WEBVTT
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Everybody. Johnny here. Before we
dive into this podcast, I just wanted
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to let you know that it's being
developed as a side project for my main
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work, which is now heading up
content strategy for an early stage media startup
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called better, spelled, betr.
We're a digital media company that creates and
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curates uplifting stories to help people move
forward in life with hope, confidence and
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acceptance. We offer written, video
and audio content spending categories such as wellness,
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mental health, humanity and more.
Is really something for everyone at better,
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whether you need to pick me up
content, personal stories about overcoming life
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and mental health challenges, story that
gives you the push to start that business
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you've always dreamed of, or just
inspiration on bettering yourself as a human.
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To simplify its content that makes you
feel better and dream of a more positive
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world around you. So check out
better and find your new favorite video series,
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podcast or written column. Just go
to live bettercom l I ve betrcom
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or, if you like watching videos
on Youtube, subscribe to better on youtubecom
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slash betr media and, lastly,
make sure you follow us on instagram and
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twitter at Betr for some daily inspiration, nats and feel good content your social
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media feeds, because who doesn't need
that right now? All right, now,
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here's the show. Working those hours
wasn't miserable in terms of the people
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that you work with. It was
always fun and exciting to be around those
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people. But, yeah, those
hours, they run it till after,
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you know, year two and three. It's it's like, man, I
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can't plan anything, like during the
season. That's seven days a week,
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hundred hours a week, which you
know, you I just I cannot be
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one to glorify that grind. You
know, I've seen people say like you
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know it, it doesn't matter.
Yeah, I want to put in this.
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It doesn't feel like work when it's
you know, what you love and
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what you do and it's for your
favorite team. I'm like, man,
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I'm a die hard Oh is you
fan and and I'm working in this dream
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job, this real moment. But
like, those hours just suck for anyone.
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was just burning, burning me out. I'd be lying if it like,
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if it doesn't hurt relationships. It's
hard to not hurt relationships because,
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like my now wife, but my
girlfriend at the time, you know,
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I would wake up, I'd see
her for about ten minutes in the morning
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because she was a teacher or she
has a teacher and that'd be it.
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I'd see her for ten minutes morning. I come on a tempt him and
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she'd be sleeping and then, like
I'd be away. On the weekends I
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would traveling with the team, which
is again an I think that's super exciting
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at first, but even traveling takes
whole yeah, it's very quick. I
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mean you're on a plane on Friday, you're going there. There's, you
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know, a routine for Friday,
then there's a routine for Saturday and then
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right after the game ends, and
most of the time our games ended at
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night, we're flying back to Columbus. It's three am and then we got
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to be in the opposite tenny on
the following day and it's like, man,
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like, can I get up breath? Sammy Silverman is a name that
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should be super familiar to most people
listening, but what you may not know
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is his story around his anxiety and
caused him to leave one of the most
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sought after jobs in the sports creative
world. As you'll soon see, Sammy
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is extremely well spoken insanely smart.
Those traits took him from a full time
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intern to one of the top creatives
at the Ohio State University, a program
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that, in the early wave of
social media, really took off and became
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one of the pre eminent programs in
the country, leveraging not only a high
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energy coaching staff and leader in Urban
Meyer, but also some truly unique personal
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branding for the student athletes and recruits. But with that dedication seems to always
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come a level of work that no
one would wish upon anyone else. Sammy
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was deep in the grind and,
as you'll hear, it really changed who
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he was as human being. Speaking
of that, I want to start this
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podcast a little differently in straight up
asked Sammy how he was really doing during
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this crazy time in our history.
These are not easy times that we're living
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in right now, and and so
first and foremost, I just want to
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ask like, how are you?
How is everything going with you, as
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in the midst of all this kind
of chaos? Yeah, well, I
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appreciate you asking me. You know, things are good here. You know,
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two thousand and twenty was definitely a
challenging time for I mean myself,
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my wife, family, a lot
of people, I mean the world.
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I was really I ended up kind
of lucking out from a work standpoint because,
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you know, as I announced going
full time independent as a freelancer,
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that was last year. So I
went through a lot of the growing pains
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of working from home and, you
know, all the the upston downs and
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the pros and cons of it and
realizing things that I've missed that, you
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know, I wasn't going to get
back really working independent at home by myself.
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So I went through a lot of
those growing pains. Whereas you know,
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when this struck, when quick when
covid struck, and everyone was kind
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of forced to work from home,
you know I was ready doing it,
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so I already kind of had those
all those trials under my belt and a
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lot of the questions that I was
asking others when I first started. You
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know, I'd colleagues asking me,
I had friends and family asking me of
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like ways they can stay productive at
home. How do they separate work and
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life when the two are now merged
in the kind of simultaneous and it's challenging
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because, you know, I'm also
lucky to wear my wife and I we
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got a house here in Columbus and
a big reason was to have an extra
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room so I can have a Home
Office so in a way, you know,
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I mean my Home Office is right
next to the bedroom, so it's
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it can be challenging at times knowing
my bed's right you know, it's sharing
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this wall and I can just go
lay down in it whenever I want.
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But you know, it makes a
lot easier to have your own designated space,
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especially an entire room as your office, versus, you know, setting
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up a table in the kitchen or
in the living room, as I was
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talking to some colleagues who resorted to
that. So for the most part,
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I mean I've been really good and
blessed. You know, work took a
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little bit of a hit during all
of this, but luckily I wasn't necessarily
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in the spaces of live events.
You know, I did do projects for
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live events, but that wasn't necessarily
a lot of what I was doing.
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I was working with a lot of
individuals on, you know, building up
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brands from there, you know,
from like the grassroots, on their end,
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where they need they continuously need work, whether it's building out a brand
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identity system, building out a logo. So you know, a lot of
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my clients they still needed to work
regardless of codd was going on or not.
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Right. And then, you know, the best thing that happened in
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two thousand and twenty was I got
married. I got married in in July
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during all of this will and you
know that. Yeah, and that was
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even you know, that was a
hard it was. It was hard to,
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you know, not to make the
decision that, you know, as
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much as we want our loved ones
there and you know, our our family,
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our grandparents, parents, siblings,
it was tough because, you know,
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our grandparents would have been able to
make it to a to a gathering.
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So it was a tough decision to
we ended up going to Portland,
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Maine, where we got engaged and
in the same spot we had a little
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ceremony just the two of US and
another couple that was coincidentally, in man
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same time. We plan to have
one of them get ordained and ended up
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marrying us, which was it was
on it. It was beautiful. It
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was a perfect, you know,
perfect ceremony was short, quick and we
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spent some time taking photos and it
was great. It was and it was
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a really awesome experience. We got
to face on my parents and her parent
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and her mom Um as they watched
the ceremony and thoughts exchange vows and rings.
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So we got to include them from
afar, as you know, and
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you know we're hoping to celebrate with
them. I don't at a safer time,
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especially with everyone else who who didn't
get to witness it and attended.
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But but yeah, Long Story Short, two thousand and twenty it's it's has
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it's ups and downs, but you
know, we're all still we're all still
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going good. That's fantastic. We
congratulations newly wed. Thank you. Awesome.
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Life takes on a whole new meaning
now you know when you're when you're
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living with and really for someone else
too. So it's awesome. You've got
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some fun times ahead, that's for
sure. I want to dive back a
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little bit into really who Sammy is
and how Sammy, you know, kind
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of grow and started in his this
this career of creative take us back to
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your childhood. You grew up in
Columbus, is that right? Or near
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Columbus? Kind of near Columbus.
I grew up in Youngstown, Ohio.
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So it's just a little northeast of
here, about two and a half,
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three hours. So I grew up. You know, I grew up a
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diehard Buckeye Fan. I was always
into sports growing up. Played a lot
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of basketball, didn't really didn't play
any football actually outside of like backyard football.
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But for some reason, you know, that's where of like, that's
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where I kind of gravitate towards,
towards my favorite sport to work on,
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even though I've never actually played a
legitimate down of football. But not it's
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always grew up in eleven sports and
I also drew a lot. Okay,
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so I came from a fine arts
background to where I was drawing a time
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as a kid, always drawings this
little comics or I would do, you
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know, draw sports figures, Michael
Jordan, Kim Garnett, a drop pokemon
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to I was in the POKEMON.
I was into trading cards. So,
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you know, I actually went back
to my to my parents house back home
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in slipe up all my old trading
cards. So, wow, look at
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them with with now a thirty year
old I versus a twelve year old I.
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Yep. And there's something about trading
cars, whether it's Pokemon or sports,
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and there is. It's the nostalgia, the beauty, like thinking they
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have memories and like when you got
them, where you got them. Oh
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yeah, it's interesting and they're like
they're little pieces of art. I really
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are. Yeah. So, you
know, having this fine art background,
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I thought, you know, what
would my major be in college? As
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like I'm exploring high school, I'm
taking all these our classes in high school.
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Okay, we didn't have anything really
related to like design in a sense
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in terms of like trying to like
solve a problem through like a creative process
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or even exploring, you know,
design related tools like the adobe program.
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Sure, so it didn't really like
no photoshop or anything like that. So
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stuck the drawing and I was also
really in the sneakers. So if you
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know me, you know I'm a
huge sneakerhead. I have about like eighty
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sneakers around me as we speak.
Wow, huge in the Jordans. And
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that's what I felt like I wanted
to do. It was either that or
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design cars, because I was also
really into the fast and furious nude the
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okay, and I loved how the
cars looked. So I didn't want to
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be an engineer in terms of how
they function but rather the signing, like
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the body kits and the the frame
and the chassis to see how it looks.
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But, you know, ultimately wanted
to design sneakers when I really thought
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about it. That's great. So
you've thought fastward to how state, and
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I chose a how state? Well, I guess I'll have state chose me.
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Oh yeah, through the application process. Yeah, yeah, got accepted.
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So, but I you know,
I only applied to three schools because
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to pursue footwear design it looked like
it fell along the path of being an
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industrial designer. Yeah, and not
many schools offered an industrial design major.
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So the three schools that I applied
to did, and that was how state.
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Cincinnati has a very good design program
okay, called Dapdaa pe okay,
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and also Arizona State, Nice mainly
does lad family out there. Yeah,
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so wasn't really like I wasn't really
looking outside of Ohio just because it's like
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out of state, tuition kind of
gets crazy and yeah, money wasn't like
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just growing on trees. So went
to the state. Their design program takes
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that you have to take this entrance
exam, so you don't automatically get into
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the program you have to take this
entrance exam. That's both written tasks and
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also drawing tasks and processes. Like
I remember one of my tasks was like
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draw how to build an Igloo without
using any words. And I actually took
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this test in high school because I
thought that I needed to do that in
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terms of getting into the design program
as a freshman, which actually wasn't the
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right way to go about things.
So I took it initially and I got
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rejected from the design school. So
they didn't they didn't accept my application and
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then I left learned you can only
take this test two times in your life.
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So I was like wow, so
I got one more shot to do
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it. So taking some freshman you
know, introded that to design classes,
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like I'm not a draw like the
process of building a Niggla without using words,
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because I just I've never really been
exposed to that. Sure and,
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you know, taking some design course
of Osue, you know, got my
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bearings. I'm really understood what what
it is that you know, these people
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were doing, these applications were looking
for and, long story short, got
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accepted and it's super competitive. I
think I was told there's like seventy applicants
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and only like fifteen, fifteen to
like twenty, gets selected. Wow,
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that's great. Yeah, so it
was like a lot of pressure but you
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know, ultimately got in and,
you know, as I was exploring industrial
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design, I didn't know if that
was really what I wanted to do because,
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going throughout the years and being in
the studio classes, you know it's
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really handson in terms of you're not
necessarily, you know, behind the computer
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all as much as you're out in
the world, observing, interviewing people,
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trying to figure out what problems consumer
has and how, as I had,
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how am I as a designer,
how can I help? Yeah, try
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and like solve these problems through a
creative process. And, you know,
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in terms of industrial design, because
you know, in any facet of design,
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that's what you're doing. You're going
out and talk with people, that's
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how you're learning about things. It's
actually figure out the best way. But
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for for industry design, it's about
products and product systems. So you're just
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you're building things, you're prototyping,
you're in the wood shop, you're standing
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down from we're trying to make things
working or at least showing proof concept.
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So it was really you're a maker, like I mean you're you're a maker
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in terms of the physical aspect,
yeah, which I really enjoyed. Sure,
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right, I don't know, maybe
it was the projects that I had
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an issue just kind of made me
fall out of love with industrial design,
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because I don't really do anything with
like sneakers or she got it. I
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did something with sports related where I
took a stab at designing a women's Lacrosse
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helmet because there was a problem where
there was a spike in concussions because of
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just there's a whole bunch of reasons. Sure, you know, uneducated coaches
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on educated techniques and proper usage of
equipment and there wasn't a mandate to wear
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headwere so right. It was trying
to design some type of helmet that they
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would actually want to wear. That
was the challenge. And Yeah, as
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but what I realized is, as
I was exploring industrial design and making these
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these imaginary products and putting them on
posters to describe the the system in the
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process and showing the hero of the
hero shot of the final rendered product,
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which, you know, always turned
out really cool, and I was I
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was using like solid works, okay, as a d CAD program Yep.
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So that's really the main program I
was using, and then we would use
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like photoshop and stuff just to,
you know, put up put the product
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on a poster to communicate what it
is. But but we are also tasked
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with branding the product, like giving
it a name and, you know,
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taking a stab at a logo what
it could look like in the market.
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And that's what I felt like I
love doing most. I loved figuring out
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the name of the product that I
was designing and coming up with a logo
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that fit and coming up with color
schemes and and even doing the post relay,
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like I love doing that. So
I always felt like deep down I
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actually was, I should be in
graphic design more so than industrial design.
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But you know, there's a lot
of industrial design that I still use now
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in terms of you know, with
industrial design you're thinking about perspective and light
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source, because that's how you're communicating
the the forms of these products, the
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contours, the convicts, you know, all concave, all the all the
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different you know, yeah, you
know, three dimensional mapping of these products.
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How do you communicate that even through
sketching? So it's like making sure
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light sources are correct, making sure
shadows or properly placed, you know,
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when you're doing them artificially, and
that that's kind of where it led me
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to wow state, because I didn't
really have a great standout industrial design portfolio.
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I applied to internships, I didn't
get a single one. Throughout all
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college I didn't have any type of
industrial design experience outside of what I was
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doing in school. And then I
was doing some like graphic design work on
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the side with some friends where we
were designing to shirts to match our Jordan's
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fine. I just I love doing
that. I was like I'd in graphic
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designs more of my calling, like
yes, that's such a such a greater
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passion and drive to do that aspect
of design. I want to dive in
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a little more into, you know, kind of what you learned in school,
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because you you really did. I
think you got, you know,
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such a strong background. You just
set it right there right you have to
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learn how to convey emotion. You
almost like now you could probably go back
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to that test right and create something. You know how to Yeng with this
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royots, and that's just amazing.
Like for me, I always used to
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tell people like light and shadow,
like you know photographers who who would ask
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her nice? I said that's the
number one thing, and I recently,
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within the past month, gotten too
D it's something I wanted to do forever.
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I've always been a hand. Yeah, I notice that. It's been
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awesome. It thunder things like it's
been Super Fun. And blender. It's
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really interesting to learn it. I've
wanted to, you know, I've always
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been like, I want to learn
my I want to learn set of a
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foy, all those things. I
just never had the you know, I
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wanted to get a lot of other
things on our my belt first before I
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could go there. But I think
I'll go packin the hyper realism. Yeah,
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yeah, exactly, and that's it. You know, I started like
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you right. I mean I was
drawing Jordan as a kid. I was
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I was drawn. All these inspired
me to get back in the drawing.
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Honestly. Yeah, that's that's another
the articles, Landry chief. Oh,
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yeah, and I remember you reaching
out and we're us talking about procreating how.
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Yeah, and that literally, that
one program has changed the face of
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Sports, to change my world.
Yeah, it's changed my world. It's
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created a whole new offering to clients
that I wasn't as confident to offer,
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but now, with an undue button, I'm really confident. It's amazing.
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I remember in Florida and I was
I was at the dolphins. It was
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early, you know, in my
career. They're probably two thousand and fifteen
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or sixteen, and I like brought
out all my drawing stuff. I've always
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kept it right, all my graphite, all my easels, everything, put
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it on the kitchen table. Meanwhile
I have two young kids at home running
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around crazy and my wife was just
like no, you know, and she
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said like we just like we can't
have a small little house and in Broward
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County and and and I was just
like, well, I gotta figure out
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a way, you know. And
then sure enough, I've had pro comes
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out, the pencil comes out,
you know, I get on with procreate
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and that was just like that was
it. It was game changing. You
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didn't have, you know, graphite
all over your hand and get all over
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everything and, you know, mess
up something. And you know, I'm
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a I'm a leftie. So,
yeah, very profession in the the stain
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palm exactly. And I was,
you know, it was just so getting
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back into it, because I don't
so much as a kid and growing up
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and then I like I'm just dove
into photography and the kind of guy,
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sounds like you, that when you
when I want to do something, I
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just put all of my effort into
it. And so, you know,
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getting back to what you were talking
about, though, the industrial design and
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the dimensionality and the texture and how
you convey that is everything when it comes
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to really marketing to and so I
got to imagine that put you in a
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great place to you know, and
you can tell it shows through your design
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when you come back and you you
were trying to evoke a motion through that.
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And so that you you've finished at
Ohio state. And then what's next?
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Did you did you move to New
York City? No, so I
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I did a little bit of work
in New York City. I I didn't
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move there, but I worked there
for about like three weeks. Okay,
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was kind of just doing some some
design work for a startup company there and
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also doing some just some like informational
interviews. Like my older brother, Sean
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Salimon. He's he oversees all marketing
for a bunch of via community. So
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well, that's great, comedy central
and paramount and TV land and and you
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know, he was just setting up
some you know, some beings with like
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complex creative director and just to like, you know, I brought in my
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portfolio and we just talk shop and
you just told me what I could improve
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upon. But now, as I
did, I didn't move up New York,
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so I came back to Columbus and, you know, you talked about
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what I took away from, you
know, being in design school and industrial
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design. And now I have this
conversation a lot with younger, younger designers
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who are either, you know,
still in high school or they're graduating and
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or they're just not really sure if
they like, if like colleges for them.
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And you know, I think in
our industry it's really situational and it's
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really personal preference. I don't I
don't think you need necessarily a degree in
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anything to to excel. You know, it can get a little tricky rising,
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you know, if you're if you're
trying to make it to the top
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and the corporate world where, you
know, maybe a degree is the kind
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of like the the requirement or the
you know, what sets you apart from
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someone without one, even if the
works the same and in the culture fit
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is the same, just because it
you know, you've taken time to further
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education and really learn about it and
take a deep dive into it. But
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that's, you know, not so
you can't do that on your own,
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but what I can college helps most
with you know, I wanted the social
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experience. I wanted to go to
a big school, like a house state.
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So that's like first and form was
like I wanted that from a social
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standpoint, and network as well,
just meeting a ton of people, because
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you just you just never know down
the road who can help and you can
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open some doors. But I think
overall, what I took away from the
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design school was, you know,
you're thrown in there and it really helps
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you define a process and and time
management. So, you know, it
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helps you to find a process of
having a discovery phase to do all your
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research, all the different ways of
researching, from interviews to questionnaires to actual
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field observations and talking with people and
listening and understanding and then taking that and,
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you know, going through an ideation
phase and then a concept phase to
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kind of like reel it all down
and then, you know, learning out
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kind of the final product and going
through all the iterations in between. I
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mean, I still use that process
today with clients and it's not it's not
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anything groundbreaking. It's pretty you know, it's a pretty standard process, but
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there's just so many different ways they
do it. So that's what I think
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I'll make, pulled in from design. You know that. And, like
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I mentioned earlier, just in attention
to detail and attention to the look and
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feel. You know, when you're
designing products like tangible goods. You know,
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you see it in cars. Cars
have personalities and expressions. You know,
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a Ferrari looks way different than on
any path. It like cars have
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faces and that's why all scores cars
look super aggressive and like they have mean
349
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eyes. And you think about that
when you design products. You know what,
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what does the line work look on
them? Are there streamline? Are
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there tapered lines like on cars?
Is should give it that fast feel.
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So it breaks up the form as
well. And White Hits it and you
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can use that in the graphic design. Your how do you break up different
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pieces of composition? How do you
use color blocking? You know, even
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going into color theory, you know
what kind of emotions you want to drive
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something all road feels something completely different
than maybe blue. Yeah, so I
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feel like that's what I learned most
from schools is taken that process. You
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know, you you get a chance
to kind of exercise it with studio projects
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and and yeah, it's something I
still use today. I love it.
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That's great. I mean it's it's
just important for everybody to understand that.
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I think, as we talked about, that it's too easy to to go
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into a design and just, you
know, want to get into pixels right
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away. And I've said it multiple
times on this podcast. You know,
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when we were when we were hiring
folks at the dolphins surf and I would
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you know, it was in the
job description that we want to see your
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sketch book. You know it just
because it was love that it was so
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important to understand. And and you
know, dive through some of Brandon Moore's
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sketch books. They're unbelievable to look
at, you know, and you tell
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it to see so many amazing things, and so that's that's one of the
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pieces of advice that I give to, you know, to a lot of
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people is, you know, outside
of like discovering in design and the power
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that it has, because so many
people these days used to get caught up
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with photoshop and and right and it, but also sketch your ideas. You
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know, throw it out there.
It can't hurt now you can do it.
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You know you can do digitally.
Yeah, and everything. So everything
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is saved. Yeah, and I
agree completely because, you know, I
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I come, like I said,
you know, both of us we come
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from, you know, we come
from a fine arts background and we've been
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practicing drawing. And you know,
even when I tell people like you,
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I give them same advice about,
you know, sketch first, then go
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on the computer, you know,
because it's just it's hard to sketching is
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free form themputer. It's it's structured
and it's hard to it might take you,
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you know, exponentially longer to get
to communicate that idea rather than like
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a quick thumbnail sketch on a Napkin
or something. Yeah, yeah, and
385
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I tell people it doesn't matter about
drawing. Well, like, yeah,
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Brandon Moore, I mean amaze,
I just I can't wait to get the
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book minds to the mail and yeah, like his sketches and even, you
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know, I was looking at like
like even John Contino's work, or I
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Johnny's work. I just got house
industries hand lettering manual, because that's every
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year I try to learn a new
skill, nice, whether it's a soft
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piece of software or something that I
can do drawing wise and hand letterings,
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my goal this year, and a
sketches that are in that are just immaculate.
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I mean they're like two perfect like
I don't even understand how people can
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draw like that as just sketches.
Yeah, but you know, my point
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to to people who say why I
can't draw, so I don't want to
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sketch is it doesn't matter you can
draw. Well, it's can you at
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least like create some forms? So
just quickly communicate a concept. They're an
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idea first to where, you know, people understand visually a lot quicker than
399
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you just talking about it, maybe
making some hand gestures, like do some
400
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rough thumbnails. Like even when I
do motion pieces like I do, I
401
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always start off with a storyboard and
it can be as it can to be
402
00:30:18.009 --> 00:30:22.839
scribbles, but just going from like
frame from frame, because like I can't
403
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just dive in afterfect not really knowing
what I'm going to do, because it's
404
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I mean that problem gives me like
PTSD. Yeah, I open it just
405
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because it's like like Oh man,
what's going to go wrong here? And
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like do I even know how to
use the program in the way that I
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need to use it right now?
So, yeah, I'm with you on
408
00:30:40.789 --> 00:30:45.230
on the whole sketch book and sketishing
first before hopping onto digital. It's important.
409
00:30:47.349 --> 00:30:52.779
So, so you graduate from the
Ohio State University and what was in
410
00:30:52.859 --> 00:30:57.500
the cards next for you? Yeah, so, really nothing at first,
411
00:30:59.660 --> 00:31:02.779
which, yeah, it sucks.
Go A and I's so it goes.
412
00:31:03.099 --> 00:31:04.930
I don't know. I don't know
if I was like lazy or if I
413
00:31:04.970 --> 00:31:08.170
didn't like try enough in school,
but I just I could not get anything.
414
00:31:08.210 --> 00:31:11.609
I couldn't get my foot in the
door at anything. I dusch what
415
00:31:11.809 --> 00:31:15.410
is fine related. So I was, you know, when I was in
416
00:31:15.490 --> 00:31:21.880
college I worked at this pizza shop
and I still work there when I graduate,
417
00:31:22.000 --> 00:31:25.359
because I had nothing to you know, I had no job signed up,
418
00:31:25.640 --> 00:31:26.519
so I needed some way to pay
the those. So I was I
419
00:31:26.640 --> 00:31:30.559
was working the pizza shop. I
was freelancing a little bit for some friends,
420
00:31:30.599 --> 00:31:33.990
like making love those for like two
thousand and fifty bucks sure up and,
421
00:31:34.390 --> 00:31:40.589
you know, snaking the caps on
the side. And and how state
422
00:31:40.710 --> 00:31:45.750
emailed our design department, the football
program did. They emailed our design department
423
00:31:45.789 --> 00:31:48.740
and said, Hey, we're looking
for a volunteer designer to help us with
424
00:31:48.700 --> 00:31:55.579
recruiting content. So it was right
when they hired urban right when I heard
425
00:31:55.619 --> 00:31:59.180
you, smire, Yep, and
you know, I guess he and the
426
00:31:59.220 --> 00:32:02.170
staff that he brought in wanted to
revamp the marketing initiative for recruiting. They
427
00:32:02.210 --> 00:32:07.569
wanted to you know, the they
had a guy there, like a full
428
00:32:07.609 --> 00:32:10.890
time intern there, who was producing
some content. They're sending it out to
429
00:32:12.009 --> 00:32:15.529
recruits, but urban wanted to like
really like blow it up. Yeah,
430
00:32:15.650 --> 00:32:21.519
and did a lot more frequently,
because it really wasn't like a thing at
431
00:32:21.559 --> 00:32:23.240
the time of like you know,
and there were rules in place where,
432
00:32:23.240 --> 00:32:27.599
like you couldn't just send everything to
a recruit like when I first started,
433
00:32:28.920 --> 00:32:31.390
because let's okay, well, let
me back check a little bit. So,
434
00:32:31.950 --> 00:32:35.190
yeah, they send out that emails. So I go to the facility
435
00:32:35.470 --> 00:32:39.630
and, you know, I like
talked with Mark Antoni, who still works
436
00:32:39.630 --> 00:32:44.150
there, who oversees all of recruiting. Awesome Guy, amazing boss. Yeah,
437
00:32:44.740 --> 00:32:50.339
and I interviewed with the director of
OPS and it wasn't really like an
438
00:32:50.380 --> 00:32:52.980
interview. Is Basically just you know, saying like, you know, like
439
00:32:53.460 --> 00:32:55.819
photo said, you know your way
around design, and then I met with
440
00:32:57.019 --> 00:33:00.049
the full time intern. I was
just like yeah, I just graduate from
441
00:33:00.049 --> 00:33:02.569
the design program I'm a product designer
but you know, I know some photoshop
442
00:33:02.690 --> 00:33:05.930
and stuff, and he was like
cool, and they're like cool, you
443
00:33:05.970 --> 00:33:08.730
start Monday, because, I mean, what is it to them? Yeah,
444
00:33:08.849 --> 00:33:13.839
I'm it was a volunteer intern position
exactly. I don't even know if
445
00:33:13.880 --> 00:33:17.240
there was anyone else that really jumped
at it because it was unpaid. So,
446
00:33:17.480 --> 00:33:21.359
you know, when I started I
was just working there four hours a
447
00:33:21.400 --> 00:33:27.750
day for for free, and my
task was really just to help with the
448
00:33:27.789 --> 00:33:32.150
full time intern. So my first
task was really just cutting out players so
449
00:33:32.309 --> 00:33:37.029
he could use them on content.
Yeah, I was like cool. You
450
00:33:37.109 --> 00:33:39.750
know, I don't even I rarely
even cut out anyone in photoshop before because
451
00:33:39.789 --> 00:33:46.779
it just wasn't what I did in
school. But that full time intern ended
452
00:33:46.779 --> 00:33:52.420
up leaving a couple months after and
then I kind of inherited his position and
453
00:33:52.579 --> 00:33:55.089
all was a full time intern for
football and you know, my task there
454
00:33:55.210 --> 00:34:00.089
was really only just churning out one
graphic a day whatever. You know,
455
00:34:00.930 --> 00:34:05.730
that shed a bright light on how
state made the players look great, made
456
00:34:05.809 --> 00:34:09.679
the city look great, whatever it
was, and I didn't really know what
457
00:34:09.760 --> 00:34:14.119
I was doing though, in terms
of like like I went every day not
458
00:34:14.320 --> 00:34:15.760
knowing what I was going to make. I had no plan, no direction.
