We recently connected with Sam Green and have shared our conversation below.
Sam, we’re thrilled to have you on our platform and we think there is so much folks can learn from you and your story. Something that matters deeply to us is living a life and leading a career filled with purpose and so let’s start by chatting about how you found your purpose.
Finding my purpose honestly took time. I spent years navigating different roles in the sports media industry.
I grew up a competitive dancer but also had a creative side. At 13 I taught myself video editing using iMovie. This interest in media persisted and grew as I took on responsibilities like hosting and editing morning announcements in high school.
However, it was during my time as an NBA dancer for the Charlotte Hornets that I had a pivotal realization. While representing my hometown and enjoying the thrill of performing on the court, I recognized during an interview with a media outlet that I had been neglecting my true passion for the media industry.
I stepped away from my role as an NBA dancer during my junior year of college. Instead, I sought opportunities to explore my newfound passion, which led me to interview NFL,NBA, ACC, and SEC teams like the Panthers and the Hornets which led me to work at Ryan Seacrest Studios at Levine Children’s Hospital, where I hosted a sports Radio show.
Out of college, I became a video editor at ESPN, where I gained insights into the importance of storytelling. I launched a YouTube channel interviewing professional athletes about their life beyond sports which I turned into a non-profit.
My journey continued as I took on the role of Director of Social Media at a professional athlete gym. Here, I honed my skills in managing various business and athlete accounts while overseeing a social media team. It was during this time that my desire to make content creation accessible to athletes became increasingly pronounced.
My journey reached a new level when I became a marketing agent, securing brand deals for professional athletes and creating captivating content for their partnerships. This experience further fueled my passion for branding.
The introduction of NIL (Name, Image, Likeness) regulations presented a game-changing opportunity for student-athletes to leverage their platforms. Recognizing that most student-athletes lacked the time and expertise to develop editing skills, I set out to teach athletes how to create brands using their smartphones. The NIL is where I found my true passion. All of my worlds, and previous experiences finally collided into one industry.
I earned my Master’s degree in Media Psychology, where I conducted a neuropsychology study on NIL. This study highlighted the potential of user-generated content to outperform professionally produced advertisements.
I became a verified creator for CapCut (owned by TikTok), a META NIL Content Coach (Facebook and IG), and run my own business running Content Creation Workshops at some of the top name Universities in the world.
After years of what felt like floundering, I discovered my purpose: to assist athletes in navigating the ever-evolving digital landscape and empower them to create a significant impact in the online world through their personal brands.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
What separates my business and brand from people is, I teach student-athletes how to create content. Over 70% of NIL brand deals are based around brands paying athletes to create content yet the majority of student-athletes don’t know how to edit videos. I’m the only person teaching student-athletes how to edit.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
When you’re young try different things to see what you fall in love with. Picking one path and grinding for years can lead to burnout. How can you decide at 18 or 22 years old what you want to do for the rest of your life? The best thing I ever did was try a bunch of different things until I found what I absolutely love.
1. Work Ethic
2. Taking gigs FOR FREE for experience
3. Dropping the ego and doing sh*t I didn’t want to because I knew it would help me in the long run
One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?
Yes!! I teach educational content on social media. I teach athletes how to make content for their brand partnerships. Looking to collaborate with brands who want to be featured in my educational content AND have their product in front of student-athletes!!
Contact Info:
- Website: [email protected]
- Instagram: sambgreen
- Twitter: sambgreen
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@sambgreen
Image Credits
Walter Arce Ryan Webber
