From Vancouver Giants participant to social media guru: How J.T. Barnett made it occur

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A decade in the past, J.T. Barnett was a winger within the Western Hockey League. Every week in the past, he was a visitor lecturer on the College of Southern California, speaking about social media.

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Barnett, whose five-year run within the WHL featured a 21-goal season with the Vancouver Giants in 2009-10, has over 300,000 followers on TikTok, over 100,000 on Instagram and says he has an viewers of over 1,00,000 once you put all of his and his firms’ varied platforms collectively. That’s come via his work as a marketing consultant — his Los Angeles firm CreatorX has headhunted fellow social media creators for Microsoft, Nissan, Skechers and Greatest Western Motels, in line with his LinkedIn web page  — and thru his personal posts about enterprise, advertising and life-style.

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He’s been featured in Enterprise Insider and ENews On-line and colleges like USC are asking for him to share his experience when it come storytelling on social media.

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“I’m going more durable proper now with what I’m doing than I ever did with hockey,” stated Barnett, 30, who went on to additionally play for the Kamloops Blazers, Everett Silvertips and Kelowna Rockets within the WHL from 2010-13 earlier than spending three seasons within the ECHL and two in Europe after which retiring after the 2017-18 season on the age of 26. 

“I went exhausting with hockey, however I’m transferring at a unique pace than once I was taking part in. This comes extra naturally to me. That is extra of a pure ability set.

“I believe I had potential in hockey. I believe I used to be an excellent participant. I didn’t assume I had a celebrity attributes as a participant. I believe I’m a celebrity at advertising.”

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You’ll find Barnett’s journey to USC on YouTube. He spoke about feeling conflicted professionally — his long-term play is to construct his personal private model however he realizes his firm is paying the payments.

You’ll find quite a lot of Barnett all around the net. He’s producing content material every day and posting frequently, like so many creators. He guesses he movies 75 per cent of his day.  

He’s unflinchingly trustworthy via all of it. His USC YouTube posts embody him speaking about how he’s looking for a brand new therapist, explaining that “I have a look at therapists type of like private trainers — generally anyone has a method that you just simply outgrow and also you wish to discover a completely different fashion. Nothing in opposition to my prior therapist. Beloved her. Will in all probability work along with her once more sooner or later.”

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It’s taken him a while to get right here. Barnett, who was a Tenth-round decide by the Giants within the 2007 WHL Draft and made his debut with the crew in 2008-09, says he was eager on music and humanities again then. Social media was beginning to turn into a viable profession possibility by the point he moved to the professionals for the 2013-14 season. Barnett received into private coaching when he left hockey and began out posting movies of exercises. They related and he’s turn into extra snug about sharing.

“I don’t have something to cover” Barnett stated in regards to the course of. “I’m nice with going wherever. I’m nice with speaking about something that I really feel will really assist the folks that see it. Getting messages from folks that just like the content material that I put out and listening to that it helps them join with their household or their pal group or enterprise makes me wish to do it extra.”

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Barnett, who’s initially from Scottsdale, Ariz., is the son of Mike Barnett, a premier participant agent for years whose shopper checklist was headed up by Wayne Gretzky.

The elder Barnett, who’s now a senior adviser with New York Rangers, was a advertising wizard forward his time. In 1996, Gretzky turned the primary athlete to have his picture seem on a can on Campbell’s Soup. Barnett added to the deal to incorporate Gretzky’s web site tackle that appeared beneath his picture.

“A variety of what I’m doing with firms and creators and influencers is from the identical playbook he was utilizing when he was an agent,” J.T. stated. “That branding, with the intersection of tradition and enterprise, is the place I really feel like I spend quite a lot of time.”

He says his dad has been immensely supportive. Only a few individuals alongside the way in which have made that connection between father and son, J.T. stated.

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“At first he checked out what we have been doing and he was like ‘What’s all this?’ Because it’s progressed, he’s gotten actually interested by it and the extra I clarify it to him he’s turn into, ‘This world is loopy. It’s actually cool to see what you guys are as much as.’ He’s fascinated by it,” J.T. defined.

Former teammates from the Giants, Blazers and Rockets are displaying extra curiosity, too, as they start to wind down taking part in careers.

“You’d discover it humorous what number of guys are like ‘How do I begin telling my story on this planet of social media?’ They wish to begin their very own enterprise or they need go work for a corporation or they wish to go do XYZ,” Barnett stated. “The No. 1 factor it is advisable to be doing is placing out content material. Now we have conversations round that.”

Twitter: @SteveEwen

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