sjokz: "For this event, I did eight days of intense prep, so eight hours a day"

While FaZe and NAVI battled it out on the final day of IEM Cologne, Dust2.us' Liam "Slevo" Slevin caught up with desk host Eefje "sjokz" Depoortere. The pair spoke about how it feels for sjokz to work at an event as esteemed as IEM Cologne, whether the Counter-Strike community can expect to see the Belgian desk host more often, and her thoughts on how North America performed in Germany, among other topics.

I'm here with sjokz on the final day of IEM Cologne. Tell me what your experience has been now that you're finally working the event?

It's amazing, I came here as a fan a couple of times when it was still ESL One and I think it's just one of the best places to watch not just CS:GO but also just esports in general, or anything. So I'm really happy and working it has been better than my wildest dreams. Getting to stand here at the analyst desk, at the LANXESS arena and just feeling the energy of the crowd, it's been wild.

You obviously worked at the PGL Antwerp Major recently. Being from Belgium, what was that experience like for you getting to work the Major in your home country?

That was incredible, I still feel so lucky that I even got asked to do that. I do understand that some people are like "oh, she doesn't do CS:GO all the time" but I guarantee you that I love watching CS:GO and I just love covering it, so, it was an honor for me. In League of Legends we haven't been in an arena for a very long time because of COVID-19 and so it was one of the first times for me as a broadcaster that I got to go in an arena. It really does just elevate everything. I think also the plays that you see out of the players, the way they can react to everything, hopefully our coverage, so it was awesome.

In the past you've also done some BLAST events and this year you've done more and more Counter-Strike events, is that something you're looking to expand into further?

One of the big reasons I went freelance in the first place, at the beginning of 2019, was to do more CS, to be fair. I come from a shooter background, Unreal Tournament - it's really old school, so I really wanted to do that because I've worked LoL for so long. I will always love covering it and I have so much love for the production, but at some point as a host I think you get, not stuck, but you want to keep evolving.

Just diving into Counter-Strike and being able to cover it professionally was a big goal for me which I started in 2019, but then the pandemic hit and you know how it goes. So, I wasn't really asked that much, which is totally fine, because even being here, the wealth of broadcast talent for CS:GO is through the roof. So it's insane and I was never expecting anything to be thrown into my lap, but I'm really happy I got to do the Major. I'm overjoyed I get to do [IEM Cologne] and I hope I can do more.

In terms of those other prestigious events, you've done Cologne and the Major, are there any other events you would love to work next or is it just a case of what comes up?

Oh that's crazy, there's so many milestones, a world championship in any esport would be great, but also maybe traditional sports - I still really love football, being from Belgium, of course. The CS:GO Rio Major is coming up, Worlds for LoL is coming up as well and that's going to be unreal - it's going to be the first time that we're back with fans again. So, I'll take it as it goes but I'm just happy to do anything - I'd do a tier 2 CS:GO event with pleasure as well - it's just about covering the competition for me.

In terms of preparation, you said that you watch CS:GO and you come from a shooter background, moving over from LoL, what was that transition like for you?

Well I feel like when you follow a scene very intensely, it's like nothing else exists. So, when I'm in the cadence of doing a lot of LoL, that's kind of everything that's on my radar. I feel like even though I prep for the singular week of the LEC, I don't have to go too deep because everything is just there. For instance, when I was on the run-up for doing the Major or this event, I will really dive deep because watching as a spectator is completely different from watching as someone who has to cover the show later.

For this event, I did eight days of intense prep, so eight hours a day I watch back all the matches that I thought were relevant, especially also analyst desk segments. I also talk to the experts, I talk to Maniac a lot, I bounce things off, I read everything HLTV and Dust2. I made sure that I was completely up-to-date, dove into the stats, although I'm not a stats wizard usually I go "hey, explain this to me Maniac, and why is this important?".

What I think is really important is that I feel like I come in with a fresh perspective in a way, and I don't mind asking the stupid questions if that's getting the viewer something else to latch on to - and I think that's also my role. I'm really big on story telling, so I try to see how a team has been covered. When its a team like FaZe or NAVI, who have been covered a million times, I try to think about what is a different perspective that we can get and how can that elevate the discussion and maybe give us another thing to root for if you're a fan in the crowd.

For IEM Cologne specifically, who's impressed you the most and with the final going on currently, which way do you think it will turn out?

Oh, it's so hard. I feel like the heart says NAVI because it would be great if they win here in Cologne again but the head says FaZe because they have, I think, peeking at the right time down to a T almost. Obviously you could say this and that about the Roobet Cup or IEM Dallas, but they have their eye on the prize and they've said so many times how important Cologne is for them specifically and I think you can see it. It's such a well-oiled machine right now.

I've also always been a fan of Spirit though, I was a fan of their underdog run at the Major and of course without degster there anymore we will see, but w0nderful has also impressed me, so I'll be looking forward to what they can give us. For the rest, I'm always looking at what G2 is doing, because they're also from LoL, and yeah... it's sad.

For us at Dust2.us we had our two North American teams here. Complexity bombed out but Liquid made it to the playoffs and not many people would've seen that coming. What are your thoughts on Liquid's run here at IEM Cologne?

I'm a big YEKINDAR fan, I just love the way he plays, and I was really excited to see how that would work because this is a completely different configuration. I think they played the PR game really really well, they were giving us all these things but it's true when you think about it. This is landlocked CIS knowledge about CS and strats and the way you approach the game that has been kind of locked away for a good amount of time.

Him now coming in, he can add that to nitr0's playbook and daps' playbook and how they like to play. I've been quite impressed in the way they've been willing to shuffle things around. Someone like EliGE has been there forever and I think the mark of a great player is if they can go with the times and if they can evolve. Regardless of [Liquid] not getting to the semifinal, because Movistar Riders' Cinderella story, I think it would be cool to see YEKINDAR there long-term and I hope it will reinvigorate the NA scene.

You're very renowned in terms of the work you've done in LoL, being a desk and stage host, what can you say to people aspiring to go into that kind of role since it's not really an area that is discussed in terms of people trying to break through?

That's a great point. I don't consider myself a very good stage host, by the way, but thank you. I am pretty happy with my desk work as of late though. I would say for anything that is a job in broadcasting, start doing and start sending your reels around. We are so lucky right now, in a golden age of esports, that you have all the esports and you don't just have tier 1, you have tier 2, 3 and academy leagues, challenger leagues, everything. What I found is also good is if you can apply and work somewhere at a production company, like an ESL or Riot or whatever production companies cover leagues, and start at a base level and get the knowledge of how a production works, that's going to help you tremendously.

My best example that I always say, Kevin is a colleague of mine who started as a stage manager for the EU LCS years ago and now he's the lead producer. It just really helps to get that hands-on knowledge. Cast, host, whatever, be it from your bedroom, send the reels around because there are so many leagues. If you've got what it takes, you will find a spot, hopefully.

With IEM Cologne wrapping up, the player break has officially begun. The first tier one event of the upcoming season will be BLAST Premier Fall Groups which gets underway on August 19th.