# How Tong made Tampa Never Sleeps into a global brand | Trash talk

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/trash-talk-7101548/how-tong-made-tampa-never-sleeps-into-a-global-brand-trash-talk
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/trash-talk-7101548/how-tong-made-tampa-never-sleeps-into-a-global-brand-trash-talk.md
Podcast: [Trash Talk](https://stenobird.com/podcast/trash-talk-7101548)
Published: 2026-03-02T17:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/brianf/episodes/How-Tong-made-Tampa-Never-Sleeps-into-a-global-brand--Trash-talk-e3fm4pf
Audio file: https://traffic.megaphone.fm/APO8733764284.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/trash-talk-7101548/episodes/how-tong-made-tampa-never-sleeps-into-a-global-brand-trash-talk
Duration seconds: 5023

## Resource

Starting from a local video game store in Tampa, inviting everyone into his very own home after closing, all the way to running the national hub for online fighting game tournaments and doing production work for some of the biggest brands in gaming, Tong has built one of the pillars of the FGC, Tampa Never Sleeps, where thousands of viewers tune in on a weekly basis to watch the highest level of competitive play in North America. Even more than the online tournament weekly infrastructure, Tampa Never Sleeps has become one of the premier tournament production companies for the greater FGC and beyond. In this episode, of Trash Talk, we discuss Tong's humble origins, how his passion for UMVC3 slowly transformed into a global brand that not only employs the FGC but makes it thrive, and why he does what he does for the community. BRAND NEW MERCH: https://BrianF.Shop Listen to Trash Talk and Extra Trashy on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6q4KFX6icVO4AuyKvvwzt9 We launched a Patreon! - ⁠⁠ https://www.patreon.com/c/Brian_F for early access to main Trash Talk episodes, Q&A with the community for Extra Trashy, and more. Episode: Trash Talk #17 Recorded on: Feb. 18, 2026 Brian_F - ⁠https://x.com/Bri4nF⁠ Edited by @nugieboy

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## Transcript

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