459
00:34:16.760 --> 00:34:20.320
You know, I was the only
one. I was working in the
460
00:34:20.360 --> 00:34:23.079
football facilities. I didn't have like
a creative mentor so I would go across
461
00:34:23.079 --> 00:34:28.150
the street to the athletics building where
the creative services team is house, and
462
00:34:28.190 --> 00:34:30.630
I would talk with them and learn
more, you know, with their creative
463
00:34:30.630 --> 00:34:36.510
director in the full time designers there. And you know, I was literally
464
00:34:36.590 --> 00:34:40.420
just youtube being different photoshop tutorials like
how to set text on fire, how
465
00:34:40.659 --> 00:34:44.860
to, you know, do all
of this, how to shoot lightning out
466
00:34:44.900 --> 00:34:47.420
of a guy's eyes, and I
was like, okay, whatever I learned
467
00:34:47.460 --> 00:34:51.820
in these tutorials that day is what
I will do for the graphic. So
468
00:34:52.699 --> 00:34:57.769
No, no actual like style guide, no, no consistency, no cohesion
469
00:34:57.929 --> 00:35:02.329
other than the House State logo that
was slapped on it and hurban signature,
470
00:35:04.050 --> 00:35:06.769
because when I do with back the
it was just it's in a random,
471
00:35:06.769 --> 00:35:13.119
random assortment of graphics that are just
all based off of Youtube tutorials. Yeah,
472
00:35:14.159 --> 00:35:17.119
but you know, I actually got
an opportunity to start working for all
473
00:35:17.159 --> 00:35:21.869
of athletics. Okay, so my
path then led me for, instead of
474
00:35:21.989 --> 00:35:25.750
just football, I was now split
where I would work football and for half
475
00:35:25.789 --> 00:35:29.349
the day and then I would go
across the street and work with all of
476
00:35:29.469 --> 00:35:31.510
athletics, all the different sports,
for the rest of the day, and
477
00:35:31.590 --> 00:35:35.550
that's where I kind of learned a
little bit more about design and, you
478
00:35:35.630 --> 00:35:40.139
know, got under some God,
under some wing the CRIB director over there,
479
00:35:40.179 --> 00:35:44.579
Andy de veto, and also one
of the designers, well, a
480
00:35:44.619 --> 00:35:49.460
couple of the designers. You know, they were mentoring me and it kind
481
00:35:49.460 --> 00:35:53.610
of opened my eyes in terms of
like consistency and brand identity and just the
482
00:35:53.690 --> 00:35:59.210
whole world of like what makes the
visual aspect of a brand successful? Who
483
00:35:59.210 --> 00:36:01.250
Does it well? You know,
what are some good practices? And that's
484
00:36:01.250 --> 00:36:06.039
when I really started diving into like
going back into design history that I was
485
00:36:06.079 --> 00:36:09.239
learning in school and like what did
I like from design theory is, you
486
00:36:09.320 --> 00:36:13.960
know, I fell in love with
typography when I was in design school.
487
00:36:14.760 --> 00:36:17.199
That's the only graphic design class I
took in school is a typography class,
488
00:36:19.269 --> 00:36:22.750
and it's just so fascinating of just
letter forms and the like. House it
489
00:36:22.829 --> 00:36:25.550
went after I thought I learned,
sorry, I thought I knew a little
490
00:36:25.550 --> 00:36:30.389
bit about typography until I read house
industries lettering manual and yeah, I didn't
491
00:36:30.429 --> 00:36:35.380
know anything. That's yeah, I'd
like all the signs behind it. Oh
492
00:36:35.380 --> 00:36:37.460
yeah, but anyways, you know, that's that's kind of what let me
493
00:36:37.579 --> 00:36:42.579
to just thinking about more of a
clean styles. It's getting my bearings of
494
00:36:42.739 --> 00:36:45.900
just you know, how that can
fit with Olsu and how o issues.
495
00:36:45.980 --> 00:36:51.530
Logo is pretty type driven out.
typography plays into a big piece of that,
496
00:36:51.730 --> 00:36:53.050
and how can we extend that into
the content. And that's when it
497
00:36:53.130 --> 00:37:00.210
kind of like was clicking, you
know. Yeah, yeah, yeah,
498
00:37:00.329 --> 00:37:04.880
so I was full time intern for
two years, okay, and then finally
499
00:37:04.880 --> 00:37:09.360
got an opportunity to be a full
time staff number. Yeah, I actually
500
00:37:09.360 --> 00:37:14.199
made a pitch to urban Meyer of
why I should be full time and it
501
00:37:14.320 --> 00:37:15.989
was a whole presentation I printed out
and I got to his eye. You
502
00:37:16.070 --> 00:37:20.750
know, I checked it with my
boss's first and they're like yeah, to
503
00:37:20.750 --> 00:37:24.949
take at the coach and so I
present to him and he's like flipping through
504
00:37:24.949 --> 00:37:28.789
it rapidly as I'm trying to hit
all the talking points on like where I
505
00:37:28.789 --> 00:37:30.619
see college football heading. How like, you know, this is two thousand
506
00:37:30.699 --> 00:37:35.219
and like twelve or two thousand and
thirteen, and I'm just like videos,
507
00:37:35.300 --> 00:37:38.699
going to going to ranking and by
like two thousand and fifteen like digital media
508
00:37:38.820 --> 00:37:43.219
teams are going to be siloed inside
big programs. I'm just like saying all
509
00:37:43.260 --> 00:37:45.250
these things that like ended up kind
of happy. It happened, very wild
510
00:37:45.610 --> 00:37:50.449
to see on fold. Yeah,
just because I could see the impact and
511
00:37:50.730 --> 00:37:52.650
urban got the impact. I mean
that's why I wanted to to keep it
512
00:37:52.730 --> 00:37:57.730
going and keep the machine going,
because he saw the reactions that kids were
513
00:37:57.769 --> 00:38:02.239
having with just having like exciting,
informative content that they could use as talking
514
00:38:02.320 --> 00:38:07.519
pieces during their recruitment. No doubt
it's amazing. Yeah, I mean what
515
00:38:07.679 --> 00:38:10.760
a cool what a cool story.
Would a cool way to not only you
516
00:38:10.880 --> 00:38:13.550
just, you know, you got
your foot in the door, but you
517
00:38:13.789 --> 00:38:17.269
also, you know, created what
you wanted to do, and that's you
518
00:38:17.349 --> 00:38:21.829
know, there's a lot of questions
that I get. I'm sure you get
519
00:38:21.829 --> 00:38:23.909
the same thing. You know,
like I've been stuck in this position for
520
00:38:23.949 --> 00:38:27.940
a while or I've been an intern
for a while and and how do I
521
00:38:28.059 --> 00:38:30.820
do this? You know, I
have another friend who who pitched, you
522
00:38:30.940 --> 00:38:36.940
know, another major pro team,
you know, to come back and work
523
00:38:37.099 --> 00:38:42.369
in that setting and you know,
got the job. And because people don't
524
00:38:42.409 --> 00:38:45.610
know what they don't know. But
you have folks like urban, who,
525
00:38:46.210 --> 00:38:50.650
you know, I got to work
with urban, you know, completely different
526
00:38:50.650 --> 00:38:53.610
setting as an athletic trainer of his
at Bowling Green. But you know,
527
00:38:53.769 --> 00:38:57.880
this is this is yeah, it's
crazy, you know, the the the
528
00:38:57.960 --> 00:39:02.679
one degree of connection in the sports
world. But he's intense, like people
529
00:39:02.719 --> 00:39:06.639
don't understand, like if you've never
worked for our INMRE, you can see
530
00:39:06.639 --> 00:39:08.679
him, you know, but he's
the kind of guy that would literally chew
531
00:39:08.760 --> 00:39:12.750
your ass and then, you know, on the field and then and then
532
00:39:13.349 --> 00:39:15.630
invite you out for a beer that
night. You know, that's just kind
533
00:39:15.630 --> 00:39:19.869
of the kind of the guy he
was. But it's hard if you don't
534
00:39:19.869 --> 00:39:21.909
know how to deal with it,
you know, as I'm sure you can
535
00:39:22.389 --> 00:39:23.579
testify to, and being a part
of it first time. But he was
536
00:39:23.619 --> 00:39:27.980
also one of those guys. That
was when he left Bowling Green, we
537
00:39:28.019 --> 00:39:30.659
said this guy's going to win multiple
national championships. I remember me and my
538
00:39:31.019 --> 00:39:36.300
boss saying that and and sure enough, you know, like you just you
539
00:39:36.420 --> 00:39:40.449
just know it. And so for
someone like you coming in, you know,
540
00:39:40.610 --> 00:39:44.969
as a young designer, and then
pitching this to him, that's,
541
00:39:45.050 --> 00:39:46.610
you know, exactly what he's looking
for there. I've worked for a lot
542
00:39:46.650 --> 00:39:51.050
of bosses that are that will say, you know, I don't want to
543
00:39:51.889 --> 00:39:53.360
and want to have to go and
ask for things. I want you to
544
00:39:53.559 --> 00:39:57.280
come pitch things to me. You
know, I think that's one of those
545
00:39:57.320 --> 00:40:01.119
things where, as creative as we
get, we get lost in the day
546
00:40:01.199 --> 00:40:07.119
to day and we forget about that
a lot. So Kudos to you for,
547
00:40:07.550 --> 00:40:09.389
you know, for doing that.
At the same time, you were
548
00:40:09.989 --> 00:40:13.429
you were still trying to, you
know, make ends meet, like you
549
00:40:13.469 --> 00:40:17.469
said, and you were you were
working at a startup. Still we doings
550
00:40:17.469 --> 00:40:22.860
a little bit of you know,
kind of night freelancing for that. Yeah,
551
00:40:22.059 --> 00:40:28.539
so it's a it's a really strange
career path and I'll try and summon
552
00:40:28.579 --> 00:40:31.300
up as short of I can.
So, yeah, while I was interning
553
00:40:31.380 --> 00:40:36.610
with those shoe that I was full
time intern I had to a friend from
554
00:40:36.690 --> 00:40:40.409
school who was interested and in logo
design because, like now, you knew
555
00:40:42.130 --> 00:40:44.929
he was a product designer and he
knew I was, but he knew I
556
00:40:44.929 --> 00:40:47.449
shifted over to graphic design and he
just thought I could like help take a
557
00:40:47.489 --> 00:40:51.239
stab at it, and so I
started like doing some projects and it was
558
00:40:51.920 --> 00:40:57.599
for this this product that they're launching
in the product was called juice box,
559
00:40:57.760 --> 00:41:02.079
which the company was also called juice
box with two x's, and it was
560
00:41:02.639 --> 00:41:10.349
a protective just like plastic case that
goes over your macbook charger brick. So
561
00:41:10.550 --> 00:41:15.030
wasn't any it wasn't like a it
wasn't electronic, but it was just a
562
00:41:15.190 --> 00:41:19.219
motive piece of plastic that fit over
the case in the whole point was to
563
00:41:21.059 --> 00:41:24.539
help the wire not get damaged.
So there's like a very yeah, there's
564
00:41:24.579 --> 00:41:28.900
a pain point with all Mac users
were like about the time. Now it's
565
00:41:28.940 --> 00:41:31.099
disconnected completely, so it's not even
an issue anymore. But at the time,
566
00:41:31.260 --> 00:41:37.489
when the cord was directly connected to
the brick, the wire would get
567
00:41:37.570 --> 00:41:39.530
frayed and damage and you know,
I'm having a fork eighty bucks for a
568
00:41:39.570 --> 00:41:44.570
new one when that shouldn't really be
the case, and apple blames on you
569
00:41:44.650 --> 00:41:46.480
know, use rare and recommends all
these different ways. But this was a
570
00:41:46.559 --> 00:41:52.320
project, a product that kind of
helps solve it, and so I started
571
00:41:52.360 --> 00:41:58.320
working with them and then I ended
up becoming a small percentage owner of the
572
00:41:58.360 --> 00:42:01.349
company because I loved the team.
You know, was me, my friend
573
00:42:01.469 --> 00:42:07.550
and then two other individuals and you
know, they're all my age and it
574
00:42:07.710 --> 00:42:12.949
was just exciting. We had our
own office building. We were doing the
575
00:42:13.030 --> 00:42:15.780
start up grind. And not to
glorify the grind because now you know,
576
00:42:16.059 --> 00:42:20.099
having gone through it, I don't
think it's something to me a glorify because
577
00:42:20.500 --> 00:42:22.780
you can sacrifice a lot of mental
health and a lot of work like balance.
578
00:42:22.860 --> 00:42:25.579
But you know, sometimes it's needed
and other times, you know,
579
00:42:25.659 --> 00:42:30.610
maybe it's not. Everything has to
be so rushed and not everything needs to
580
00:42:30.650 --> 00:42:32.929
be an all nighter. But you
know, we were doing the start up
581
00:42:32.969 --> 00:42:37.929
grinding and have a lot of baggage
tied to us in terms of like relationships
582
00:42:37.969 --> 00:42:40.289
and all that stuff. So you
know, we could burn them in night
583
00:42:40.369 --> 00:42:45.320
oil. And so I was working
all day for as to do and then
584
00:42:45.519 --> 00:42:47.000
after Oh, she was over,
you know, around like five, I'd
585
00:42:47.039 --> 00:42:51.639
go over and work at the start
up, and that could be anywhere from
586
00:42:51.639 --> 00:42:54.599
like seven pm the midnights, and
maybe an old pot all nighters are laterally
587
00:42:54.599 --> 00:42:59.750
left the office and went back into
the OSU office. When we would launch
588
00:42:59.829 --> 00:43:01.909
her products, as we would do
kickstarter campaigns, and it's just it's a
589
00:43:01.989 --> 00:43:06.829
rush and it is a rush to
do kicks. Our campaigns raise money.
590
00:43:06.829 --> 00:43:09.309
I mean we launched that product and
raise thirty six thousand. We did another
591
00:43:09.429 --> 00:43:14.019
product for another guy that raised like
it was, I think that organized your
592
00:43:14.300 --> 00:43:19.019
your headphone cords and that raised over
like seventy five thou so it's a rush
593
00:43:19.099 --> 00:43:22.780
to do something like that and that's
where I really felt the entrepreneurial witch.
594
00:43:23.019 --> 00:43:25.980
Yeah, I was like man,
I love like coming in here whenever I
595
00:43:27.170 --> 00:43:30.690
want, working on whatever I want. I don't really have a boss,
596
00:43:30.809 --> 00:43:34.050
like I'm kind of on my own
boss here. It's more of like a
597
00:43:34.570 --> 00:43:38.889
collaborative partnership and you know the Produde, the projects were interesting. None of
598
00:43:38.889 --> 00:43:44.840
them are sports related, so it
was kind of refreshing to be sports holiday
599
00:43:44.920 --> 00:43:46.760
and then, you know, going
into more of like the tech world or
600
00:43:46.800 --> 00:43:51.480
yeah, you know, whatever we're
working on using our sports related but that
601
00:43:51.599 --> 00:43:53.960
was also that was also an issue. Yeah, because I love sports.
602
00:43:54.119 --> 00:43:57.429
So I would saying I was like
I don't know if this, if this
603
00:43:57.590 --> 00:44:01.269
particular startups, a long term play. Sure, but that at one point
604
00:44:01.389 --> 00:44:06.630
I thought it was and still.
Here's the story is I got full time
605
00:44:06.670 --> 00:44:12.380
at Osfu and it was the year
we want the national championship, so I
606
00:44:12.460 --> 00:44:15.059
got to be a part of that, which was amazing as a full time
607
00:44:15.099 --> 00:44:19.980
employee. So then, you know, we fastward into two thousand and fifteen,
608
00:44:20.019 --> 00:44:25.530
summer and I want to work at
the startup full time. And so,
609
00:44:25.849 --> 00:44:30.650
less than a year of being full
time with Osuu, I made the
610
00:44:30.730 --> 00:44:35.090
decision. I told the football team
and athletics as well as like I want
611
00:44:35.090 --> 00:44:37.010
to work for the start up full
time, but I don't want to leave
612
00:44:37.050 --> 00:44:40.719
you guys high and dry. Yeah, so I pitched them to where I
613
00:44:40.960 --> 00:44:45.400
could work four hours a day for
football in the morning and then I would
614
00:44:45.400 --> 00:44:50.000
go to the startup. So that
was the new thing. So I was
615
00:44:50.199 --> 00:44:53.269
kind of it wasn't. It was
kind of like a contractor position, more
616
00:44:53.349 --> 00:44:57.829
like a basically an intern again for
football, but that's you know, that
617
00:44:57.989 --> 00:45:02.190
wasn't what was paying the bills anymore. Now it was the startup. So
618
00:45:02.349 --> 00:45:07.420
then past for a couple months and
you know, I'm telling the football team,
619
00:45:07.460 --> 00:45:09.059
you know, it's beginning of the
season. I'm like, I'll do
620
00:45:09.219 --> 00:45:13.699
this for this season and then at
the end of the season I'm going to
621
00:45:13.739 --> 00:45:15.780
be able to start up like full
time, not going to be with those
622
00:45:15.860 --> 00:45:21.769
you anymore. So the season ends
and I miss it. I was like
623
00:45:21.809 --> 00:45:24.730
I don't want to leave asue.
I don't want to leave Asue at all.
624
00:45:25.489 --> 00:45:28.849
The startup is great, but we're
just not doing anything in sports.
625
00:45:28.969 --> 00:45:30.809
So, like I want to get
back in the sports until like my passion
626
00:45:31.530 --> 00:45:37.800
and I go back. It's my
bosses at Osu football and I'm like Hey,
627
00:45:38.000 --> 00:45:40.880
I want to come back. Yeah, and they're like, but you
628
00:45:42.000 --> 00:45:45.880
told us you were gone. So
like we don't have a position for you,
629
00:45:45.519 --> 00:45:47.880
which, you know, totally makes
sense. Why would you have a
630
00:45:47.920 --> 00:45:52.429
position waiting when I said at the
beginning of the season that I'm leaving?
631
00:45:52.349 --> 00:45:55.630
So I like really kind of shot
myself in the foot and I was like
632
00:45:55.710 --> 00:45:59.510
I will do anything to come back. I'll be in and I'll do volunteer
633
00:45:59.550 --> 00:46:01.070
work again, like I want to
be here, because where I want to
634
00:46:01.070 --> 00:46:06.900
be. I'm insi there like okay, you can be an intern again.
635
00:46:07.659 --> 00:46:09.739
So and from full time, I
went from intorn the full time back to
636
00:46:09.860 --> 00:46:15.460
in turn and, you know,
again just was grinding and showing them that
637
00:46:15.500 --> 00:46:17.769
I wanted to be there. I
didn't even do anything with the start up
638
00:46:17.809 --> 00:46:22.130
after that. I left the startup. You know, gave them like few
639
00:46:22.170 --> 00:46:24.650
weeks notice I'm going back to football
and I'm not going to be really like
640
00:46:25.329 --> 00:46:30.650
involved here anymore because I want to
give all like that was the issue.
641
00:46:30.769 --> 00:46:34.679
Is, I had my foot and
door in both doors, but I wasn't
642
00:46:34.760 --> 00:46:38.559
fully in any place and I felt
like that was kind of restricting on my
643
00:46:38.719 --> 00:46:43.159
growth and like really figuring out what
I want to do as a career path.
644
00:46:44.280 --> 00:46:47.550
So, long story short, I
get back in the football I do
645
00:46:47.789 --> 00:46:54.110
the grind, I start working coaches
hours which at the time where were interesting
646
00:46:54.510 --> 00:47:00.539
exciting and then became really kind of
problematic, you know, after a few
647
00:47:00.619 --> 00:47:04.659
years of doing it. But you
know, they gave me another shot to
648
00:47:04.739 --> 00:47:07.420
be a full time member after showing, you know, I was here to
649
00:47:07.500 --> 00:47:09.539
stay. I was working from seven
am to ten PM, just like the
650
00:47:09.619 --> 00:47:14.980
coaches, just like the rest of
the staff, and got full time again
651
00:47:15.659 --> 00:47:19.730
and each year just kept ranking up
and having more responsibility and, okay,
652
00:47:20.170 --> 00:47:23.809
you know, hiring people below me
and eventually reaching a creative director level position.
653
00:47:23.849 --> 00:47:28.449
Yeah, and that was kind of
of my my path that I was
654
00:47:28.449 --> 00:47:32.639
sue and yeah, it was really
interesting and really you know, I think
655
00:47:32.760 --> 00:47:37.800
everything happened for a reason and I
have no regrets in any way that I
656
00:47:37.880 --> 00:47:42.000
did any of that, because I
got the entrepreneur itch and I learned so
657
00:47:42.360 --> 00:47:45.429
much about the business side of things
from going to a startup and, you
658
00:47:45.510 --> 00:47:51.230
know, seeing contracts being developed,
pitching ideas, getting in front of clients
659
00:47:51.269 --> 00:47:54.230
and confidently, you know, pitching
your concepts to them and white boarding and
660
00:47:54.309 --> 00:47:57.550
just all these things that I really
like. Wasn't doing a do issue,
661
00:47:57.670 --> 00:48:01.019
but Osu scratch that sports passion.
It's that I had where like, you
662
00:48:01.099 --> 00:48:05.260
know, this is my favorite team
and like when am I ever going to
663
00:48:05.300 --> 00:48:08.780
get to, you know, be
in this position working for my favorite team?
664
00:48:38.079 --> 00:48:43.710
It's, you know, diving into
the psychology that a little bit too.
665
00:48:44.989 --> 00:48:49.110
You know, do you think some
of it may have had to have
666
00:48:49.349 --> 00:48:57.500
just been the the chance to be
at such a prestigious program versus being at
667
00:48:57.579 --> 00:49:01.860
a startup nobody really knew about?
Yeah, I've thought about that as well.
668
00:49:04.300 --> 00:49:06.940
You know, it's somebody said,
we're like, you know, I
669
00:49:07.139 --> 00:49:08.300
was. I at the same time
I was working for as to you.
670
00:49:08.579 --> 00:49:12.130
You know, when I was started
there, we didn't have a social media
671
00:49:12.170 --> 00:49:16.449
presence, like instagram was like just
becoming a thing. Twitter existed, but,
672
00:49:17.050 --> 00:49:22.050
you know, for some reason our
foot you know, the folks that
673
00:49:22.130 --> 00:49:25.039
I was Shue, didn't want football
to have its own channel. Initially,
674
00:49:25.559 --> 00:49:29.760
so it was just urban Meyer and
it was just I think that's how I
675
00:49:29.920 --> 00:49:32.000
was, but it overall those oh
she atletic. So I was the only
676
00:49:32.079 --> 00:49:37.000
one producing. Like my personal account
was the one that was tweeting out all
677
00:49:37.079 --> 00:49:39.590
the football cap from time wow and
it. And I would tag all the
678
00:49:39.670 --> 00:49:44.070
coaches and my boss and I'd like
big followings like Mike for able at the
679
00:49:44.110 --> 00:49:47.030
time was on stats. I got
the in Tom Herman. So like they
680
00:49:47.070 --> 00:49:52.900
were the ones who were retweeting and
you know, I was kind of simultaneously
681
00:49:52.940 --> 00:49:54.539
building my brand of time and you
know, yeah, when I was I
682
00:49:54.619 --> 00:49:59.420
got across roads of like what,
you know what? First of all,
683
00:49:59.460 --> 00:50:01.179
like why do I want to be
wherever I do want to end up,
684
00:50:01.260 --> 00:50:06.539
but also like what could be a
bigger stepping stone? Yeah, and I
685
00:50:06.579 --> 00:50:08.050
don't want to use like the word
exposure too issue, but you know,
686
00:50:08.610 --> 00:50:14.250
maximizing that platform there was on matched
compared to the start up. Like yeah,
687
00:50:14.289 --> 00:50:20.610
the startup at potential to accelerate growth. You know, maybe in terms
688
00:50:20.650 --> 00:50:23.280
of financial games, could have been
something really big, but I knows,
689
00:50:23.360 --> 00:50:29.039
you know, the financial games might
not have been as big, but it
690
00:50:29.199 --> 00:50:32.599
was one like less of a risk
into the platform that I was she has,
691
00:50:32.800 --> 00:50:36.030
and this is what I shared with
recruits as well when I when I
692
00:50:36.070 --> 00:50:38.670
watched the personal branding program there.
You know, it's all about maximizing.
693
00:50:39.389 --> 00:50:43.389
You know who you are and where
you're at, yeah, or at least
694
00:50:43.429 --> 00:50:46.269
understanding you are in the maximizing.
You know where you're at, and Oh
695
00:50:46.349 --> 00:50:52.940
she was a platform to where my
voice could be heightened, it could be,
696
00:50:53.579 --> 00:50:58.780
you know, blown out a lot
more frequently and exponentially, and that's
697
00:50:58.820 --> 00:51:02.659
when I really did think about that
and how, you know, I felt
698
00:51:02.739 --> 00:51:07.849
like to really grow my network and
also, you know, within the Sports
699
00:51:07.929 --> 00:51:10.570
Design Community and sports community that I
wanted to really be a part of.
700
00:51:12.130 --> 00:51:15.570
Oh is, she was was a
better stepping stone for that. Yeah,
701
00:51:15.929 --> 00:51:21.920
and so with that, you are
in a similar situation to a lot of
702
00:51:22.880 --> 00:51:25.519
designers who are, or her they're
now, who are chasing the dream,
703
00:51:25.559 --> 00:51:32.829
or what they think is the dream, and then reality kicks in because,
704
00:51:32.869 --> 00:51:38.349
as you said, you were working
coaches hours, and everybody listening to this
705
00:51:38.550 --> 00:51:45.670
knows what that means, because the
probably worked those hours as well, President
706
00:51:45.750 --> 00:51:50.860
Company included, and and manned.
That take a toll on you. Did
707
00:51:50.900 --> 00:51:57.300
you have a personal life. No, just the frame it up as simply
708
00:51:57.340 --> 00:52:00.769
as I could. Not really once
I started. You know, when I
709
00:52:00.889 --> 00:52:05.130
first was working that, even when
I was first full time, I was
710
00:52:05.210 --> 00:52:09.250
more so considered part of Oshu athletics
creative services team, which is, you
711
00:52:09.329 --> 00:52:14.489
know, a typical nine to five
job, and that's you know, my
712
00:52:14.690 --> 00:52:19.079
boss, that the career director proch
athletics, Andy De Vito. He you
713
00:52:19.159 --> 00:52:21.800
know, that's what he expressed.
He's you know, we all worked from
714
00:52:21.800 --> 00:52:24.000
one hundred twenty five. We did
not work game days, we didn't work
715
00:52:24.039 --> 00:52:28.119
events or anything like that. So
you know, when I when I did
716
00:52:28.360 --> 00:52:31.590
transition the football full time and and
we did start our own creative team where
717
00:52:31.590 --> 00:52:35.989
Zax Swartz, who's still there,
who is one of the creative directors,
718
00:52:36.230 --> 00:52:40.550
oversees everything. You know, we
were required to work game days because that
719
00:52:40.670 --> 00:52:45.019
was the thing. It was like
Clemson was was the big boom and you
720
00:52:45.099 --> 00:52:47.900
know, even Matt Lange and Tony
Down Alabama absolutely know we're doing it.
721
00:52:49.059 --> 00:52:52.300
So you see it being done and
Osu didn't have that type of presence.
722
00:52:53.940 --> 00:52:58.380
So yeah, when those hours hit
at first it was like really exciting.
723
00:52:58.420 --> 00:53:04.010
You know, you're eating meals with
the team you're developing these lasting relationships with
724
00:53:04.050 --> 00:53:06.809
the coaches and the players and the
staff, and it beat it really does
725
00:53:06.849 --> 00:53:09.889
become your family. It is and
in the great thing is that you know
726
00:53:10.010 --> 00:53:14.119
every one of those you we all
got along and I got along with all
727
00:53:14.119 --> 00:53:16.719
the staff members. So like,
working those hours wasn't miserable in terms of
728
00:53:16.760 --> 00:53:20.599
the people that you worked with.
It was always fun and saying to be
729
00:53:20.639 --> 00:53:22.679
around those people. Yea even urban, like you said, can be super
730
00:53:22.840 --> 00:53:27.079
strict and intense. Yeah, but
he can also, you know, shoot
731
00:53:27.119 --> 00:53:30.670
the shit with you and he has
a really dry sense of humor and on
732
00:53:30.869 --> 00:53:34.869
and like you know, when you're
good at what you do, he notices
733
00:53:34.909 --> 00:53:37.070
that and he will pound the table
for you and fight for you. You
734
00:53:37.150 --> 00:53:42.820
know, we still have a relationship
to this day. That where we talk
735
00:53:43.139 --> 00:53:46.219
and that's something that I always cherish
for my experience at Lsu. But you
736
00:53:46.300 --> 00:53:50.099
had those hours. They run it
till after, you know, year two
737
00:53:50.139 --> 00:53:54.300
and three. It's it's like,
man, I can't plan anything like during
738
00:53:54.340 --> 00:53:57.929
the season. That's seven days a
week, hundred hours a week, which
739
00:53:58.690 --> 00:54:01.289
you know. You I just I
cannot be one to glorify that grind.
740
00:54:01.530 --> 00:54:06.969
You know, I've seen people say
like, you know, it doesn't matter.
741
00:54:07.090 --> 00:54:08.570
Yeah, I want to put in
this. It doesn't feel like work
742
00:54:08.570 --> 00:54:10.920
when it's, you know, what
you love and what you do and it's
743
00:54:10.920 --> 00:54:14.639
for your favorite team. I'm like, man, I'm a die hard ohsu
744
00:54:14.800 --> 00:54:17.440
Fan and and I'm working in this
dream job, this real moment. But
745
00:54:17.639 --> 00:54:23.670
like those hours just suck for anyone. Yeah, they do, you know.
746
00:54:23.789 --> 00:54:27.989
And it was just burning, burning
me out. And even in the
747
00:54:28.030 --> 00:54:30.190
offseason. You know, when I
watched that purse on branding program I was
748
00:54:30.309 --> 00:54:34.949
now one of the people on staff
who presented to recruit. So you had
749
00:54:35.309 --> 00:54:39.019
your strength training presenter, your nutrition
presenter and now you had the create a
750
00:54:39.139 --> 00:54:44.699
their visual branding presenter, and so
I was like kind of on call a
751
00:54:44.780 --> 00:54:47.139
lot of weekends, staying like,
you know, some recruits might decide during
752
00:54:47.179 --> 00:54:50.699
the week they're going to come in
and if the top guy like, we
753
00:54:50.780 --> 00:54:54.250
gotta throw everything at them. If
you know we're in competition for them.
