Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to DeMarco Washington. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, DeMarco thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Parents can play a significant role in affecting how our lives and careers turn out – and so we think it’s important to look back and have conversations about what our parents did that affected us positive (or negatively) so that we can learn from the billions of experiences in each generation. What’s something you feel your parents did right that impacted you positively.

My parents did everything right, they raised me on how to be my own boss while being a great person who cares for others. Throughout my career for business there have been people who wanted their own gain and I learned to recognize that early on and to get with people who actually have a similar morale, not just mission statement but more of character to further positively affect communities for the betterment. When I first started my business the only support I had was my parents. Individuals and groups at school said they would support me and did not do nothing at all over a long period of time. No call backs No return of emails just empty promises and words. However, I still pushed and became more successful each year accomplishing and creating a different milestone as time goes on with my success not just for me but for other people as well. Yes there are hurdles but we must not be afraid to not just jump over them but sometimes to smash through them to hit our own personal goal. With all of that said, I stand firm yet flexible while having fun and being a CEO and president for my for-profit and non-profit businesses. I love connecting with people and to see what we can do together.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your background and context?

My name is DeMarco Washington. I am the CEO of Gaming Community establishment LLC and President of my 501C3 nonprofit Gathering Community Esports. My grandparents were a part of the historic event/movement called the Western Migration. They came from the south to live in Compton, California. Both my parents were raised in LA and they raised me in the high desert. I was always involved in sports since I was 5 years old, playing basketball, football, baseball and track. I made history for my high school baseball team by hitting the first home run for my school and beat the record for the fastest 90-yard dash for Cal Baptist baseball tryouts. After graduating I went to Cal State University of San Bernardino majoring in IO psychology. During college I did a numerous amount of leadership activities and jobs on and off campus. I started my Esports business during my junior year of college because I had my freshman and sophomore year to explore my major and I ultimately chose firefighting. Not just the schedule being beneficial for me but also how to stay fit and to save lives while being involved in the community is vital to me. For my businesses, we host esports tournaments, host workshops, and motivational speak. Since 2019, my business has received multi awards most notably the Black History month spotlight from Joe baca Jr and volunteer of the Year from the Regional Cal Black Chamber of Commerce. I’ve been in the paper and on podcast shows as well as host my own podcast show for the past 5 years. Now, I am a official partner of the Regional California Black Chamber of Commerce and I am also starting my own program with my workshops to educate the public and people with disabilities about how they can career in the Esports industry as it promotes positivity of mental health, socialization, dexterity, teamwork, and problem solving just to name a handful of aspects of life gaming can increase for one self. I am proud and honored to have received such recognition from all people who have supported me in any and all ways throughout the years. Even so, I am always actively looking and open for more collaborations, sponsorships, and donations. If you are reading and or sharing this article and you would like to talk directly, just contact me and let’s see what we can do together!

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

To summarize my answer to this question, I have faced not only racism, but colorism and ageism. When I first started my business I did not expect to go through ageism but that is also a real thing, however everyone is not the same. I never let a bridge or a wall stop me from my goals because I remember every single day on why I started and to not chase but pursue happiness. So one day when I have kids they will have a great set foundation so we can all build generational wealth and to maintain it.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

Yes during college I wanted to be either a school psychologist, a sports psychologist or somewhere in management being a manager for either a fast food or non fast food business. I put my foot in different doors working 9 to 5 since freshman year of college but it wasn’t until the start of my junior year that I decided that that was not the road for me. After graduating Cal State, I worked in San Manuel in the buffet for 2 years working 4 to 5 days a week 8 to 10 hour days. I saw how management was functioning as far as time schedule and that was not my route of happiness because there were so much time that you had to put into the company and there was barely any time to put into yourself and family. This looks like 10 to 14 hours, 5 to 6 days a week being a supervisor and or a manager in one of the sectors of management. With this discovery I push heavily to become a firefighter instead of a manager, which in return sparked me to stay solidified in my business to make it full time one day and that day has come.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://gcestablishmentllc.com/
• Instagram: @gatheringcommunityesports @gc_establishment @gammalion_
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@ss3hulk?si=mDMWm58vJj_M11yi
• Other: https://gatheringcommunityesports.org/