LOS ANGELES -- Zeke Mateus began his esports casting journey before he ever spoke into a live mic.
In September 2015, Epic Games held an Unreal Tournament exhibition at its headquarters in Cary, North Carolina, pitting developers against skilled invitees in the pre-alpha game's new Capture the Flag mode. Mateus, usually a member of Epic's quality-assurance team, floated around the live event as an extra hand, offering support where he could to staff and visiting players.
After Izanagi were crowned champions of the four-team tournament, Mateus took a seat behind the empty black desk where Jim Brown and David "Zaccubus" Treacy had cast the proceedings. Smiling, the then-24-year-old put on a headset and posed for a picture, one that underscored his growing desire to transition from QA into casting.
Mateus made his passion clear to Jeremy Hoffmann, Epic's director of video production, who had his own suggestion for the future.
"Ultimately, we narrowed it down that he wanted to create content," Hoffmann said. "I said, 'The best thing you can learn how to do is edit. If you can take other people's stuff and learn how to tell a story with it, you'll soon be able to tell your own story.'"
Fast-forward three years, and Mateus has emerged as a prominent fixture at Epic's Fortnite events. Whether he's casting behind the desk, interviewing from the floor or starring in preproduced videos, Mateus suffuses every broadcast with the buoyant energy and sly sense of humor now synonymous with Fortnite itself.
At this point, his signature denim jacket might as well be a purchasable skin.
Mateus' tone is so distinct that veteran esports broadcaster Alex "Goldenboy" Mendez could sense its influence immediately.
"He's going to hate me for saying this, but he has become a star of Fortnite," Goldenboy said. "His style and his flair really does drive a lot of the way Fortnite feels from a broadcast perspective."
Originally from Dallas, Mateus moved to North Carolina to study 3D animation and game design at Living Arts College, a tri-domed art institute on Raleigh's northeastern edge. Joining Epic in 2013 was a significant upgrade from his college job as a Starbucks barista, a position he'd held for the better part of six years.
Once Mateus adjusted to new amenities like the free swag table and a giant, floor-spanning slide, he began actively testing Paragon, Epic's take on the multiplayer online battle arena genre fused with third-person shooter elements.
Not long after the Unreal Tournament CTF exhibition, Mateus graduated from QA and became an assistant video editor on Hoffmann's team. Many of the Paragon character trailers were cut and voiced by Mateus, who took Epic-facilitated lessons in a small audio booth to practice his delivery. Because of his improved voiceover work and knowledge of the game, Mateus earned a spot casting a handful of Paragon events, including the official Paragon Exhibition event in August 2017.
"I just love to be passionate about something and share that passion with other people," Mateus said during the Secret Skirmish in mid-February. "For me, I just want to put on the best performance I can. ... If I can even just make one person laugh, or teach one person one thing, that's enough. But obviously every day I'm doing everything I can to improve, because I'm super, super hungry to get better."
Unfortunately for Mateus' budding casting career, Paragon was shuttered in early 2018 to prioritize the development of Fortnite. Mateus returned to his day job within his day job, editing videos for Fortnite items like the minigun, vending machines and clinger explosives. That daily existence persisted until mid-July, when, after the highly publicized debacle that was Week 1 of the Summer Skirmish, Hoffmann offered Mateus the casting desk for Week 2.
Mateus didn't hesitate. He flew cross-country the following morning to the Burbank, California, studios of Next Generation Esports.
"At that time, it was just a fabric wall that said 'Summer Skirmish,'" Mateus said. "We had two, three cameras in a small space. Towards the end of Summer Skirmish, we actually moved onto that dope set: the LED wall, huge proper casting desk, dope mics, this whole awesome setup. But it was cool to jump on early and see that starting point, to be able to say this is where it all began, and now look where we are."
