Michele Morrow

Michele Morrow (born March 19, 1978) is an American television presenter, actress, writer, video game journalist and producer. Early in her career she was a freelance writer and columnist for HelloGiggles and Nerdist Industries, while also hosting various digital shows centered around video games and pop culture.[1][2]

Michele Morrow
Born (1978-03-19) March 19, 1978
Spokane, Washington, U.S.
OccupationTelevision presenter, actress, writer, video game journalist and producer
Years active2004–present
Spouse(s)
Michael Weitzman
​
(m. 2017)​
Websitewww.michelemorrow.com

Starting out she appeared in independent films before making her television hosting debut on DirecTV for Blizzard Entertainment's BlizzCon (2014).[3] She next appeared as host of ESPN2's live broadcast of Heroes of the Dorm (2015) which caused controversy among sports fans.[4][5][6] In 2016, she was co-host and newscaster for Bleacher Report's daily esports news show, Estream.[7]

From 2015 to 2017, Morrow teamed up with Jesse Cox to create, develop and executive produce a single camera sitcom about esports called Good Game. Their original treatment was produced into a six-episode scripted series in 2017 as a YouTube Original with Dan Harmon's Starburns Industries and Game Grumps. Morrow played the role of Ashley "Ash" Donovan loosely based on her personal experiences in the video game industry.[8] In 2015, she also became the voice over artist for Alleria Windrunner in Hearthstone.[9]

In 2018, Morrow joined the live broadcast team at ELEAGUE on TBS as sideline reporter for the four-part tournament miniseries Tekken Team Takedown,[10] and again as desk anchor for the six-part tournament miniseries ELEAGUE Street Fighter V Invitational 2018.[11][12]

From 2018–2019, Morrow appeared on Netflix as host of Super-Fan Builds, and appeared on HLN as a video game and tech expert for MichaeLA hosted by Michaela Pereira, and Dr. Drew on Call hosted by Drew Pinsky.[13]

In recent years, Morrow has been a guest speaker at video game events, served as an esports and gaming consultant, and worked with video game driven charities. In 2019, Morrow won an award from Cynopsis naming her "Top Woman in Media" for the field of Esports.[14] In July 2012, Blizzard Entertainment honored Morrow in-game by naming two non-player characters (NPC) after her: "Mei Chele" in World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria, depicted with her cats "Azrael" and "Samus" and husband "Lamplighter Mu",[15] and "Mychele Morrowsong" in World of Warcraft: Warlords of Draenor. In December 2019, Morrow was listed as one of "The 10 Most Influential Women in Gaming".[16]

In 2020, Morrow is the co-host of video game podcast, The Game Diaries, with professional gamer Stephanie "missharvey" Harvey.[17]

Early life

Morrow was born in Spokane, Washington. In 1996, she attended Western Washington University before transferring to University of Washington where she obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in Drama and minor in Speech Communication. After graduating college she moved to Los Angeles, California, where she continued to study acting at Howard Fine Acting Studio, Ivana Chubbuck Studio, Lesly Kahn and Co. and The Second City.[18]

Career

2004–2018: Acting and television hosting credits

Morrow made her film debut in the independent horror film Slaughterhouse of the Rising Sun (2005), a 1970's period piece loosely based on the Manson Family. In 2005, Morrow made guest appearances in The Young and the Restless and Alias. In 2007, Morrow starred as Claire in horror film The Seer (2007) shot on location in Sardinia, Italy co-starring Bella Thorne as young Claire. In 2009, Michele co-starred as scream queen Kerra in vampire thriller Bled. She next starred as final girl Karen Cook in horror slasher Basement Jack (2009), co-starring Tiffany Shepis, Billy Morrison, and scream queen, Lynn Lowry. In 2010, Morrow played the supporting role of Sezah in Ashley's Ashes, featuring Orsen Bean, Clint Howard, Willie Garson, and Daniel Baldwin.[19] In 2014, she appeared as a guest star in the Syfy reality series Heroes of Cosplay hosted by Yaya Han.[20] In 2015, she appeared as the voice artist for video games, including Alleria Windrunner in Hearthstone.[9] From 2014 through 2016, Morrow appeared on DirecTV's coverage as the host of Blizzard Entertainment's BlizzCon and continued in the position through 2019 on Blizzard's All Access Channel. Morrow appeared as herself in video game documentary series Unlocked: The World of Games Revealed (2015) and was interviewed by Sean Astin about gaming.[21] In 2017, Morrow appeared as Ash in YouTube Original Good Game.

