Full Sail Stories

For Jeremy Stout, attending Full Sail was a longtime goal that always seemed just out of reach. But after pivoting from a successful corporate career to a role in education, he finally saw the opportunity to make it happen and transform how he could serve students.

After graduating from the Internet Marketing master’s program (now Digital Marketing master’s), Jeremy began to implement what he had been learning right away, applying lessons in leadership, branding, and strategy to the esports initiatives he was developing in Texas high schools.

“Full Sail was 200 percent the launching pad that made my growth happen,” he says. “[The degree program] taught me leadership skills, how to go out and be a go-getter, but also the fundamental documentation aspects that are much needed in [esports].”

After graduating, Jeremy built his first esports program at Wylie High School in Texas after recognizing a need for more opportunities for his students.

“I wanted an organization that gave the community and kids opportunities,” shares Jeremy. “The motivating factor was the students, and I wanted them to be able to see what [the esports program] was. It was a community, it was a program, it was a leadership opportunity, and it was a chance to be part of something more than yourself.”

Since building his first program at Wylie High School, Jeremy has remained committed to expanding opportunities for students through esports, working across multiple levels of education from Texas high schools to collegiate esports programs at Bushnell University and Dallas College. This range has given him a broad perspective on how to build programs that are not only competitive but also help students develop essential skills like leadership, communication, and strategic thinking.

That passion has carried forward into his current role at Longview Independent School District, where he’s focused on creating a sustainable model that empowers students at every grade level. Thanks in part to a federal grant supporting innovative educational initiatives, Jeremy is building a district-wide esports program that gives students hands-on experience in broadcasting, production, event management, and teamwork, while emphasizing how the skills they learn in the classroom directly translate to careers beyond school.

“Our high schoolers will run the program for our middle schoolers, and our middle schoolers will run the program for our elementary students. So, it's a blended approach, so they learn each step of the way,” he explains.

As Jeremy looks to the future, he hopes the program will give students more than just technical skills. “I want them to gain confidence. I want them to gain a voice,” he says. “I want them to understand that what they're doing is bigger than just themselves.”