754
00:54:54.570 --> 00:54:58.289
Sure, and so, like the
the branding thing was a huge, huge
755
00:54:58.289 --> 00:55:00.969
impact with families and players, because
at the time no one was talking about
756
00:55:00.969 --> 00:55:07.400
it, and so I just felt
like I couldn't ever like plan anything in
757
00:55:07.559 --> 00:55:10.599
my life because, you know,
I could have some plans with someone and
758
00:55:10.679 --> 00:55:14.760
then Saturday it might all get blown
up because I have to go into work
759
00:55:14.800 --> 00:55:16.639
to present to this recruit. And
not that I didn't really do like I
760
00:55:16.840 --> 00:55:21.710
enjoyed doing it. I love making
those relationships and seeing the reactions from the
761
00:55:21.789 --> 00:55:25.550
recruits and their families and like,
you know, just being legitimately or at
762
00:55:25.550 --> 00:55:30.510
least that's when I felt like I
was really impacting the recruiting prop one,
763
00:55:30.789 --> 00:55:37.860
not not myself, but like how
creative thinking and design thinking could impact the
764
00:55:37.940 --> 00:55:42.460
recruiting process, because you saw,
like people say, like Oh great,
765
00:55:42.539 --> 00:55:45.300
like you, no recruit commits off
of graphics, like why? Why do
766
00:55:45.380 --> 00:55:47.780
we play such an emphasis on graphics? And graphic designers were like recruits aren't
767
00:55:47.780 --> 00:55:51.809
committing off of the graphic, and
it's like no, of course they're not
768
00:55:51.889 --> 00:55:55.690
committing us of the soul graphic.
We're facilitators of information and we're just trying
769
00:55:55.730 --> 00:56:04.289
to make it more exciting and informative. But with presenting the recruits and pitching
770
00:56:04.360 --> 00:56:07.840
them on building their personal brands,
that was like legitimately impact and I had
771
00:56:08.440 --> 00:56:13.920
responses from families and recruits saying that, you know, that type of discussion
772
00:56:13.920 --> 00:56:16.519
and that way of thinking about,
thinking about personal branding and how that can
773
00:56:16.599 --> 00:56:21.190
go beyond the football field and beyond
the issue and the NFL. Yeah,
774
00:56:22.309 --> 00:56:25.670
maybe was a part of their decision
making process and it blew me away.
775
00:56:25.789 --> 00:56:29.349
And like that's kind of what drove
me for a while, where I was
776
00:56:29.389 --> 00:56:32.219
like man, this is this is
impactful. I feel like this is fulfilling.
777
00:56:32.860 --> 00:56:36.900
You know, I was in presentations
with the urban we we're like recruiting
778
00:56:37.019 --> 00:56:39.139
this were, this kid. At
the same time, like I'm recruiting with
779
00:56:39.179 --> 00:56:42.699
ever we are right now. Like
how surreal is that? It is,
780
00:56:44.300 --> 00:56:47.489
but you know, it just took
a toll. And like the things that
781
00:56:47.849 --> 00:56:52.010
the materials needed for those presentations and
the frequency of when they were needed.
782
00:56:52.329 --> 00:56:54.929
And on top, you know,
I put that on myself because that's what
783
00:56:54.969 --> 00:56:59.289
I wanted to do. So,
like it was no one else, that's
784
00:57:00.010 --> 00:57:02.760
no one else, you know,
to blame but myself in terms of overloading
785
00:57:04.320 --> 00:57:08.320
myself, where I had my current
duties as creative director, you know,
786
00:57:08.400 --> 00:57:14.679
overseeing all the graphics and the seasonal
style and all that and all the ten
787
00:57:14.760 --> 00:57:19.150
whole events. And on top of
that there is this recruiting, this this
788
00:57:19.309 --> 00:57:23.269
branding pitch and, yeah, it's
just it really took a toll and you
789
00:57:23.349 --> 00:57:30.059
know how just come home exhausted and
you know it. I'll be lying if
790
00:57:30.099 --> 00:57:32.739
it like, if it doesn't hurt
relationships. It's hard to not hurt relationships
791
00:57:32.820 --> 00:57:37.260
because, like my now wife,
but my girlfriend at the time, you
792
00:57:37.340 --> 00:57:40.340
know, I would wake up,
I'd see her for about ten minutes in
793
00:57:40.380 --> 00:57:45.090
the morning. She was a teacher
or she has a teacher, and that'd
794
00:57:45.090 --> 00:57:47.170
be it. I'd see her for
ten minutes morning and I come on at
795
00:57:47.210 --> 00:57:52.449
tempt him and she'd be sleeping and
then, like, I be away on
796
00:57:52.489 --> 00:57:55.050
the weekends. I would traveling with
the team, which is again another thing
797
00:57:55.090 --> 00:58:00.800
that's super exciting at first, but
even traveling takes tall. Yeah, it's
798
00:58:00.880 --> 00:58:04.760
very quick. I mean you're on
a plane on Friday, you're going there.
799
00:58:04.920 --> 00:58:07.639
There's, you know, a routine
for Friday, then there's a routine
800
00:58:07.719 --> 00:58:09.760
for Saturday and then right after the
game ends, and most of the time
801
00:58:09.840 --> 00:58:14.070
our games ended at night, we're
flying back to Columbus. It's three am
802
00:58:14.110 --> 00:58:15.110
and then we got to be in
the office of tenny on the following day
803
00:58:15.150 --> 00:58:21.070
and it's man, yeah, can
I get up breath right? Yeah,
804
00:58:21.110 --> 00:58:24.670
there's yeah, I feel it.
I feel this, you know, like
805
00:58:24.789 --> 00:58:29.900
deep down, like this is what
I do want to say. It was
806
00:58:29.980 --> 00:58:34.539
all very exciting, like it is
no regret now, and I loved all
807
00:58:34.739 --> 00:58:38.539
the staff and like the staff,
the staff and I'll say made it bearable
808
00:58:38.739 --> 00:58:42.170
to yeah, that, because everyone's
going through it and it's like, you
809
00:58:42.250 --> 00:58:45.170
know, it sucks, because I
don't think like the culture should be like,
810
00:58:45.289 --> 00:58:46.969
you know, everyone doing it,
everyone paying their dues and grinding whatever.
811
00:58:47.210 --> 00:58:51.170
Yeah, but you know, everyone
understood and everyone, you know,
812
00:58:51.289 --> 00:58:54.329
vented to each other about it.
We all knew the hours were great,
813
00:58:54.690 --> 00:58:59.960
sure for for work life balance,
but it's just, it's how it is.
814
00:59:00.159 --> 00:59:04.000
So, yeah, you know,
it's just a culture thing. Do
815
00:59:04.079 --> 00:59:06.719
you think that? Do you think
getting a little deep here, but do
816
00:59:06.760 --> 00:59:15.349
you think that'll ever change? I
want to say yes, because of what
817
00:59:15.510 --> 00:59:19.550
has happened in two thousand and twenty. I mean ultimately, when when everyone
818
00:59:19.670 --> 00:59:22.110
starts going back to the facilities and
everything, you know, maybe it's a
819
00:59:22.150 --> 00:59:25.780
couple of years down the road when
there's when it's a little bit more towards
820
00:59:25.940 --> 00:59:31.460
normalcy, because I don't know when
that will actually look like, but I
821
00:59:31.579 --> 00:59:35.260
think you know what two thousand and
twenty has shown, just from a working
822
00:59:35.380 --> 00:59:38.409
standpoint is that a lot of tasks
and we can be done remote and then
823
00:59:38.730 --> 00:59:45.010
you don't have to like I understand
being there in person and the instant communication
824
00:59:45.170 --> 00:59:50.130
there is advantageous. But you know, we have digital tools nowadays and everyone's
825
00:59:50.130 --> 00:59:53.960
used to these to zoom calls and
digital tools that can help, you know,
826
00:59:54.079 --> 00:59:59.360
achieve the same type of tasks that
you're doing in house in the workplace.
827
00:59:59.400 --> 00:60:02.239
I mean I do everything for every
client I have, you know,
828
00:60:02.719 --> 00:60:07.230
in my house. So like and
I and I only I expressed that to
829
00:60:07.349 --> 00:60:10.989
issue that, like you know,
I didn't express it like saying I want
830
00:60:10.989 --> 00:60:14.469
to work remote, but I was
just saying, you know, there's times
831
00:60:14.510 --> 00:60:16.710
of like maybe I don't need to
be in the office that late because if
832
00:60:16.750 --> 00:60:20.070
there is a task that comes up, you know, I can do it
833
00:60:20.150 --> 00:60:22.099
at home. I have a computer, I have the software, I have
834
00:60:22.179 --> 00:60:24.980
the resources. So maybe with two
thousand and twenty we do see a change.
835
00:60:24.980 --> 00:60:28.940
So where you know the hours,
and I also know it's not like
836
00:60:29.179 --> 00:60:34.659
that everywhere. Like coaches, hours
mean are different everywhere you go, because
837
00:60:34.699 --> 00:60:37.690
I talked with people who don't do
that kind of work, even if they
838
00:60:37.730 --> 00:60:40.250
work for the football team. In
terms of the hours, but maybe with
839
00:60:40.329 --> 00:60:44.889
two thousand and twenty, seeing how
things can be done remote and virtual and
840
00:60:45.730 --> 00:60:49.010
you don't always have to be in
house and in the office, maybe things
841
00:60:49.050 --> 00:60:52.199
do change. Yeah, I hope
so. You know, and I help
842
00:60:52.239 --> 00:60:55.880
people. Are People under and as
we go back, that it's different.
843
00:60:57.199 --> 00:60:59.960
You know, in this is it's
a different world. Ever, races the
844
00:61:00.000 --> 00:61:01.320
new normal, and it's true that
there's going to be a new normal.
845
00:61:01.360 --> 00:61:06.469
We have no idea what that's going
to be, but hopefully it helps,
846
00:61:06.670 --> 00:61:09.389
you know, get us to a
point where we feel like that in the
847
00:61:09.469 --> 00:61:15.630
midst of something that we can stop
or in the midst of some anxiety or
848
00:61:15.909 --> 00:61:19.099
some panic, that we can just
stop and you know, nobody's judging you
849
00:61:19.619 --> 00:61:22.099
for doing that. If that's one
of the good things that comes out of
850
00:61:22.179 --> 00:61:25.219
this, then I think we're in
a much, much better place. Yeah,
851
00:61:25.340 --> 00:61:28.860
now you brought a really good point
that it's going to hit on in
852
00:61:28.940 --> 00:61:31.579
terms. So, like I do, I get like pretty bad anxiety and
853
00:61:31.889 --> 00:61:36.210
time to time, especially the all
expectations. It's work, you know,
854
00:61:36.809 --> 00:61:40.090
being creative. It's just it's it's
tough to you know, thinking through things
855
00:61:40.130 --> 00:61:44.289
and when the work's not know where
you want it. You just you want
856
00:61:44.329 --> 00:61:46.400
to get it to where you're confident
and anxiety can hit. So I get
857
00:61:46.440 --> 00:61:52.639
anxiety pretty often and it's something that
I've been like trying to work on.
858
00:61:52.800 --> 00:61:55.960
But in the workplace, working for
the football team, you know really and
859
00:61:57.159 --> 00:61:59.599
you even at the start up.
It was no different at the start up,
860
00:61:59.639 --> 00:62:05.590
where you feel this anxiety and I
don't know how to strip it,
861
00:62:05.710 --> 00:62:13.710
just kind of like this you're kind
of hesitant to like leave the workplace when
862
00:62:13.750 --> 00:62:17.260
everyone else is still there, whether
even if it's like a doctor's appointment or
863
00:62:17.460 --> 00:62:21.980
like you got to go do laundry
at home. Yeah, you just feel
864
00:62:22.099 --> 00:62:23.940
like you know everyone else is here
and that you're going to be like looked
865
00:62:23.980 --> 00:62:28.699
down upon, and it's like frowned
upon for leaving to where you're like kind
866
00:62:28.699 --> 00:62:30.929
of free. knowers, like I
need to go, but like everyone else
867
00:62:30.969 --> 00:62:32.369
is still here and you're just kind
of like playing this waiting game because,
868
00:62:32.409 --> 00:62:36.369
like sometimes I don't see you.
Were like playing the waiting game to see
869
00:62:36.409 --> 00:62:39.849
like when the coach is league absolutely
and it's like and because like if you
870
00:62:39.969 --> 00:62:44.840
leave and everyone sees you leave,
then you feel like crap. Yeah,
871
00:62:45.280 --> 00:62:49.639
it goes like Sam even early again. Yeah, ground with everyone else and
872
00:62:49.639 --> 00:62:54.840
it's like it's that that culture called
the must be nice culture, where everybody
873
00:62:55.000 --> 00:62:59.070
says, Oh, must be nice. I mean I went through that and
874
00:62:59.309 --> 00:63:01.590
every single place that I've worked,
you know, thankfully not here. We
875
00:63:01.909 --> 00:63:06.070
very much value that, but we're
still start up and so it's a lot
876
00:63:06.110 --> 00:63:08.469
of pressure that comes along with it
and anxiety. But yeah, the must
877
00:63:08.469 --> 00:63:12.510
be a nice culture. Honestly,
if we could do away with one thing,
878
00:63:12.710 --> 00:63:15.500
it's getting rid of the must be
nice culture, you know, because
879
00:63:15.619 --> 00:63:19.059
to each his own and and everybody
has theirs. Yeah, you never case,
880
00:63:19.380 --> 00:63:22.219
yeah, you don't. You really
don't know what anybody's going through.
881
00:63:22.300 --> 00:63:27.730
And and you know, speaking of
that, how was your mental health during
882
00:63:27.769 --> 00:63:30.650
this time where you were just,
you know, you were living literally the
883
00:63:30.809 --> 00:63:37.170
gridelfe that that people, that people
can glamorize. Yeah, I mean,
884
00:63:37.050 --> 00:63:42.599
you know, starting off it was
great, it was exciting. I mean
885
00:63:42.679 --> 00:63:45.119
even like towards and it still was
exciting. Like I'll still get, I'll
886
00:63:45.159 --> 00:63:50.960
still doing things that were fulfilling and
gratifying and like, you know, releasing
887
00:63:51.000 --> 00:63:57.030
those the the the reward triggers to
kind of help cope with that. But
888
00:63:57.150 --> 00:64:00.510
yeah, in terms of, you
know, the mental health at aspect where,
889
00:64:00.710 --> 00:64:06.110
like the work life balance was really
lopsided and the life part was getting
890
00:64:08.230 --> 00:64:13.179
very stressful just, you know,
personal things going on and also just like
891
00:64:13.340 --> 00:64:17.460
not having time to really like,
you know, help them and help them
892
00:64:17.579 --> 00:64:21.940
grow and like be fulfilling on that
and as well to where, you know,
893
00:64:23.019 --> 00:64:28.530
it recent point to where I sought
after a therapist, and that was
894
00:64:28.570 --> 00:64:31.050
a lot of different factors, a
lot of different events happening to lead up
895
00:64:32.289 --> 00:64:39.000
where, you know, my like
sixteen year old steff would probably be like,
896
00:64:39.320 --> 00:64:41.800
why are you doing this? You're
not like a crazy person, because
897
00:64:42.159 --> 00:64:45.119
you know, growing up that's kind
of the stigma you received from like the
898
00:64:45.199 --> 00:64:48.920
entertainment industry, where like go get
your head shrunk at a psychologist exactly,
899
00:64:49.280 --> 00:64:54.110
or at a Bi a psychologist.
But that's, you know, far from
900
00:64:54.190 --> 00:65:00.550
what actually happens to and you know, I still see a therapist because it's
901
00:65:00.190 --> 00:65:06.340
nice to have an unbiased party of
any type of situation or event to just
902
00:65:06.539 --> 00:65:11.699
talk through things with, and here, you know, a different you know,
903
00:65:11.860 --> 00:65:20.139
different perspectives, professional opinions and maybe
diagnosis, and it's just someone you
904
00:65:20.219 --> 00:65:24.329
know. It's nice to have someone
to talk to, someone who's not like
905
00:65:25.369 --> 00:65:29.090
you're not in anyone's corn or they're
just there to listen and offer in sending
906
00:65:29.250 --> 00:65:32.610
perspectives that you might not have thought
about, you know, because, like
907
00:65:32.730 --> 00:65:39.199
maybe you know you're sacrificing your mental
health enough to wear your judgments cloudy and
908
00:65:39.239 --> 00:65:43.159
your thought process is cloudy and you're
just not really seeing it from all the
909
00:65:43.199 --> 00:65:48.519
different angles. Yeah, so that
was a big way to help cope with
910
00:65:48.599 --> 00:65:54.389
stress and anxiety, even now,
with with going independent, in the stress
911
00:65:54.429 --> 00:65:59.429
and anxiety of generating your own income
every month. You know that it's a
912
00:65:59.590 --> 00:66:01.989
huge growing pain of you know,
I remember leaving those you and like looking
913
00:66:01.989 --> 00:66:05.860
at like what I made at os
you every month and being like shit,
914
00:66:06.099 --> 00:66:09.619
like, yeah, how do I
make this every month? Break How do
915
00:66:09.659 --> 00:66:14.019
I sell this amount of work consistently? You know, you don't have that
916
00:66:14.099 --> 00:66:17.610
stable page like anymore. So,
yeah, it really helped and I mean
917
00:66:17.650 --> 00:66:24.050
I also took upon I don't do
this off I wish I could. My
918
00:66:24.170 --> 00:66:28.409
goal is to get into a routine
to where I can start meditating frequently,
919
00:66:29.769 --> 00:66:33.079
where meditations helped, to just breathing
exercises. I mean, I work out
920
00:66:33.119 --> 00:66:36.639
with my wife every day and some
of our workouts are yoga and that,
921
00:66:36.840 --> 00:66:40.639
like I mean working out. It's
really helpful with stress, yeah, relief
922
00:66:40.719 --> 00:66:45.159
and anxiety. But yeah, something
I really want to get more into is
923
00:66:45.280 --> 00:66:47.989
as meditation, as I hear a
lot of people gravitate towards that, and
924
00:66:48.269 --> 00:66:55.630
it's really helpful when it becomes routine, yeah, and a common practice versus
925
00:66:55.829 --> 00:67:21.610
something that you do like just when
these episodes appear. There was one thing
926
00:67:23.570 --> 00:67:28.570
that you could say to somebody listening
right now? Who's WHO's who's in that
927
00:67:28.730 --> 00:67:32.079
position where they're feeling it and they're
not sure what to do or they feel
928
00:67:32.079 --> 00:67:35.800
like they don't, you know,
want to go to therapy, or maybe
929
00:67:35.840 --> 00:67:40.199
they can't afford to go to therapy. Sure, what is? What is
930
00:67:40.360 --> 00:67:45.389
one like one thing that helps you
get through the really hard times? Right
931
00:67:45.429 --> 00:67:50.429
now? It's really, you know, it's talking with people, it's it's,
932
00:67:50.750 --> 00:67:57.710
you know, not being afraid.
I had always she always had like
933
00:67:57.710 --> 00:68:00.780
a mindset just I just wanted to
like do everything myself. For some reason,
934
00:68:00.900 --> 00:68:04.099
it wasn't like I didn't I don't
know if it wasn't like I didn't
935
00:68:04.139 --> 00:68:06.820
trust the US to like do certain
tasks, but like I just wanted it
936
00:68:06.900 --> 00:68:10.980
to all like know that it's on
the right track and like I want to
937
00:68:11.019 --> 00:68:14.730
do this and like, even if
it's the smallest task, that like where,
938
00:68:15.170 --> 00:68:16.369
you know, I could rely on
my intern to help with it,
939
00:68:16.489 --> 00:68:18.970
but like my intern has his own
task and I don't, you know,
940
00:68:19.050 --> 00:68:23.970
I'm and that's that was a whole
other thing management, getting into a position
941
00:68:24.050 --> 00:68:28.479
of actual management, because, like
sometimes you see titles that are like misleading
942
00:68:28.800 --> 00:68:33.399
in the sports industry. But like
when you're actually managing people, and I
943
00:68:33.439 --> 00:68:36.840
didn't manage many at a she's,
I can imagine people who've managed, you
944
00:68:36.920 --> 00:68:42.989
know, big teams or even like
CEO's of the company, because that's a
945
00:68:43.069 --> 00:68:47.390
whole other stress and anxiety of managing
people and, you know, Egos and
946
00:68:47.470 --> 00:68:54.229
expectations and making sure you have that
emotional intelligence to you know, not the
947
00:68:54.430 --> 00:68:58.899
real and individual rather motivated than inspire
them exactly. But yeah, not.
948
00:68:59.300 --> 00:69:02.779
My message is don't be afraid to
reach out for help. You don't have
949
00:69:02.859 --> 00:69:06.659
to do everything on your own.
You don't have to figure everything else or
950
00:69:06.739 --> 00:69:11.170
you don't have to figure out everything
on your own. You know, if
951
00:69:11.170 --> 00:69:14.689
you are super stressed and you feel
anxiety, like I don't really feel this
952
00:69:14.770 --> 00:69:17.090
type of stress and anxiety in college. So, like for anyone who's like
953
00:69:17.170 --> 00:69:20.130
younger listening like it. It can
happen, especially when you get older and
954
00:69:20.329 --> 00:69:25.479
responsibilities pile up and just have a
lot more bagage and things to think about,
955
00:69:26.760 --> 00:69:29.600
you know, and just huge life
decisions where, like, you know,
956
00:69:29.720 --> 00:69:32.399
you're not making really those in college
or maybe even when you're first starting
957
00:69:32.399 --> 00:69:38.119
off, you know, in your
in a fulltime job. But reaching out
958
00:69:38.279 --> 00:69:41.989
for help and just having a kind
of a team of support people that you
959
00:69:42.189 --> 00:69:47.270
can lean on during stressful and,
you know, anxiety riddled times. You
960
00:69:47.350 --> 00:69:50.229
know, I lean on my felt
lean on my family a lot. I
961
00:69:50.350 --> 00:69:56.260
have my core friends that I lean
on, even just to them. You
962
00:69:56.340 --> 00:69:59.579
know, there's core creatives. I
mean we're in we're in a creative group
963
00:69:59.699 --> 00:70:03.100
together. Slack groups were like,
you know, sometimes you use got event
964
00:70:03.460 --> 00:70:06.210
throughout the day and they might,
you know, you might not have met
965
00:70:06.289 --> 00:70:12.210
people in person, but like,
you know, they talking with people who
966
00:70:12.529 --> 00:70:14.850
can relate and understand. You know, me event, thinking about like a
967
00:70:14.890 --> 00:70:17.729
hundred hour work weeks. Yeah,
working in sports to someone who is in
968
00:70:17.890 --> 00:70:21.960
Goten, like in the trenches like
that. You know, they might be
969
00:70:23.159 --> 00:70:28.479
great for like a different perspective,
but you know from an understanding standpoint.
970
00:70:29.760 --> 00:70:32.920
You know, try and find some
people who who might be going through something
971
00:70:33.039 --> 00:70:39.590
similar, who are in like the
same field and whatnot, because they can
972
00:70:39.630 --> 00:70:45.189
understand and they can relate and they
might have, you know, experiences and
973
00:70:45.829 --> 00:70:48.630
coping mechanisms that's that have helped them
that you might have not have thought about.
974
00:70:49.020 --> 00:70:53.859
Yeah, that's and you nail it
on the head there. I think
975
00:70:54.020 --> 00:71:01.380
it's it. Along with the talking
to people comes breaking the stigmas around a
976
00:71:01.500 --> 00:71:08.489
mental health and and depression and anxiety
and and sometimes people don't don't, you
977
00:71:08.529 --> 00:71:12.689
know, aren't open enough or aren't
at a place where they can really talk
978
00:71:12.729 --> 00:71:16.409
to people. But you know,
I think they're there because they're sometimes become
979
00:71:16.529 --> 00:71:21.079
some passive aggressive send it or or
you you put too much on one person
980
00:71:21.119 --> 00:71:28.359
and compassion fatigue sets in. But
I think that people there's you know,
981
00:71:28.359 --> 00:71:30.119
if there's one thing that I can
say, that we've said it a lot
982
00:71:30.239 --> 00:71:33.470
on a lot of these calls and
a lot of these slacks and in a
983
00:71:33.510 --> 00:71:38.949
lot of these podcast episode, is
that you know, there are people here
984
00:71:38.989 --> 00:71:42.789
who are willing to listen, you
know, and they may not have the
985
00:71:42.909 --> 00:71:46.500
solutions, but sometimes all you need
is that that person to to hear you
986
00:71:46.619 --> 00:71:50.579
out and then you're going to feel
a lot better for it. So,
987
00:71:50.899 --> 00:71:56.020
yeah, absolutely well said there,
and I think a lot of people are
988
00:71:56.060 --> 00:72:00.460
probably going to ask this question or
have this question, because I've seen it
989
00:72:00.539 --> 00:72:04.810
a lot as well. Leaving Sports, leaving, you know, that security,
990
00:72:05.090 --> 00:72:10.130
which really really is fairly security,
I guess, until this year.
991
00:72:11.890 --> 00:72:15.359
You know, what is it one
of the highlights for you of owning your
992
00:72:15.359 --> 00:72:21.439
own business in being able to really
kind of set your hours, set your
993
00:72:21.520 --> 00:72:27.760
time, report to yourself? What's
the one of the pluses in your life
994
00:72:27.840 --> 00:72:32.510
that's come out of that? It's
definitely just been the work life balance,
995
00:72:33.189 --> 00:72:38.029
the relationships that I can focus on
that, you know, might have gotten
996
00:72:38.149 --> 00:72:44.539
maybe damaged or maybe put on the
back burner just working in an environment that
997
00:72:44.899 --> 00:72:50.380
that was hard to know, pour
myself into those relationships, so being able
998
00:72:50.420 --> 00:72:55.739
to like rekindle those and also,
you know, my relationship with my now
999
00:72:55.899 --> 00:73:01.170
wife, Samantha, you know,
being able to pour into her and you
1000
00:73:01.289 --> 00:73:05.770
know, yeah, like you said, that is the number one thing we're
1001
00:73:05.850 --> 00:73:11.329
have. Working your own hours,
setting your own time, clocking and when,
1002
00:73:11.609 --> 00:73:14.760
clocking in and out whenever you want. That's unmatched. Like once you
1003
00:73:14.840 --> 00:73:18.239
get a taste of that and I've
had creatives reach out to me to work,
1004
00:73:19.600 --> 00:73:25.399
you know, in in house for
teams and they're like wow, like
1005
00:73:25.560 --> 00:73:29.350
this is what normal feels like,
you know, because it's because when they
1006
00:73:29.430 --> 00:73:31.390
transition the virtual it was more like
a nine hundred and twenty five or like
1007
00:73:31.510 --> 00:73:36.430
a kind of do whatever. Whenever
you're you're done with your daily tasks,
1008
00:73:36.430 --> 00:73:40.550
so you can end work. And
yeah, maybe that is only like four
1009
00:73:40.590 --> 00:73:43.180
or five hours of work a day. You know, I try to keep
1010
00:73:43.220 --> 00:73:45.220
a traditional like eight hours, but
you know, maybe I only need to
1011
00:73:45.380 --> 00:73:50.260
work on stuff like four hours and
the rest is is devoted to like business
1012
00:73:50.340 --> 00:73:55.100
development or researching things. And,
you know, where you're not completely burning
1013
00:73:55.140 --> 00:74:00.090
yourself as out as a creative,
where it's like this this constant churning of
1014
00:74:00.210 --> 00:74:03.930
content and like reinventing, trying to
reinvent the wheel or you know. But
1015
00:74:04.010 --> 00:74:10.479
yeah, it's unmatched to work your
own hours and, you know, also
1016
00:74:11.239 --> 00:74:15.079
choosing, you know, projects,
if you're in a position to where you
1017
00:74:15.119 --> 00:74:19.079
do get some some a consistent work
and you put yourself in a position where
1018
00:74:19.119 --> 00:74:23.119
you can pick and choose what you're
working on. So like, you know,
1019
00:74:23.239 --> 00:74:26.109
all the things that you kind of
cringed about when you get them handed
1020
00:74:26.149 --> 00:74:30.069
down from superiors and other departments.
When working in the house, you can
1021
00:74:30.109 --> 00:74:35.630
have the ability to say no,
like I was asked to do like a
1022
00:74:35.710 --> 00:74:39.939
bunch of recruiting content, like,
you know, like using the actually like
1023
00:74:40.020 --> 00:74:45.460
recruits images and like headed swaps,
and I was just like now I need
1024
00:74:45.539 --> 00:74:46.979
to take a break from that.
You get on that stuff where, like
1025
00:74:47.060 --> 00:74:49.619
if I was at OSD, I
can't, can't just be like Nope,
1026
00:74:49.619 --> 00:74:53.689
I good, and I'm going to
be like yeah, well, I mean
1027
00:74:53.850 --> 00:74:57.170
you're fired. Yeah, he went. We're good too. Yeah, yeah,
1028
00:74:57.210 --> 00:75:00.369
we're good, but not like you
can just be like no, yeah,
1029
00:75:00.890 --> 00:75:03.569
so, yeah, being able to
kind of like work on on what
1030
00:75:03.689 --> 00:75:09.800
you feel like will help you what
you get most excited about. Another thing
1031
00:75:09.840 --> 00:75:15.520
is it's really really expedited creative growth, just working on a variety of projects.
