports efforts have grown, expanding both deep into the industry as well as locally on campus. Full Sail has been home to many events, including the MLG Call of Duty U.S. Championship, NBA2K’s The Ticket, Red Bull Conquest, Florida Mayhem Watch Parties, and has produced their own events like The Fortress 40, Call of Duty Collegiate Invitational, Overlords of Orlando with HungryBox, Blizzard's Hearthstone Collegiate Championship and more.

A graduate of the University of Central Florida, Sari holds degrees in Law and Business, and she holds her Project Management Professional Certification (PMP). Prior to working at Full Sail, Sari specialized in large-scale event management and strategic project management and planning.

Shae Ryan

Shae “Shaezilla” Ryan currently works as a Digital Content Specialist - Esports for Full Sail University’s collegiate esports program, Full Sail Armada, where she oversees all strategy and content creation for Full Sail Armada’s social channels. After studying Advertising and Theatre at the University of West Florida, Shae began her career with Full Sail in 2012, working as a junior copywriter before moving into her current esports-centric role. In her time with Full Sail, she has worked in script writing as well as hosting a variety of live events including Fortress 40, Battle for the Boulevard, Worlds Collide, and Full Sail’s virtual Behind the Scenes tour. An avid Sims player for over 20 years, Shae is passionate about enriching Full Sail’s gaming community and often serves as an emotional support cheerleader for those in her life.

Tracy Wiu

Tracy Wiu is the Director of Strategic Implementation for Full Sail University. For the past 15 years, Tracy has worked both on and off camera to bring live events and video content to Full Sail; her recent efforts have focused on Full Sail’s esports community and the Armada varsity esports team. She’s responsible for the logistics of esports events, organizing and executing panels, tournaments, online events, and more from conception to post-production. Tracy’s 20 years of experience as a professional actor and television host come in handy when she’s hosting events like the 2019 Hearthstone Collegiate Championship or moderating panels during Borderlands 3 Day. She is proud of the way Armada gives Full Sail’s gamers a place to connect and forge meaningful relationships.

Tracy is also a dual-degree Full Sail graduate, with a bachelor’s in Media Communications and master’s in Business Intelligence.

William Rivera

William “ShatteredWing” Rivera Sanjurjo is an Esports Coordinator with Full Sail Armada, supporting student-athletes through event organization, scheduling, and more. A graduate of Full Sail’s Game Design bachelor’s program and a former Armada varsity athlete, William’s experience in player and event organization includes the 2022 Special Olympics Rocket League invitational, Hall of Game: Paragon, and Armada’s regular club gatherings.

William’s love for esports and community combined with his experience as a former Armada Club Officer and Super Smash Bros. varsity player allows him to be a relatable and knowledgeable resource for the students he interacts with. A passionate gamer and organizer, William is also involved in Orlando’s local gaming scene, working with organizations including Orlando Runback and Juicy Game Night to bring community events to Central Florida gamers.