In 2015, Morrow served as stage host for ESPN's Heroes of the Dorm at the Shrine Auditorium in downtown Los Angeles with esports analysts Sean "Day9" Plott, Manuel "Grubby" Schenkhuizen, Nick "Tasteless" Plott, and Dan "Artosis" Stemkoski. While much of the tournament appeared on ESPN3, the final match aired live on ESPN2 as the first time an esport has ever been broadcast on a major American television network.[22] ESPN sports journalist Colin Cowherd made defamatory remarks regarding the appearance of video game Heroes of the Dorm on a sports network, causing controversy in sports and gaming.[23][24] In 2018, Morrow joined the broadcast team at TBS's ELEAGUE as sideline reporter for the four-part tournament miniseries Tekken Team Takedown, with esports analysts Richard Lewis and Steve "Tasty Steve" Scott. The show aired on TBS every Friday night, from March 16 through April 6.[10] Later in 2018, Morrow returned to TBS and ELEAGUE as desk host for the ELEAGUE Street Fighter V Invitational 2018 which aired Fridays starting May 25 for six weeks.[25][26][27]

2015–2017: Good Game

Morrow and Cox conceived of and wrote the treatment for Good Game in 2015. Spoofing MOBA genre games DOTA 2 and League of Legends,[28] they designed and created Killcore, a comedic, fictional game featured in the series. Concept artist Mark Gibbons of Blizzard Entertainment, Games Workshop and Riot Games, illustrated Killcore's character design, environment, user interface and logo.[29] In 2016, Morrow and Cox made a deal to develop and executive produce Good Game as a six-part series for YouTube Originals with Dan Harmon's Starburns Industries and YouTube channel Game Grumps. The project was announced at VidCon 2017 by YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki.[30][31][32] In 2017, filming took place in Los Angeles, California with an ensemble cast starring Arin Hanson, Dan Avidan, Michele Morrow, Jade Payton, Rahul Abburi and Michael Marisi Ornstein; co-starring Oliver Cooper, Terry Crews and Stephanie Harvey, who appeared as a cameo with the esports organization Counter Logic Gaming. Good Game premiered on YouTube Red August 30, 2017, in five countries (United States, Mexico, South Korea, Australia, and New Zealand), and on Google Play.[33] In 2018, Good Game was recognized as a finalist for "Best Esports-Themed Program" during the 1st annual Tempest Awards.[34]

2014–2019: BlizzCon

For six years, Morrow served as host and desk anchor of Blizzard Entertainment's annual video game convention BlizzCon (2014–2019). In 2014, Morrow hosted BlizzCon November 7 and 8 which appeared on DirectTV with co-host Geoff Keighley, musical act Metallica, and comedian Chris Hardwick. In 2015, during Blizzard Entertainment's 25th anniversary, Morrow returned to host BlizzCon on November 6 and 7 which appeared on DirectTV with co-host Alex Albrecht, musical act Linkin Park, and master of ceremonies Wil Wheaton. In 2016, Morrow again hosted BlizzCon with Albrecht on November 4 and 5 which appeared on DirectTV with musical act "Weird Al" Yankovic and master of ceremonies Thomas Middleditch. In 2017, Morrow and Albrecht returned as co-hosts for BlizzCon on November 3 and 4 which appeared on Blizzard's new All Access Channel with musical guest Muse and comedian Chris Hardwick. Morrow and Albrecht also served as stage hosts for closing ceremonies where they interviewed Blizzard Entertainment's three original co-founders, Mike Morhaime, Frank Pearce and Allen Adham.[35][36][37] In 2018, Morrow and Albrecht returned as co-hosts for BlizzCon on November 2 and 3 which appeared on the BlizzCon All Access Channel with musical guests Train, Lindsey Stirling, and DJ Kristian Nairn.[38][39][40] In 2019, Morrow returned to host BlizzCon on November 1 and 2 which appeared on the BlizzCon All Access Channel with co-host Malik Forté and musical guests Fitz and the Tantrums, The Glitch Mob, and Haywyre.[41]

Web series & digital media

From 2009 to 2011, Morrow created and developed Foam Weapon League where she performed as team captain at three live events in Los Angeles.[42][43]

From 2012 to 2015, Morrow hosted several shows for digital network BiteSize TV, including weekly app review show, App Attack and video game news show Chicks with Joysticks. Morrow also served as creator, executive producer and host of video game variety show Chaotic Awesome.[44] Guest hosting appearances include Collector's Cafe with host Larry King featuring Morrow's interview with Melissa Rivers. Morrow appeared as guest host for Hollywood Today Live and guest hosted Hollywood Goes Green, a live 12-hour Earth Day marathon with Ed Begley Jr..

