We were lucky to catch up with Arize Ifejika recently and have shared our conversation below.
Arize Ifejika, thanks so much for taking the time to share your insights and lessons with us today. We’re particularly interested in hearing about how you became such a resilient person. Where do you get your resilience from?
Honestly because I never had a plan B. I constantly walked this line where I was one right move from proving everyone wrong and one wrong move from proving everyone right. I still walk that line to a certain extent. Living in LA and just being in this lifestyle the wrong moves are always within reach.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
More Than Basketball LLC started out as a live events company in youth basketball. We were running leagues, showcases and AAU tournaments in Washington DC. The business at the time was in an interesting space with the influence of social media, YouTube and these media platforms that basically overnight turned our regional local business into a national one. It also made kids who could play celebrities. At 16/17 years old they had YouTube videos in the millions and their social media followings reflected that. We realized that our business had to pivot. There was real opportunity so year by year we added more verticals with story telling being first.
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?
Being young was very important. We understood the kids and the things that interested them. We understood the internet. We understood fashion, storytelling, social media and how to stand out in a crowded space dominated by middle aged and older white men, There were times people would ask me who ran the company or who I worked under because they couldn’t believe it was us being so young. My advice would be to be young and do young shit. Adults may be pissed but you’ll be unforgettable. All of the greats pissed people off at some point in some way.
Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?
Really just people who are on brand and can offer platform and or resources. We feel our content is timeless and something that will only age like wine. So we just want to partner with bigger media companies and colleges/universities.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.morethanbasketballthebrand.com/epk
- Instagram: _Arize
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/arize-ifejika-9a624635/
- Twitter: _Arize_
- Youtube: Morethanbasketball
Image Credits
Peru Williams
