Rising Stars: Meet Aaron Michael Johnson

Today we’d like to introduce you to Aaron Michael Johnson.

Aaron, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin? 
In 2014, I met the Director of Sales for the Pistons, who spoke at my college symposium during my last year at Northwood University. My professor, Dr. Preston James, launched the best sports program at Northwood and invited Scott Schiff from the Pistons to come speak to the sports management students. I met Scott and expressed my desire and goal to work for the Pistons. Long story short, he got me an interview for an entry-level sales position, and I was hired in June of 2014 as an Inside Sales Executive. Throughout the decade that I have been fortunate to have spent my career with the Detroit Pistons, I’ve held many roles through various promotions, learning from industry leaders like our former Chief Marketing Officer, Charlie Metzger, and our current CMO, Alicia Jeffreys, who has been with the organization over 20 years. 

When we moved the team from the suburbs of Auburn Hills to Downtown Detroit, our marketing and brand voice shifted and we wanted to focus on being a team that resonates and speaks to the city of Detroit, as well as being culturally relevant. As a result of this shift, I now oversee our culture and lifestyle marketing strategies that focus on creating opportunities to move the brand forward from a culture perspective. 

I’ve been fortunate enough to provide many opportunities for people in and from the city of Detroit through collaborations unique partnerships with influencers, celebrities, artist, musicians, and more. 

I also am a talent booker for our Game Presentation teams, and I am able to provide halftime and anthem performances to showcase the immense talent we have in Detroit. 

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It hasn’t always been a smooth road. The hardest moment of my career was during COVID and the quarantine we went through. The season was canceled, and I honestly wasn’t sure what would happen with my job. Unfortunately, as a result of the pandemic, the organization was forced to lay off many of my colleagues. It was a period of time when I thought I’d be the next to go. But thankfully, I was able to keep my job and am still here today. 

During that time, there wasn’t much for us to do with the season canceled and not knowing if there would be another season to come. 

To past the time during quarantine, I created Driveway Drills, where I would create basketball instruction dribbling drill videos for our youth basketball audience through Pistons Academy. These videos were posted on Pistons social media pages and also picked up by the Jr. NBA social pages. 

Thanks – so, what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
As previously stated, I am fortunate to be one of the ones to oversee our lifestyle and culture marketing brand. It’s my job to make the Pistons brand cool and relevant. I do this through connecting with the movers and shakers in Michigan, creating content with influencers, establishing relationships with the celebs in and from the city, and hosting exclusive events based on key tentpole Pistons moments and themes. 

In the city, I am known as “AJ with the Pistons.” I love utilizing the Pistons platform to provide opportunities for those who may not have ever had the chance to partner with an NBA team before, with those individuals who have been working tirelessly at their craft and have been overlooked, and those folks who just overall deserve the love and the shine. I enjoy the collaborations that create win-win situations for those we collaborate with as well as those whose price goes up after doing a partnership with the Pistons. My goal with any collaboration, partnership, event we host, or content we create is to elevate the brands and/or the person. At the end of the day, it’s about relationship building and creating positive synergy between the Pistons and the city of Detroit and Michigan as a whole. What sets me apart from others is this is all done out of love to see someone else shine. I don’t do what I do with strings attached or to solely accomplish the goals set for me by my employer. I do what I do from an authentic and organic approach and genuinely build relationships. Having launched my career in Sales to fast forward to now, where my title is Brand and Lifestyle Marketing Manager; I learned the value in not only building relationships but also fostering them too. The goal is not to create one-time, one-hit wonder opportunities, the goal is to continue building and building to know the Pistons are a part of your family and vice versa. 

What would you say has been one of the most important lessons you’ve learned?
The most important lesson I’ve learned along my journey has been stay consistent. Waking up early at the same time every day and set a routine for the day. 

Working in sports is one of the most fast-paced, challenging, and stressful environments you can be in. 

I’ve learned that it’s important to maintain a positive mental attitude, especially in key stressful moments. I approach this by controlling what I can control and being consistent. I manage stress by always being forward-thinking and solution-minded whenever an issue arrives. There is always a solution to every problem or issue; we just gotta get there. 

Contact Info:

• Instagram: Aaronmichaeljohnsonn
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aaron-michael-johnson-20a88049/

Image Credits
Chris Schwegler
Mirak Habbiyyieh