ABOUT JACOB MURPHY SMITH

There is more to my story than a job title.

My background spans marketing, sales, and competitive esports, but my interests have never fit neatly into one category. I’ve always enjoyed understanding how things work, competing, building ideas, and finding out what I can learn along the way.

How I got here.

My interest in business started in high school. I was drawn to the combination of analysis and creativity involved in understanding why people make decisions and how organizations grow.

At the University of Texas at Dallas, I completed bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Marketing within four years. I also competed on the university’s junior varsity Rocket League team and interned with Coolmath Games and the United States Esports Association.

Today, I work in sales at Gartner and coach youth esports teams at XP League Frisco. The two roles are different in many respects, but both have taught me a great deal about communication, preparation, and working with people.

A PRINCIPLE I RETURN TO

Teach people how to think, not just what to do.

Coaching has shaped this belief more than anything else. I want players to understand why a decision works, recognize when it doesn’t, and develop the confidence to make their own adjustments. I have found that this approach applies well beyond competition.

Away from work.

I play pickleball regularly and have enjoyed competitive gaming for years. Competition is something I genuinely enjoy, whether I am playing, coaching, or just working to improve.

I am also an aspiring author writing a fantasy series. Building its world, characters, and story has become a long-term creative project, and one that is very different from my day-to-day professional work.

I appreciate having room for both sides of my personality: the analytical side that enjoys solving problems and the creative side that enjoys inventing them.

Thanks for stopping by.

If you’d like to learn more about my professional experience, or simply connect, you’re welcome to reach out.