We had the good fortune of connecting with Dannyel Carranza and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Dannyel, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
I think risk is pretty synonymous with success; and that it’s necessary to take risks to advance your career and your life as a whole. As for myself, the risk of dropping out of university led to my whole career. I left tradition and comfort to chase a crazy dream and to try to do something that I love. In hindsight, it was a huge risk to ditch school at 19 years old, but knowing where it got me, I wouldn’t change a thing. I’m 23 – turning 24 in August – living in a different country than I was born, working many kid’s dream job and having fun doing it. Taking risks led to this.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I was always a big fan of esports, Call of Duty specifically. In this space, it was rare to see quality content pieces while I was growing up, so it was always a dream of mine to provide fans and kids like me a glimpse at what it’s like to be a professional gamer and to show that these pros that they watch on stream are people just like us. The journey as a creative was not always easy. I started in music and clubs, taking photos of local artists in Winnipeg, Canada. From there, I found myself photographing some big artists like JID, A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie and festivals like Soundset in Minnesota. I jumped into music videos and started working on my video skills in my spare time. I worked with many artists on the way to finding my visual style and framing my storytelling ability. In 2020, I finally merged my creative skills with my passion for esports, landing a position with the Toronto Ultra and Defiant in the Call of Duty and Overwatch Leagues. Last year I was offered a spot with my current teams, Atlanta FaZe and Atlanta Reign and jumped at the opportunity to work with some of the best players in their respective games. Since then, it has been a journey. From travelling to Hawaii multiple times for Overwatch tournaments, to getting boo’d at every Call of Duty Major this season and ending up in my current senior position along the way. I can’t wait to showcase everything I’ve learned and capitalize on the opportunity I’ve been given.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Being new to the city myself and travelling a lot during the season, I find opportunities to be a tourist around Atlanta myself. I’ve been lucky enough to have my parents down one time, we went to Ponce City Market and had a great time. On a more regular note, I love going to Battle and Brew in Sandy Springs. It’s an awesome and unique place to hang out as a gamer and a great spot to catch an Overwatch game with the ATL Phoenix Guard!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My family deserves every shoutout I can give them, honestly. My Mom and Dad have done so much for me. I don’t even want to imagine where I’d be without them. They instilled in me the knowledge and values to go out and take on anything in the world, and I can’t thank them enough for that. My brother and sister keep me grounded and always make sure I’m good. My aunts and uncles are almost my second parents, and always made sure I was on the right track. Some of my cousins are cool, too. (They’re all amazing, that’s a joke, they know that!)

Website: dannyelcarranza.com

Instagram: instagram.com/dannyelkc

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dannyel-carranza-a543a8194/

Twitter: twitter.com/dannyelkc

Other: twitch.tv/dannyelkc

Image Credits
Austin Anderson, Tyler Beekle, Shamel Thorpe

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutAtlanta is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.