Running a top-tier esports tournament isn’t just gameplay… it’s live pressure, constant trade-offs, tons of decissions and A LOT OF COST. In this episode, we break down: ➢ The actual cost and planning of Esport and Dota events ➢ How they choose the Location for their events ➢ Why live production is never perfect (and never will be) ➢ How they work with Epic Games and Valve ➢ What would SHOCK fans if they knew about it ➢ & how YOU, the viewer, can make a difference You’ll also hear real stories from behind the scenes including moments missed, mistakes made, and what it really takes to run a global event. If you made it this far: What surprised you the most in this episode? Comment below, WE READ EVERYTHING. 0:00 Intro: A different kind of guest 1:03 Why BLAST entered Dota 2 2:33 What does a day look like 5:02 Planning for Studio vs LAN event 6:15 Tournament Locations 9:00 Real cost of Dota Tournaments 10:25 Ticket Prices 12:02 How viewers can support tournaments 13:50 Organizer & Viewer interaction 16:18 Why we don't see more fun formats 19:20 Why SEA doesn't get more LANs 22:18 Sponsorship deals 24:25 What makes a Tournament successful 25:50 BLAST HUD 28:02 Difference between Dota, CS & other esports 30:04 Working with Valve 31:25 Scheduling with other TO's 32:35 Players vs Viewers vs Business 35:38 Player personalities 37:20 Hiring process for talents 39:45 Dota Talent level 41:23 Biggest mistake in new casters 42:35 Misconceptions about TO's 45:15 We make TV, not movies 46:40 What would SHOCK viewers if they knew 48:40 Elements of a broadcast 50:17 The Dream.. Running The International 51:30 Fortnite World Cup incident 54:20 Inside jokes & production BPM 56:40 What's next for BLAST? 58:08 Message to fans (FEEDBACK PLS) Editor 🎦: https://x.com/itsgifu Find me here too! 🔗https://www.twitch.tv/khezu 🔗https://twitter.com/khezu 🔗https://www.facebook.com/KheZzu 🔗https://www.instagram.com/Khezu_ #Khezu #dota2 #TheInternational #blast #blastslam #blasttv #cs2 #counterstrike