This year, Cxmmunity Media is taking its local Kickback event national.
The nonprofit is taking its flagship Atlanta event – which is a gaming and esports-focused event geared towards high school and college students and designed to help them find career opportunities – and taking it across the country. The 2024 Kickback Tour is set to hit both Washington D.C. and Atlanta, as well as a city out west that has not yet been announced.
The idea for the tour comes from a new partnership between Cxmmunity Media and Xfinity. According to a press release, the tour will focus specifically on empowering students at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), and will include on-campus educational panels, gaming events and musical performances.
Chris Peay, co-founder and CMO of The Kickback/Cxmmunity Media, said the Kickback aims to bring the “outcasts” of society together – people like gamers, cosplayers, and nerds alike.
“Ultimately, the Kickback just serves as a home,” Peay said. “That’s kind of our goal, to make a home for these curated collectives where they can connect for just a minute.”
The Kickback event started about two years ago, but this is the first time Cxmmunity Media has ever taken it on the road. The Washington D.C. event will take place on Sept. 19, and the Atlanta event will take place on Dec. 6. The location for the third event has not yet been announced, but Peay said it will likely take place at last. The date for that event is Feb. 21.
According to Peay, the Kickback is meant to allow minority students a larger opportunity to consider careers in the gaming industry, calling the event “the coolest career fair in the world. Although many details have not yet been announced, Peay said that each event will include panels, educational workshops, networking opportunities, esports and gaming competitions, and live music.
“Everything that we do has pretty much always been about connecting people,” Peay said. “Our theory is that humans really belong in these curated collectives as opposed to mass society … the coolest part for us is we’re able to bring these curated collectives together, really just for a moment.”
Tickets for the 2024 Kickback Tour can be found online.