1032
00:75:15.680 --> 00:75:19.359
You know, I would say probably
like ninety percent of my clients and
1033
00:75:19.680 --> 00:75:24.109
types of projects are still sports related. So I still in like I feel
1034
00:75:24.109 --> 00:75:26.949
like I'm still in the sports industry, whether it's you know, I do
1035
00:75:27.109 --> 00:75:29.789
work for Arizon a state, I
did work for Syracuse. I've been working
1036
00:75:29.829 --> 00:75:32.989
at NHL, the MLB, bunch
of different sport on and even like personal
1037
00:75:33.069 --> 00:75:36.500
trainers. No, former professional athlete
who once your own business. Yeah,
1038
00:75:36.539 --> 00:75:43.180
we've reached out to build brand identities
and content clintones around it. That's been
1039
00:75:43.300 --> 00:75:46.619
really exciting because I've gotten so many
different types of projects thrown on my plate
1040
00:75:47.460 --> 00:75:51.250
that I probably wouldn't have at Osue, you know, like like package some
1041
00:75:51.449 --> 00:75:57.369
like package design, which is kind
of my world's colliding, like worlds and
1042
00:75:57.529 --> 00:76:01.729
industried, like threedimensional industrial product design
and then graphic design. So you know,
1043
00:76:01.810 --> 00:76:04.640
that's something I would never really work
on a dosue because there's just really
1044
00:76:04.800 --> 00:76:10.920
was in a task that needed it
or that you were involved with. So
1045
00:76:11.239 --> 00:76:15.680
it's been just that type of a
ray of projects as also been super fulfilling.
1046
00:76:17.199 --> 00:76:19.750
But yeah, work in your own
hours. It is so hard to
1047
00:76:19.829 --> 00:76:25.750
beat that. Like I've gotten reached
out about different opportunities to go back in
1048
00:76:25.829 --> 00:76:30.470
the house at different places, and
I some of them sound really attractive and
1049
00:76:30.510 --> 00:76:32.180
maybe five years ago I would have. It would have been a no brainer,
1050
00:76:32.260 --> 00:76:35.020
but now it's like I don't know
if I could go back into that
1051
00:76:35.220 --> 00:76:40.420
setting and like have someone that I'm
reporting to and, you know, making
1052
00:76:40.460 --> 00:76:45.180
sure that I'm like where I need
to be even if I don't necessarily need
1053
00:76:45.220 --> 00:76:48.409
to be there. It's so hard
to beat I don't know if I could
1054
00:76:48.409 --> 00:76:54.250
ever get back into it. Yeah, I've said that so many times,
1055
00:76:54.369 --> 00:76:58.369
like I don't, don't know that
I could ever go back, and that's
1056
00:76:58.409 --> 00:77:01.439
not taking away from anything. People
ask me no on a consistent basis.
1057
00:77:01.600 --> 00:77:04.800
Yeah, yeah, yeah, absolutely, and people ask me all the time
1058
00:77:05.039 --> 00:77:09.840
like would you go back? Or
what do you miss? Or do you
1059
00:77:09.960 --> 00:77:14.279
miss shooting, you know, and
I say no, I don't really miss
1060
00:77:14.279 --> 00:77:18.069
shooting because I'm still I'm still scratching
my creative bitch on a daily basis and
1061
00:77:18.590 --> 00:77:21.029
but now I can do it I
want to do and learder what I want
1062
00:77:21.069 --> 00:77:26.350
to learn. But I miss the
people, you know, and I miss
1063
00:77:26.470 --> 00:77:30.020
I think we all miss the people
right now, as we're working from home.
1064
00:77:30.140 --> 00:77:33.659
It's one thing to go chill in
a group and, you know,
1065
00:77:33.819 --> 00:77:38.619
have a pot luck in the middle
of the day in the office, you
1066
00:77:38.739 --> 00:77:43.460
know, and there's just nothing that
can compare with that. Or just do,
1067
00:77:43.659 --> 00:77:47.529
you know, shut the door and
have some event with you and and
1068
00:77:47.609 --> 00:77:51.810
then, you know, being around
the the war of the crowd and those
1069
00:77:51.810 --> 00:77:56.090
endorphins that come along with that,
with the you know, and especially with
1070
00:77:56.210 --> 00:77:59.640
you guys, a hundred, tenzero
people every Saturday, you know, and
1071
00:77:59.720 --> 00:78:03.399
it's like nothing compared to that.
But in the same sense, nothing compares
1072
00:78:03.520 --> 00:78:12.159
to having checking literally checking out if
you want to, at five and and
1073
00:78:13.229 --> 00:78:16.310
in not checking back in until Monday
morning. Right. You know, there's
1074
00:78:16.390 --> 00:78:21.630
there's there's there's nothing better than that
feeling, you know, of kind of
1075
00:78:21.750 --> 00:78:27.069
having that and still knowing that you
know, things are taken care of.
1076
00:78:28.340 --> 00:78:30.979
Yeah, and you know you brought
up, you know, the counter to
1077
00:78:30.100 --> 00:78:32.939
this, the tradeoff, you know, the bay want, the big growing
1078
00:78:33.020 --> 00:78:38.180
pains, you outside of like,
you know, making sure that that cash
1079
00:78:38.220 --> 00:78:42.770
flow and finances are in our stable
every month and growing. It's it's,
1080
00:78:43.369 --> 00:78:48.010
you know, yeah, it's the
people. It's the collaboration, it's sitting
1081
00:78:48.010 --> 00:78:50.729
next to someone where you can bounce
ideas off of instantly. And I mean
1082
00:78:51.130 --> 00:78:54.609
you can technically do that working from
home, but it's not the same in
1083
00:78:54.810 --> 00:78:57.840
person. You know. It's not
like you got to call up someone make
1084
00:78:57.840 --> 00:79:03.520
sure they're available. But yeah,
I'm really missed that collaborative environment, the
1085
00:79:03.640 --> 00:79:10.869
brainstorming of content with multiple people versus
just like kind of me trying to kind
1086
00:79:10.869 --> 00:79:13.869
of do a lot on my own
right now. Yeah, and yeah,
1087
00:79:14.069 --> 00:79:18.350
just being around people. And Yeah, I absolutely miss being around the team
1088
00:79:18.350 --> 00:79:24.659
and sharing the you know, the
rewards of successful season. You know,
1089
00:79:24.699 --> 00:79:28.579
I remember watching the big ten championship
on my couch and like gearing up a
1090
00:79:28.619 --> 00:79:31.380
little bit because, like, I
see, you know, all these people
1091
00:79:31.460 --> 00:79:35.659
have relationships with, you know,
hoisting the trophy. I remember just I
1092
00:79:35.659 --> 00:79:39.930
remember being there and being like,
because I did game day photography and that's
1093
00:79:39.930 --> 00:79:42.569
something I don't do that at all
anymore. Is You know, I like
1094
00:79:42.729 --> 00:79:45.489
you. You know you you want
to pick up a new skill, go
1095
00:79:45.649 --> 00:79:47.409
and do it. So I picked
up a camera one time and just started
1096
00:79:47.449 --> 00:79:51.050
doing it. Yeah, and there
is that is an unmatch feeling, as
1097
00:79:51.090 --> 00:79:57.760
well as the excitement of hundred thousand
roaring fans traveling to different stadiums get heckled
1098
00:79:58.039 --> 00:80:02.840
and and, you know, just
just being around the team. And it's
1099
00:80:02.960 --> 00:80:06.989
something that I'll forever cherish and you
definitely take it for granted, because I
1100
00:80:08.189 --> 00:80:13.310
remember going back to a house stadium
after leaving and watching a game as a
1101
00:80:13.470 --> 00:80:17.470
fan and as I definitely missed tailgating. I love tailgating, but you know,
1102
00:80:17.590 --> 00:80:21.659
being in the stands versus on the
field is like, man, it's
1103
00:80:21.699 --> 00:80:51.159
just not the same. So two
more questions. Is We kind of as
1104
00:80:51.239 --> 00:80:55.159
we kind of wrapping up the one
of the question that I asked everybody.
1105
00:80:56.279 --> 00:81:01.319
What's the one thing if you could
go back and to your childhood any point
1106
00:81:01.359 --> 00:81:05.590
and have a chat with the younger
Sammy, what's the one piece of advice
1107
00:81:05.789 --> 00:81:14.949
you would give to him? Oh
Man, great, great question. I
1108
00:81:14.989 --> 00:81:18.899
feel like I need two answers.
One short and quick. Don't stop drawing,
1109
00:81:20.460 --> 00:81:25.579
like don't start. Stop Drawing,
because that is a skill like working
1110
00:81:25.659 --> 00:81:28.859
out to when when you stop,
it takes a while to get back up
1111
00:81:28.859 --> 00:81:35.850
to speed and it can be quite
frustrating. If that's any one. I
1112
00:81:35.930 --> 00:81:44.569
would also tell myself to be patient, because you can get into a very
1113
00:81:44.850 --> 00:81:50.920
toxic comparative mindset where you see your
peers, people who might be of the
1114
00:81:50.960 --> 00:81:57.039
same age, or maybe you feel
like you you do you know, maybe
1115
00:81:57.079 --> 00:82:01.069
you do feel you better work than
someone who is above you. And just
1116
00:82:01.229 --> 00:82:04.590
be patient, because things do have
a way of working like good work and
1117
00:82:04.670 --> 00:82:12.310
good people will outshine anything and they
will end up being discovered. And that's
1118
00:82:12.350 --> 00:82:15.500
not to say don't take initiative,
because that's another thing. Take Initiative.
1119
00:82:16.420 --> 00:82:20.060
It takes a lot of courage to
do that. But take the initiative to
1120
00:82:20.140 --> 00:82:25.100
do things. Don't wait around being
told, you know. Yeah, you
1121
00:82:25.300 --> 00:82:30.250
just just do it, as Mike
you would say. So, yeah,
1122
00:82:30.609 --> 00:82:36.770
it's it's be patient, but also
take initiative and just don't wait around because,
1123
00:82:39.289 --> 00:82:43.689
like you said it, there's something
be said about when you see someone
1124
00:82:45.359 --> 00:82:48.720
not waiting around and bringing the ideas
to you, because you see the drive
1125
00:82:48.840 --> 00:82:55.760
in the passion and the motivation behind
it, and that kind of confidence and
1126
00:82:56.560 --> 00:82:59.670
even courage could be contagious to wear. Like yeah, I'm pitching her Myre,
1127
00:82:59.789 --> 00:83:01.109
like he's fired up. He's fired
up that, I'm fired up.
1128
00:83:01.229 --> 00:83:03.750
Yeah, you know, Yep,
that like, yeah, I mean,
1129
00:83:03.789 --> 00:83:06.029
I know I might not get this, but like, I'm going to try
1130
00:83:06.630 --> 00:83:11.189
and like his whole thing is like
going down swinging. Yeah, you got
1131
00:83:11.350 --> 00:83:15.100
to, you got to. Well, you you brought it up one last
1132
00:83:15.140 --> 00:83:17.300
time here. What's so? I
got to ask, what's the favorite,
1133
00:83:18.619 --> 00:83:24.739
your biggest find in the shoe game, on on on, on stock acts
1134
00:83:25.060 --> 00:83:29.890
or wherever you've got. What's the
one that you just will never ever get
1135
00:83:29.930 --> 00:83:35.649
rid of? Man, I can't
believe you just ask me. Well,
1136
00:83:35.810 --> 00:83:40.970
there's a few. So because this
is that's a very loaded question, it
1137
00:83:41.170 --> 00:83:46.840
is. So let me dial it
back. So the most special pair I
1138
00:83:46.920 --> 00:83:56.550
have are these all white collaboration between
Nike and the fasting company, off white.
1139
00:83:58.270 --> 00:84:02.869
So they're the awfulhite vapor maxes,
and I didn't necessarily get my hands
1140
00:84:02.949 --> 00:84:13.180
on them unfortunate circumstances happened where my
wife's brother passed away unexpectedly last year.
1141
00:84:15.180 --> 00:84:18.699
So this is no, is by
no means glorifying this. This shoe is
1142
00:84:19.140 --> 00:84:24.729
my own, but rather a piece
it. This these this pair of shoes,
1143
00:84:24.770 --> 00:84:28.449
where were his, along with a
lot of other because he was a
1144
00:84:28.449 --> 00:84:31.890
big sneakerhead as well. Yeah,
a lot of others were bestowed to me,
1145
00:84:33.250 --> 00:84:38.569
which I cherished, because it's an
honor to to even have them,
1146
00:84:40.039 --> 00:84:42.960
and so I all the was ones
near and deer to my heart, because
1147
00:84:43.239 --> 00:84:49.760
it's a constant reminder of him,
of Michael. And outside of that,
1148
00:84:49.920 --> 00:84:55.029
in terms of the ones that I
actually do own, I got super lucky
1149
00:84:55.109 --> 00:85:00.710
one day. So, like at
Osu, because actually there's another. Another
1150
00:85:00.750 --> 00:85:03.670
good unsolicited advice is make your goals
known in the work office. Yes,
1151
00:85:03.789 --> 00:85:08.739
in the workplace, because you know
people aren't going to know. And why
1152
00:85:08.779 --> 00:85:11.619
I say that, as like when
I first got those issue, I told
1153
00:85:11.739 --> 00:85:15.819
everyone I wanted to work for Nike
and I was obsessed with Nike, and
1154
00:85:15.859 --> 00:85:18.420
I'd come in with different pairs of
sues every day and I would get shoes
1155
00:85:18.659 --> 00:85:21.890
sent to me at the facility of
like I mean when I was working there
1156
00:85:23.170 --> 00:85:25.930
for fifteen hours a day, like
it made sense for them to get sent
1157
00:85:26.050 --> 00:85:30.130
to the facility versus my house.
So I would get like a pair of
1158
00:85:30.250 --> 00:85:32.890
week or maybe a couple pairs of
a week. Not Not saying they're all
1159
00:85:32.930 --> 00:85:39.840
super expensive or anything. Yeah,
but you know, the Eq you guys
1160
00:85:40.640 --> 00:85:43.359
would mess with me because I would
get so many shoe packages to wear.
1161
00:85:43.439 --> 00:85:46.479
Like there is one time where they
open them up and they put a different
1162
00:85:46.520 --> 00:85:51.069
pair of shoes in the box and
it was like like some some like Nike
1163
00:85:51.229 --> 00:85:55.430
monarchs, you know, like the
typical voute yeah, which is actually the
1164
00:85:55.470 --> 00:86:01.109
best selling Nikey shoe, it is, and they they like give me the
1165
00:86:01.189 --> 00:86:04.859
box and I open it and he's
just like standing there. I was like
1166
00:86:05.699 --> 00:86:10.979
what the like, these are what
I learned. He's died, he's laughing
1167
00:86:11.060 --> 00:86:14.340
and he's holding the shoes behind his
back. So it's like, you know,
1168
00:86:14.939 --> 00:86:17.100
everyone knew that I want to work
for Nike, even like we had
1169
00:86:17.180 --> 00:86:23.970
this guy talk about stocks and like
investing in stocks and saying, like you
1170
00:86:24.010 --> 00:86:27.890
should buy stock and companies that you, you know, interact with and now
1171
00:86:27.930 --> 00:86:30.090
you buy from because it makes sense. When you buy from there, you're
1172
00:86:30.770 --> 00:86:34.159
making yourself some money. And everyone
after was like, so, do you
1173
00:86:34.239 --> 00:86:38.359
have like a bajillion stocks? And
Nike is like, or are you going
1174
00:86:38.439 --> 00:86:43.279
to go do that? Now?
I'm just like yes, and which I
1175
00:86:43.359 --> 00:86:48.390
do have two stocks and I see
or two shares. But the most and
1176
00:86:48.710 --> 00:86:53.270
the most important thing that happened out
if they're sharing my, you know,
1177
00:86:53.350 --> 00:86:56.189
wanting to work for Nike, was
I had a conversation with urban about it
1178
00:86:56.909 --> 00:87:00.750
and, you know, when he
first met me, he noticed the the
1179
00:87:00.109 --> 00:87:04.260
work I was doing and he knew
the impact, or saw the impact,
1180
00:87:04.300 --> 00:87:08.899
and so he sat me I was
like where do you like what's your what's
1181
00:87:08.939 --> 00:87:11.060
your planning here, like where do
you want to be five, ten years
1182
00:87:11.100 --> 00:87:14.180
from now, like what what are
your goals? When I said, coach,
1183
00:87:14.220 --> 00:87:15.529
I want to work for Nike.
I don't know when, but I
1184
00:87:15.609 --> 00:87:17.250
do. I don't even know what
I want to do there, but I
1185
00:87:17.289 --> 00:87:21.529
would just want to work there because
I love Nike, and he was like,
1186
00:87:23.090 --> 00:87:27.529
no shit. Well, you know, my boy is still night.
1187
00:87:28.250 --> 00:87:33.119
I was like no shit. Says
like yeah, if you ever want to
1188
00:87:33.199 --> 00:87:36.840
make that move, just let me
know. Wow, and I never cast
1189
00:87:36.880 --> 00:87:41.319
him on that favorite or you know, but and who knows all what could
1190
00:87:41.359 --> 00:87:44.430
have happened from that, but it
was just him. It was interesting from
1191
00:87:44.550 --> 00:87:46.670
this to hear that and it goes
to show like maker goal is known,
1192
00:87:46.670 --> 00:87:51.069
because you don't know who could open
doors to make those goals possible. Absolutely
1193
00:87:51.550 --> 00:87:57.270
anyways, going off of that tangent. Second you know, overall my favorite
1194
00:87:57.310 --> 00:88:02.300
pair ever is the ore, the
original Jordan one, oh Gee's, yeah,
1195
00:88:02.460 --> 00:88:04.979
and made cuts, because those are
whack, the Og Cart, the
1196
00:88:04.979 --> 00:88:10.300
high tops, the original bread color
way, the black and red. Yes,
1197
00:88:10.380 --> 00:88:13.689
quote unquote, the band shoes,
even though that's kind of a myth.
1198
00:88:13.689 --> 00:88:17.770
They weren't the band shoes. The
Nike Air ships were the ones that
1199
00:88:17.890 --> 00:88:20.890
were, and I don't know if
there's there's a whole documentary on that.
1200
00:88:21.329 --> 00:88:24.289
Oh, yeah, I'm not if
you ever heard of that. Yeah,
1201
00:88:24.329 --> 00:88:29.479
but there's old documentary on like where
they actually banned and right it's still it
1202
00:88:29.600 --> 00:88:33.359
is pretty unknown well, but the
only time I looked out on stock x.
1203
00:88:33.439 --> 00:88:38.520
So I've lost every type of dry
every big release, except one time.
1204
00:88:38.520 --> 00:88:42.430
I was at I was working at
o shoe and the off White Air
1205
00:88:42.510 --> 00:88:47.869
Jordan ones were they launched and they
were the the Carolina blue pair. Oh
1206
00:88:47.949 --> 00:88:54.789
well, and highly saw after shoe, you know, reselling for thousands and
1207
00:88:55.310 --> 00:89:00.340
I pulled the trigger on them.
I was inline and got through payment and
1208
00:89:00.539 --> 00:89:02.619
then it said like sorry, like
an air happened. Well, the last
1209
00:89:02.739 --> 00:89:05.819
I was like destroyed that day because
it looked like I was getting them because
1210
00:89:05.819 --> 00:89:10.449
I went through paying it like it
was. It seemed like I was getting
1211
00:89:10.449 --> 00:89:15.090
them. And then the next day
I get a message from sneakers saying like
1212
00:89:15.250 --> 00:89:19.810
there was a glitch that happened with
some users going through the payment process.
1213
00:89:20.609 --> 00:89:27.680
Here's access to the Air Jordan off
white collaboration and they were just there and
1214
00:89:27.800 --> 00:89:30.479
I got him. Wow, and
so I have them. They're actually right
1215
00:89:30.520 --> 00:89:34.159
behind me right now and that's awesome. Yeah, they're special just because,
1216
00:89:34.560 --> 00:89:36.600
you know, I don't really wear
them all that often because they're kind of
1217
00:89:36.600 --> 00:89:40.310
allowed shoe and as you grow it
or it's harder to wear stuff like that.
1218
00:89:40.470 --> 00:89:43.630
But yeah, you know, it
was. It's just that victory on
1219
00:89:43.710 --> 00:89:46.750
sneakers. You know that that W
and, not the many elves that I
1220
00:89:46.829 --> 00:89:49.590
have taken. That's great. I
love it. I love it. I
1221
00:89:49.710 --> 00:89:55.779
got you got them, he got
them. That's awesome. I you know,
1222
00:89:55.899 --> 00:89:59.579
I I, I was a like
I was born in seventy seven,
1223
00:89:59.659 --> 00:90:02.260
so giving away my age here,
but in eighty nine. I remember,
1224
00:90:02.579 --> 00:90:10.090
you know, the realizing what Jordan's
were and I just, you know,
1225
00:90:10.170 --> 00:90:16.010
I just begged my parents to get
me a pair and that was the gosh.
1226
00:90:16.250 --> 00:90:19.729
That was, you know, the
Retro Three Right. Well, now
1227
00:90:19.770 --> 00:90:24.920
they call him retro right, but
the three and fours and cement and that
1228
00:90:25.119 --> 00:90:28.119
was it for me. You know
that, along with, as I got
1229
00:90:28.119 --> 00:90:31.760
a little older, the Andre Agassiz
where huge. I was just a huge,
1230
00:90:32.279 --> 00:90:36.510
big tennis player. So yeah,
being able to buy those again as
1231
00:90:36.550 --> 00:90:40.789
an adult and I have them,
you know, sitting in my in my
1232
00:90:40.869 --> 00:90:43.989
closet, not getting worn because we
don't get to go out and show our
1233
00:90:44.029 --> 00:90:47.989
shoes off at but they're there.
So yeah, it's amazing how much it
1234
00:90:48.750 --> 00:90:53.020
it brings you back to a lot
of the memories of the past and how
1235
00:90:53.020 --> 00:90:56.699
they're coming around. So that's awesome. We'll see any. Thank you so
1236
00:90:56.739 --> 00:91:00.380
much for hopping on today. It's
been truly a pleasure to talk to you
1237
00:91:00.539 --> 00:91:08.930
and hear your story and and I
know everybody's going to appreciate the advice that
1238
00:91:09.050 --> 00:91:13.449
you've given them and and hopefully can
be inspired if they're struggling or if they're
1239
00:91:13.489 --> 00:91:16.569
doing great and you want to keep
doing great and where they're at, or
1240
00:91:16.569 --> 00:91:20.800
if they're thinking about potentially making another
move or having been furloughed and needing to
1241
00:91:20.920 --> 00:91:25.279
do something else. So thank you, my friend. It's been awesome.
1242
00:91:26.399 --> 00:91:29.920
Thank you, John. I really
appreciate you having me on. It's been
1243
00:91:29.920 --> 00:91:31.319
a long time coming. I'm yeah, like I said, you inspired me
1244
00:91:31.359 --> 00:91:35.750
to get back into drawing something.
That's awesome. I Am really appreciative that
1245
00:91:36.109 --> 00:91:42.270
you considered. You even considered having
me on. Happy to share some some
1246
00:91:42.430 --> 00:91:46.539
experiences, some insight and for anyone
who is listening, my door is always
1247
00:91:46.579 --> 00:91:50.579
open. I'm happy to talk through
anything I have experienced, both working in
1248
00:91:50.659 --> 00:91:58.380
house and also now being fully independent, so I can answer what I know
1249
00:91:58.500 --> 00:92:01.609
about and you know, if anyone
is going through some challenging times, happy
1250
00:92:01.649 --> 00:92:08.569
to talk through with anything. Absolutely
love it all right. Thank my friend.
1251
00:92:09.449 --> 00:92:29.359
Thank you, Hey, thanks for
sticking around till the end here.
1252
00:92:29.880 --> 00:92:32.069
You know, it's funny how sometimes
you can come together with someone over something
1253
00:92:32.149 --> 00:92:38.710
as Super Niche as pokemon cards.
Sammy and I spent the next few days
1254
00:92:38.750 --> 00:92:42.989
after recording the podcast going back and
forth and twitter DM's showing off some of
1255
00:92:43.029 --> 00:92:46.300
the coolest bookkemon cards that he had
in the look on my son's face when
1256
00:92:46.300 --> 00:92:51.380
he saw them absolutely made my day. Truly never know what certain people are
1257
00:92:51.420 --> 00:92:56.979
into and how you can make a
super unique connection between each other. If
1258
00:92:57.060 --> 00:92:59.890
you've enjoyed this podcast and want to
leave a review and could do me a
1259
00:92:59.930 --> 00:93:03.770
huge favor, I would really appreciate
that. Just leave a review on apple
1260
00:93:03.810 --> 00:93:09.090
or spotify and that would be super
awesome. And, as always, if
1261
00:93:09.130 --> 00:93:12.529
you want to hit me up on
twitter, it's at creative af or at
1262
00:93:12.960 --> 00:93:16.920
John Willie. That's Jo n W
illey. You can also find me on
1263
00:93:17.039 --> 00:93:23.520
instagram at Willie art or at J
Willie Photo. I really appreciate you all
1264
00:93:23.600 --> 00:93:25.720
and please, please, take care
of yourself.
1
00:00:03.080 --> 00:00:07.469
Everybody. Johnny here. Before we
dive into this podcast, I just wanted
2
00:00:07.509 --> 00:00:10.869
to let you know that it's being
developed as a side project for my main
3
00:00:10.990 --> 00:00:15.470
work, which is now heading up
content strategy for an early stage media startup
4
00:00:15.509 --> 00:00:20.190
called better, spelled, betr.
We're a digital media company that creates and
5
00:00:20.309 --> 00:00:25.019
curates uplifting stories to help people move
forward in life with hope, confidence and
6
00:00:25.140 --> 00:00:30.859
acceptance. We offer written, video
and audio content spending categories such as wellness,
7
00:00:31.260 --> 00:00:34.340
mental health, humanity and more.
Is really something for everyone at better,
8
00:00:34.500 --> 00:00:37.850
whether you need to pick me up
content, personal stories about overcoming life
9
00:00:37.969 --> 00:00:41.810
and mental health challenges, story that
gives you the push to start that business
10
00:00:41.850 --> 00:00:45.450
you've always dreamed of, or just
inspiration on bettering yourself as a human.
11
00:00:46.490 --> 00:00:50.960
To simplify its content that makes you
feel better and dream of a more positive
12
00:00:50.960 --> 00:00:55.159
world around you. So check out
better and find your new favorite video series,
13
00:00:55.240 --> 00:01:00.880
podcast or written column. Just go
to live bettercom l I ve betrcom
14
00:01:00.399 --> 00:01:04.989
or, if you like watching videos
on Youtube, subscribe to better on youtubecom
15
00:01:06.030 --> 00:01:10.549
slash betr media and, lastly,
make sure you follow us on instagram and
16
00:01:10.629 --> 00:01:15.109
twitter at Betr for some daily inspiration, nats and feel good content your social
17
00:01:15.150 --> 00:01:19.260
media feeds, because who doesn't need
that right now? All right, now,
18
00:01:19.420 --> 00:01:32.500
here's the show. Working those hours
wasn't miserable in terms of the people
19
00:01:32.540 --> 00:01:34.370
that you work with. It was
always fun and exciting to be around those
20
00:01:34.450 --> 00:01:38.769
people. But, yeah, those
hours, they run it till after,
21
00:01:38.810 --> 00:01:42.170
you know, year two and three. It's it's like, man, I
22
00:01:42.489 --> 00:01:46.329
can't plan anything, like during the
season. That's seven days a week,
23
00:01:46.370 --> 00:01:49.560
hundred hours a week, which you
know, you I just I cannot be
24
00:01:49.680 --> 00:01:53.400
one to glorify that grind. You
know, I've seen people say like you
25
00:01:53.519 --> 00:01:57.959
know it, it doesn't matter.
Yeah, I want to put in this.
26
00:01:57.159 --> 00:02:00.879
It doesn't feel like work when it's
you know, what you love and
27
00:02:00.959 --> 00:02:02.189
what you do and it's for your
favorite team. I'm like, man,
28
00:02:02.230 --> 00:02:06.829
I'm a die hard Oh is you
fan and and I'm working in this dream
29
00:02:06.870 --> 00:02:12.069
job, this real moment. But
like, those hours just suck for anyone.
30
00:02:13.150 --> 00:02:15.740
was just burning, burning me out. I'd be lying if it like,
31
00:02:16.139 --> 00:02:20.539
if it doesn't hurt relationships. It's
hard to not hurt relationships because,
32
00:02:20.740 --> 00:02:23.819
like my now wife, but my
girlfriend at the time, you know,
33
00:02:23.900 --> 00:02:28.139
I would wake up, I'd see
her for about ten minutes in the morning
34
00:02:28.180 --> 00:02:31.689
because she was a teacher or she
has a teacher and that'd be it.
35
00:02:31.770 --> 00:02:35.090
I'd see her for ten minutes morning. I come on a tempt him and
36
00:02:35.129 --> 00:02:38.889
she'd be sleeping and then, like
I'd be away. On the weekends I
37
00:02:38.889 --> 00:02:43.490
would traveling with the team, which
is again an I think that's super exciting
38
00:02:43.530 --> 00:02:46.919
at first, but even traveling takes
whole yeah, it's very quick. I
39
00:02:46.960 --> 00:02:51.759
mean you're on a plane on Friday, you're going there. There's, you
40
00:02:51.840 --> 00:02:53.879
know, a routine for Friday,
then there's a routine for Saturday and then
41
00:02:53.919 --> 00:02:58.000
right after the game ends, and
most of the time our games ended at
42
00:02:58.039 --> 00:03:00.909
night, we're flying back to Columbus. It's three am and then we got
43
00:03:00.949 --> 00:03:04.150
to be in the opposite tenny on
the following day and it's like, man,
44
00:03:04.590 --> 00:03:22.659
like, can I get up breath? Sammy Silverman is a name that
45
00:03:22.780 --> 00:03:27.610
should be super familiar to most people
listening, but what you may not know
46
00:03:27.889 --> 00:03:31.449
is his story around his anxiety and
caused him to leave one of the most
47
00:03:31.689 --> 00:03:38.689
sought after jobs in the sports creative
world. As you'll soon see, Sammy
48
00:03:38.849 --> 00:03:44.960
is extremely well spoken insanely smart.
