Today we’d like to introduce you to Aaron Dodge.
Hi Aaron, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
My favorite story to tell is how I got my first job out of college. It was an internship for the New Orleans Hornets NBA team. I wanted it so bad but I didn’t want to be just another resume in a stack of 200. So I made a DVD (yes, I said DVD) of myself and why they should hire me. I filmed it on my crummy digital camera and mailed it to the team. By the next week, I had an interview and was hired shortly after. That one decision changed my life as I worked the next 10 years in the NBA. I lived in three different cities, worked 4 NBA All-Star Weekends and traveled to China and South Africa. Since I stepped away from the NBA, I’ve worked for multiple Marketing Agency, a video production company and in the middle of COVID 2020, I went into business for myself doing social media consulting and content creation.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has definitely not been a smooth road. In fact, when I first got out of the NBA in 2014, I tried to join the world of IT recruiting. That didn’t last long. After 6 months, it became very apparent that I could only operate in a position that allowed me to be creative. So I will not be cold-calling developers anytime soon.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I currently am a social media consultant and content creator. I know this is dating me, but when I was a freshman in college, Facebook was invented. So I essentially grew up on social media through my late teens and into my 20s. I’ve always enjoyed the way social media connected me to others. Now, it’s my full-time job AND I work for myself. I help brands understand social media better and assist them to get more views on their content. I saw the growth of TikTok during the pandemic as a way for me to corner the market and help brands understand the platform. My first client had immediate success grabbing multiple viral videos and helping sales triple in the first few months on the platform. What I’m most proud of is finally taking the leap and going into business for myself. It’s scary not always knowing where your next dollar or client is coming from, but when you do find that perfect project, it makes all the stress well worth it.
What makes you happy?
Spending time with my girlfriend and our dog, Chik’n. In October 2021, while I was visiting Los Angeles, I matched with Chelsea on Hinge. I had to break the news to her that even though we matched, I was headed back to Charlotte where I lived at the time. Luckily, she wanted to continue our conversation even though I lived on the east coast. The app convo made it to Facetimes and the rest is history. Spending time with her means the world to me because we had to do long distances for the last nine months but I’m excited to be roomies with her and Chik’n now in Los Angeles. I officially moved out here at the end of June.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.aarondodge.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aaron_dodge/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/mr_aaron_dodge
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBtJH_uWu7D5UPfDmvUFGbg
Image Credits
Sincerely Sadie Photography
