James Cowan - Technical Director

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With over 17 years’ experience as a pillar of the esports community, you will be hard pressed to find others with such understanding and passion to drive the industry further. James 'JimNeso' Cowan's esports tenure began in 2004 as a player and tournament organiser, while studying his Masters in Education, rose to become one of the top Counter-Strike players in the country. In the professional world, James taught in Queensland schools, later moving into a Business Development role for the Super Retail Group managing their clubs and schools and customer loyalty programs across brands like Amart Sports and Rebel Sport. 

With the arrival of NBN infrastructure in 2015, James was one of the first wave of online broadcasters in Australia, founding PGTV - a community esports broadcaster aimed at bringing professional sports style production to games. Even to this day, James still works as broadcast and event talent for a whole host of different productions.

James took a leap of faith in 2016, leaving behind a traditional career to be at the forefront of an emerging industry. A year of upheaval and adventure, 2016 saw James & PGTV work to create a league specifically focused on the development of women in esports. WPGI paved the way for others in Oceania, being the first paid CSGO league for women globally. James was one of the original founders of Athletico Esports, one of the most successful esports organisations in the Oceanic region.

At the end of 2017, James left the two companies he started, taking a second massive leap of faith with an interstate move from Brisbane to Sydney, for what started as a short 3 month contract with Gfinity Esports Australia. This move saw James work closely with both the TV and commercial sides of the Gfinity business acting as a vital link for broadcast, educating linear television broadcasters in best practices for esports products, while also working as talent. After Gfinity Australia closed their doors in late 2019, James went freelance, working on a host of both personal projects and products for clients.

When COVID-19 struck the Australian Grand Prix in 2020, signalling the halt of live events in Australia, James was the first port of call for V8 Supercars. Using his intimate knowledge of esports production, James was able to help the Supercars and Gravity Media teams assemble a world class production in the span of 3 weeks, showcasing esports and sim racing to millions of new viewers across the globe via the Supercars All-Stars Eseries. 2020 cemented James’ position as the ‘go-to’ esports expert for the motorsports community in Australia.

At the end of 2020 James joined forces with Emma to create Esports Media House, combining a wealth of knowledge across both the esports and business worlds. In a world that is increasingly online, James has a focus on the technical elements of broadcast and a talent for working with brands to create authentic digital content to captivate new fans and keep existing viewers entertained.

Outside of esports, James spends his time keeping physically fit, seeking adventure and focusing on self-improvement. Ironically, he doesn’t spend as much time playing games as he would like to. 

Emma 'Orion' Kuldemir boasts nearly 10 years of business experience across a wide range of established, and competitive fields. She has proven herself to be a savvy operator who is driven to succeed with anything that she applies herself to. These highly sought after qualities have propelled her into a number of exciting and fast paced industries in the world of business. 

At the young age of 19, Emma took her first leap of faith while she was studying a Bachelor of Business at University of Technology Sydney (UTS), leaving behind her degree and pursued an opportunity with a start-up advertising company. It was through her tenacious approach and dedication to the craft that forged her path into a role in Sales at News Corp Australia. From there, she landed an opportunity with Gumtree, and it was not long before she became one of the leading automotive Account Managers, acquiring and managing accounts across Western Australia. After 4 years at Gumtree, Emma shifted into a role at Zip, and her time there saw her building processes for customer experience, however it was this role that ultimately allowed her to segue from FinTech into the intricate world of Digital Fraud protection. Working as a Fraud Officer in Westpac's digital team, she was tasked with unravelling the tangled webs of digital fraudsters. She remained in this role, until taking a second leap of faith in starting Esports Media House. 

Her journey in esports and games started like many other 90's kids, growing up with gaming consoles like the Nintendo 64 and later the Xbox 360.  After attending the EB Expo in 2015, the hype and the energy of the event captivated her imagination and she set about delving into the world of gaming. Emma jumped head first into the world of live streaming in 2017 as a content creator, building  tightknit community streaming to the online platform Twitch.  After over a year of streaming on the platform, Emma decided to shift focus to pursue new  meaningful goals in the world of esports and games.

This came in 2020, Emma set to work on launching  her passion project - The Games Journal (TGJ)-  a platform celebrating inspiring individuals in esports and wider gaming community. The debut edition of TGJ was launched at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic during widespread city lockdowns in Australia, bringing some much needed inspiration and positivity to the esports and gaming community. TGJ was widely revered with the raw and unedited storytelling being weaved together with black and white photography, littered with nuggets of wisdom for those aspiring to be in the industry. 

In 2021, Emma turned her attention to another lifelong passion and was accepted to study a Bachelor of Psychology at the University of South Australia. As she is extremely passionate about games and positive psychology, she hopes to integrate her two passions into her future works.  

After joining forces with James to create Esports Media House, Emma applied her business knowledge to function in an operational capacity for EMH, she is a driving force in the day-to-day operations of the company and is a master of taking an idea from conception through to planning and the final execution. She is a creative behind the camera, as well as in front of it. 

As it goes in the world of esports and games, not much of Emma's time is spent actually gaming. Instead she finds interest in health and fitness, philosophical pursuits and chasing her adventurous spirit across this sunburnt country. 

At  Esports Media House we believe in being the change that you want to see. As individuals with knowledge in  business, education and psychology, our purpose is to provide impactful experiences for brands, players and fans alike.  Whether it be broadcasting top-tier esports matches or small community grass roots initiatives the objective remains the same - to drive the development of esports and gaming in the Oceanic region.  

Esports and gaming is for everyone and always has been. Therefore, no barrier to entry should ever be too great to overcome.  As leaders, we have a responsibility  to never lose sight at what captured our spirits to begin with - esports and games were born out of fun  and should always  remain that way.  

Through our services and content comes a focus on the sharing of knowledge and inspiration. Whether it be shooting for the Orion galaxy  or making a deep impact closer to home,  at Esports Media House  our word is our promise to provide a better industry for future generations.

Yours in gaming, 

Emma 'Orion' Kuldemir 

James 'JimNeso' Cowan