At Overtime, we're "making our own luck"

Last January, I wrote about my excitement in taking on a new role at Overtime. A year later, I’ve been trying to think of what I could write as a follow-up, taking into account how my experience at OT has been impacted by everything that has happened in the world in the time since.nbsp;After seeing this post earlier in January from a good friend on Linkedin, I found my inspiration. This last year has been out of a fairy tale, complete with standard themes of the genre: fate, dilemma, antagonists and action. The happily ever after ending is still inevitable.nbsp;Fate: the development of events beyond a persons control, regarded as determined by a supernatural power.I’ve always lived by Hemingway’s saying “You make your own luck.” Through working hard and smartly, quiet confidence, pushing out positive energy, forging strong relationships and taking some calculated risk, success should land right at your fingertips.nbsp;Prior to joining Overtime, I was in a comfortable leadership position at Reddit. Was it a good job? Yes. Was I being challenged? Yes. Was I happy? No. I knew I needed a change, but to make the change it had to be something that played into my obsession with sports. After quite a few conversations with the Overtime team, I quickly understood that Overtime was someplace I would be happy going to work every day.nbsp;I dove right in. I leveraged every personal relationship I had from my years in advertising to friendships I’ve made over the years through basketball. As luck would have it, the first deal I closed was with my beloved Los Angeles Clippers - I was in a groove. Then March 11th happened and everything changed.After a fantastic day of meetings, I arrived home, checked Twitter, and the wind was let out of my sails. My momentum came to a grinding halt. Just months earlier I was energized and planning a long term future at this burgeoning company and now I was encountering headwinds that threatened what I felt was my destiny at Overtime. My mind started to wander.nbsp;What was going to come from the advertising world? I put my head down, worked as hard as I could and tried to maintain as much positivity as possible knowing that the pendulum would eventually shift back. It had to, right? I was here for a reason I thought to myself. Enter the dilemma.nbsp;Dilemma: a situation in which a difficult choice has to be made between two or more alternatives, especially equally undesirable ones.In late April, I was presented with an opportunity that had never even crossed my mind - become Head of Sales at Overtime. In theory, my dream job. In practice, a tall task considering the uncertainty in advertising and a financial crisis, not to mention a looming social justice movement.nbsp;But again I decided to take a calculated risk. I was in.nbsp;Antagonists: a person who actively opposes or is hostile to someone or something; an adversary.In the case of 2020, the adversaries were plenty. COVID was and continues to be something that is impacting our daily lives and has had a significant impact on our business. Murder hornets, earthquakes, explosions and the economy all made news and scared us, but for me, the biggest adversary was...humans.nbsp;I grew up in Los Angeles, in a diverse neighborhood, with friends from all socio-economic backgrounds. I thought that I had a good read on what my friends’ and colleagues’ life experiences were. But what happened to George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and countless others made me realize I knew nothing at all. And as an almost middle-aged white male, my job wasn’t to talk, it was to listen. And listen I did.I listened to friends and colleagues tell me their personal accounts of the inequality they face every day. I was inspired by many of my co-workers whose raw emotions moved and motivated me. I was educated by my friend Dorian Graham, who guided me to Jane Elliot. I tried to take in as much information and knowledge as I could so that I could do my best to understand and support the movement.nbsp;Action: the fact or process of doing something, typically to achieve an aim.What also made me incredibly proud was how Overtime reacted and acted. We posted this statement that articulated my own personal point of view. We created shows like “The Work,” which tells the stories of racial injustice from a unique lens. We’re telling the story of Hayden Swank, a 19-year-old bi-racial race car driver from Georgia and his commitment to making it to NASCAR.nbsp;Considering the narrative of this piece, we’re standing up to the theoretical big bad wolf and taking action.The last year has been challenging, enlightening and frustrating, but it’s also been a year for personal growth. This fairy tale isn’t going to have the traditional happily ever after ending, but I will say that I’m incredibly optimistic about the year ahead at Overtime. We’re going to highlight some top-ranked College Football hopefuls who lost their high school seasons due to COVID in King of Friday Night, we’ll cover a new “Superteam,” partner with the NBA’s G League Ignite, update you on Coach Kelley with season two of To The House (fact: he never punts!), and we’ll continue to tell the stories of trailblazing women in sports.nbsp;Overtime’s business is healthy and growing, we’re all working smart and hard and taking some calculated risks. We’re staying positive despite the circumstances.nbsp;We’re making our own luck.