coverage and taped action and interviews from two studios. One features the tournament action, and the other is a “go-between area” for interviewing, she said, “Both studios are set up in the area of each tournament. We have multiple cameras, and cords that stretch for miles.” Each show – about four a year – covers a three-day championship competition. Slater creates graphics, works in wardrobe and make up, and culls players to be interviewed by the announcers. She said she’s been told that tens of thousands tune in. “The videos we create of action that isn’t streamed live are a compilation of the best moments of the tournament, and interviews with outstanding players,” Slater said. According to the DCI (formerly, Duelists’ Convocation International), the official sanctioning body for competitive MTG play and other Wizards of the Coast games, the world rankings include players mostly from the United States, Japan, Germany and the United Kingdom. A Bellingham player has climbed near the top in world rankings. “The highest-rated person I know of personally is Thomas Kiene, a long-time Bellingham resident,” Tipton said. “He started coming into this store when he was 14 or 15.” Kiene qualified for some professional tours and was ranked No. 4 in the U.S., Tipton said, and he finished second in a field of some 1,200 players at a tournament in Portland, Ore. Professional level players compete for high stakes, Slater said, “In the competition where the top eight (pro players) compete, the grand prize for the winner is $40,000.” She neither plays nor even understands the game of Magic, she said. “The announcers for our show talk a language all their own.” A language spawned in a
fantasy world has spread across oceans, in homes through the Internet or a game console, and at local host sites for competition such as Friday Magic Night at Cosmic Comics. Allysun Kirkham is a student in journalism at the University of Oregon. As an intern at Business Pulse last fall, she conducted interviews with Deb Slater, set up by staffer Janel Ernster. Linda Partlow, a free-lance journalist, interviewed
Cosmic Comics co-owner TJ Tipton and Cosmic Comics employees. Staff contributed to the research.
Please socialize with us on Facebook at both the Business Pulse Magazine page and the Whatcom Business Alliance page.
Follow us on Facebook!
Subcontractor of the Year
CORPORATE OFFICE · 4430 PACIFIC HIGHWAY, BELLINGHAM, WA 98226 PHONE: 360.734.0730 · FAX: 360.734.0194 · WWW.MILLSELECTRIC.COM WHATCOMBUSINESSALLIANCE.COM | 35