Students Get Real-World Esports Event Experience with Armada Production Crew

Published Sep 16, 2025

Students Get Real-World Esports Event Experience with Armada Production Crew

Full Sail students from any degree program can take on various behind-the-scenes roles to help run esports events with the Armada Production Crew.

Full Sail Armada staff members Garrett Gajewski and Chris MacMillan stand back-to-back with their arms crossed. They are wearing black and white Armada jerseys.

Full Sail University students can compete in collegiate esports events by joining Full Sail Armada, the university’s esports team. But students can also get involved in esports without competing – with the Armada Production Crew, students from any degree program can get real-world experience on the live production end of esports events.

The whole intent of [the Armada Production Crew] is to give students experience in a real-world scenario that mimics the different production roles that professionals take on during an esports event.”

Overseen by Full Sail staff members Chris MacMillan (Esports Broadcast & Event Producer) and Garrett Gajewski (Production Coordinator for Full Sail Armada), the Armada Production Crew gives current students the chance to help out on Armada events and weekly Armada livestreams, as well as outside events. Recently, the Armada Production Crew has helped produce events like the JJets Madden Championship, the XP League North American Finals, and KCGameOn’s Kansas City Corporate Esports Cup.

“The whole intent of [the Armada Production Crew] is to give students experience in a real-world scenario that mimics the different production roles that professionals take on during an esports event,” says Chris. “We’re trying to show them, ‘Hey, if you want to go get a job in esports production or you're interested in esports production, you’re going to see something that is pretty similar to this.’"

The Armada Production Crew focuses on esports-related production tasks during events, like setting up gaming PCs, installing software, and running the tournament. Students working as Station Techs help solve any technical issues that esports athletes might run into as they’re playing, while students in broadcast-specific roles run video software for capturing and streaming the action. Students working as Graphics Operators run game graphics that go out onto the event’s livestream, while Observers act as an in-game camera. They log into the same games that are being played during the tournament, find areas within the game with a lot of action, and send that info to the production crew for them to capture and send out on the livestream.

A member of the Full Sail Armada Production Crew sits at a broadcast console and works on a computer screen split into four views of an esports tournament.

“[For these events], we use a lot of industry-standard software. We use vMix, which is standard [broadcast software] in esports and general broadcasting,” Garrett says. “[Students on the Armada Production Crew] are learning what goes into making a show happen… Our goal is to just make it so that they have as much experience as they possibly can, in case this is something they want to keep doing.”

The Armada Production Crew has also gained experience helping out with esports events from afar. Ashley “AJ” Jones, the Department Chair for Full Sail’s Game Business & Esports degree connected the crew with KCGameOn, a nonprofit organization based in Kansas that hosts esports events like the Kansas City Corporate Esports Cup (KCCEC). Armada Production Crew members assisted with the tournament, and there may be future opportunities for them to work with the organization.

“The Armada Production Crew was instrumental in the success of KCGameOn hosting the KCCEC,” says Ashley. “While they were only responsible for producing and shoutcasting the League of Legends tournament throughout the cup, KCGameOn has expressed interest in continuing to collaborate with the Armada Production Crew as their needs arise.”

To find out more about Full Sail Armada, check out the Armada site.