Since 2012, Morrow has attended the annual video game convention and trade fair E3 as a video game journalist and host.[45] She has been a guest on Geoff Keighley's Live at E3 from 2015 through 2018.[46][47][48] She appeared as panel moderator at the 2017 E3 Coliseum for God of War: Behind the Curtain where she interviewed the team from God of War.[49]

From 2013 through 2017, Morrow was a writer and talent for Nerdist Industries including weekly shows The Doctor Who Companion and Massive.[50][51] In 2014, Morrow made a guest appearance in Controller Freaks by co-presentation by Nerdist and Upright Citizen's Brigade.[52] From 2014 to 2015, Morrow hosted a weekly show on Sling TV for Maker Studios called Multiplayer, [53] guest starred on Sling TV's tabletop gaming show Table Flip with Arin "Egoraptor" Hansen and Nathan Barnatt.

In 2015, Morrow appeared at San Diego Comic-Con for Legendary Entertainment where she interviewed the cast and director of the Warcraft movie, later hosting the red carpet premiere of Warcraft by Universal Pictures with co-host Jesse Cox at Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, California.[54]

In 2015, Morrow competed as a gamer for the first time at the Heroes of the Storm launch event, Mayhem Begins.[55] Later that year, Morrow presented the award for best short film with Dante Bosco at the Geekie Awards.[56] In 2016, Morrow hosted Super-Fan Builds for Defy Media with co-hosts Sandeep Parikh and Leah Kilpatrick, appearing on Go90 and Netflix.[57][58]

In 2016, Morrow joined Bleacher Report's daily esports news show, Estream, with co-host Malik Forté. Filming took place at the CNN building in Los Angeles where Morrow and Forté reported on all aspects of competitive gaming with pro gamers and professional athletes.[7][59][60] Throughout 2016, Morrow and Forté also shared a podcast called Status Effect produced by Levity Entertainment Group and the Sideshow Network, recorded live at the Hollywood Improv where guests were invited to engage in an "honest conversation about life, technology, triumphs and career trials within the rapidly growing landscape of video games."[61]

In 2016, Morrow served as executive producer and host of Endgame, a weekly video game culture show for Lionsgate in partnership with Comic-Con for subscription service CCHQ with co-host Khail Anonymous and executive producers Adam Sessler and Neil Mandt.[62][63][64] Later in 2016, Morrow appeared on HLN as a tech expert for MichaeLA hosted by Michaela Pereira, where Morrow demonstrated the Oculus Rift. Morrow also appeared as a video game expert for Dr. Drew on Call hosted by Drew Pinsky.[13] In 2017, Morrow also appeared as guest star for Geek & Sundry's Tabletop with Wil Wheaton.[65]

In 2018 and 2019, Morrow hosted two seasons of weekly video game clip show Game Over with Bud Light for Amazon and Twitch.[66] Morrow has appeared as guest host for AT&T's esports news show, The 9's Presented by AT&T (2019) with host Christopher "Monte Cristo" Mykles.[67]

In 2020, Morrow launched video game podcast, The Game Diaries, with professional gamer Stephanie "missharvey" Harvey.

Personal life

Morrow currently lives in Los Angeles, California with her husband, Michael Weitzman, and their cats Samus and Zeus. Morrow is an accomplished artist, who has created original works of multimedia art under the name "Recycled Rock". Her commissioned pieces have been featured inside the offices of Ryan Seacrest in Los Angeles and Billboard New York City.[68] In 2007, Morrow was in a traumatic accident that left her in a neck brace for nearly a year with a sprain, small fracture and thoracic outlet syndrome, which resulted in the removal of her left cervical rib. Morrow's favorite games include Myst, The Legend of Zelda, Hearthstone, God of War II, World of Warcraft, Portal 2, Overwatch and Borderlands 2.[69]

