Malik "4Play" Forté
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Let the story begin
Born in Ohio, I gracefully fell into song writing at an early age. My love for video games eventually got me deeply integrated into that culture. I've been lucky enough to make a living being involved in both and with a microphone in hand
Many of my hours are spent producing and writing music. I've freelanced for many musical acts, offering my creative direction to help them achieve their audible visions. Since I've been at this ten-plus, there's a good chance you may have heard some of my work out there in the wild.
Every now and then I'll show up at a venue and hit the stage for release therapy.
In recent times, however, it's the video game world where I've made the most noise
I played video games since I was 4, so a deeper understanding for games' fundamentals came organically. I channelled this into professional gaming for a few years in my late teens-- but I grew up before the time where being a video game expert was a lucrative and socially commended career path.
After amassing a small following from pro-gaming, my friends and I started a website and youtube channel where we observed the gaming landscape from a streetwise perspective. This eventually lead to us traveling all over the country to video game and tech conventions. Long live Ironstar
Several years later, I joined Nerdist.com after being approached by them to build a video game section on their website.
Initially, my job at Nerdist was to give video games a presence, that way the Nerdist sales team could bring in some gaming ad dollars. But I was also able to, alongside the rest of the Nerdist editorial team, make the website a top credible source for gaming news. All the best to Chris Hardwick, Jessica Chobot, Brian Walton, Dan Casey, Rachel Heine, Kyle Hill, Matt Grosinger and the rest of the former Nerdist editorial team!
I knew I had done well when Nerdist review quotes began surfacing in video game marketing campaigns. This eventually led to me becoming an E3 judge back in 2015. As years passed, I developed the most valuable set of skills I'd acquire at Nerdist-- the ability to host on-camera. This propelled me into the next stage of my career.
Freelance hosting allowed me to go back to my roots
I stepped down as gaming editor for Nerdist in Spring 2016 to pursue hosting opportunities in video games and esports. From then on, my career has gone into hyperdrive. All the sleepless nights and years of pro bono work at this point are truly starting to reciprocate.
My first post-Nerdist gig was with Turner Sports, hosting a show on Bleacher Report thanks to my good friend Michele Morrow. Michele and I also started a podcast called "Status Effect", and till this day we still work together hosting the BlizzCon All Access desk every November. Michele is world class at what she does, so being able to learn from her has proven to be invaluable for me. And as I improved, more opportunities aligned
Being able to host for so many game developers and publishers I've admired over the years has been a dream come true. I look forward to being able to expand in this area more in the future. For most of the recent years, I invested most of my time in a certain competitive gaming scene.
Overwatch League
OWL Photography by Robert Paul
Being on the ground floor for the Overwatch League's inception was an extremely humbling and enlightening experience. A good portion of the community was engaging and positive. The production and talent crew were a blast to work with and I especially enjoyed getting to know the players. I'm very proud of what I was able to accomplish with others here. We put on shows around the world and broadcasted on national television!
Photo by Martin Wong
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