At first, Mateus struggled to modulate his loud broadcast persona, often overreaching with humor and boxing out his co-casters rather than showcasing them. An ever-rotating cast of color commentators meant that Mateus had to manufacture rapport from scratch every week, a difficult task for even seasoned broadcasters. He adjusted by taking a back seat to their analysis and tactical insight, functioning more as an enthusiastic everyman host than sage Fortnite professional.
Providing space to shine for his guests resulted in memorable moments such as Benjamin "DrLupo" Lupo riffing on the merits of a "grey tac" and Kristen "KittyPlays" Valnicek's simple sandwich-as-positioning metaphor (hint: in a teamfight, be the bread, not the meat).
"You can't be the funny guy all the time," Hoffmann said. "He's learned where his strengths are. That self-awareness, knowing, 'Hey dude, we're not hiring you because you're a professional host. We're hiring you because you're a passionate fan about Fortnite. You want to be a voice; figure out how to use that voice.'"
By the end of 2018, Mateus had cast all three of Epic's Fortnite tournaments (Summer Skirmish, Fall Skirmish and Winter Royale) in addition to interviewing players at PAX West and TwitchCon. Each were massive events with millions of dollars in prize money on the line, but for Mateus, the craziness of the Korean Open dwarfed them all.
Much like Babe Ruth's 1934 baseball tour of Japan, Mateus joined a delegation of top North American Fortnite talent bound for a December pro-am in Seoul, South Korea. Thousands of fans sold out the Korea University Hwajeong Gymnasium to see stars like KittyPlays and Turner "Tfue" Tenney test themselves against the local players, as well as popular South Korean influencers and esports heroes like League of Legends' Kang "Cpt Jack" Hyung-woo and Starcraft II's Lee "Jaedong" Jae Dong.
"If I can even just make one person laugh, or teach one person one thing, that's enough. But obviously every day I'm doing everything I can to improve, because I'm super, super hungry to get better." Zeke Mateus, Fortnite caster
All the attention surprised Mateus, who was expecting a low-key trip with friends. Maybe they'd sell out the arena, maybe a few people would recognize Tfue. Instead, Mateus encountered throngs of South Korean pros who recognized him from the skirmishes he'd cast. Everyone wanted a picture.
"It was surreal, but it was also eye-opening," Mateus said. "I didn't realize our reach was that wide. I try not to think about how big this thing is because I don't want to let it get to my head. I want to stay as humble as possible because that's just how my mother raised me. But just to be able to hear these players say, 'Yeah, we watch you. Can we get pictures?' I will never forget those moments."
Despite his newfound fame, Mateus remains hungry to improve. Most recently at Secret Skirmish, he sought play-by-play advice from Goldenboy as they worked the $500,000 tournament together. Goldenboy knew exactly what to say.
"I said, 'Dude, you got it. Just run with it,'" Goldenboy said. "Don't be afraid. Call the moment. Get the Victory Royale popoff. Enjoy this thing, because you have the 'it' factor. It's very hard, and he developed that really trial by fire. I'm very proud of him. He's really stepped up to the occasion."
Goldenboy wasn't the only big name on the Secret Skirmish broadcast team. Lupo and KittyPlays were there, as was Jack "CouRage" Dunlop, who publicly defended Mateus last summer when his Twitch viewers harshly criticized the rookie caster. Yet in the spy-themed teaser Epic filmed to preface its event, the company chose Mateus to be James Bond.
The former QA specialist became the ringmaster who stood apart from the other talent, the man whose face meant Fortnite, whose path from Starbucks to star could not be more emblematic of the way Epic wants to grow its flagship game.
Expect to see more of Mateus as the $30 million Fortnite World Cup draws closer, but for those who can't wait, you can hear his voice right now, narrating the new Season 8 Battle Pass trailer he helped make. Mateus' official title is still video editor, after all, even though the casting passion he sowed years ago at the Unreal Tournament CTF exhibition has borne fruit.
Speaking of which, Mateus eventually posted that casting desk photo of himself on Instagram. His caption?
"That one time I pretended to be a commentator."