I had the chance to speak with Andrew “Vedius” Day at the EU LCS this past weekend about his career, the EU LCS and casting in general.
To start, could you introduce yourself?
“Ok. So my name is Andrew “Vedius” Day and I am the newest European LCS colour caster.”
Of course, like you said, you are the newest/the rookie. So what have the other casters said to help you fit into the EU LCS?
“They’ve been rude, they’ve picked on me and they’ve mocked me… no, they’ve actually been really helpful. Last split, I kind of had to hit the ground running because we had two streams, so because it was a new format, there were a lot of games that needed to be covered. It became very difficult for people to invest the time into one-on-one tutoring, so it was more independent research. I was doing my best to level up, which is definitely tough, but over time things have gotten better.
You just sort of learn as you go, as you are always surrounded by these people who [know so much]. It is very discussion based, so when you talk with people, you slowly pick things up over time around all these smart pro players. It naturally helps your knowledge level up as well.”
Just going off of that quickly, for all of those casters looking to go up the ranks and get to where you are now, what would you advise them to do going forward?
“So, I’d give three tidbits of advice.
The first one is figuring out if you actually want it. As it is one thing to want to be rich or everyone wants a nice car and stuff like that, but people kind of want stuff but they don’t actually want it. If you are going to be a caster, you have to accept that there will be a lot of stuff you don’t want to do. You are going to be casting until four in the morning for free, for half an hour, to 10 viewers, because you need the practice. You need the VODs to show to people and to review.
You’re going to be potentially travelling to places you do not like for maybe no money because you need the experience and if you want it, that sort of stuff you will enjoy doing. It takes a very long time to get [to this level], so for my first piece of advice, figure out if you really want it.
Secondly, listen to what’s been already done because it is great to learn from the people who already are where they are. Don’t try to emulate or become them, but use them as inspiration to inspire your own craft and don’t be afraid to reach out to them on social media. Don’t be offended if they do not reply, but don’t be afraid to just walk up to them and say, ‘Hey, I want to be a color, help me.’ Come to them with an interesting question, as if you give them an interesting question, they are more likely to interact with you. So being engaging and being intuitive is a great thing to do.
And my third piece of advice is make as many friends as possible, as this is a ‘showbiz’ business. That is not to say that skill doesn’t get you anywhere, as hard work is acknowledged, but making an effort to go out and talk to people and introduce yourself to others and being sociable is a really valuable skill that will really help you getting along [in this industry].”
Is there anything else that you looked at other than League or look towards moving forward?
“As a freelancer when I started casting, I started casting League but then there weren’t enough league gigs so I had to cast ‘Vain Glory’ and did a couple of international tournament for Vain Glory. I also considered casting Blade and Soul as well. I was very lucky in the fact that, bringing back to this friends thing, I started casting with a caster that has been around for awhile. He recommended me for a gig and then they wanted me as a regular. I was super lucky, but that just comes from knowing the right people.
But of course, when you have that opportunity, it comes back to that first tidbit. I didn’t really cast anything crazy. I started with League and then I casted other games when I didn’t have League to cast.”
Lastly, who would you say was the main inspiration from the early points in your career?
“Aidan ‘Zirene‘ Moon was actually my coach. So I reached out for Zirene when I was in Romania casting the PGL and I just asked him for feedback and he had a lot of free time, so he took the time out to do a VOD review with me. I kept reaching out to him and we worked together a lot, so a lot of my style was originally based off of his and then it sort of evolved.
I took what he taught me and added my own personality. Zirene was a big inspiration for where I am right now, due to the sheer amount of effort and time he put into perfecting my craft, so I am really thankful for him, as if it weren’t for him, I probably wouldn’t be where I am.”
Thank you very much for your time and we look forward to seeing more from you in the EU LCS moving forward.
Adam Newell is a journalist for @GAMURScom and can be contacted in ways displayed below. If you have any tips or want anything covered, be sure to let us know:
Email: adam.newell10@outlook.com
Twitter: @MonkeyKingHero
Image credits: Riot Flickr
