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UCLA Athletes Launch Influencer Club for Personal Brand and Social Media Development

Bruin athletes benefit from specialized NIL education, content workshops, photoshoots

Michael Ehrlich

UCLA Athletes Launch Influencer Club for Personal Brand and Social Media Development
UCLA Athletes Launch Influencer Club for Personal Brand and Social Media Development /
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With social media reach, engagement and content creation at the center of most NIL deals today, UCLA student-athletes are taking it upon themselves to support each other's growth in the every-changing space.

A group of Bruins announced this week the launch of the Athlete Influencer Club (AIC), a peer-led organization for student-athletes looking to advance their personal brand and social media following. Founded by fifth-year swimmer Aislinn Walsh, who currently serves as the club's president, the AIC will meet weekly to participate in specialized workshops, photoshoots and speaker events.

"I started this club to create a community of individuals who share similar interests on social media and to create a judgment-free zone on something I feel like can be easily judged by our peers," Walsh said. "I wanted to have a community where we could create together and share our success outside of athletics."

AIC members include gymnastics' Sydney Barros and football's Deshun Murrell, Ramon Henderson, Zeke Thomas and KJ Wallace, among others.

There is no minimum social media following that athletes need to join, they can simply apply online. 

According to UCLA's Assistant Director of NIL and staff liaison to the AIC, Maddie Walsh, the club has already hosted multiple exclusive photoshoots, completed personal branding and sponsorship proposal workshops and planned their first field trip for an off-campus content workshop.

"In a lot of my one-on-one meetings with student-athletes, they tell me they don't know what to post, or they don't have anyone to help them create content," Walsh said,"The AIC offers that much-needed peer support and direction."

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Michael Ehrlich
MICHAEL EHRLICH

Michael Ehrlich is a seasoned sports marketing executive with experience across the global sports brand, athlete representation, media and education sides of the business. The Founder and CEO of Playbook Marketing, Ehrlich consults with brands on all things NIL and athlete partnerships, advises student-athletes on their personal brand building endeavors and is an adjunct professor at his alma mater, the University of Southern California where he teaches a course on athlete communications and marketing. As a writer, his previous bylines include Boardroom, Business of College Sports, DIME Magazine and UPROXX, among others. You can follow him across social media at @MichaelEhrlich and reach out via michael@playbook-marketing.com

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