In a recent interview with media journalist Simon Owens, Dexerto co-founder and CEO Josh Nino De Guzman broke down Dexerto’s origin story and its evolution into a modern digital media engine.
The interview details how Dexerto evolved from a bootstrapped blog into a proprietary ad-tech operator and explains why the company shifted much of its focus toward social video. The conversation forms part of a series on successful media entrepreneurs sharing their top growth strategies.
Josh discussed how Dexerto grew from a Call of Duty-focused site launched on a shoestring budget in 2015. It became a multi-platform media engine, creative agency, and proprietary ad-tech operator. The company now captures billions of social engagements worldwide, all without relying on major venture capital raises.
He also covered the early strategy that set Dexerto apart. As he recalled in the interview: "We knew nothing of the economics of the media world or marketing. We just wrote articles."
"The center of the strategy was getting readers attached to the people who were playing, more than the game that they were playing," Josh explained.
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By prioritizing accessibility over hyper-niche technicality and leveraging deep industry access, Dexerto built authentic relationships with rising creators and influencers. Focusing on human stories, rivalries, and entertainment value rather than purely technical coverage.
Today, Dexerto is ranked the World’s #1 Gaming and Entertainment Media Brand by Comscore.
Owens is building out the world’s largest database of media case studies. He seeks out the most successful media entrepreneurs and interviews them about how they built their businesses. With every case study, readers walk away with actionable insights they can incorporate into their own content operations.
The full interview with Josh is available on Simon Owens' Substack.
