On The Move with Aloni

NATIONAL NEWS

Aloni on the Move

CRYSTAL SWEARINGEN

It’s truly my honor to introduce you to Aloni Ford. Ms. Ford reached out to The Spot Mag from Los Angeles a month or so ago, after a friend had shared a copy of the issue with her. When preparing for my phone call with Ms. Ford, I was incredibly impressed to learn about her myriad of accomplishments, and I knew this dynamic woman MUST be our next feature! What a pleasure to talk to this lady who has had success in Real Estate, Fund Raising, Sports Management, and TV Production, and is now the founder of an amazingly inspiring book club called “Yacht Girl Book Club.” I hope you enjoy her story, as it was so exciting to have the opportunity to learn about this LA woman that’s truly ON THE MOVE!!

How did you get started as a Sports Manager and Producer?

Ten years ago I left my corporate Real Estate job to follow my passion as a filmmaker. I called it “filming on faith” and spent the Summer of 2009 creating shows by myself. Ironically, I met Nick Young over the NBA Lockout, and he was so kind to allow me to film his life in the off-season. While filming him, I met his teammate/bestfriend JaVale McGee and got to film both of them training. I quickly turned that into the “Nick and JaVale Show” on YouTube which instantly went viral, and I developed a name for myself. A few months later, I filmed JaVale signing his big contract with the Denver Nuggets along with his family. I then created the show “Mom’s Got Game” which soon after sold to OWN and was distributed by my partner Sony. After the show went off air, I began managing JaVale and ten years and two championships later I’m still here in Sports Management and producing shows.

As a woman in what I perceive as a male dominated industry, what are some challenges you have experienced?

It’s funny, as much as we’ve grown as a culture, I still occasionally experience males having a hard time accepting that I’m their equal. I’ve experienced a male asking me for my client’s agent info. after doing ALL of the work on a deal, or asking ‘Who’s his manager?’ or even referring to me as the ‘assistant.’ Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with being an assistant, but demoting someone’s title because of their gender is unnecessary and unacceptable.

As a story teller, can you share one or multiple incidents that you felt really propelled you to where you are currently in your career? For example, did you make connections in college that allowed you to begin on this journey and develop relationships that have fostered your growth? And, what do you turn to for motivation (internal or external) when starting new projects”

“It always seems IMPOSSIBLE until it’s done!”

In my early twenties, I worked for Joyce Rey, one of the biggest Realtors in the world. For five years, I worked alongside extremely high net worth individuals, and the experience was incredible. Our clients were some of your favorite celebrities. We had a house on the market for $125 million in 2008 and broke many sales records. Being around the atmosphere of ‘go-getters’ and working for a true entrepreneurial female powerhouse completely changed my outlook on life. I learned things in business that would never be taught in school. So, the work ethic I gained was to never take “no” for an answer and that anything is possible. From helping raise funds for President Obama at the beginning of his campaign and hosting parties in clients’ backyards to him becoming the first-time, two-term, African American President, I’m a believer that you can truly have anything you want in life if you just go after it and put in the work.

As a former fundraiser for President Obama’s campaign, how do you feel politics, sports, and entertainment intersect? And, are you able to use the same tools in what are sometimes perceived as very different arenas?

I helped raise funds for President Obama’s campaign by hosting events and spreading his message and beliefs across the world. These same principles apply in life. In sports, you learn to play by the rules and that through dedication, honesty, and hard work you can reach your goals. Entertainers, Athletes, and Politicians all have the power to influence the world through their message and to lead by example. The rules in Life are all the same: Do the work and stay true to the journey!

With your Yacht Girls Book Club, what is the Vision behind this new adventure?

My mission is to bring women together over intellectual conversations in fun adventurous settings. I want to remind everyday, working-class women to take a break and enjoy ‘girlfriend time’ again. I started with 6 girls in attendance, and now I’ve grown to over a couple hundred women in just a few months, and the women love the events! The women have used my events to organically network and thoroughly enjoy being around like-minded, book lovers. I hope to continue to inspire women and bring us together.

You’ve experienced massive growth in the Yacht Girls Book Club, growing from 6 members to 1000+ in one year. What do you think propelled this growth?

I believe when you are truly walking in your purpose and doing God’s work that great people will follow you naturally. The word got out very fast about my book club and women from all walks of life around the world began messaging me for new book list suggestions. But, the catch is that I didn’t advertise. I have a small team - my amazing Assistant, Mickey, who wears 20 hats, and a few of the original members in the book club who told their friends, and their friends told more friends and we grew rapidly. I believe this is a sisterhood community that women have been yearning for and need. Finally, I feel it’s an exciting event where intellectuals can have pure fun. So, the growth came from truly giving people what they need.

I love the idea of women gathering for intellectual conversation. What books are on the horizon to read, and how do you make the interaction flow with so many unique members?

Some of our upcoming books include Becoming Michelle Obama, More Than Enough, Where the Crawdads Sing, and The Queen of Hearts. I am so grateful for all of the members in the book club. I make an effort to get to know all of the women, answer their calls, help whenever I can, and invite them to free monthly gatherings. I host Movie Premieres, Dinners, Workouts, etc. I try to make this more than just a book club. And, through the continuous outings, the women have really gotten to know each other, which makes my events flow smoothly. They look forward to coming together like a reunion and creating more lasting memories.

What are some general things you would like to share with our audience? This can be the area where you share your message and just convey anything that inspires you in your various projects or upcoming events?

The book club idea started with a text invite to a couple girlfriends and now has grown to be a socialite. Yacht Girls Book Club will continue to grow and soon expand to different cities, so stay tuned for everything that’s coming next! I’m thankful for all of the women, men, and authors who have supported me on this journey. I’m a true extrovert and a people-person, with a love for all humans. I hope to bring people together from all parts of the world and make a difference in this lifetime. And, one of my favorite thoughts to live by is this: “It always seems impossible until it’s done!”

You can follow Ms. Ford on IG @ aloni_ford and @ yachtgirlsbookclub.