Those traits took him from a full time
49
00:03:45.080 --> 00:03:50.000
intern to one of the top creatives
at the Ohio State University, a program
50
00:03:50.159 --> 00:03:53.039
that, in the early wave of
social media, really took off and became
51
00:03:53.120 --> 00:03:58.629
one of the pre eminent programs in
the country, leveraging not only a high
52
00:03:58.629 --> 00:04:03.310
energy coaching staff and leader in Urban
Meyer, but also some truly unique personal
53
00:04:03.469 --> 00:04:10.979
branding for the student athletes and recruits. But with that dedication seems to always
54
00:04:11.060 --> 00:04:15.060
come a level of work that no
one would wish upon anyone else. Sammy
55
00:04:15.220 --> 00:04:19.379
was deep in the grind and,
as you'll hear, it really changed who
56
00:04:19.420 --> 00:04:24.649
he was as human being. Speaking
of that, I want to start this
57
00:04:24.769 --> 00:04:30.050
podcast a little differently in straight up
asked Sammy how he was really doing during
58
00:04:30.129 --> 00:04:36.970
this crazy time in our history.
These are not easy times that we're living
59
00:04:36.970 --> 00:04:41.319
in right now, and and so
first and foremost, I just want to
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00:04:41.319 --> 00:04:44.959
ask like, how are you?
How is everything going with you, as
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00:04:45.040 --> 00:04:48.079
in the midst of all this kind
of chaos? Yeah, well, I
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00:04:48.199 --> 00:04:53.949
appreciate you asking me. You know, things are good here. You know,
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00:04:54.350 --> 00:04:58.509
two thousand and twenty was definitely a
challenging time for I mean myself,
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00:04:58.670 --> 00:05:01.509
my wife, family, a lot
of people, I mean the world.
65
00:05:01.550 --> 00:05:09.819
I was really I ended up kind
of lucking out from a work standpoint because,
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00:05:11.139 --> 00:05:15.060
you know, as I announced going
full time independent as a freelancer,
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00:05:16.420 --> 00:05:19.980
that was last year. So I
went through a lot of the growing pains
68
00:05:20.220 --> 00:05:26.290
of working from home and, you
know, all the the upston downs and
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00:05:26.449 --> 00:05:30.889
the pros and cons of it and
realizing things that I've missed that, you
70
00:05:30.970 --> 00:05:35.079
know, I wasn't going to get
back really working independent at home by myself.
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So I went through a lot of
those growing pains. Whereas you know,
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00:05:41.120 --> 00:05:45.079
when this struck, when quick when
covid struck, and everyone was kind
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of forced to work from home,
you know I was ready doing it,
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00:05:48.360 --> 00:05:53.709
so I already kind of had those
all those trials under my belt and a
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00:05:53.829 --> 00:05:58.310
lot of the questions that I was
asking others when I first started. You
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00:05:58.389 --> 00:06:00.350
know, I'd colleagues asking me,
I had friends and family asking me of
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00:06:00.470 --> 00:06:04.980
like ways they can stay productive at
home. How do they separate work and
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00:06:05.899 --> 00:06:14.420
life when the two are now merged
in the kind of simultaneous and it's challenging
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because, you know, I'm also
lucky to wear my wife and I we
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00:06:17.540 --> 00:06:23.089
got a house here in Columbus and
a big reason was to have an extra
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00:06:23.089 --> 00:06:26.889
room so I can have a Home
Office so in a way, you know,
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00:06:26.970 --> 00:06:30.649
I mean my Home Office is right
next to the bedroom, so it's
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00:06:30.449 --> 00:06:33.920
it can be challenging at times knowing
my bed's right you know, it's sharing
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00:06:34.040 --> 00:06:38.720
this wall and I can just go
lay down in it whenever I want.
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00:06:39.920 --> 00:06:44.600
But you know, it makes a
lot easier to have your own designated space,
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00:06:44.639 --> 00:06:47.550
especially an entire room as your office, versus, you know, setting
87
00:06:47.550 --> 00:06:51.350
up a table in the kitchen or
in the living room, as I was
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00:06:53.149 --> 00:06:58.110
talking to some colleagues who resorted to
that. So for the most part,
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00:06:58.110 --> 00:07:02.339
I mean I've been really good and
blessed. You know, work took a
90
00:07:02.420 --> 00:07:08.500
little bit of a hit during all
of this, but luckily I wasn't necessarily
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00:07:08.579 --> 00:07:12.899
in the spaces of live events.
You know, I did do projects for
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00:07:13.019 --> 00:07:15.970
live events, but that wasn't necessarily
a lot of what I was doing.
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00:07:16.329 --> 00:07:20.970
I was working with a lot of
individuals on, you know, building up
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00:07:21.050 --> 00:07:28.089
brands from there, you know,
from like the grassroots, on their end,
95
00:07:28.610 --> 00:07:33.720
where they need they continuously need work, whether it's building out a brand
96
00:07:33.759 --> 00:07:36.279
identity system, building out a logo. So you know, a lot of
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00:07:36.319 --> 00:07:41.399
my clients they still needed to work
regardless of codd was going on or not.
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00:07:41.639 --> 00:07:44.430
Right. And then, you know, the best thing that happened in
99
00:07:44.470 --> 00:07:47.790
two thousand and twenty was I got
married. I got married in in July
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00:07:47.990 --> 00:07:51.750
during all of this will and you
know that. Yeah, and that was
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00:07:51.870 --> 00:07:56.709
even you know, that was a
hard it was. It was hard to,
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00:07:56.949 --> 00:08:00.500
you know, not to make the
decision that, you know, as
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00:08:00.540 --> 00:08:05.100
much as we want our loved ones
there and you know, our our family,
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00:08:05.180 --> 00:08:07.540
our grandparents, parents, siblings,
it was tough because, you know,
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00:08:07.579 --> 00:08:11.889
our grandparents would have been able to
make it to a to a gathering.
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00:08:13.529 --> 00:08:18.009
So it was a tough decision to
we ended up going to Portland,
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00:08:18.089 --> 00:08:22.290
Maine, where we got engaged and
in the same spot we had a little
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00:08:22.329 --> 00:08:30.480
ceremony just the two of US and
another couple that was coincidentally, in man
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00:08:30.680 --> 00:08:37.759
same time. We plan to have
one of them get ordained and ended up
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00:08:37.759 --> 00:08:39.639
marrying us, which was it was
on it. It was beautiful. It
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00:08:39.720 --> 00:08:43.710
was a perfect, you know,
perfect ceremony was short, quick and we
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00:08:43.750 --> 00:08:48.750
spent some time taking photos and it
was great. It was and it was
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00:08:48.110 --> 00:08:52.590
a really awesome experience. We got
to face on my parents and her parent
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00:08:52.710 --> 00:09:00.259
and her mom Um as they watched
the ceremony and thoughts exchange vows and rings.
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00:09:00.340 --> 00:09:03.259
So we got to include them from
afar, as you know, and
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00:09:03.460 --> 00:09:07.379
you know we're hoping to celebrate with
them. I don't at a safer time,
117
00:09:07.460 --> 00:09:11.129
especially with everyone else who who didn't
get to witness it and attended.
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00:09:11.330 --> 00:09:16.049
But but yeah, Long Story Short, two thousand and twenty it's it's has
119
00:09:16.090 --> 00:09:20.169
it's ups and downs, but you
know, we're all still we're all still
120
00:09:20.210 --> 00:09:26.840
going good. That's fantastic. We
congratulations newly wed. Thank you. Awesome.
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00:09:26.919 --> 00:09:30.679
Life takes on a whole new meaning
now you know when you're when you're
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00:09:30.720 --> 00:09:35.960
living with and really for someone else
too. So it's awesome. You've got
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00:09:35.039 --> 00:10:01.179
some fun times ahead, that's for
sure. I want to dive back a
124
00:10:01.259 --> 00:10:07.769
little bit into really who Sammy is
and how Sammy, you know, kind
125
00:10:07.769 --> 00:10:13.529
of grow and started in his this
this career of creative take us back to
126
00:10:13.809 --> 00:10:16.009
your childhood. You grew up in
Columbus, is that right? Or near
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00:10:16.090 --> 00:10:20.889
Columbus? Kind of near Columbus.
I grew up in Youngstown, Ohio.
128
00:10:20.799 --> 00:10:24.080
So it's just a little northeast of
here, about two and a half,
129
00:10:24.159 --> 00:10:28.639
three hours. So I grew up. You know, I grew up a
130
00:10:28.679 --> 00:10:33.960
diehard Buckeye Fan. I was always
into sports growing up. Played a lot
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00:10:33.039 --> 00:10:39.590
of basketball, didn't really didn't play
any football actually outside of like backyard football.
132
00:10:39.590 --> 00:10:41.710
But for some reason, you know, that's where of like, that's
133
00:10:41.750 --> 00:10:46.990
where I kind of gravitate towards,
towards my favorite sport to work on,
134
00:10:48.070 --> 00:10:52.899
even though I've never actually played a
legitimate down of football. But not it's
135
00:10:52.899 --> 00:10:56.740
always grew up in eleven sports and
I also drew a lot. Okay,
136
00:10:56.820 --> 00:11:03.179
so I came from a fine arts
background to where I was drawing a time
137
00:11:03.220 --> 00:11:07.289
as a kid, always drawings this
little comics or I would do, you
138
00:11:07.370 --> 00:11:11.250
know, draw sports figures, Michael
Jordan, Kim Garnett, a drop pokemon
139
00:11:11.570 --> 00:11:16.129
to I was in the POKEMON.
I was into trading cards. So,
140
00:11:16.850 --> 00:11:20.480
you know, I actually went back
to my to my parents house back home
141
00:11:20.799 --> 00:11:24.600
in slipe up all my old trading
cards. So, wow, look at
142
00:11:24.600 --> 00:11:28.039
them with with now a thirty year
old I versus a twelve year old I.
143
00:11:28.360 --> 00:11:33.629
Yep. And there's something about trading
cars, whether it's Pokemon or sports,
144
00:11:33.830 --> 00:11:37.950
and there is. It's the nostalgia, the beauty, like thinking they
145
00:11:37.990 --> 00:11:39.710
have memories and like when you got
them, where you got them. Oh
146
00:11:39.750 --> 00:11:43.029
yeah, it's interesting and they're like
they're little pieces of art. I really
147
00:11:43.070 --> 00:11:48.419
are. Yeah. So, you
know, having this fine art background,
148
00:11:48.419 --> 00:11:50.139
I thought, you know, what
would my major be in college? As
149
00:11:50.220 --> 00:11:54.220
like I'm exploring high school, I'm
taking all these our classes in high school.
150
00:11:54.259 --> 00:11:58.820
Okay, we didn't have anything really
related to like design in a sense
151
00:11:58.659 --> 00:12:03.450
in terms of like trying to like
solve a problem through like a creative process
152
00:12:03.490 --> 00:12:07.210
or even exploring, you know,
design related tools like the adobe program.
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Sure, so it didn't really like
no photoshop or anything like that. So
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stuck the drawing and I was also
really in the sneakers. So if you
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know me, you know I'm a
huge sneakerhead. I have about like eighty
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sneakers around me as we speak.
Wow, huge in the Jordans. And
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that's what I felt like I wanted
to do. It was either that or
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design cars, because I was also
really into the fast and furious nude the
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okay, and I loved how the
cars looked. So I didn't want to
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be an engineer in terms of how
they function but rather the signing, like
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the body kits and the the frame
and the chassis to see how it looks.
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But, you know, ultimately wanted
to design sneakers when I really thought
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about it. That's great. So
you've thought fastward to how state, and
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I chose a how state? Well, I guess I'll have state chose me.
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Oh yeah, through the application process. Yeah, yeah, got accepted.
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So, but I you know,
I only applied to three schools because
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to pursue footwear design it looked like
it fell along the path of being an
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industrial designer. Yeah, and not
many schools offered an industrial design major.
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So the three schools that I applied
to did, and that was how state.
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Cincinnati has a very good design program
okay, called Dapdaa pe okay,
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and also Arizona State, Nice mainly
does lad family out there. Yeah,
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so wasn't really like I wasn't really
looking outside of Ohio just because it's like
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out of state, tuition kind of
gets crazy and yeah, money wasn't like
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just growing on trees. So went
to the state. Their design program takes
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that you have to take this entrance
exam, so you don't automatically get into
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the program you have to take this
entrance exam. That's both written tasks and
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also drawing tasks and processes. Like
I remember one of my tasks was like
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draw how to build an Igloo without
using any words. And I actually took
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this test in high school because I
thought that I needed to do that in
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terms of getting into the design program
as a freshman, which actually wasn't the
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right way to go about things.
So I took it initially and I got
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rejected from the design school. So
they didn't they didn't accept my application and
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then I left learned you can only
take this test two times in your life.
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So I was like wow, so
I got one more shot to do
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it. So taking some freshman you
know, introded that to design classes,
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like I'm not a draw like the
process of building a Niggla without using words,
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because I just I've never really been
exposed to that. Sure and,
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you know, taking some design course
of Osue, you know, got my
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bearings. I'm really understood what what
it is that you know, these people
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were doing, these applications were looking
for and, long story short, got
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accepted and it's super competitive. I
think I was told there's like seventy applicants
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and only like fifteen, fifteen to
like twenty, gets selected. Wow,
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that's great. Yeah, so it
was like a lot of pressure but you
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know, ultimately got in and,
you know, as I was exploring industrial
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design, I didn't know if that
was really what I wanted to do because,
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going throughout the years and being in
the studio classes, you know it's
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really handson in terms of you're not
necessarily, you know, behind the computer
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all as much as you're out in
the world, observing, interviewing people,
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trying to figure out what problems consumer
has and how, as I had,
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how am I as a designer,
how can I help? Yeah, try
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and like solve these problems through a
creative process. And, you know,
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in terms of industrial design, because
you know, in any facet of design,
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that's what you're doing. You're going
out and talk with people, that's
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how you're learning about things. It's
actually figure out the best way. But
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for for industry design, it's about
products and product systems. So you're just
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you're building things, you're prototyping,
you're in the wood shop, you're standing
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down from we're trying to make things
working or at least showing proof concept.
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So it was really you're a maker, like I mean you're you're a maker
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in terms of the physical aspect,
yeah, which I really enjoyed. Sure,
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right, I don't know, maybe
it was the projects that I had
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an issue just kind of made me
fall out of love with industrial design,
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because I don't really do anything with
like sneakers or she got it. I
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did something with sports related where I
took a stab at designing a women's Lacrosse
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helmet because there was a problem where
there was a spike in concussions because of
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just there's a whole bunch of reasons. Sure, you know, uneducated coaches
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on educated techniques and proper usage of
equipment and there wasn't a mandate to wear
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headwere so right. It was trying
to design some type of helmet that they
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would actually want to wear. That
was the challenge. And Yeah, as
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but what I realized is, as
I was exploring industrial design and making these
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these imaginary products and putting them on
posters to describe the the system in the
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process and showing the hero of the
hero shot of the final rendered product,
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which, you know, always turned
out really cool, and I was I
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was using like solid works, okay, as a d CAD program Yep.
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So that's really the main program I
was using, and then we would use
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like photoshop and stuff just to,
you know, put up put the product
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on a poster to communicate what it
is. But but we are also tasked
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with branding the product, like giving
it a name and, you know,
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taking a stab at a logo what
it could look like in the market.
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And that's what I felt like I
love doing most. I loved figuring out
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the name of the product that I
was designing and coming up with a logo
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that fit and coming up with color
schemes and and even doing the post relay,
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like I love doing that. So
I always felt like deep down I
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actually was, I should be in
graphic design more so than industrial design.
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But you know, there's a lot
of industrial design that I still use now
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in terms of you know, with
industrial design you're thinking about perspective and light
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source, because that's how you're communicating
the the forms of these products, the
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contours, the convicts, you know, all concave, all the all the
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different you know, yeah, you
know, three dimensional mapping of these products.
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How do you communicate that even through
sketching? So it's like making sure
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light sources are correct, making sure
shadows or properly placed, you know,
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when you're doing them artificially, and
that that's kind of where it led me
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to wow state, because I didn't
really have a great standout industrial design portfolio.
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I applied to internships, I didn't
get a single one. Throughout all
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college I didn't have any type of
industrial design experience outside of what I was
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doing in school. And then I
was doing some like graphic design work on
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the side with some friends where we
were designing to shirts to match our Jordan's
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fine. I just I love doing
that. I was like I'd in graphic
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designs more of my calling, like
yes, that's such a such a greater
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passion and drive to do that aspect
of design. I want to dive in
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a little more into, you know, kind of what you learned in school,
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because you you really did. I
think you got, you know,
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such a strong background. You just
set it right there right you have to
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learn how to convey emotion. You
almost like now you could probably go back
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to that test right and create something. You know how to Yeng with this
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royots, and that's just amazing.
Like for me, I always used to
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tell people like light and shadow,
like you know photographers who who would ask
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her nice? I said that's the
number one thing, and I recently,
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within the past month, gotten too
D it's something I wanted to do forever.
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I've always been a hand. Yeah, I notice that. It's been
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awesome. It thunder things like it's
been Super Fun. And blender. It's
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really interesting to learn it. I've
wanted to, you know, I've always
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been like, I want to learn
my I want to learn set of a
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foy, all those things. I
just never had the you know, I
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wanted to get a lot of other
things on our my belt first before I
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could go there. But I think
I'll go packin the hyper realism. Yeah,
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yeah, exactly, and that's it. You know, I started like
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you right. I mean I was
drawing Jordan as a kid. I was
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I was drawn. All these inspired
me to get back in the drawing.
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Honestly. Yeah, that's that's another
the articles, Landry chief. Oh,
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yeah, and I remember you reaching
out and we're us talking about procreating how.
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Yeah, and that literally, that
one program has changed the face of
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Sports, to change my world.
Yeah, it's changed my world. It's
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created a whole new offering to clients
that I wasn't as confident to offer,
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but now, with an undue button, I'm really confident. It's amazing.
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I remember in Florida and I was
I was at the dolphins. It was
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early, you know, in my
career. They're probably two thousand and fifteen
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or sixteen, and I like brought
out all my drawing stuff. I've always
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kept it right, all my graphite, all my easels, everything, put
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it on the kitchen table. Meanwhile
I have two young kids at home running
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around crazy and my wife was just
like no, you know, and she
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said like we just like we can't
have a small little house and in Broward
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County and and and I was just
like, well, I gotta figure out
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a way, you know. And
then sure enough, I've had pro comes
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out, the pencil comes out,
you know, I get on with procreate
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and that was just like that was
it. It was game changing. You
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didn't have, you know, graphite
all over your hand and get all over
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everything and, you know, mess
up something. And you know, I'm
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a I'm a leftie. So,
yeah, very profession in the the stain
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palm exactly. And I was,
you know, it was just so getting
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back into it, because I don't
so much as a kid and growing up
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and then I like I'm just dove
into photography and the kind of guy,
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sounds like you, that when you
when I want to do something, I
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just put all of my effort into
it. And so, you know,
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getting back to what you were talking
about, though, the industrial design and
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the dimensionality and the texture and how
you convey that is everything when it comes
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to really marketing to and so I
got to imagine that put you in a
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great place to you know, and
you can tell it shows through your design
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when you come back and you you
were trying to evoke a motion through that.
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And so that you you've finished at
Ohio state. And then what's next?
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Did you did you move to New
York City? No, so I
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I did a little bit of work
in New York City. I I didn't
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move there, but I worked there
for about like three weeks. Okay,
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was kind of just doing some some
design work for a startup company there and
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also doing some just some like informational
interviews. Like my older brother, Sean
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Salimon. He's he oversees all marketing
for a bunch of via community. So
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well, that's great, comedy central
and paramount and TV land and and you
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know, he was just setting up
some you know, some beings with like
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complex creative director and just to like, you know, I brought in my
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portfolio and we just talk shop and
you just told me what I could improve
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upon. But now, as I
did, I didn't move up New York,
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so I came back to Columbus and, you know, you talked about
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what I took away from, you
know, being in design school and industrial
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design. And now I have this
conversation a lot with younger, younger designers
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who are either, you know,
still in high school or they're graduating and
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or they're just not really sure if
they like, if like colleges for them.
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And you know, I think in
our industry it's really situational and it's
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really personal preference. I don't I
don't think you need necessarily a degree in
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anything to to excel. You know, it can get a little tricky rising,
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you know, if you're if you're
trying to make it to the top
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and the corporate world where, you
know, maybe a degree is the kind
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of like the the requirement or the
you know, what sets you apart from
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someone without one, even if the
works the same and in the culture fit
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is the same, just because it
you know, you've taken time to further
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education and really learn about it and
take a deep dive into it. But
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that's, you know, not so
you can't do that on your own,
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but what I can college helps most
with you know, I wanted the social
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experience. I wanted to go to
a big school, like a house state.
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So that's like first and form was
like I wanted that from a social
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standpoint, and network as well,
just meeting a ton of people, because
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you just you just never know down
the road who can help and you can
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open some doors. But I think
overall, what I took away from the
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design school was, you know,
you're thrown in there and it really helps
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you define a process and and time
management. So, you know, it
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helps you to find a process of
having a discovery phase to do all your
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research, all the different ways of
researching, from interviews to questionnaires to actual
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field observations and talking with people and
listening and understanding and then taking that and,
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you know, going through an ideation
phase and then a concept phase to
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kind of like reel it all down
and then, you know, learning out
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kind of the final product and going
through all the iterations in between. I
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mean, I still use that process
today with clients and it's not it's not
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anything groundbreaking. It's pretty you know, it's a pretty standard process, but
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there's just so many different ways they
do it. So that's what I think
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I'll make, pulled in from design. You know that. And, like
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I mentioned earlier, just in attention
to detail and attention to the look and
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feel. You know, when you're
designing products like tangible goods. You know,
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you see it in cars. Cars
have personalities and expressions. You know,
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a Ferrari looks way different than on
any path. It like cars have
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faces and that's why all scores cars
look super aggressive and like they have mean
349
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eyes. And you think about that
when you design products. You know what,
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what does the line work look on
them? Are there streamline? Are
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there tapered lines like on cars?
Is should give it that fast feel.
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So it breaks up the form as
well. And White Hits it and you
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can use that in the graphic design. Your how do you break up different
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pieces of composition? How do you
use color blocking? You know, even
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going into color theory, you know
what kind of emotions you want to drive
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something all road feels something completely different
than maybe blue. Yeah, so I
357
00:27:12.299 --> 00:27:15.690
feel like that's what I learned most
from schools is taken that process. You
358
00:27:15.769 --> 00:27:19.849
know, you you get a chance
to kind of exercise it with studio projects
359
00:27:19.930 --> 00:27:23.170
and and yeah, it's something I
still use today. I love it.
360
00:27:23.410 --> 00:27:27.170
That's great. I mean it's it's
just important for everybody to understand that.
361
00:27:27.410 --> 00:27:32.079
I think, as we talked about, that it's too easy to to go
362
00:27:32.200 --> 00:27:34.359
into a design and just, you
know, want to get into pixels right
363
00:27:34.400 --> 00:27:40.720
away. And I've said it multiple
times on this podcast. You know,
364
00:27:40.839 --> 00:27:45.869
when we were when we were hiring
folks at the dolphins surf and I would
365
00:27:45.309 --> 00:27:48.309
you know, it was in the
job description that we want to see your
366
00:27:48.309 --> 00:27:51.390
sketch book. You know it just
because it was love that it was so
367
00:27:51.589 --> 00:27:56.069
important to understand. And and you
know, dive through some of Brandon Moore's
368
00:27:56.069 --> 00:28:00.140
sketch books. They're unbelievable to look
at, you know, and you tell
369
00:28:00.259 --> 00:28:04.900
it to see so many amazing things, and so that's that's one of the
370
00:28:04.940 --> 00:28:07.460
pieces of advice that I give to, you know, to a lot of
371
00:28:07.539 --> 00:28:14.049
people is, you know, outside
of like discovering in design and the power
372
00:28:14.130 --> 00:28:17.329
that it has, because so many
people these days used to get caught up
373
00:28:17.410 --> 00:28:22.049
with photoshop and and right and it, but also sketch your ideas. You
374
00:28:22.170 --> 00:28:23.369
know, throw it out there.
It can't hurt now you can do it.
375
00:28:23.529 --> 00:28:26.880
You know you can do digitally.
Yeah, and everything. So everything
376
00:28:27.000 --> 00:28:30.920
is saved. Yeah, and I
agree completely because, you know, I
377
00:28:33.200 --> 00:28:34.519
I come, like I said,
you know, both of us we come
378
00:28:34.599 --> 00:28:40.440
from, you know, we come
from a fine arts background and we've been
379
00:28:40.519 --> 00:28:42.589
practicing drawing. And you know,
even when I tell people like you,
380
00:28:42.750 --> 00:28:45.670
I give them same advice about,
you know, sketch first, then go
381
00:28:45.829 --> 00:28:51.589
on the computer, you know,
because it's just it's hard to sketching is
382
00:28:51.670 --> 00:28:56.299
free form themputer. It's it's structured
and it's hard to it might take you,
383
00:28:57.220 --> 00:29:00.819
you know, exponentially longer to get
to communicate that idea rather than like
384
00:29:02.099 --> 00:29:04.579
a quick thumbnail sketch on a Napkin
or something. Yeah, yeah, and
385
00:29:04.619 --> 00:29:07.380
I tell people it doesn't matter about
drawing. Well, like, yeah,
386
00:29:07.660 --> 00:29:11.970
Brandon Moore, I mean amaze,
I just I can't wait to get the
387
00:29:11.009 --> 00:29:18.250
book minds to the mail and yeah, like his sketches and even, you
388
00:29:18.289 --> 00:29:21.289
know, I was looking at like
like even John Contino's work, or I
389
00:29:21.369 --> 00:29:26.559
Johnny's work. I just got house
industries hand lettering manual, because that's every
390
00:29:26.559 --> 00:29:30.799
year I try to learn a new
skill, nice, whether it's a soft
391
00:29:30.839 --> 00:29:36.599
piece of software or something that I
can do drawing wise and hand letterings,
392
00:29:36.680 --> 00:29:41.190
my goal this year, and a
sketches that are in that are just immaculate.
393
00:29:41.269 --> 00:29:45.109
I mean they're like two perfect like
I don't even understand how people can
394
00:29:45.150 --> 00:29:48.549
draw like that as just sketches.
Yeah, but you know, my point
395
00:29:48.670 --> 00:29:52.740
to to people who say why I
can't draw, so I don't want to
396
00:29:52.779 --> 00:29:56.779
sketch is it doesn't matter you can
draw. Well, it's can you at
397
00:29:56.819 --> 00:30:02.019
least like create some forms? So
just quickly communicate a concept. They're an
398
00:30:02.019 --> 00:30:07.009
idea first to where, you know, people understand visually a lot quicker than
399
00:30:07.049 --> 00:30:11.410
you just talking about it, maybe
making some hand gestures, like do some
400
00:30:11.609 --> 00:30:15.250
rough thumbnails. Like even when I
do motion pieces like I do, I
401
00:30:15.410 --> 00:30:18.569
always start off with a storyboard and
it can be as it can to be
402
00:30:18.009 --> 00:30:22.839
scribbles, but just going from like
frame from frame, because like I can't
403
00:30:22.880 --> 00:30:26.839
just dive in afterfect not really knowing
what I'm going to do, because it's
404
00:30:26.400 --> 00:30:30.240
I mean that problem gives me like
PTSD. Yeah, I open it just
405
00:30:30.279 --> 00:30:33.799
because it's like like Oh man,
what's going to go wrong here? And
406
00:30:33.920 --> 00:30:36.589
like do I even know how to
use the program in the way that I
407
00:30:36.750 --> 00:30:40.589
need to use it right now?
So, yeah, I'm with you on
408
00:30:40.789 --> 00:30:45.230
on the whole sketch book and sketishing
first before hopping onto digital. It's important.
409
00:30:47.349 --> 00:30:52.779
So, so you graduate from the
Ohio State University and what was in
410
00:30:52.859 --> 00:30:57.500
the cards next for you? Yeah, so, really nothing at first,
411
00:30:59.660 --> 00:31:02.779
which, yeah, it sucks.
Go A and I's so it goes.
412
00:31:03.099 --> 00:31:04.930
I don't know. I don't know
if I was like lazy or if I
413
00:31:04.970 --> 00:31:08.170
didn't like try enough in school,
but I just I could not get anything.
