John Mcrae work email
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John Mcrae personal email
John is a seasoned entrepreneur in the events and broadcasting industry, with over 25 years of experience building and managing ventures across media, sports, gaming, and entertainment. He has led innovative projects, developing programming for free-to-air, cable, pay-per-view, OTT, and online platforms. His achievements earned recognition from New Zealand Marketing Magazine, awarding him 'Media Visionary of the Year' in 2018 and 'TV Event of the Decade' in 2009.In 2024, his company, VADR Media, received the prestigious ASTN Australia and New Zealand Sports Technology Award for Esports and Gaming for its groundbreaking work on Checkmate Live and the advanced Sixth-i Anti-Cheat technology, setting new standards for fair play in online chess and mind games. The platform reflects his belief in the evolution and convergence of media by integrating best-in-class technologies (Ai, Cloud, Web2 and Web3), developing proprietary tech, leveraging vertical integration, and adopting a collaborative approach to industry challenges.VADR Media spinoffs include pay-per-view companies Duco Events, SKY Arena, and esports broadcaster Let's Play Live (LPL). In 2020, the New Zealand Esports Federation (NZESF), initiated and funded by VADR, was officially recognized as the National Sporting Organisation for Esports. From 2015 to 2022, John represented New Zealand in the International Esports Federation and served as Co-Chair of the Oceania Esports Council. After esports was included in the Commonwealth Games in 2022, he stepped down to pass the baton to new industry leaders. In recognition of his contributions to the industry on both sides of the Tasman, he was awarded its first life membership and played a key role in establishing foundational governance structures for esports in the region.Beyond esports, John’s portfolio spans some of the most successful per-capita televised boxing events, New Zealand’s first pay-per-view concert, and non-fight sports broadcasts, alongside various fundraisers, sports events and concerts. Over his career, he has collaborated with prominent figures such as President Clinton, Bob Geldof, David Tua, Gordon Ramsay, Israel Adesanya, Louis Vuitton, Mark Hunt, Robert Kennedy Jr., Sachin Tendulkar, and Sugar Ray Leonard, as well as top sports teams including Manchester City, Real Madrid, Emirates Team New Zealand, the All Blacks, AS Roma, the NRL, and the national rugby league teams of Australia, New Zealand, and Tonga.
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Managing Director And FounderVadrMascot, Nsw, Au -
Managing Director & FounderVadr Jan 2004 - PresentSydney, New South Wales, AuVADR is an executive production firm that produces and promotes new media, sports and entertainment.
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Ceo & FounderCheckmate Aug 2022 - PresentSydney, Nsw, AuCheckmate Live is a next-gen online speed chess broadcast and tournament platform, built for the future of competitive chess and mind games. We reimagine the chess experience with cutting-edge technology and the advanced Sixth-i anti-cheat system. Our free-to-play platform offers intense face-to-face video battles, live broadcasts, leagues, and tournaments—rewarding fair, social, and competitive gameplay at all skill levels.By leveraging cutting-edge technology, collaborative partnerships, and promoting a culture of fair play, integrity, and inclusivity, Checkmate Live is leveling the playing field for all players. Developed in partnership with the Australian Artificial Intelligence Institute, our proprietary AI-powered anti-cheat system and Arbiter mode ensures fair play. We’re proud to be the official platform for the Asian Chess Federation and Arab Esports Federation, representing 73 countries, and powered by Tencent Cloud for seamless global performance. -
Company OwnerSzuperchess Feb 2023 - PresentMascot, New South Wales, AuSzuperchess is the first real and effective solution to combat online cheating in Chess. Billed as Zoom adapted to Chess tournaments, its innovative AI and computer vision-based approach to cheating utilises a player's web camera to monitor match integrity. Since launching in 2020, it has been nominated for a number of European Startup and technology awards.Szuperchess has been fully acquired by VADR Media and is being integrated into Checkmate.live with the assistance of Tencent Cloud and our R&D partners. -
Co-Chair Oceania Esports CouncilNew Zealand Esports Federation Nov 2018 - Mar 2022Auckland, Nz -
Vice President And FounderNew Zealand Esports Federation Feb 2016 - Mar 2022Auckland, NzJohn McRae and VADR were the founding members of the NZESF. It was a privilege to lead the charge in conjunction with the co-founding members to see the Federation recognised as a Sport in New Zealand and establish it as a financially independent NSO.
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Acting PresidentNew Zealand Esports Federation Jul 2021 - Dec 2021Auckland, NzStepped in for the previous president due to retirement. Implemented a strategic review of the NZESF, established a number of new sub-committees [Education, Women, IDEA], commissioned a suite of new resources for members and appointment of a new CEO. Very excited about the road ahead for the Federation and New Zealand Esports with Jonathan Jansen and Conor English at the helm.