Charity work

Morrow served as spokesperson for GameChanger Charity in 2015 and led an event called "Raid Against Rare Diseases" which featured popular Twitch streamers and raised approximately $10,000.[70] In 2015, Morrow played in a gaming tournament held in Orlando, Florida benefiting Extra Life United. She has also supported Child's Play and is an AnyKey Affiliate.[71][72]

References
  1. Morrow, Michele (2012-08-10). "Fake. Geek. Girls?". HelloGiggles.
  2. Morrow, Michele (2013-07-29). "Exclusive: John Leguizamo Talks Kick-Ass 2, His New TV Show and More! — Nerdist". nerdist.com.
  3. "For The Horde! Nerdist Will Be in Full Force at BlizzCon 2014 — Nerdist". nerdist.com. 2014-09-24.
  4. "Watch eSports on ESPN2 for the first time ever this weekend". Engadget. 2015-04-23.
  5. Valinsky, Jordan (2015-04-27). "ESPN2 Aired Video Games Last Night as a Preview of Our eSports Future". Vice.
  6. Carson, Dan (2015-04-27). "Sports Fans Upset Over ESPN 2 Airing 'Heroes of the Dorm' Gaming Competition". Bleacher Report.
  7. Patel, Sahil (2016-06-02). "Bleacher Report has a 12-person eSports team and bigger ambitions". Digiday.
  8. Cox, Jesse, Good Game Talk Back: Episode 1 and 2, retrieved 2017-08-31
  9. "HEARTHSTONE To Add Alleria Windrunner To Game, Voiced By Michele Morrow — Nerdist". nerdist.com. 2015-06-11.
  10. "ELEAGUE Returns to the FGC With TEKKEN Team Takedown". The Esports Observer. 2018-02-23.
  11. "ELEAGUE Announces Street Fighter® V Invitational 2018 Commentary Team". ELEAGUE. 2018-05-23.
  12. "Michele Morrow Leads Hosts For ELEAGUE Street Fighter 5 Invitational 2018". Shacknews.
  13. "CNN.com - Transcripts". edition.cnn.com.
  14. "2019 Top Women in Media". Cynopsis Media. 2019-09-24.
  15. "Blizzplanet » Michele Morrow and Azrael Become NPCs in World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria".
  16. "The 10 Most Influential Women in Gaming - AT&T Entertainment News". Entertainment News from AT&T. 2019-12-27.
  17. "Game Diaries announcement, Venn | The Download | Ep30". YouTube. October 21, 2020.
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  19. "IMDb Michele Morrow". IMDb.
  20. "Heroes of Cosplay Episode 10 Wizard World Con (Recap/Review) · Guardian Liberty Voice". 2014-06-19. Retrieved 2016-09-07.
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  22. Marks, Tom (2015-04-28). "Heroes of the Dorm finals were a success story for esports". PC Gamer.
  23. April 28; 2015. "Colin Cowherd Takes ESPN To Task For Putting eSports Competition On Television". www.sportsbusinessdaily.com.CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
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  57. "Defy Media Super Fan Builds on go90". www.tubefilter.com. 2016-07-12.
  58. Morrow, Michele (2018-11-25). "Good family binge on @netflix, "Super-Fan Builds"". Twitter.com.
  59. Video, B/R. "eStream: Rick Fox and Jace Hall Talk Echo Fox". Bleacher Report.
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  62. McNary, Dave (2016-03-14). "Lionsgate to Launch Comic-Con Channel in May". Retrieved 2016-08-24.
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  64. "COMIC-CON HQ: our initial impressions of new Comic-Con VOD service". An Englishman In San Diego. 2016-05-09.
  65. "TableTop: Wil Wheaton Plays Codenames with Michele Morrow, Travis Willingham, And Many More!". Geek and Sundry. 2017-08-30.
  66. "Bud Light". Dan Bache - Creative Thinker / Art Director.
  67. Morrow, Michele (2019-07-23). "Will @Keeoh smash the llama?". twitter.com.
  68. "Michele Morrow". ArtSlant. 2007-10-13.
  69. "Official website of Michele Morrow". MicheleMorrow.com.
  70. "GameChanger hosts Raid Against Rare Diseases". Blizzard Watch. 2015-02-28.
  71. "Blizzplanet » Michele Morrow Auctions Signed Cataclysm and StarCraft II CE for Child's Play".
  72. "Affiliates". AnyKey.
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