max wink↗
MARKETING STRATEGY · GROWTH · COMMUNITY

Find the right
community.
Build momentum.

I’m Max Wink, a marketing and growth strategist with experience leading a game studio. I help products find their audience and build the strategy to reach them—through product launches, creator partnerships, and paid acquisition.

Explore the work↓
EXPERIENCE ACROSSSiroccoTwitchLoadedLost PassengerGaming. Creators. Internet culture.
01 / SELECTED WORK

Community insight.
Creative action.

SIROCCO · STUDIO CEO · STEAM LAUNCHCOMMUNITY INSIGHT → LAUNCH EXECUTION

Find the users.
Build the launch around them.

As CEO, I led the studio behind Sirocco, a MOBA released on Steam that reached 107,916 lifetime downloads. We built our streamer and Reddit launch strategy around a priority audience: the Warcraft III mod community.

Explore the launch ↗
PRODUCT MILESTONE · STEAM107,916Lifetime game downloads
REDDIT CAMPAIGN PERFORMANCE
$59KReddit ad spend
557KReported clicks
$0.11Reported cost per click

Lifetime downloads cover the game overall; they are not attributed to the Reddit campaign.

LOST PASSENGER · AUDIENCE & CONTENT STRATEGY

A new stage.
A new audience.

At Lost Passenger, I identified Twitch as an opportunity for IMPACT Wrestling and pitched a content strategy designed to use streams to promote specials and build audience.

Explore the strategy ↗
TWITCH · ESPORTS CONTENT MARKETING

Built around
the fans.

At Twitch, I was responsible for content marketing across esports initiatives—working at the intersection of competition, creators, and the communities that make them matter.

IN FOCUS / SIROCCO

From audience insight
to a measurable launch campaign.

A game launch grounded in
knowing who would care.

THE PROJECT

Sirocco
A MOBA released on Steam

MY ROLE

CEO of the studio behind Sirocco
Marketing and audience strategy

THE AUDIENCE

Passionate Warcraft III mod users

The product milestone

Sirocco reached 107,916 lifetime downloads on Steam. As CEO, I led the studio that brought the game to market, connecting audience strategy with a launch across streamers and paid media.

The audience insight

We saw a passionate community of Warcraft III mod users as a priority audience for Sirocco. That insight gave the launch a clear focus: reach users with a relevant connection to the game.

The launch strategy

Our launch marketing combined streamers and paid media, with streamer activations and Reddit ads aimed at reaching that community. Audience selection shaped both our channel choices and where we committed marketing budget.

The Reddit campaign

The campaign recorded $59,057.28 in Reddit ad spend, 557,209 clicks, and a reported $0.11 cost per click. The dashboard also reported 112,737,228 impressions, a 0.494% click-through rate, and a $0.52 effective CPM.

Amount spent
$59,057.28
Clicks
557,209
Cost per click
$0.11
Impressions
112,737,228
Click-through rate
0.494%
Effective CPM
$0.52

The strategic lesson

Community knowledge can guide concrete launch decisions: which audience to prioritize, where to reach them, and where to commit marketing budget.

Sources: Steam lifetime units report and Reddit Ads dashboard supplied by Max Wink; Steam units identified as game downloads by Max. Lifetime downloads cover the game overall and are not attributed to Reddit. Ad figures cover the Reddit campaign, not the full launch budget. CPC and eCPM are platform-rounded values. Clicks and impressions do not establish unique users, installs, or sales.

IN FOCUS / APEX LEGENDSOriginal campaign ↗

Give a community
something to make its own.

THE PROJECT

Apex Legends
Gaiden VTuber campaign

MY CONTRIBUTION

Originated the marketing idea
while at Loaded

✳ Clio-recognized campaign

The opportunity

Apex Legends and VTuber culture shared a natural meeting point: gaming, anime, and audiences who follow creators as closely as the worlds they play in.

The idea

Bring Apex characters into the format that this community already used to express itself. Custom VTuber avatars let creators perform as Legends, turning the game into part of their streams.

The strategic lesson

A strong community strategy starts with understanding what people already love doing. Give them a meaningful way to participate, and the campaign becomes something they can help shape.

Campaign delivered by Loaded / Open World in partnership with EA / Respawn. Campaign context and artwork: Open World. Recognition belongs to the campaign and its wider team.

IN FOCUS / IMPACT WRESTLINGTwitch’s announcement ↗

Find the platform.
Give the audience a reason to return.

THE PROJECT

IMPACT Wrestling on Twitch
At Lost Passenger

MY CONTRIBUTION

Identified the opportunity
Pitched the content strategy
Connected streams to promotion of specials

The opportunity

I saw an opportunity for IMPACT Wrestling to reach audiences on Twitch. A platform built around live viewing and participation offered a compelling place for wrestling fandom.

The pitch

I pitched IMPACT on a content strategy that connected streams to its wider programming: use live content to introduce viewers to the brand, promote specials, and give audiences a reason to keep watching.

From strategy to launch

Our team at Lost Passenger helped convince IMPACT to launch events on Twitch. Twitch’s subsequent WrestleCon announcement featured IMPACT programming and enabled fans to co-stream the coverage with their own commentary.

The strategic lesson

Choosing a distribution platform is a growth decision. The opportunity comes from connecting the way a community watches and participates with a content strategy that supports the business.

IN RETROSPECT
“Impact Wrestling’s Twitch Deal Was Ahead Of Its Time” ↗
Noah Leatherland · TheSportster · December 31, 2021

Personal contribution described by Max Wink. Event and co-streaming context: Twitch’s 2018 announcement.

02 / HOW I THINK

Growth starts with
understanding people.

01

Find the audience
that matters.

Look beyond broad demographics. Understand who has a reason to care, where they spend their time, and what could bring them closer to the product.

02

Give people a
reason to participate.

Translate that insight into positioning, content, and creative ideas that fit the community—and give people something worth joining or sharing.

03

Turn attention
into momentum.

Connect the campaign to a bigger growth strategy. Define what meaningful participation looks like, learn from the response, and build on what works.

03 / A LITTLE ABOUT MEPortrait of Max Wink

From audience insight
to launch execution
and business leadership.

Most recently, I served as CEO of the studio behind Sirocco, leading a team that released a MOBA on Steam and reached 107,916 lifetime downloads. My experience also spans content marketing at Twitch, campaign thinking at Loaded, and audience strategy at Lost Passenger. Across gaming, esports, and creators, I’m drawn to the same question: which communities can help a product find its next chapter?

I bring the perspective of a business leader and a marketer: identify the audience, shape the message, choose the channels, and connect creative work to measurable outcomes.

More on LinkedIn ↗
HAVE SOMETHING IN MIND?

Let’s find your
next opportunity.

Connect with me on LinkedIn ↗