About
Exploring Fortnite’s Competitive and Creative Arenas
Welcome to a closer look at the intersection of competitive gaming and innovative content creation in Fortnite. I'm Johnny Troset Andersen, both father and Team Manager to Martin "MrSavage" Foss Andersen, a recognized figure in the global Fortnite community.
Our adventure kicked off when Martin secured second place at only 14 in the European Winter Royale Qualifiers in 2018. Recognizing his talent and the opportunities within Fortnite, I rallied a team of seasoned pros around him, including managers, agents, legal advisors, and social media experts. Their expertise has seen Martin through to premier organizations, from NRG and 100 Thieves to Become Legends and 00Nation.
Driven by Martin's stellar performance, we've grown his digital footprint to over 11 million followers, transforming his gaming skills into a business and a rewarding career.
Through this blog, I’ll recount our experiences and share knowledge that might benefit both parents navigating similar waters and players aiming to make their mark in esports.
My background extends beyond gaming; with three decades in technology and a role as CTO and co-founder of Genus, I bring a breadth of business experience to these discussions. This blog celebrates Martin's Fortnite journey, yet I also plan to write about the realm of no-code software technology - but that will be reserved for another platform.
In 2021, I teamed up with Anne Fish, mother of pro player Benjy "benjyfishy" Fish, and published a guidebook for parents and players, sharing the wisdom we've gathered on this path. Some of its content is shared here on my blog.
Home is Oslo, Norway, where I juggle family life with my wife Solfrid, our sons Mikael and Martin, and our cat Messi against the backdrop of Fortnite excitement.
Connect With Me
“Every young gamer needs a game plan; in my blog, I share our winning strategies, turning Martin’s passion into an 11 million-strong community.”
FAQs
Tell us about your computing/technology background?
I fell in love with software programming when I was fourteen years old. My mother understood my special interest for it and allowed me to buy myself an Oric-1 computer. I immersed myself into machine code, assembly language and BASIC programming that summer and decided to get the best software engineering education Norway had to offer. I graduated with a Master of Science degree in Large Programming Systems from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology in 1991 and have been in the software industry ever since.
Do you have a gaming background?
The first program I wrote on the Oric-1 was Pac-Man – in machine code. Then followed suit a range of simulation games until the challenge of writing enterprise software caught my interest. But I continued to play games casually, like Sid Meier's Railroad Tycoon, Tetris, and Jak and Daxter. I still play Microsoft Flight Simulator a seldom time. But perhaps most importantly, I ensured my sons Mikael and Martin had access to games, consoles, and game PCs during their childhood. I guess it may have played a role in my youngest son Martin’s (alias MrSavage) choice of career in esports.
What was the best piece of advice you have ever given?
I don’t think I can point to a single specific piece of advice. But in general, I believe in helping people around me by sharing experience and knowledge so they can make good judgments for themselves – as there are pros and cons to most questions in life. I guess this sometimes can irritate those around me, especially my sons, as they perhaps don’t get the simple answer they were looking for.
Who were your childhood heroes?
Definitely my grandfather Mekal Troset. A farmer and lumberjack – a physically strong and at the same time a wise and confident man – and someone that always held my hand and understood me. He gave me the gift of believing in myself and my oldest son Mikael is named after him. A lot of other persons have impressed me and influenced me, but if I should mention one of them, it would be Erik Tandberg. I must have been 6 years old the first time I saw him on television, talking about the latest developments in space and space technology. I still remember telling my mother in that very moment that I wanted to take the same education as he had – turned out he was a Master of Science… I was lucky to run into him by chance in 2019 and thank him for his influence – a year before he passed away.
What books have inspired you?
I’ve always been an avid reader, so this is almost an impossible question to answer in a few words. If I am to highlight a few books in different areas, it would be “Hackers & Painters” by Paul Graham – software can be beautiful constructs and that book helped me put words to my feelings. Within entrepreneurship I loved the ideas and philosophies presented in “Built to Last” by Jim Collins. Within thriller fiction the language of Alistair MacLean has always intrigued me from early on – like his debut novel “HMS Ulysses”. On a more personal level the books by Michael A. Singer, like “The Untethered Soul”, have played an important part in my life. In my teenager years, Henrik Ibsen’s poem “The Miner” made a huge impression on me in a positive way – and inspired the name of my blog DeeperDown.