414
00:31:08.210 --> 00:31:11.609
I couldn't get my foot in the
door at anything. I dusch what
415
00:31:11.809 --> 00:31:15.410
is fine related. So I was, you know, when I was in
416
00:31:15.490 --> 00:31:21.880
college I worked at this pizza shop
and I still work there when I graduate,
417
00:31:22.000 --> 00:31:25.359
because I had nothing to you know, I had no job signed up,
418
00:31:25.640 --> 00:31:26.519
so I needed some way to pay
the those. So I was I
419
00:31:26.640 --> 00:31:30.559
was working the pizza shop. I
was freelancing a little bit for some friends,
420
00:31:30.599 --> 00:31:33.990
like making love those for like two
thousand and fifty bucks sure up and,
421
00:31:34.390 --> 00:31:40.589
you know, snaking the caps on
the side. And and how state
422
00:31:40.710 --> 00:31:45.750
emailed our design department, the football
program did. They emailed our design department
423
00:31:45.789 --> 00:31:48.740
and said, Hey, we're looking
for a volunteer designer to help us with
424
00:31:48.700 --> 00:31:55.579
recruiting content. So it was right
when they hired urban right when I heard
425
00:31:55.619 --> 00:31:59.180
you, smire, Yep, and
you know, I guess he and the
426
00:31:59.220 --> 00:32:02.170
staff that he brought in wanted to
revamp the marketing initiative for recruiting. They
427
00:32:02.210 --> 00:32:07.569
wanted to you know, the they
had a guy there, like a full
428
00:32:07.609 --> 00:32:10.890
time intern there, who was producing
some content. They're sending it out to
429
00:32:12.009 --> 00:32:15.529
recruits, but urban wanted to like
really like blow it up. Yeah,
430
00:32:15.650 --> 00:32:21.519
and did a lot more frequently,
because it really wasn't like a thing at
431
00:32:21.559 --> 00:32:23.240
the time of like you know,
and there were rules in place where,
432
00:32:23.240 --> 00:32:27.599
like you couldn't just send everything to
a recruit like when I first started,
433
00:32:28.920 --> 00:32:31.390
because let's okay, well, let
me back check a little bit. So,
434
00:32:31.950 --> 00:32:35.190
yeah, they send out that emails. So I go to the facility
435
00:32:35.470 --> 00:32:39.630
and, you know, I like
talked with Mark Antoni, who still works
436
00:32:39.630 --> 00:32:44.150
there, who oversees all of recruiting. Awesome Guy, amazing boss. Yeah,
437
00:32:44.740 --> 00:32:50.339
and I interviewed with the director of
OPS and it wasn't really like an
438
00:32:50.380 --> 00:32:52.980
interview. Is Basically just you know, saying like, you know, like
439
00:32:53.460 --> 00:32:55.819
photo said, you know your way
around design, and then I met with
440
00:32:57.019 --> 00:33:00.049
the full time intern. I was
just like yeah, I just graduate from
441
00:33:00.049 --> 00:33:02.569
the design program I'm a product designer
but you know, I know some photoshop
442
00:33:02.690 --> 00:33:05.930
and stuff, and he was like
cool, and they're like cool, you
443
00:33:05.970 --> 00:33:08.730
start Monday, because, I mean, what is it to them? Yeah,
444
00:33:08.849 --> 00:33:13.839
I'm it was a volunteer intern position
exactly. I don't even know if
445
00:33:13.880 --> 00:33:17.240
there was anyone else that really jumped
at it because it was unpaid. So,
446
00:33:17.480 --> 00:33:21.359
you know, when I started I
was just working there four hours a
447
00:33:21.400 --> 00:33:27.750
day for for free, and my
task was really just to help with the
448
00:33:27.789 --> 00:33:32.150
full time intern. So my first
task was really just cutting out players so
449
00:33:32.309 --> 00:33:37.029
he could use them on content.
Yeah, I was like cool. You
450
00:33:37.109 --> 00:33:39.750
know, I don't even I rarely
even cut out anyone in photoshop before because
451
00:33:39.789 --> 00:33:46.779
it just wasn't what I did in
school. But that full time intern ended
452
00:33:46.779 --> 00:33:52.420
up leaving a couple months after and
then I kind of inherited his position and
453
00:33:52.579 --> 00:33:55.089
all was a full time intern for
football and you know, my task there
454
00:33:55.210 --> 00:34:00.089
was really only just churning out one
graphic a day whatever. You know,
455
00:34:00.930 --> 00:34:05.730
that shed a bright light on how
state made the players look great, made
456
00:34:05.809 --> 00:34:09.679
the city look great, whatever it
was, and I didn't really know what
457
00:34:09.760 --> 00:34:14.119
I was doing though, in terms
of like like I went every day not
458
00:34:14.320 --> 00:34:15.760
knowing what I was going to make. I had no plan, no direction.
459
00:34:16.760 --> 00:34:20.320
You know, I was the only
one. I was working in the
460
00:34:20.360 --> 00:34:23.079
football facilities. I didn't have like
a creative mentor so I would go across
461
00:34:23.079 --> 00:34:28.150
the street to the athletics building where
the creative services team is house, and
462
00:34:28.190 --> 00:34:30.630
I would talk with them and learn
more, you know, with their creative
463
00:34:30.630 --> 00:34:36.510
director in the full time designers there. And you know, I was literally
464
00:34:36.590 --> 00:34:40.420
just youtube being different photoshop tutorials like
how to set text on fire, how
465
00:34:40.659 --> 00:34:44.860
to, you know, do all
of this, how to shoot lightning out
466
00:34:44.900 --> 00:34:47.420
of a guy's eyes, and I
was like, okay, whatever I learned
467
00:34:47.460 --> 00:34:51.820
in these tutorials that day is what
I will do for the graphic. So
468
00:34:52.699 --> 00:34:57.769
No, no actual like style guide, no, no consistency, no cohesion
469
00:34:57.929 --> 00:35:02.329
other than the House State logo that
was slapped on it and hurban signature,
470
00:35:04.050 --> 00:35:06.769
because when I do with back the
it was just it's in a random,
471
00:35:06.769 --> 00:35:13.119
random assortment of graphics that are just
all based off of Youtube tutorials. Yeah,
472
00:35:14.159 --> 00:35:17.119
but you know, I actually got
an opportunity to start working for all
473
00:35:17.159 --> 00:35:21.869
of athletics. Okay, so my
path then led me for, instead of
474
00:35:21.989 --> 00:35:25.750
just football, I was now split
where I would work football and for half
475
00:35:25.789 --> 00:35:29.349
the day and then I would go
across the street and work with all of
476
00:35:29.469 --> 00:35:31.510
athletics, all the different sports,
for the rest of the day, and
477
00:35:31.590 --> 00:35:35.550
that's where I kind of learned a
little bit more about design and, you
478
00:35:35.630 --> 00:35:40.139
know, got under some God,
under some wing the CRIB director over there,
479
00:35:40.179 --> 00:35:44.579
Andy de veto, and also one
of the designers, well, a
480
00:35:44.619 --> 00:35:49.460
couple of the designers. You know, they were mentoring me and it kind
481
00:35:49.460 --> 00:35:53.610
of opened my eyes in terms of
like consistency and brand identity and just the
482
00:35:53.690 --> 00:35:59.210
whole world of like what makes the
visual aspect of a brand successful? Who
483
00:35:59.210 --> 00:36:01.250
Does it well? You know,
what are some good practices? And that's
484
00:36:01.250 --> 00:36:06.039
when I really started diving into like
going back into design history that I was
485
00:36:06.079 --> 00:36:09.239
learning in school and like what did
I like from design theory is, you
486
00:36:09.320 --> 00:36:13.960
know, I fell in love with
typography when I was in design school.
487
00:36:14.760 --> 00:36:17.199
That's the only graphic design class I
took in school is a typography class,
488
00:36:19.269 --> 00:36:22.750
and it's just so fascinating of just
letter forms and the like. House it
489
00:36:22.829 --> 00:36:25.550
went after I thought I learned,
sorry, I thought I knew a little
490
00:36:25.550 --> 00:36:30.389
bit about typography until I read house
industries lettering manual and yeah, I didn't
491
00:36:30.429 --> 00:36:35.380
know anything. That's yeah, I'd
like all the signs behind it. Oh
492
00:36:35.380 --> 00:36:37.460
yeah, but anyways, you know, that's that's kind of what let me
493
00:36:37.579 --> 00:36:42.579
to just thinking about more of a
clean styles. It's getting my bearings of
494
00:36:42.739 --> 00:36:45.900
just you know, how that can
fit with Olsu and how o issues.
495
00:36:45.980 --> 00:36:51.530
Logo is pretty type driven out.
typography plays into a big piece of that,
496
00:36:51.730 --> 00:36:53.050
and how can we extend that into
the content. And that's when it
497
00:36:53.130 --> 00:37:00.210
kind of like was clicking, you
know. Yeah, yeah, yeah,
498
00:37:00.329 --> 00:37:04.880
so I was full time intern for
two years, okay, and then finally
499
00:37:04.880 --> 00:37:09.360
got an opportunity to be a full
time staff number. Yeah, I actually
500
00:37:09.360 --> 00:37:14.199
made a pitch to urban Meyer of
why I should be full time and it
501
00:37:14.320 --> 00:37:15.989
was a whole presentation I printed out
and I got to his eye. You
502
00:37:16.070 --> 00:37:20.750
know, I checked it with my
boss's first and they're like yeah, to
503
00:37:20.750 --> 00:37:24.949
take at the coach and so I
present to him and he's like flipping through
504
00:37:24.949 --> 00:37:28.789
it rapidly as I'm trying to hit
all the talking points on like where I
505
00:37:28.789 --> 00:37:30.619
see college football heading. How like, you know, this is two thousand
506
00:37:30.699 --> 00:37:35.219
and like twelve or two thousand and
thirteen, and I'm just like videos,
507
00:37:35.300 --> 00:37:38.699
going to going to ranking and by
like two thousand and fifteen like digital media
508
00:37:38.820 --> 00:37:43.219
teams are going to be siloed inside
big programs. I'm just like saying all
509
00:37:43.260 --> 00:37:45.250
these things that like ended up kind
of happy. It happened, very wild
510
00:37:45.610 --> 00:37:50.449
to see on fold. Yeah,
just because I could see the impact and
511
00:37:50.730 --> 00:37:52.650
urban got the impact. I mean
that's why I wanted to to keep it
512
00:37:52.730 --> 00:37:57.730
going and keep the machine going,
because he saw the reactions that kids were
513
00:37:57.769 --> 00:38:02.239
having with just having like exciting,
informative content that they could use as talking
514
00:38:02.320 --> 00:38:07.519
pieces during their recruitment. No doubt
it's amazing. Yeah, I mean what
515
00:38:07.679 --> 00:38:10.760
a cool what a cool story.
Would a cool way to not only you
516
00:38:10.880 --> 00:38:13.550
just, you know, you got
your foot in the door, but you
517
00:38:13.789 --> 00:38:17.269
also, you know, created what
you wanted to do, and that's you
518
00:38:17.349 --> 00:38:21.829
know, there's a lot of questions
that I get. I'm sure you get
519
00:38:21.829 --> 00:38:23.909
the same thing. You know,
like I've been stuck in this position for
520
00:38:23.949 --> 00:38:27.940
a while or I've been an intern
for a while and and how do I
521
00:38:28.059 --> 00:38:30.820
do this? You know, I
have another friend who who pitched, you
522
00:38:30.940 --> 00:38:36.940
know, another major pro team,
you know, to come back and work
523
00:38:37.099 --> 00:38:42.369
in that setting and you know,
got the job. And because people don't
524
00:38:42.409 --> 00:38:45.610
know what they don't know. But
you have folks like urban, who,
525
00:38:46.210 --> 00:38:50.650
you know, I got to work
with urban, you know, completely different
526
00:38:50.650 --> 00:38:53.610
setting as an athletic trainer of his
at Bowling Green. But you know,
527
00:38:53.769 --> 00:38:57.880
this is this is yeah, it's
crazy, you know, the the the
528
00:38:57.960 --> 00:39:02.679
one degree of connection in the sports
world. But he's intense, like people
529
00:39:02.719 --> 00:39:06.639
don't understand, like if you've never
worked for our INMRE, you can see
530
00:39:06.639 --> 00:39:08.679
him, you know, but he's
the kind of guy that would literally chew
531
00:39:08.760 --> 00:39:12.750
your ass and then, you know, on the field and then and then
532
00:39:13.349 --> 00:39:15.630
invite you out for a beer that
night. You know, that's just kind
533
00:39:15.630 --> 00:39:19.869
of the kind of the guy he
was. But it's hard if you don't
534
00:39:19.869 --> 00:39:21.909
know how to deal with it,
you know, as I'm sure you can
535
00:39:22.389 --> 00:39:23.579
testify to, and being a part
of it first time. But he was
536
00:39:23.619 --> 00:39:27.980
also one of those guys. That
was when he left Bowling Green, we
537
00:39:28.019 --> 00:39:30.659
said this guy's going to win multiple
national championships. I remember me and my
538
00:39:31.019 --> 00:39:36.300
boss saying that and and sure enough, you know, like you just you
539
00:39:36.420 --> 00:39:40.449
just know it. And so for
someone like you coming in, you know,
540
00:39:40.610 --> 00:39:44.969
as a young designer, and then
pitching this to him, that's,
541
00:39:45.050 --> 00:39:46.610
you know, exactly what he's looking
for there. I've worked for a lot
542
00:39:46.650 --> 00:39:51.050
of bosses that are that will say, you know, I don't want to
543
00:39:51.889 --> 00:39:53.360
and want to have to go and
ask for things. I want you to
544
00:39:53.559 --> 00:39:57.280
come pitch things to me. You
know, I think that's one of those
545
00:39:57.320 --> 00:40:01.119
things where, as creative as we
get, we get lost in the day
546
00:40:01.199 --> 00:40:07.119
to day and we forget about that
a lot. So Kudos to you for,
547
00:40:07.550 --> 00:40:09.389
you know, for doing that.
At the same time, you were
548
00:40:09.989 --> 00:40:13.429
you were still trying to, you
know, make ends meet, like you
549
00:40:13.469 --> 00:40:17.469
said, and you were you were
working at a startup. Still we doings
550
00:40:17.469 --> 00:40:22.860
a little bit of you know,
kind of night freelancing for that. Yeah,
551
00:40:22.059 --> 00:40:28.539
so it's a it's a really strange
career path and I'll try and summon
552
00:40:28.579 --> 00:40:31.300
up as short of I can.
So, yeah, while I was interning
553
00:40:31.380 --> 00:40:36.610
with those shoe that I was full
time intern I had to a friend from
554
00:40:36.690 --> 00:40:40.409
school who was interested and in logo
design because, like now, you knew
555
00:40:42.130 --> 00:40:44.929
he was a product designer and he
knew I was, but he knew I
556
00:40:44.929 --> 00:40:47.449
shifted over to graphic design and he
just thought I could like help take a
557
00:40:47.489 --> 00:40:51.239
stab at it, and so I
started like doing some projects and it was
558
00:40:51.920 --> 00:40:57.599
for this this product that they're launching
in the product was called juice box,
559
00:40:57.760 --> 00:41:02.079
which the company was also called juice
box with two x's, and it was
560
00:41:02.639 --> 00:41:10.349
a protective just like plastic case that
goes over your macbook charger brick. So
561
00:41:10.550 --> 00:41:15.030
wasn't any it wasn't like a it
wasn't electronic, but it was just a
562
00:41:15.190 --> 00:41:19.219
motive piece of plastic that fit over
the case in the whole point was to
563
00:41:21.059 --> 00:41:24.539
help the wire not get damaged.
So there's like a very yeah, there's
564
00:41:24.579 --> 00:41:28.900
a pain point with all Mac users
were like about the time. Now it's
565
00:41:28.940 --> 00:41:31.099
disconnected completely, so it's not even
an issue anymore. But at the time,
566
00:41:31.260 --> 00:41:37.489
when the cord was directly connected to
the brick, the wire would get
567
00:41:37.570 --> 00:41:39.530
frayed and damage and you know,
I'm having a fork eighty bucks for a
568
00:41:39.570 --> 00:41:44.570
new one when that shouldn't really be
the case, and apple blames on you
569
00:41:44.650 --> 00:41:46.480
know, use rare and recommends all
these different ways. But this was a
570
00:41:46.559 --> 00:41:52.320
project, a product that kind of
helps solve it, and so I started
571
00:41:52.360 --> 00:41:58.320
working with them and then I ended
up becoming a small percentage owner of the
572
00:41:58.360 --> 00:42:01.349
company because I loved the team.
You know, was me, my friend
573
00:42:01.469 --> 00:42:07.550
and then two other individuals and you
know, they're all my age and it
574
00:42:07.710 --> 00:42:12.949
was just exciting. We had our
own office building. We were doing the
575
00:42:13.030 --> 00:42:15.780
start up grind. And not to
glorify the grind because now you know,
576
00:42:16.059 --> 00:42:20.099
having gone through it, I don't
think it's something to me a glorify because
577
00:42:20.500 --> 00:42:22.780
you can sacrifice a lot of mental
health and a lot of work like balance.
578
00:42:22.860 --> 00:42:25.579
But you know, sometimes it's needed
and other times, you know,
579
00:42:25.659 --> 00:42:30.610
maybe it's not. Everything has to
be so rushed and not everything needs to
580
00:42:30.650 --> 00:42:32.929
be an all nighter. But you
know, we were doing the start up
581
00:42:32.969 --> 00:42:37.929
grinding and have a lot of baggage
tied to us in terms of like relationships
582
00:42:37.969 --> 00:42:40.289
and all that stuff. So you
know, we could burn them in night
583
00:42:40.369 --> 00:42:45.320
oil. And so I was working
all day for as to do and then
584
00:42:45.519 --> 00:42:47.000
after Oh, she was over,
you know, around like five, I'd
585
00:42:47.039 --> 00:42:51.639
go over and work at the start
up, and that could be anywhere from
586
00:42:51.639 --> 00:42:54.599
like seven pm the midnights, and
maybe an old pot all nighters are laterally
587
00:42:54.599 --> 00:42:59.750
left the office and went back into
the OSU office. When we would launch
588
00:42:59.829 --> 00:43:01.909
her products, as we would do
kickstarter campaigns, and it's just it's a
589
00:43:01.989 --> 00:43:06.829
rush and it is a rush to
do kicks. Our campaigns raise money.
590
00:43:06.829 --> 00:43:09.309
I mean we launched that product and
raise thirty six thousand. We did another
591
00:43:09.429 --> 00:43:14.019
product for another guy that raised like
it was, I think that organized your
592
00:43:14.300 --> 00:43:19.019
your headphone cords and that raised over
like seventy five thou so it's a rush
593
00:43:19.099 --> 00:43:22.780
to do something like that and that's
where I really felt the entrepreneurial witch.
594
00:43:23.019 --> 00:43:25.980
Yeah, I was like man,
I love like coming in here whenever I
595
00:43:27.170 --> 00:43:30.690
want, working on whatever I want. I don't really have a boss,
596
00:43:30.809 --> 00:43:34.050
like I'm kind of on my own
boss here. It's more of like a
597
00:43:34.570 --> 00:43:38.889
collaborative partnership and you know the Produde, the projects were interesting. None of
598
00:43:38.889 --> 00:43:44.840
them are sports related, so it
was kind of refreshing to be sports holiday
599
00:43:44.920 --> 00:43:46.760
and then, you know, going
into more of like the tech world or
600
00:43:46.800 --> 00:43:51.480
yeah, you know, whatever we're
working on using our sports related but that
601
00:43:51.599 --> 00:43:53.960
was also that was also an issue. Yeah, because I love sports.
602
00:43:54.119 --> 00:43:57.429
So I would saying I was like
I don't know if this, if this
603
00:43:57.590 --> 00:44:01.269
particular startups, a long term play. Sure, but that at one point
604
00:44:01.389 --> 00:44:06.630
I thought it was and still.
Here's the story is I got full time
605
00:44:06.670 --> 00:44:12.380
at Osfu and it was the year
we want the national championship, so I
606
00:44:12.460 --> 00:44:15.059
got to be a part of that, which was amazing as a full time
607
00:44:15.099 --> 00:44:19.980
employee. So then, you know, we fastward into two thousand and fifteen,
608
00:44:20.019 --> 00:44:25.530
summer and I want to work at
the startup full time. And so,
609
00:44:25.849 --> 00:44:30.650
less than a year of being full
time with Osuu, I made the
610
00:44:30.730 --> 00:44:35.090
decision. I told the football team
and athletics as well as like I want
611
00:44:35.090 --> 00:44:37.010
to work for the start up full
time, but I don't want to leave
612
00:44:37.050 --> 00:44:40.719
you guys high and dry. Yeah, so I pitched them to where I
613
00:44:40.960 --> 00:44:45.400
could work four hours a day for
football in the morning and then I would
614
00:44:45.400 --> 00:44:50.000
go to the startup. So that
was the new thing. So I was
615
00:44:50.199 --> 00:44:53.269
kind of it wasn't. It was
kind of like a contractor position, more
616
00:44:53.349 --> 00:44:57.829
like a basically an intern again for
football, but that's you know, that
617
00:44:57.989 --> 00:45:02.190
wasn't what was paying the bills anymore. Now it was the startup. So
618
00:45:02.349 --> 00:45:07.420
then past for a couple months and
you know, I'm telling the football team,
619
00:45:07.460 --> 00:45:09.059
you know, it's beginning of the
season. I'm like, I'll do
620
00:45:09.219 --> 00:45:13.699
this for this season and then at
the end of the season I'm going to
621
00:45:13.739 --> 00:45:15.780
be able to start up like full
time, not going to be with those
622
00:45:15.860 --> 00:45:21.769
you anymore. So the season ends
and I miss it. I was like
623
00:45:21.809 --> 00:45:24.730
I don't want to leave asue.
I don't want to leave Asue at all.
624
00:45:25.489 --> 00:45:28.849
The startup is great, but we're
just not doing anything in sports.
625
00:45:28.969 --> 00:45:30.809
So, like I want to get
back in the sports until like my passion
626
00:45:31.530 --> 00:45:37.800
and I go back. It's my
bosses at Osu football and I'm like Hey,
627
00:45:38.000 --> 00:45:40.880
I want to come back. Yeah, and they're like, but you
628
00:45:42.000 --> 00:45:45.880
told us you were gone. So
like we don't have a position for you,
629
00:45:45.519 --> 00:45:47.880
which, you know, totally makes
sense. Why would you have a
630
00:45:47.920 --> 00:45:52.429
position waiting when I said at the
beginning of the season that I'm leaving?
631
00:45:52.349 --> 00:45:55.630
So I like really kind of shot
myself in the foot and I was like
632
00:45:55.710 --> 00:45:59.510
I will do anything to come back. I'll be in and I'll do volunteer
633
00:45:59.550 --> 00:46:01.070
work again, like I want to
be here, because where I want to
634
00:46:01.070 --> 00:46:06.900
be. I'm insi there like okay, you can be an intern again.
635
00:46:07.659 --> 00:46:09.739
So and from full time, I
went from intorn the full time back to
636
00:46:09.860 --> 00:46:15.460
in turn and, you know,
again just was grinding and showing them that
637
00:46:15.500 --> 00:46:17.769
I wanted to be there. I
didn't even do anything with the start up
638
00:46:17.809 --> 00:46:22.130
after that. I left the startup. You know, gave them like few
639
00:46:22.170 --> 00:46:24.650
weeks notice I'm going back to football
and I'm not going to be really like
640
00:46:25.329 --> 00:46:30.650
involved here anymore because I want to
give all like that was the issue.
641
00:46:30.769 --> 00:46:34.679
Is, I had my foot and
door in both doors, but I wasn't
642
00:46:34.760 --> 00:46:38.559
fully in any place and I felt
like that was kind of restricting on my
643
00:46:38.719 --> 00:46:43.159
growth and like really figuring out what
I want to do as a career path.
644
00:46:44.280 --> 00:46:47.550
So, long story short, I
get back in the football I do
645
00:46:47.789 --> 00:46:54.110
the grind, I start working coaches
hours which at the time where were interesting
646
00:46:54.510 --> 00:47:00.539
exciting and then became really kind of
problematic, you know, after a few
647
00:47:00.619 --> 00:47:04.659
years of doing it. But you
know, they gave me another shot to
648
00:47:04.739 --> 00:47:07.420
be a full time member after showing, you know, I was here to
649
00:47:07.500 --> 00:47:09.539
stay. I was working from seven
am to ten PM, just like the
650
00:47:09.619 --> 00:47:14.980
coaches, just like the rest of
the staff, and got full time again
651
00:47:15.659 --> 00:47:19.730
and each year just kept ranking up
and having more responsibility and, okay,
652
00:47:20.170 --> 00:47:23.809
you know, hiring people below me
and eventually reaching a creative director level position.
653
00:47:23.849 --> 00:47:28.449
Yeah, and that was kind of
of my my path that I was
654
00:47:28.449 --> 00:47:32.639
sue and yeah, it was really
interesting and really you know, I think
655
00:47:32.760 --> 00:47:37.800
everything happened for a reason and I
have no regrets in any way that I
656
00:47:37.880 --> 00:47:42.000
did any of that, because I
got the entrepreneur itch and I learned so
657
00:47:42.360 --> 00:47:45.429
much about the business side of things
from going to a startup and, you
658
00:47:45.510 --> 00:47:51.230
know, seeing contracts being developed,
pitching ideas, getting in front of clients
659
00:47:51.269 --> 00:47:54.230
and confidently, you know, pitching
your concepts to them and white boarding and
660
00:47:54.309 --> 00:47:57.550
just all these things that I really
like. Wasn't doing a do issue,
661
00:47:57.670 --> 00:48:01.019
but Osu scratch that sports passion.
It's that I had where like, you
662
00:48:01.099 --> 00:48:05.260
know, this is my favorite team
and like when am I ever going to
663
00:48:05.300 --> 00:48:08.780
get to, you know, be
in this position working for my favorite team?
664
00:48:38.079 --> 00:48:43.710
It's, you know, diving into
the psychology that a little bit too.
665
00:48:44.989 --> 00:48:49.110
You know, do you think some
of it may have had to have
666
00:48:49.349 --> 00:48:57.500
just been the the chance to be
at such a prestigious program versus being at
667
00:48:57.579 --> 00:49:01.860
a startup nobody really knew about?
Yeah, I've thought about that as well.
668
00:49:04.300 --> 00:49:06.940
You know, it's somebody said,
we're like, you know, I
669
00:49:07.139 --> 00:49:08.300
was. I at the same time
I was working for as to you.
670
00:49:08.579 --> 00:49:12.130
You know, when I was started
there, we didn't have a social media
671
00:49:12.170 --> 00:49:16.449
presence, like instagram was like just
becoming a thing. Twitter existed, but,
672
00:49:17.050 --> 00:49:22.050
you know, for some reason our
foot you know, the folks that
673
00:49:22.130 --> 00:49:25.039
I was Shue, didn't want football
to have its own channel. Initially,
674
00:49:25.559 --> 00:49:29.760
so it was just urban Meyer and
it was just I think that's how I
675
00:49:29.920 --> 00:49:32.000
was, but it overall those oh
she atletic. So I was the only
676
00:49:32.079 --> 00:49:37.000
one producing. Like my personal account
was the one that was tweeting out all
677
00:49:37.079 --> 00:49:39.590
the football cap from time wow and
it. And I would tag all the
678
00:49:39.670 --> 00:49:44.070
coaches and my boss and I'd like
big followings like Mike for able at the
679
00:49:44.110 --> 00:49:47.030
time was on stats. I got
the in Tom Herman. So like they
680
00:49:47.070 --> 00:49:52.900
were the ones who were retweeting and
you know, I was kind of simultaneously
681
00:49:52.940 --> 00:49:54.539
building my brand of time and you
know, yeah, when I was I
682
00:49:54.619 --> 00:49:59.420
got across roads of like what,
you know what? First of all,
683
00:49:59.460 --> 00:50:01.179
like why do I want to be
wherever I do want to end up,
684
00:50:01.260 --> 00:50:06.539
but also like what could be a
bigger stepping stone? Yeah, and I
685
00:50:06.579 --> 00:50:08.050
don't want to use like the word
exposure too issue, but you know,
686
00:50:08.610 --> 00:50:14.250
maximizing that platform there was on matched
compared to the start up. Like yeah,
687
00:50:14.289 --> 00:50:20.610
the startup at potential to accelerate growth. You know, maybe in terms
688
00:50:20.650 --> 00:50:23.280
of financial games, could have been
something really big, but I knows,
689
00:50:23.360 --> 00:50:29.039
you know, the financial games might
not have been as big, but it
690
00:50:29.199 --> 00:50:32.599
was one like less of a risk
into the platform that I was she has,
691
00:50:32.800 --> 00:50:36.030
and this is what I shared with
recruits as well when I when I
692
00:50:36.070 --> 00:50:38.670
watched the personal branding program there.
You know, it's all about maximizing.
693
00:50:39.389 --> 00:50:43.389
You know who you are and where
you're at, yeah, or at least
694
00:50:43.429 --> 00:50:46.269
understanding you are in the maximizing.
You know where you're at, and Oh
695
00:50:46.349 --> 00:50:52.940
she was a platform to where my
voice could be heightened, it could be,
696
00:50:53.579 --> 00:50:58.780
you know, blown out a lot
more frequently and exponentially, and that's
697
00:50:58.820 --> 00:51:02.659
when I really did think about that
and how, you know, I felt
698
00:51:02.739 --> 00:51:07.849
like to really grow my network and
also, you know, within the Sports
699
00:51:07.929 --> 00:51:10.570
Design Community and sports community that I
wanted to really be a part of.
700
00:51:12.130 --> 00:51:15.570
Oh is, she was was a
better stepping stone for that. Yeah,
701
00:51:15.929 --> 00:51:21.920
and so with that, you are
in a similar situation to a lot of
702
00:51:22.880 --> 00:51:25.519
designers who are, or her they're
now, who are chasing the dream,
703
00:51:25.559 --> 00:51:32.829
or what they think is the dream, and then reality kicks in because,
704
00:51:32.869 --> 00:51:38.349
as you said, you were working
coaches hours, and everybody listening to this
705
00:51:38.550 --> 00:51:45.670
knows what that means, because the
probably worked those hours as well, President
706
00:51:45.750 --> 00:51:50.860
Company included, and and manned.
