Tori Boykins is a creative with many layers. A boxer, entrepeneur, graphic designer and gritty midwesterner, Tori joined the show to discuss her long journey breaking into the sports design scene, first at the Kansas City Chiefs, and currently as a graphic designer with the Kansas City Royals.
From majoring in interior design at a Big Ten university known for engineering, to starting a business in college and running it six years, Tori has had quite an eclectic career. We attempt to peel back the many layers of her story beginning with a love of art and geek culture as a kid in Cincinnati, Ohio.
We discuss how she got sucked into "old school mentality" choosing to attend community college to get an associates in graphic design after already obtaining a Bachelors in Interior Design years earlier and founding a small business.
Tori also elaborates on how a black-owned design studio in Texas gave her a chance as a design intern, as well as how pitching free projects to real, underserved sports brands such as women's boxing and a local basketball team led her to an interview with an NBA team and an eventual gig in the NFL.
Throughout the episode, we discover a common theme of Tori's midwestern grit and hustle, as well as how important humility and risk-taking are when it comes to pursuing your dreams in the sports business.
Lastly, Tori touches on the importance of learning new skills and why she hopes to leave a positive legacy for minorities that come after her in the sports design industy.
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My next guest is Matt Halfhill, the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Nice Kicks. Matt is an early 2000s Interent entrepeneur that has made a living his entire life working for himself providing breaking news, commentary and history in the sneaker industry.
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