The team started in 1997 as just a group of friends who enjoyed playing together. What was nothing more than fun back then is now establishing itself as a recognized team in the e-sports market, both nationally and internationally. We are talking about the e-sports team Black Dragons.
Today, with Nicolle Merhy at the helm, BD is sponsored by companies such as O Boticário and Dia Supermercados, in addition to receiving support from technology companies such as Intel. But these opportunities did not appear overnight.
Although it has more recognition today, when Nicolle joined the team back in 2014, things were very different. The team began to gain some notoriety by competing in matches of the game Rainbow Six Siege, riding the relevant wave in the competitive scene.
Nicolle even says she played all of the game’s championships in 2016, but some time later she began to dedicate herself more to managing Black Dragons as a business. And a large part of the team’s success comes from this dedication to business.
But Who Is Nicolle Merhy?
Before becoming the team’s CEO, Nicolle Merhy (better known by the nickname Cherrygumms) already stood out as an influencer and streamer, a career that grew out of her competitive personality and her being someone passionate about games and other sports.
It was her father who introduced her to the first FPS she came into contact with, which became the foundation for much of what she knows today. But she only started to dedicate herself seriously while she was in college.
Thanks to her success, she has already worked with more than 50 brands, national and international, including Nike and Intel. At 22, she was one of the highlights of Forbes Under 30.
She says she began sending emails herself in search of sponsorships and partnerships for Black Dragons. At first, she did everything: from design to accounting and communication. Her ease with brands helped a lot, but in her attempts she ran into brands’ lack of knowledge about the e-sports scene, so the beginning was a time of working to build credibility.
The Education, Culture and Sports Committee (CE) holds an interactive public hearing to deepen the discussion on Senate Bill No. 383 of 2017, which provides for the regulation of electronic sports practice. At the table, speaking, Black Dragons executive director (CEO) Nicolle “Cherrygumms” Merhy. Photo: Marcos Oliveira/Agência Senado.
Some Lessons From This E-Sports CEO
Here lies one lesson from the CEO: deliver beyond what potential clients may be expecting. Cherrygumms has always been very proactive in her initiatives; she offered to provide consulting to companies and to give talks to sectors that were in the process of being educated, of understanding the e-sports market.
In other words, Nicolle was always attentive to the market’s needs and to how her experience could contribute and strengthen relationships with brands.
But, besides teaching from her experience, she also highlights that she learned a lot by listening, making the most of meetings and contacts with people whose experiences differ from her own.
The Team in the National and International E-Sports Market
The results are impressive: in 2020 alone, Black Dragons earned revenue of 2.6 million. And, starting in 2022, it began to count on Brazil’s largest independent communications company, Dreamers, which is also the holding company of Rock in Rio.
In championship awards, the team has already won 50 national and 15 international titles. And, in 2018, its prominence in the e-sports market came mainly from winning the Crossfire world championship, breaking China’s hegemony in the game. That same year, it was chosen by popular vote as the best e-sports organization in Brazil.
It is a market that increasingly breaks out of its bubble. With the popularization of livestreams as a common form of entertainment, and e-sports championships that lend even more seriousness to the category. And what may once have been just another game, as the Black Dragons once were, has turned into serious careers with an important place in the market.