That take a toll on you. Did
707
00:51:50.900 --> 00:51:57.300
you have a personal life. No, just the frame it up as simply
708
00:51:57.340 --> 00:52:00.769
as I could. Not really once
I started. You know, when I
709
00:52:00.889 --> 00:52:05.130
first was working that, even when
I was first full time, I was
710
00:52:05.210 --> 00:52:09.250
more so considered part of Oshu athletics
creative services team, which is, you
711
00:52:09.329 --> 00:52:14.489
know, a typical nine to five
job, and that's you know, my
712
00:52:14.690 --> 00:52:19.079
boss, that the career director proch
athletics, Andy De Vito. He you
713
00:52:19.159 --> 00:52:21.800
know, that's what he expressed.
He's you know, we all worked from
714
00:52:21.800 --> 00:52:24.000
one hundred twenty five. We did
not work game days, we didn't work
715
00:52:24.039 --> 00:52:28.119
events or anything like that. So
you know, when I when I did
716
00:52:28.360 --> 00:52:31.590
transition the football full time and and
we did start our own creative team where
717
00:52:31.590 --> 00:52:35.989
Zax Swartz, who's still there,
who is one of the creative directors,
718
00:52:36.230 --> 00:52:40.550
oversees everything. You know, we
were required to work game days because that
719
00:52:40.670 --> 00:52:45.019
was the thing. It was like
Clemson was was the big boom and you
720
00:52:45.099 --> 00:52:47.900
know, even Matt Lange and Tony
Down Alabama absolutely know we're doing it.
721
00:52:49.059 --> 00:52:52.300
So you see it being done and
Osu didn't have that type of presence.
722
00:52:53.940 --> 00:52:58.380
So yeah, when those hours hit
at first it was like really exciting.
723
00:52:58.420 --> 00:53:04.010
You know, you're eating meals with
the team you're developing these lasting relationships with
724
00:53:04.050 --> 00:53:06.809
the coaches and the players and the
staff, and it beat it really does
725
00:53:06.849 --> 00:53:09.889
become your family. It is and
in the great thing is that you know
726
00:53:10.010 --> 00:53:14.119
every one of those you we all
got along and I got along with all
727
00:53:14.119 --> 00:53:16.719
the staff members. So like,
working those hours wasn't miserable in terms of
728
00:53:16.760 --> 00:53:20.599
the people that you worked with.
It was always fun and saying to be
729
00:53:20.639 --> 00:53:22.679
around those people. Yea even urban, like you said, can be super
730
00:53:22.840 --> 00:53:27.079
strict and intense. Yeah, but
he can also, you know, shoot
731
00:53:27.119 --> 00:53:30.670
the shit with you and he has
a really dry sense of humor and on
732
00:53:30.869 --> 00:53:34.869
and like you know, when you're
good at what you do, he notices
733
00:53:34.909 --> 00:53:37.070
that and he will pound the table
for you and fight for you. You
734
00:53:37.150 --> 00:53:42.820
know, we still have a relationship
to this day. That where we talk
735
00:53:43.139 --> 00:53:46.219
and that's something that I always cherish
for my experience at Lsu. But you
736
00:53:46.300 --> 00:53:50.099
had those hours. They run it
till after, you know, year two
737
00:53:50.139 --> 00:53:54.300
and three. It's it's like,
man, I can't plan anything like during
738
00:53:54.340 --> 00:53:57.929
the season. That's seven days a
week, hundred hours a week, which
739
00:53:58.690 --> 00:54:01.289
you know. You I just I
cannot be one to glorify that grind.
740
00:54:01.530 --> 00:54:06.969
You know, I've seen people say
like, you know, it doesn't matter.
741
00:54:07.090 --> 00:54:08.570
Yeah, I want to put in
this. It doesn't feel like work
742
00:54:08.570 --> 00:54:10.920
when it's, you know, what
you love and what you do and it's
743
00:54:10.920 --> 00:54:14.639
for your favorite team. I'm like, man, I'm a die hard ohsu
744
00:54:14.800 --> 00:54:17.440
Fan and and I'm working in this
dream job, this real moment. But
745
00:54:17.639 --> 00:54:23.670
like those hours just suck for anyone. Yeah, they do, you know.
746
00:54:23.789 --> 00:54:27.989
And it was just burning, burning
me out. And even in the
747
00:54:28.030 --> 00:54:30.190
offseason. You know, when I
watched that purse on branding program I was
748
00:54:30.309 --> 00:54:34.949
now one of the people on staff
who presented to recruit. So you had
749
00:54:35.309 --> 00:54:39.019
your strength training presenter, your nutrition
presenter and now you had the create a
750
00:54:39.139 --> 00:54:44.699
their visual branding presenter, and so
I was like kind of on call a
751
00:54:44.780 --> 00:54:47.139
lot of weekends, staying like,
you know, some recruits might decide during
752
00:54:47.179 --> 00:54:50.699
the week they're going to come in
and if the top guy like, we
753
00:54:50.780 --> 00:54:54.250
gotta throw everything at them. If
you know we're in competition for them.
754
00:54:54.570 --> 00:54:58.289
Sure, and so, like the
the branding thing was a huge, huge
755
00:54:58.289 --> 00:55:00.969
impact with families and players, because
at the time no one was talking about
756
00:55:00.969 --> 00:55:07.400
it, and so I just felt
like I couldn't ever like plan anything in
757
00:55:07.559 --> 00:55:10.599
my life because, you know,
I could have some plans with someone and
758
00:55:10.679 --> 00:55:14.760
then Saturday it might all get blown
up because I have to go into work
759
00:55:14.800 --> 00:55:16.639
to present to this recruit. And
not that I didn't really do like I
760
00:55:16.840 --> 00:55:21.710
enjoyed doing it. I love making
those relationships and seeing the reactions from the
761
00:55:21.789 --> 00:55:25.550
recruits and their families and like,
you know, just being legitimately or at
762
00:55:25.550 --> 00:55:30.510
least that's when I felt like I
was really impacting the recruiting prop one,
763
00:55:30.789 --> 00:55:37.860
not not myself, but like how
creative thinking and design thinking could impact the
764
00:55:37.940 --> 00:55:42.460
recruiting process, because you saw,
like people say, like Oh great,
765
00:55:42.539 --> 00:55:45.300
like you, no recruit commits off
of graphics, like why? Why do
766
00:55:45.380 --> 00:55:47.780
we play such an emphasis on graphics? And graphic designers were like recruits aren't
767
00:55:47.780 --> 00:55:51.809
committing off of the graphic, and
it's like no, of course they're not
768
00:55:51.889 --> 00:55:55.690
committing us of the soul graphic.
We're facilitators of information and we're just trying
769
00:55:55.730 --> 00:56:04.289
to make it more exciting and informative. But with presenting the recruits and pitching
770
00:56:04.360 --> 00:56:07.840
them on building their personal brands,
that was like legitimately impact and I had
771
00:56:08.440 --> 00:56:13.920
responses from families and recruits saying that, you know, that type of discussion
772
00:56:13.920 --> 00:56:16.519
and that way of thinking about,
thinking about personal branding and how that can
773
00:56:16.599 --> 00:56:21.190
go beyond the football field and beyond
the issue and the NFL. Yeah,
774
00:56:22.309 --> 00:56:25.670
maybe was a part of their decision
making process and it blew me away.
775
00:56:25.789 --> 00:56:29.349
And like that's kind of what drove
me for a while, where I was
776
00:56:29.389 --> 00:56:32.219
like man, this is this is
impactful. I feel like this is fulfilling.
777
00:56:32.860 --> 00:56:36.900
You know, I was in presentations
with the urban we we're like recruiting
778
00:56:37.019 --> 00:56:39.139
this were, this kid. At
the same time, like I'm recruiting with
779
00:56:39.179 --> 00:56:42.699
ever we are right now. Like
how surreal is that? It is,
780
00:56:44.300 --> 00:56:47.489
but you know, it just took
a toll. And like the things that
781
00:56:47.849 --> 00:56:52.010
the materials needed for those presentations and
the frequency of when they were needed.
782
00:56:52.329 --> 00:56:54.929
And on top, you know,
I put that on myself because that's what
783
00:56:54.969 --> 00:56:59.289
I wanted to do. So,
like it was no one else, that's
784
00:57:00.010 --> 00:57:02.760
no one else, you know,
to blame but myself in terms of overloading
785
00:57:04.320 --> 00:57:08.320
myself, where I had my current
duties as creative director, you know,
786
00:57:08.400 --> 00:57:14.679
overseeing all the graphics and the seasonal
style and all that and all the ten
787
00:57:14.760 --> 00:57:19.150
whole events. And on top of
that there is this recruiting, this this
788
00:57:19.309 --> 00:57:23.269
branding pitch and, yeah, it's
just it really took a toll and you
789
00:57:23.349 --> 00:57:30.059
know how just come home exhausted and
you know it. I'll be lying if
790
00:57:30.099 --> 00:57:32.739
it like, if it doesn't hurt
relationships. It's hard to not hurt relationships
791
00:57:32.820 --> 00:57:37.260
because, like my now wife,
but my girlfriend at the time, you
792
00:57:37.340 --> 00:57:40.340
know, I would wake up,
I'd see her for about ten minutes in
793
00:57:40.380 --> 00:57:45.090
the morning. She was a teacher
or she has a teacher, and that'd
794
00:57:45.090 --> 00:57:47.170
be it. I'd see her for
ten minutes morning and I come on at
795
00:57:47.210 --> 00:57:52.449
tempt him and she'd be sleeping and
then, like, I be away on
796
00:57:52.489 --> 00:57:55.050
the weekends. I would traveling with
the team, which is again another thing
797
00:57:55.090 --> 00:58:00.800
that's super exciting at first, but
even traveling takes tall. Yeah, it's
798
00:58:00.880 --> 00:58:04.760
very quick. I mean you're on
a plane on Friday, you're going there.
799
00:58:04.920 --> 00:58:07.639
There's, you know, a routine
for Friday, then there's a routine
800
00:58:07.719 --> 00:58:09.760
for Saturday and then right after the
game ends, and most of the time
801
00:58:09.840 --> 00:58:14.070
our games ended at night, we're
flying back to Columbus. It's three am
802
00:58:14.110 --> 00:58:15.110
and then we got to be in
the office of tenny on the following day
803
00:58:15.150 --> 00:58:21.070
and it's man, yeah, can
I get up breath right? Yeah,
804
00:58:21.110 --> 00:58:24.670
there's yeah, I feel it.
I feel this, you know, like
805
00:58:24.789 --> 00:58:29.900
deep down, like this is what
I do want to say. It was
806
00:58:29.980 --> 00:58:34.539
all very exciting, like it is
no regret now, and I loved all
807
00:58:34.739 --> 00:58:38.539
the staff and like the staff,
the staff and I'll say made it bearable
808
00:58:38.739 --> 00:58:42.170
to yeah, that, because everyone's
going through it and it's like, you
809
00:58:42.250 --> 00:58:45.170
know, it sucks, because I
don't think like the culture should be like,
810
00:58:45.289 --> 00:58:46.969
you know, everyone doing it,
everyone paying their dues and grinding whatever.
811
00:58:47.210 --> 00:58:51.170
Yeah, but you know, everyone
understood and everyone, you know,
812
00:58:51.289 --> 00:58:54.329
vented to each other about it.
We all knew the hours were great,
813
00:58:54.690 --> 00:58:59.960
sure for for work life balance,
but it's just, it's how it is.
814
00:59:00.159 --> 00:59:04.000
So, yeah, you know,
it's just a culture thing. Do
815
00:59:04.079 --> 00:59:06.719
you think that? Do you think
getting a little deep here, but do
816
00:59:06.760 --> 00:59:15.349
you think that'll ever change? I
want to say yes, because of what
817
00:59:15.510 --> 00:59:19.550
has happened in two thousand and twenty. I mean ultimately, when when everyone
818
00:59:19.670 --> 00:59:22.110
starts going back to the facilities and
everything, you know, maybe it's a
819
00:59:22.150 --> 00:59:25.780
couple of years down the road when
there's when it's a little bit more towards
820
00:59:25.940 --> 00:59:31.460
normalcy, because I don't know when
that will actually look like, but I
821
00:59:31.579 --> 00:59:35.260
think you know what two thousand and
twenty has shown, just from a working
822
00:59:35.380 --> 00:59:38.409
standpoint is that a lot of tasks
and we can be done remote and then
823
00:59:38.730 --> 00:59:45.010
you don't have to like I understand
being there in person and the instant communication
824
00:59:45.170 --> 00:59:50.130
there is advantageous. But you know, we have digital tools nowadays and everyone's
825
00:59:50.130 --> 00:59:53.960
used to these to zoom calls and
digital tools that can help, you know,
826
00:59:54.079 --> 00:59:59.360
achieve the same type of tasks that
you're doing in house in the workplace.
827
00:59:59.400 --> 00:60:02.239
I mean I do everything for every
client I have, you know,
828
00:60:02.719 --> 00:60:07.230
in my house. So like and
I and I only I expressed that to
829
00:60:07.349 --> 00:60:10.989
issue that, like you know,
I didn't express it like saying I want
830
00:60:10.989 --> 00:60:14.469
to work remote, but I was
just saying, you know, there's times
831
00:60:14.510 --> 00:60:16.710
of like maybe I don't need to
be in the office that late because if
832
00:60:16.750 --> 00:60:20.070
there is a task that comes up, you know, I can do it
833
00:60:20.150 --> 00:60:22.099
at home. I have a computer, I have the software, I have
834
00:60:22.179 --> 00:60:24.980
the resources. So maybe with two
thousand and twenty we do see a change.
835
00:60:24.980 --> 00:60:28.940
So where you know the hours,
and I also know it's not like
836
00:60:29.179 --> 00:60:34.659
that everywhere. Like coaches, hours
mean are different everywhere you go, because
837
00:60:34.699 --> 00:60:37.690
I talked with people who don't do
that kind of work, even if they
838
00:60:37.730 --> 00:60:40.250
work for the football team. In
terms of the hours, but maybe with
839
00:60:40.329 --> 00:60:44.889
two thousand and twenty, seeing how
things can be done remote and virtual and
840
00:60:45.730 --> 00:60:49.010
you don't always have to be in
house and in the office, maybe things
841
00:60:49.050 --> 00:60:52.199
do change. Yeah, I hope
so. You know, and I help
842
00:60:52.239 --> 00:60:55.880
people. Are People under and as
we go back, that it's different.
843
00:60:57.199 --> 00:60:59.960
You know, in this is it's
a different world. Ever, races the
844
00:61:00.000 --> 00:61:01.320
new normal, and it's true that
there's going to be a new normal.
845
00:61:01.360 --> 00:61:06.469
We have no idea what that's going
to be, but hopefully it helps,
846
00:61:06.670 --> 00:61:09.389
you know, get us to a
point where we feel like that in the
847
00:61:09.469 --> 00:61:15.630
midst of something that we can stop
or in the midst of some anxiety or
848
00:61:15.909 --> 00:61:19.099
some panic, that we can just
stop and you know, nobody's judging you
849
00:61:19.619 --> 00:61:22.099
for doing that. If that's one
of the good things that comes out of
850
00:61:22.179 --> 00:61:25.219
this, then I think we're in
a much, much better place. Yeah,
851
00:61:25.340 --> 00:61:28.860
now you brought a really good point
that it's going to hit on in
852
00:61:28.940 --> 00:61:31.579
terms. So, like I do, I get like pretty bad anxiety and
853
00:61:31.889 --> 00:61:36.210
time to time, especially the all
expectations. It's work, you know,
854
00:61:36.809 --> 00:61:40.090
being creative. It's just it's it's
tough to you know, thinking through things
855
00:61:40.130 --> 00:61:44.289
and when the work's not know where
you want it. You just you want
856
00:61:44.329 --> 00:61:46.400
to get it to where you're confident
and anxiety can hit. So I get
857
00:61:46.440 --> 00:61:52.639
anxiety pretty often and it's something that
I've been like trying to work on.
858
00:61:52.800 --> 00:61:55.960
But in the workplace, working for
the football team, you know really and
859
00:61:57.159 --> 00:61:59.599
you even at the start up.
It was no different at the start up,
860
00:61:59.639 --> 00:62:05.590
where you feel this anxiety and I
don't know how to strip it,
861
00:62:05.710 --> 00:62:13.710
just kind of like this you're kind
of hesitant to like leave the workplace when
862
00:62:13.750 --> 00:62:17.260
everyone else is still there, whether
even if it's like a doctor's appointment or
863
00:62:17.460 --> 00:62:21.980
like you got to go do laundry
at home. Yeah, you just feel
864
00:62:22.099 --> 00:62:23.940
like you know everyone else is here
and that you're going to be like looked
865
00:62:23.980 --> 00:62:28.699
down upon, and it's like frowned
upon for leaving to where you're like kind
866
00:62:28.699 --> 00:62:30.929
of free. knowers, like I
need to go, but like everyone else
867
00:62:30.969 --> 00:62:32.369
is still here and you're just kind
of like playing this waiting game because,
868
00:62:32.409 --> 00:62:36.369
like sometimes I don't see you.
Were like playing the waiting game to see
869
00:62:36.409 --> 00:62:39.849
like when the coach is league absolutely
and it's like and because like if you
870
00:62:39.969 --> 00:62:44.840
leave and everyone sees you leave,
then you feel like crap. Yeah,
871
00:62:45.280 --> 00:62:49.639
it goes like Sam even early again. Yeah, ground with everyone else and
872
00:62:49.639 --> 00:62:54.840
it's like it's that that culture called
the must be nice culture, where everybody
873
00:62:55.000 --> 00:62:59.070
says, Oh, must be nice. I mean I went through that and
874
00:62:59.309 --> 00:63:01.590
every single place that I've worked,
you know, thankfully not here. We
875
00:63:01.909 --> 00:63:06.070
very much value that, but we're
still start up and so it's a lot
876
00:63:06.110 --> 00:63:08.469
of pressure that comes along with it
and anxiety. But yeah, the must
877
00:63:08.469 --> 00:63:12.510
be a nice culture. Honestly,
if we could do away with one thing,
878
00:63:12.710 --> 00:63:15.500
it's getting rid of the must be
nice culture, you know, because
879
00:63:15.619 --> 00:63:19.059
to each his own and and everybody
has theirs. Yeah, you never case,
880
00:63:19.380 --> 00:63:22.219
yeah, you don't. You really
don't know what anybody's going through.
881
00:63:22.300 --> 00:63:27.730
And and you know, speaking of
that, how was your mental health during
882
00:63:27.769 --> 00:63:30.650
this time where you were just,
you know, you were living literally the
883
00:63:30.809 --> 00:63:37.170
gridelfe that that people, that people
can glamorize. Yeah, I mean,
884
00:63:37.050 --> 00:63:42.599
you know, starting off it was
great, it was exciting. I mean
885
00:63:42.679 --> 00:63:45.119
even like towards and it still was
exciting. Like I'll still get, I'll
886
00:63:45.159 --> 00:63:50.960
still doing things that were fulfilling and
gratifying and like, you know, releasing
887
00:63:51.000 --> 00:63:57.030
those the the the reward triggers to
kind of help cope with that. But
888
00:63:57.150 --> 00:64:00.510
yeah, in terms of, you
know, the mental health at aspect where,
889
00:64:00.710 --> 00:64:06.110
like the work life balance was really
lopsided and the life part was getting
890
00:64:08.230 --> 00:64:13.179
very stressful just, you know,
personal things going on and also just like
891
00:64:13.340 --> 00:64:17.460
not having time to really like,
you know, help them and help them
892
00:64:17.579 --> 00:64:21.940
grow and like be fulfilling on that
and as well to where, you know,
893
00:64:23.019 --> 00:64:28.530
it recent point to where I sought
after a therapist, and that was
894
00:64:28.570 --> 00:64:31.050
a lot of different factors, a
lot of different events happening to lead up
895
00:64:32.289 --> 00:64:39.000
where, you know, my like
sixteen year old steff would probably be like,
896
00:64:39.320 --> 00:64:41.800
why are you doing this? You're
not like a crazy person, because
897
00:64:42.159 --> 00:64:45.119
you know, growing up that's kind
of the stigma you received from like the
898
00:64:45.199 --> 00:64:48.920
entertainment industry, where like go get
your head shrunk at a psychologist exactly,
899
00:64:49.280 --> 00:64:54.110
or at a Bi a psychologist.
But that's, you know, far from
900
00:64:54.190 --> 00:65:00.550
what actually happens to and you know, I still see a therapist because it's
901
00:65:00.190 --> 00:65:06.340
nice to have an unbiased party of
any type of situation or event to just
902
00:65:06.539 --> 00:65:11.699
talk through things with, and here, you know, a different you know,
903
00:65:11.860 --> 00:65:20.139
different perspectives, professional opinions and maybe
diagnosis, and it's just someone you
904
00:65:20.219 --> 00:65:24.329
know. It's nice to have someone
to talk to, someone who's not like
905
00:65:25.369 --> 00:65:29.090
you're not in anyone's corn or they're
just there to listen and offer in sending
906
00:65:29.250 --> 00:65:32.610
perspectives that you might not have thought
about, you know, because, like
907
00:65:32.730 --> 00:65:39.199
maybe you know you're sacrificing your mental
health enough to wear your judgments cloudy and
908
00:65:39.239 --> 00:65:43.159
your thought process is cloudy and you're
just not really seeing it from all the
909
00:65:43.199 --> 00:65:48.519
different angles. Yeah, so that
was a big way to help cope with
910
00:65:48.599 --> 00:65:54.389
stress and anxiety, even now,
with with going independent, in the stress
911
00:65:54.429 --> 00:65:59.429
and anxiety of generating your own income
every month. You know that it's a
912
00:65:59.590 --> 00:66:01.989
huge growing pain of you know,
I remember leaving those you and like looking
913
00:66:01.989 --> 00:66:05.860
at like what I made at os
you every month and being like shit,
914
00:66:06.099 --> 00:66:09.619
like, yeah, how do I
make this every month? Break How do
915
00:66:09.659 --> 00:66:14.019
I sell this amount of work consistently? You know, you don't have that
916
00:66:14.099 --> 00:66:17.610
stable page like anymore. So,
yeah, it really helped and I mean
917
00:66:17.650 --> 00:66:24.050
I also took upon I don't do
this off I wish I could. My
918
00:66:24.170 --> 00:66:28.409
goal is to get into a routine
to where I can start meditating frequently,
919
00:66:29.769 --> 00:66:33.079
where meditations helped, to just breathing
exercises. I mean, I work out
920
00:66:33.119 --> 00:66:36.639
with my wife every day and some
of our workouts are yoga and that,
921
00:66:36.840 --> 00:66:40.639
like I mean working out. It's
really helpful with stress, yeah, relief
922
00:66:40.719 --> 00:66:45.159
and anxiety. But yeah, something
I really want to get more into is
923
00:66:45.280 --> 00:66:47.989
as meditation, as I hear a
lot of people gravitate towards that, and
924
00:66:48.269 --> 00:66:55.630
it's really helpful when it becomes routine, yeah, and a common practice versus
925
00:66:55.829 --> 00:67:21.610
something that you do like just when
these episodes appear. There was one thing
926
00:67:23.570 --> 00:67:28.570
that you could say to somebody listening
right now? Who's WHO's who's in that
927
00:67:28.730 --> 00:67:32.079
position where they're feeling it and they're
not sure what to do or they feel
928
00:67:32.079 --> 00:67:35.800
like they don't, you know,
want to go to therapy, or maybe
929
00:67:35.840 --> 00:67:40.199
they can't afford to go to therapy. Sure, what is? What is
930
00:67:40.360 --> 00:67:45.389
one like one thing that helps you
get through the really hard times? Right
931
00:67:45.429 --> 00:67:50.429
now? It's really, you know, it's talking with people, it's it's,
932
00:67:50.750 --> 00:67:57.710
you know, not being afraid.
I had always she always had like
933
00:67:57.710 --> 00:68:00.780
a mindset just I just wanted to
like do everything myself. For some reason,
934
00:68:00.900 --> 00:68:04.099
it wasn't like I didn't I don't
know if it wasn't like I didn't
935
00:68:04.139 --> 00:68:06.820
trust the US to like do certain
tasks, but like I just wanted it
936
00:68:06.900 --> 00:68:10.980
to all like know that it's on
the right track and like I want to
937
00:68:11.019 --> 00:68:14.730
do this and like, even if
it's the smallest task, that like where,
938
00:68:15.170 --> 00:68:16.369
you know, I could rely on
my intern to help with it,
939
00:68:16.489 --> 00:68:18.970
but like my intern has his own
task and I don't, you know,
940
00:68:19.050 --> 00:68:23.970
I'm and that's that was a whole
other thing management, getting into a position
941
00:68:24.050 --> 00:68:28.479
of actual management, because, like
sometimes you see titles that are like misleading
942
00:68:28.800 --> 00:68:33.399
in the sports industry. But like
when you're actually managing people, and I
943
00:68:33.439 --> 00:68:36.840
didn't manage many at a she's,
I can imagine people who've managed, you
944
00:68:36.920 --> 00:68:42.989
know, big teams or even like
CEO's of the company, because that's a
945
00:68:43.069 --> 00:68:47.390
whole other stress and anxiety of managing
people and, you know, Egos and
946
00:68:47.470 --> 00:68:54.229
expectations and making sure you have that
emotional intelligence to you know, not the
947
00:68:54.430 --> 00:68:58.899
real and individual rather motivated than inspire
them exactly. But yeah, not.
948
00:68:59.300 --> 00:69:02.779
My message is don't be afraid to
reach out for help. You don't have
949
00:69:02.859 --> 00:69:06.659
to do everything on your own.
You don't have to figure everything else or
950
00:69:06.739 --> 00:69:11.170
you don't have to figure out everything
on your own. You know, if
951
00:69:11.170 --> 00:69:14.689
you are super stressed and you feel
anxiety, like I don't really feel this
952
00:69:14.770 --> 00:69:17.090
type of stress and anxiety in college. So, like for anyone who's like
953
00:69:17.170 --> 00:69:20.130
younger listening like it. It can
happen, especially when you get older and
954
00:69:20.329 --> 00:69:25.479
responsibilities pile up and just have a
lot more bagage and things to think about,
955
00:69:26.760 --> 00:69:29.600
you know, and just huge life
decisions where, like, you know,
956
00:69:29.720 --> 00:69:32.399
you're not making really those in college
or maybe even when you're first starting
957
00:69:32.399 --> 00:69:38.119
off, you know, in your
in a fulltime job. But reaching out
958
00:69:38.279 --> 00:69:41.989
for help and just having a kind
of a team of support people that you
959
00:69:42.189 --> 00:69:47.270
can lean on during stressful and,
you know, anxiety riddled times. You
960
00:69:47.350 --> 00:69:50.229
know, I lean on my felt
lean on my family a lot. I
961
00:69:50.350 --> 00:69:56.260
have my core friends that I lean
on, even just to them. You
962
00:69:56.340 --> 00:69:59.579
know, there's core creatives. I
mean we're in we're in a creative group
963
00:69:59.699 --> 00:70:03.100
together. Slack groups were like,
you know, sometimes you use got event
964
00:70:03.460 --> 00:70:06.210
throughout the day and they might,
you know, you might not have met
965
00:70:06.289 --> 00:70:12.210
people in person, but like,
you know, they talking with people who
966
00:70:12.529 --> 00:70:14.850
can relate and understand. You know, me event, thinking about like a
967
00:70:14.890 --> 00:70:17.729
hundred hour work weeks. Yeah,
working in sports to someone who is in
968
00:70:17.890 --> 00:70:21.960
Goten, like in the trenches like
that. You know, they might be
969
00:70:23.159 --> 00:70:28.479
great for like a different perspective,
but you know from an understanding standpoint.
970
00:70:29.760 --> 00:70:32.920
You know, try and find some
people who who might be going through something
971
00:70:33.039 --> 00:70:39.590
similar, who are in like the
same field and whatnot, because they can
972
00:70:39.630 --> 00:70:45.189
understand and they can relate and they
might have, you know, experiences and
973
00:70:45.829 --> 00:70:48.630
coping mechanisms that's that have helped them
that you might have not have thought about.
974
00:70:49.020 --> 00:70:53.859
Yeah, that's and you nail it
on the head there. I think
975
00:70:54.020 --> 00:71:01.380
it's it. Along with the talking
to people comes breaking the stigmas around a
976
00:71:01.500 --> 00:71:08.489
mental health and and depression and anxiety
and and sometimes people don't don't, you
977
00:71:08.529 --> 00:71:12.689
know, aren't open enough or aren't
at a place where they can really talk
978
00:71:12.729 --> 00:71:16.409
to people. But you know,
I think they're there because they're sometimes become
979
00:71:16.529 --> 00:71:21.079
some passive aggressive send it or or
you you put too much on one person
980
00:71:21.119 --> 00:71:28.359
and compassion fatigue sets in. But
I think that people there's you know,
981
00:71:28.359 --> 00:71:30.119
if there's one thing that I can
say, that we've said it a lot
982
00:71:30.239 --> 00:71:33.470
on a lot of these calls and
a lot of these slacks and in a
983
00:71:33.510 --> 00:71:38.949
lot of these podcast episode, is
that you know, there are people here
984
00:71:38.989 --> 00:71:42.789
who are willing to listen, you
know, and they may not have the
985
00:71:42.909 --> 00:71:46.500
solutions, but sometimes all you need
is that that person to to hear you
986
00:71:46.619 --> 00:71:50.579
out and then you're going to feel
a lot better for it. So,
987
00:71:50.899 --> 00:71:56.020
yeah, absolutely well said there,
and I think a lot of people are
988
00:71:56.060 --> 00:72:00.460
probably going to ask this question or
have this question, because I've seen it
989
00:72:00.539 --> 00:72:04.810
a lot as well. Leaving Sports, leaving, you know, that security,
990
00:72:05.090 --> 00:72:10.130
which really really is fairly security,
I guess, until this year.