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FounderLetsplay.Live Sep 2015 - Aug 2020Auckland, New Zealand, NzLPL was launched by VADR Media in 2015 and quickly became the largest independent esports broadcaster and platform in Australasia. VADR's approach saw it take a niche recreational activity to a nightly televised sport in Australia and New Zealand. In 2020 the business was partially acquired by Casino operator SKYCITY Entertainment and fully acquired in 2021. At the time of sale, LPL's subscription-based competitive online website had over 400,000 registered players. The tournament platform provided players with ladders, leagues and forums underpinned by regular linear and online broadcasts, with TV partners including SKY TV, Maori TV in New Zealand and Channel 7 in Australia.LPL's first dedicated studio was shared with Juice/Garage TV and its second dedicated studio was based in the Auckland SKY Tower in New Zealand. The studio can deliver both 4K and HD broadcasts, live events in-studio or at SKYCITY Theatre (700pax) and linked to most major venues in Australia and New Zealand. It was the first studio in the region to provide direct-to-tv linear broadcasts via fibre and point-to-point. This was prior to the NEP Andrews Hub opening in Sydney, Australia. -
Founder [Acquired]Hsl | High School League Sep 2015 - Aug 2019Sydney, New South Wales, AuHSL was the world's first televised and largest Southern Hemisphere high school esports league. Based on the success of HSL Riot the publisher of League of Legends subsequently rolled out its regional high school league to which VADR was a partner. -
![Sky Arena [Vs Live]](https://cimg.aeroleads.com/ln/logos/33/5bd612171eb95fee5b77cfb48347e133.jpg)
Company DirectorSky Arena [Vs Live] Jul 2013 - Dec 2017Sydney, Nsw, AuPay-per-view company - boxing, football, MMA, music. -
Founder And Owner [Acquired]Duco Events Jan 2004 - Jul 2010Auckland, Auk, NzDuco is widely recognised as New Zealand's leading event development and promotions company.Duco has promoted elite speakers such as Richard Branson, President Bill Clinton, Carly Fiorina, Michael Eisner, HRH Prince Andrew, Bob Geldof, Robert Kennedy Jr and New Zealand’s leading entertainers, sports people, business people, political leaders and the Auckland 9's.Duco’s first events were a number of high profile and successful trade summits focused on Australia, China, India, United Kingdom and the USA. These included the Gateway to China Trade Summit, Gateway to Australia Trade Summit, Gateway to America Trade Summit, Opportunity UK, Trans-Tasman Business Forum, China Business Forum (2008, 2009), India Business Forum, and the Action Asia Trade Summit, commissioned by the Asia New Zealand Foundation. Duco also convened New Zealand’s largest forum on innovation and new product development called Zed in 2008. Duco also quickly developed a reputation for high profile celebrity dinners. In 2009, Duco promoted the Woodstock Fight of the Century between David Tua and Shane Cameron. The event was the largest boxing match to be ever held in New Zealand and broke world records in advance and per capita PPV buys. The event was considered to be the biggest sporting event in 2009 in New Zealand. In 2010, Duco continued its foray the boxing world and promoted David Tua vs Friday Ahunanya. The event was viewed by over 1,000,000 people in a country consisting of only 1.4 million households.In July 2010, I sold my interest in Duco. -
Event ProducerEma Feb 2000 - Jan 2004Auckland, NzThe role included producing and promoting business-related events and conferences. A key highlight was founding and been given the rope to produce Schmooze whilst at EMA - New Zealand's largest young professional network. Events were hosted in Art Galleries, Churches, Race tracks and the best venues in the city. It provided a great opportunity to link my background in music and business with curating events that appealed to the changing face of New Zealand business. -
OwnerMisc Events 1998 - 2000Promoted various music events with local and international DJ's. Prior to that, I ran a coat-check hustle at local bars whilst at school, hotdog stands and working bars at University.
John Mcrae Skills
John Mcrae Education Details
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The University Of AucklandPols And International Business -
University Of OtagoPols And International Business
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University Of CanterburyLaw And Commerce
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St Andrews College
Frequently Asked Questions about John Mcrae
What company does John Mcrae work for?
John Mcrae works for Vadr
What is John Mcrae's role at the current company?
John Mcrae's current role is Managing Director and Founder.
What is John Mcrae's email address?
John Mcrae's email address is jo****@****.com.au
What schools did John Mcrae attend?
John Mcrae attended The University Of Auckland, University Of Otago, University Of Canterbury, St Andrews College.
What skills is John Mcrae known for?
John Mcrae has skills like Entrepreneurship, Event Management, Social Networking, Marketing Strategy, Sponsorship, New Media, Mobile Applications, Social Media Marketing, Leadership, Mobile Devices, Marketing, Social Media.
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