3rd year MINT Student Oscar Bourke and his experience at Jamango!

My name is Oscar Bourke, I’m entering my 3rd year in Marketing, Innovation, and Technology (MINT). I’m working in Creator Growth at Jamango!, Jamango! is a new Irish gaming start-up
founded by two Irish entrepreneurs, Richie and Adam, who announced their first round of funding of $2.5 million in early May. I’ve always been interested in start-ups and the gaming industry, so Jamango! seemed like the perfect fit.

I joined the company on a part-time schedule in January when it consisted of just the founders and a team of ten. After working part-time with Jamango! for four months and finishing up college for the summer, I went into a full-time position. I now lead a team of four interns: two from the US, one from London, and one from Cork, who work on community growth. The role involves creating and implementing growth strategies around creators, developing outreach channels, and fostering creator relationships. The importance and relevance of certain concepts taught in modules, such as Marketing of High-Tech Products and Data Analytics were emphasised when working in Jamango! and I now know how to use them in business decisions.

The company is spread around the world, in places such as Portugal, The U.S., and Australia. The work is fully remote and without a permanent office, our meetings are held over Zoom. Although I missed out on socialising in an office it did let me move to Vancouver with a group of friends for the summer. I got to work out of a co-working space Monday to Friday and spend the weekends travelling around British Columbia. I’ll be continuing to work with Jamango! full-time in my 3rd year as my INTRA placement.

I think your placement year and the work experience you gain from it are the most valuable part of a college course. I highly recommend working within a startup, as working so closely with the CEO is where I have learned the most. Everything you do affects the company, either positively or negatively. It’s fast-paced with quick turnarounds, where you can contribute to the company’s growth. The main thing about being part of a startup is working with 10 other people who want to be there every day.