991
00:72:11.890 --> 00:72:15.359
You know, what is it one
of the highlights for you of owning your
992
00:72:15.359 --> 00:72:21.439
own business in being able to really
kind of set your hours, set your
993
00:72:21.520 --> 00:72:27.760
time, report to yourself? What's
the one of the pluses in your life
994
00:72:27.840 --> 00:72:32.510
that's come out of that? It's
definitely just been the work life balance,
995
00:72:33.189 --> 00:72:38.029
the relationships that I can focus on
that, you know, might have gotten
996
00:72:38.149 --> 00:72:44.539
maybe damaged or maybe put on the
back burner just working in an environment that
997
00:72:44.899 --> 00:72:50.380
that was hard to know, pour
myself into those relationships, so being able
998
00:72:50.420 --> 00:72:55.739
to like rekindle those and also,
you know, my relationship with my now
999
00:72:55.899 --> 00:73:01.170
wife, Samantha, you know,
being able to pour into her and you
1000
00:73:01.289 --> 00:73:05.770
know, yeah, like you said, that is the number one thing we're
1001
00:73:05.850 --> 00:73:11.329
have. Working your own hours,
setting your own time, clocking and when,
1002
00:73:11.609 --> 00:73:14.760
clocking in and out whenever you want. That's unmatched. Like once you
1003
00:73:14.840 --> 00:73:18.239
get a taste of that and I've
had creatives reach out to me to work,
1004
00:73:19.600 --> 00:73:25.399
you know, in in house for
teams and they're like wow, like
1005
00:73:25.560 --> 00:73:29.350
this is what normal feels like,
you know, because it's because when they
1006
00:73:29.430 --> 00:73:31.390
transition the virtual it was more like
a nine hundred and twenty five or like
1007
00:73:31.510 --> 00:73:36.430
a kind of do whatever. Whenever
you're you're done with your daily tasks,
1008
00:73:36.430 --> 00:73:40.550
so you can end work. And
yeah, maybe that is only like four
1009
00:73:40.590 --> 00:73:43.180
or five hours of work a day. You know, I try to keep
1010
00:73:43.220 --> 00:73:45.220
a traditional like eight hours, but
you know, maybe I only need to
1011
00:73:45.380 --> 00:73:50.260
work on stuff like four hours and
the rest is is devoted to like business
1012
00:73:50.340 --> 00:73:55.100
development or researching things. And,
you know, where you're not completely burning
1013
00:73:55.140 --> 00:74:00.090
yourself as out as a creative,
where it's like this this constant churning of
1014
00:74:00.210 --> 00:74:03.930
content and like reinventing, trying to
reinvent the wheel or you know. But
1015
00:74:04.010 --> 00:74:10.479
yeah, it's unmatched to work your
own hours and, you know, also
1016
00:74:11.239 --> 00:74:15.079
choosing, you know, projects,
if you're in a position to where you
1017
00:74:15.119 --> 00:74:19.079
do get some some a consistent work
and you put yourself in a position where
1018
00:74:19.119 --> 00:74:23.119
you can pick and choose what you're
working on. So like, you know,
1019
00:74:23.239 --> 00:74:26.109
all the things that you kind of
cringed about when you get them handed
1020
00:74:26.149 --> 00:74:30.069
down from superiors and other departments.
When working in the house, you can
1021
00:74:30.109 --> 00:74:35.630
have the ability to say no,
like I was asked to do like a
1022
00:74:35.710 --> 00:74:39.939
bunch of recruiting content, like,
you know, like using the actually like
1023
00:74:40.020 --> 00:74:45.460
recruits images and like headed swaps,
and I was just like now I need
1024
00:74:45.539 --> 00:74:46.979
to take a break from that.
You get on that stuff where, like
1025
00:74:47.060 --> 00:74:49.619
if I was at OSD, I
can't, can't just be like Nope,
1026
00:74:49.619 --> 00:74:53.689
I good, and I'm going to
be like yeah, well, I mean
1027
00:74:53.850 --> 00:74:57.170
you're fired. Yeah, he went. We're good too. Yeah, yeah,
1028
00:74:57.210 --> 00:75:00.369
we're good, but not like you
can just be like no, yeah,
1029
00:75:00.890 --> 00:75:03.569
so, yeah, being able to
kind of like work on on what
1030
00:75:03.689 --> 00:75:09.800
you feel like will help you what
you get most excited about. Another thing
1031
00:75:09.840 --> 00:75:15.520
is it's really really expedited creative growth, just working on a variety of projects.
1032
00:75:15.680 --> 00:75:19.359
You know, I would say probably
like ninety percent of my clients and
1033
00:75:19.680 --> 00:75:24.109
types of projects are still sports related. So I still in like I feel
1034
00:75:24.109 --> 00:75:26.949
like I'm still in the sports industry, whether it's you know, I do
1035
00:75:27.109 --> 00:75:29.789
work for Arizon a state, I
did work for Syracuse. I've been working
1036
00:75:29.829 --> 00:75:32.989
at NHL, the MLB, bunch
of different sport on and even like personal
1037
00:75:33.069 --> 00:75:36.500
trainers. No, former professional athlete
who once your own business. Yeah,
1038
00:75:36.539 --> 00:75:43.180
we've reached out to build brand identities
and content clintones around it. That's been
1039
00:75:43.300 --> 00:75:46.619
really exciting because I've gotten so many
different types of projects thrown on my plate
1040
00:75:47.460 --> 00:75:51.250
that I probably wouldn't have at Osue, you know, like like package some
1041
00:75:51.449 --> 00:75:57.369
like package design, which is kind
of my world's colliding, like worlds and
1042
00:75:57.529 --> 00:76:01.729
industried, like threedimensional industrial product design
and then graphic design. So you know,
1043
00:76:01.810 --> 00:76:04.640
that's something I would never really work
on a dosue because there's just really
1044
00:76:04.800 --> 00:76:10.920
was in a task that needed it
or that you were involved with. So
1045
00:76:11.239 --> 00:76:15.680
it's been just that type of a
ray of projects as also been super fulfilling.
1046
00:76:17.199 --> 00:76:19.750
But yeah, work in your own
hours. It is so hard to
1047
00:76:19.829 --> 00:76:25.750
beat that. Like I've gotten reached
out about different opportunities to go back in
1048
00:76:25.829 --> 00:76:30.470
the house at different places, and
I some of them sound really attractive and
1049
00:76:30.510 --> 00:76:32.180
maybe five years ago I would have. It would have been a no brainer,
1050
00:76:32.260 --> 00:76:35.020
but now it's like I don't know
if I could go back into that
1051
00:76:35.220 --> 00:76:40.420
setting and like have someone that I'm
reporting to and, you know, making
1052
00:76:40.460 --> 00:76:45.180
sure that I'm like where I need
to be even if I don't necessarily need
1053
00:76:45.220 --> 00:76:48.409
to be there. It's so hard
to beat I don't know if I could
1054
00:76:48.409 --> 00:76:54.250
ever get back into it. Yeah, I've said that so many times,
1055
00:76:54.369 --> 00:76:58.369
like I don't, don't know that
I could ever go back, and that's
1056
00:76:58.409 --> 00:77:01.439
not taking away from anything. People
ask me no on a consistent basis.
1057
00:77:01.600 --> 00:77:04.800
Yeah, yeah, yeah, absolutely, and people ask me all the time
1058
00:77:05.039 --> 00:77:09.840
like would you go back? Or
what do you miss? Or do you
1059
00:77:09.960 --> 00:77:14.279
miss shooting, you know, and
I say no, I don't really miss
1060
00:77:14.279 --> 00:77:18.069
shooting because I'm still I'm still scratching
my creative bitch on a daily basis and
1061
00:77:18.590 --> 00:77:21.029
but now I can do it I
want to do and learder what I want
1062
00:77:21.069 --> 00:77:26.350
to learn. But I miss the
people, you know, and I miss
1063
00:77:26.470 --> 00:77:30.020
I think we all miss the people
right now, as we're working from home.
1064
00:77:30.140 --> 00:77:33.659
It's one thing to go chill in
a group and, you know,
1065
00:77:33.819 --> 00:77:38.619
have a pot luck in the middle
of the day in the office, you
1066
00:77:38.739 --> 00:77:43.460
know, and there's just nothing that
can compare with that. Or just do,
1067
00:77:43.659 --> 00:77:47.529
you know, shut the door and
have some event with you and and
1068
00:77:47.609 --> 00:77:51.810
then, you know, being around
the the war of the crowd and those
1069
00:77:51.810 --> 00:77:56.090
endorphins that come along with that,
with the you know, and especially with
1070
00:77:56.210 --> 00:77:59.640
you guys, a hundred, tenzero
people every Saturday, you know, and
1071
00:77:59.720 --> 00:78:03.399
it's like nothing compared to that.
But in the same sense, nothing compares
1072
00:78:03.520 --> 00:78:12.159
to having checking literally checking out if
you want to, at five and and
1073
00:78:13.229 --> 00:78:16.310
in not checking back in until Monday
morning. Right. You know, there's
1074
00:78:16.390 --> 00:78:21.630
there's there's there's nothing better than that
feeling, you know, of kind of
1075
00:78:21.750 --> 00:78:27.069
having that and still knowing that you
know, things are taken care of.
1076
00:78:28.340 --> 00:78:30.979
Yeah, and you know you brought
up, you know, the counter to
1077
00:78:30.100 --> 00:78:32.939
this, the tradeoff, you know, the bay want, the big growing
1078
00:78:33.020 --> 00:78:38.180
pains, you outside of like,
you know, making sure that that cash
1079
00:78:38.220 --> 00:78:42.770
flow and finances are in our stable
every month and growing. It's it's,
1080
00:78:43.369 --> 00:78:48.010
you know, yeah, it's the
people. It's the collaboration, it's sitting
1081
00:78:48.010 --> 00:78:50.729
next to someone where you can bounce
ideas off of instantly. And I mean
1082
00:78:51.130 --> 00:78:54.609
you can technically do that working from
home, but it's not the same in
1083
00:78:54.810 --> 00:78:57.840
person. You know. It's not
like you got to call up someone make
1084
00:78:57.840 --> 00:79:03.520
sure they're available. But yeah,
I'm really missed that collaborative environment, the
1085
00:79:03.640 --> 00:79:10.869
brainstorming of content with multiple people versus
just like kind of me trying to kind
1086
00:79:10.869 --> 00:79:13.869
of do a lot on my own
right now. Yeah, and yeah,
1087
00:79:14.069 --> 00:79:18.350
just being around people. And Yeah, I absolutely miss being around the team
1088
00:79:18.350 --> 00:79:24.659
and sharing the you know, the
rewards of successful season. You know,
1089
00:79:24.699 --> 00:79:28.579
I remember watching the big ten championship
on my couch and like gearing up a
1090
00:79:28.619 --> 00:79:31.380
little bit because, like, I
see, you know, all these people
1091
00:79:31.460 --> 00:79:35.659
have relationships with, you know,
hoisting the trophy. I remember just I
1092
00:79:35.659 --> 00:79:39.930
remember being there and being like,
because I did game day photography and that's
1093
00:79:39.930 --> 00:79:42.569
something I don't do that at all
anymore. Is You know, I like
1094
00:79:42.729 --> 00:79:45.489
you. You know you you want
to pick up a new skill, go
1095
00:79:45.649 --> 00:79:47.409
and do it. So I picked
up a camera one time and just started
1096
00:79:47.449 --> 00:79:51.050
doing it. Yeah, and there
is that is an unmatch feeling, as
1097
00:79:51.090 --> 00:79:57.760
well as the excitement of hundred thousand
roaring fans traveling to different stadiums get heckled
1098
00:79:58.039 --> 00:80:02.840
and and, you know, just
just being around the team. And it's
1099
00:80:02.960 --> 00:80:06.989
something that I'll forever cherish and you
definitely take it for granted, because I
1100
00:80:08.189 --> 00:80:13.310
remember going back to a house stadium
after leaving and watching a game as a
1101
00:80:13.470 --> 00:80:17.470
fan and as I definitely missed tailgating. I love tailgating, but you know,
1102
00:80:17.590 --> 00:80:21.659
being in the stands versus on the
field is like, man, it's
1103
00:80:21.699 --> 00:80:51.159
just not the same. So two
more questions. Is We kind of as
1104
00:80:51.239 --> 00:80:55.159
we kind of wrapping up the one
of the question that I asked everybody.
1105
00:80:56.279 --> 00:81:01.319
What's the one thing if you could
go back and to your childhood any point
1106
00:81:01.359 --> 00:81:05.590
and have a chat with the younger
Sammy, what's the one piece of advice
1107
00:81:05.789 --> 00:81:14.949
you would give to him? Oh
Man, great, great question. I
1108
00:81:14.989 --> 00:81:18.899
feel like I need two answers.
One short and quick. Don't stop drawing,
1109
00:81:20.460 --> 00:81:25.579
like don't start. Stop Drawing,
because that is a skill like working
1110
00:81:25.659 --> 00:81:28.859
out to when when you stop,
it takes a while to get back up
1111
00:81:28.859 --> 00:81:35.850
to speed and it can be quite
frustrating. If that's any one. I
1112
00:81:35.930 --> 00:81:44.569
would also tell myself to be patient, because you can get into a very
1113
00:81:44.850 --> 00:81:50.920
toxic comparative mindset where you see your
peers, people who might be of the
1114
00:81:50.960 --> 00:81:57.039
same age, or maybe you feel
like you you do you know, maybe
1115
00:81:57.079 --> 00:82:01.069
you do feel you better work than
someone who is above you. And just
1116
00:82:01.229 --> 00:82:04.590
be patient, because things do have
a way of working like good work and
1117
00:82:04.670 --> 00:82:12.310
good people will outshine anything and they
will end up being discovered. And that's
1118
00:82:12.350 --> 00:82:15.500
not to say don't take initiative,
because that's another thing. Take Initiative.
1119
00:82:16.420 --> 00:82:20.060
It takes a lot of courage to
do that. But take the initiative to
1120
00:82:20.140 --> 00:82:25.100
do things. Don't wait around being
told, you know. Yeah, you
1121
00:82:25.300 --> 00:82:30.250
just just do it, as Mike
you would say. So, yeah,
1122
00:82:30.609 --> 00:82:36.770
it's it's be patient, but also
take initiative and just don't wait around because,
1123
00:82:39.289 --> 00:82:43.689
like you said it, there's something
be said about when you see someone
1124
00:82:45.359 --> 00:82:48.720
not waiting around and bringing the ideas
to you, because you see the drive
1125
00:82:48.840 --> 00:82:55.760
in the passion and the motivation behind
it, and that kind of confidence and
1126
00:82:56.560 --> 00:82:59.670
even courage could be contagious to wear. Like yeah, I'm pitching her Myre,
1127
00:82:59.789 --> 00:83:01.109
like he's fired up. He's fired
up that, I'm fired up.
1128
00:83:01.229 --> 00:83:03.750
Yeah, you know, Yep,
that like, yeah, I mean,
1129
00:83:03.789 --> 00:83:06.029
I know I might not get this, but like, I'm going to try
1130
00:83:06.630 --> 00:83:11.189
and like his whole thing is like
going down swinging. Yeah, you got
1131
00:83:11.350 --> 00:83:15.100
to, you got to. Well, you you brought it up one last
1132
00:83:15.140 --> 00:83:17.300
time here. What's so? I
got to ask, what's the favorite,
1133
00:83:18.619 --> 00:83:24.739
your biggest find in the shoe game, on on on, on stock acts
1134
00:83:25.060 --> 00:83:29.890
or wherever you've got. What's the
one that you just will never ever get
1135
00:83:29.930 --> 00:83:35.649
rid of? Man, I can't
believe you just ask me. Well,
1136
00:83:35.810 --> 00:83:40.970
there's a few. So because this
is that's a very loaded question, it
1137
00:83:41.170 --> 00:83:46.840
is. So let me dial it
back. So the most special pair I
1138
00:83:46.920 --> 00:83:56.550
have are these all white collaboration between
Nike and the fasting company, off white.
1139
00:83:58.270 --> 00:84:02.869
So they're the awfulhite vapor maxes,
and I didn't necessarily get my hands
1140
00:84:02.949 --> 00:84:13.180
on them unfortunate circumstances happened where my
wife's brother passed away unexpectedly last year.
1141
00:84:15.180 --> 00:84:18.699
So this is no, is by
no means glorifying this. This shoe is
1142
00:84:19.140 --> 00:84:24.729
my own, but rather a piece
it. This these this pair of shoes,
1143
00:84:24.770 --> 00:84:28.449
where were his, along with a
lot of other because he was a
1144
00:84:28.449 --> 00:84:31.890
big sneakerhead as well. Yeah,
a lot of others were bestowed to me,
1145
00:84:33.250 --> 00:84:38.569
which I cherished, because it's an
honor to to even have them,
1146
00:84:40.039 --> 00:84:42.960
and so I all the was ones
near and deer to my heart, because
1147
00:84:43.239 --> 00:84:49.760
it's a constant reminder of him,
of Michael. And outside of that,
1148
00:84:49.920 --> 00:84:55.029
in terms of the ones that I
actually do own, I got super lucky
1149
00:84:55.109 --> 00:85:00.710
one day. So, like at
Osu, because actually there's another. Another
1150
00:85:00.750 --> 00:85:03.670
good unsolicited advice is make your goals
known in the work office. Yes,
1151
00:85:03.789 --> 00:85:08.739
in the workplace, because you know
people aren't going to know. And why
1152
00:85:08.779 --> 00:85:11.619
I say that, as like when
I first got those issue, I told
1153
00:85:11.739 --> 00:85:15.819
everyone I wanted to work for Nike
and I was obsessed with Nike, and
1154
00:85:15.859 --> 00:85:18.420
I'd come in with different pairs of
sues every day and I would get shoes
1155
00:85:18.659 --> 00:85:21.890
sent to me at the facility of
like I mean when I was working there
1156
00:85:23.170 --> 00:85:25.930
for fifteen hours a day, like
it made sense for them to get sent
1157
00:85:26.050 --> 00:85:30.130
to the facility versus my house.
So I would get like a pair of
1158
00:85:30.250 --> 00:85:32.890
week or maybe a couple pairs of
a week. Not Not saying they're all
1159
00:85:32.930 --> 00:85:39.840
super expensive or anything. Yeah,
but you know, the Eq you guys
1160
00:85:40.640 --> 00:85:43.359
would mess with me because I would
get so many shoe packages to wear.
1161
00:85:43.439 --> 00:85:46.479
Like there is one time where they
open them up and they put a different
1162
00:85:46.520 --> 00:85:51.069
pair of shoes in the box and
it was like like some some like Nike
1163
00:85:51.229 --> 00:85:55.430
monarchs, you know, like the
typical voute yeah, which is actually the
1164
00:85:55.470 --> 00:86:01.109
best selling Nikey shoe, it is, and they they like give me the
1165
00:86:01.189 --> 00:86:04.859
box and I open it and he's
just like standing there. I was like
1166
00:86:05.699 --> 00:86:10.979
what the like, these are what
I learned. He's died, he's laughing
1167
00:86:11.060 --> 00:86:14.340
and he's holding the shoes behind his
back. So it's like, you know,
1168
00:86:14.939 --> 00:86:17.100
everyone knew that I want to work
for Nike, even like we had
1169
00:86:17.180 --> 00:86:23.970
this guy talk about stocks and like
investing in stocks and saying, like you
1170
00:86:24.010 --> 00:86:27.890
should buy stock and companies that you, you know, interact with and now
1171
00:86:27.930 --> 00:86:30.090
you buy from because it makes sense. When you buy from there, you're
1172
00:86:30.770 --> 00:86:34.159
making yourself some money. And everyone
after was like, so, do you
1173
00:86:34.239 --> 00:86:38.359
have like a bajillion stocks? And
Nike is like, or are you going
1174
00:86:38.439 --> 00:86:43.279
to go do that? Now?
I'm just like yes, and which I
1175
00:86:43.359 --> 00:86:48.390
do have two stocks and I see
or two shares. But the most and
1176
00:86:48.710 --> 00:86:53.270
the most important thing that happened out
if they're sharing my, you know,
1177
00:86:53.350 --> 00:86:56.189
wanting to work for Nike, was
I had a conversation with urban about it
1178
00:86:56.909 --> 00:87:00.750
and, you know, when he
first met me, he noticed the the
1179
00:87:00.109 --> 00:87:04.260
work I was doing and he knew
the impact, or saw the impact,
1180
00:87:04.300 --> 00:87:08.899
and so he sat me I was
like where do you like what's your what's
1181
00:87:08.939 --> 00:87:11.060
your planning here, like where do
you want to be five, ten years
1182
00:87:11.100 --> 00:87:14.180
from now, like what what are
your goals? When I said, coach,
1183
00:87:14.220 --> 00:87:15.529
I want to work for Nike.
I don't know when, but I
1184
00:87:15.609 --> 00:87:17.250
do. I don't even know what
I want to do there, but I
1185
00:87:17.289 --> 00:87:21.529
would just want to work there because
I love Nike, and he was like,
1186
00:87:23.090 --> 00:87:27.529
no shit. Well, you know, my boy is still night.
1187
00:87:28.250 --> 00:87:33.119
I was like no shit. Says
like yeah, if you ever want to
1188
00:87:33.199 --> 00:87:36.840
make that move, just let me
know. Wow, and I never cast
1189
00:87:36.880 --> 00:87:41.319
him on that favorite or you know, but and who knows all what could
1190
00:87:41.359 --> 00:87:44.430
have happened from that, but it
was just him. It was interesting from
1191
00:87:44.550 --> 00:87:46.670
this to hear that and it goes
to show like maker goal is known,
1192
00:87:46.670 --> 00:87:51.069
because you don't know who could open
doors to make those goals possible. Absolutely
1193
00:87:51.550 --> 00:87:57.270
anyways, going off of that tangent. Second you know, overall my favorite
1194
00:87:57.310 --> 00:88:02.300
pair ever is the ore, the
original Jordan one, oh Gee's, yeah,
1195
00:88:02.460 --> 00:88:04.979
and made cuts, because those are
whack, the Og Cart, the
1196
00:88:04.979 --> 00:88:10.300
high tops, the original bread color
way, the black and red. Yes,
1197
00:88:10.380 --> 00:88:13.689
quote unquote, the band shoes,
even though that's kind of a myth.
1198
00:88:13.689 --> 00:88:17.770
They weren't the band shoes. The
Nike Air ships were the ones that
1199
00:88:17.890 --> 00:88:20.890
were, and I don't know if
there's there's a whole documentary on that.
1200
00:88:21.329 --> 00:88:24.289
Oh, yeah, I'm not if
you ever heard of that. Yeah,
1201
00:88:24.329 --> 00:88:29.479
but there's old documentary on like where
they actually banned and right it's still it
1202
00:88:29.600 --> 00:88:33.359
is pretty unknown well, but the
only time I looked out on stock x.
1203
00:88:33.439 --> 00:88:38.520
So I've lost every type of dry
every big release, except one time.
1204
00:88:38.520 --> 00:88:42.430
I was at I was working at
o shoe and the off White Air
1205
00:88:42.510 --> 00:88:47.869
Jordan ones were they launched and they
were the the Carolina blue pair. Oh
1206
00:88:47.949 --> 00:88:54.789
well, and highly saw after shoe, you know, reselling for thousands and
1207
00:88:55.310 --> 00:89:00.340
I pulled the trigger on them.
I was inline and got through payment and
1208
00:89:00.539 --> 00:89:02.619
then it said like sorry, like
an air happened. Well, the last
1209
00:89:02.739 --> 00:89:05.819
I was like destroyed that day because
it looked like I was getting them because
1210
00:89:05.819 --> 00:89:10.449
I went through paying it like it
was. It seemed like I was getting
1211
00:89:10.449 --> 00:89:15.090
them. And then the next day
I get a message from sneakers saying like
1212
00:89:15.250 --> 00:89:19.810
there was a glitch that happened with
some users going through the payment process.
1213
00:89:20.609 --> 00:89:27.680
Here's access to the Air Jordan off
white collaboration and they were just there and
1214
00:89:27.800 --> 00:89:30.479
I got him. Wow, and
so I have them. They're actually right
1215
00:89:30.520 --> 00:89:34.159
behind me right now and that's awesome. Yeah, they're special just because,
1216
00:89:34.560 --> 00:89:36.600
you know, I don't really wear
them all that often because they're kind of
1217
00:89:36.600 --> 00:89:40.310
allowed shoe and as you grow it
or it's harder to wear stuff like that.
1218
00:89:40.470 --> 00:89:43.630
But yeah, you know, it
was. It's just that victory on
1219
00:89:43.710 --> 00:89:46.750
sneakers. You know that that W
and, not the many elves that I
1220
00:89:46.829 --> 00:89:49.590
have taken. That's great. I
love it. I love it. I
1221
00:89:49.710 --> 00:89:55.779
got you got them, he got
them. That's awesome. I you know,
1222
00:89:55.899 --> 00:89:59.579
I I, I was a like
I was born in seventy seven,
1223
00:89:59.659 --> 00:90:02.260
so giving away my age here,
but in eighty nine. I remember,
1224
00:90:02.579 --> 00:90:10.090
you know, the realizing what Jordan's
were and I just, you know,
1225
00:90:10.170 --> 00:90:16.010
I just begged my parents to get
me a pair and that was the gosh.
1226
00:90:16.250 --> 00:90:19.729
That was, you know, the
Retro Three Right. Well, now
1227
00:90:19.770 --> 00:90:24.920
they call him retro right, but
the three and fours and cement and that
1228
00:90:25.119 --> 00:90:28.119
was it for me. You know
that, along with, as I got
1229
00:90:28.119 --> 00:90:31.760
a little older, the Andre Agassiz
where huge. I was just a huge,
1230
00:90:32.279 --> 00:90:36.510
big tennis player. So yeah,
being able to buy those again as
1231
00:90:36.550 --> 00:90:40.789
an adult and I have them,
you know, sitting in my in my
1232
00:90:40.869 --> 00:90:43.989
closet, not getting worn because we
don't get to go out and show our
1233
00:90:44.029 --> 00:90:47.989
shoes off at but they're there.
So yeah, it's amazing how much it
1234
00:90:48.750 --> 00:90:53.020
it brings you back to a lot
of the memories of the past and how
1235
00:90:53.020 --> 00:90:56.699
they're coming around. So that's awesome. We'll see any. Thank you so
1236
00:90:56.739 --> 00:91:00.380
much for hopping on today. It's
been truly a pleasure to talk to you
1237
00:91:00.539 --> 00:91:08.930
and hear your story and and I
know everybody's going to appreciate the advice that
1238
00:91:09.050 --> 00:91:13.449
you've given them and and hopefully can
be inspired if they're struggling or if they're
1239
00:91:13.489 --> 00:91:16.569
doing great and you want to keep
doing great and where they're at, or
1240
00:91:16.569 --> 00:91:20.800
if they're thinking about potentially making another
move or having been furloughed and needing to
1241
00:91:20.920 --> 00:91:25.279
do something else. So thank you, my friend. It's been awesome.
1242
00:91:26.399 --> 00:91:29.920
Thank you, John. I really
appreciate you having me on. It's been
1243
00:91:29.920 --> 00:91:31.319
a long time coming. I'm yeah, like I said, you inspired me
1244
00:91:31.359 --> 00:91:35.750
to get back into drawing something.
That's awesome. I Am really appreciative that
1245
00:91:36.109 --> 00:91:42.270
you considered. You even considered having
me on. Happy to share some some
1246
00:91:42.430 --> 00:91:46.539
experiences, some insight and for anyone
who is listening, my door is always
1247
00:91:46.579 --> 00:91:50.579
open. I'm happy to talk through
anything I have experienced, both working in
1248
00:91:50.659 --> 00:91:58.380
house and also now being fully independent, so I can answer what I know
1249
00:91:58.500 --> 00:92:01.609
about and you know, if anyone
is going through some challenging times, happy
1250
00:92:01.649 --> 00:92:08.569
to talk through with anything. Absolutely
love it all right. Thank my friend.
1251
00:92:09.449 --> 00:92:29.359
Thank you, Hey, thanks for
sticking around till the end here.
1252
00:92:29.880 --> 00:92:32.069
You know, it's funny how sometimes
you can come together with someone over something
1253
00:92:32.149 --> 00:92:38.710
as Super Niche as pokemon cards.
Sammy and I spent the next few days
1254
00:92:38.750 --> 00:92:42.989
after recording the podcast going back and
forth and twitter DM's showing off some of
1255
00:92:43.029 --> 00:92:46.300
the coolest bookkemon cards that he had
in the look on my son's face when
1256
00:92:46.300 --> 00:92:51.380
he saw them absolutely made my day. Truly never know what certain people are
1257
00:92:51.420 --> 00:92:56.979
into and how you can make a
super unique connection between each other. If
1258
00:92:57.060 --> 00:92:59.890
you've enjoyed this podcast and want to
leave a review and could do me a
1259
00:92:59.930 --> 00:93:03.770
huge favor, I would really appreciate
that. Just leave a review on apple
1260
00:93:03.810 --> 00:93:09.090
or spotify and that would be super
awesome. And, as always, if
1261
00:93:09.130 --> 00:93:12.529
you want to hit me up on
twitter, it's at creative af or at
1262
00:93:12.960 --> 00:93:16.920
John Willie. That's Jo n W
illey. You can also find me on
1263
00:93:17.039 --> 00:93:23.520
instagram at Willie art or at J
Willie Photo. I really appreciate you all
1264
00:93:23.600 --> 00:93:25.720
and please, please, take care
of yourself.
