This week’s column is about Roger Mason, an 11-year NBA veteran and the current co-founder and CEO of Vaunt Media. Mason played for 7 NBA franchises, with the majority of his time spent on the Chicago Bulls, San Antonio Spurs and Washington Wizards.
Mason was always a player who wanted to do more than just play, and he pursued various business ventures from the very beginning of his career. During Mason's time in the league, however, the practice of NBA players pursuing business deals off the court wasn’t as ubiquitous as it is today, and many players who had these interests often got the reputation that they weren’t focused on basketball. In an appearance on “The Game Plan” podcast on March 15, Mason said that he might’ve played more than 11 years in the league had he not pursued his entrepreneurial ventures.
His first business endeavor was a promoting company that he started with his business partner. The idea sprung from the fact that young NBA players were always asking Mason where to go to hang out in Washington, D.C. on the nights before their games. Mason, looking to make some money (and possibly help his team win a few games) always helped visiting NBA players find clubs and bars to go to.
This process helped him develop a strong set of relationships within the world of Washington, D.C. nightlife and he started a company centered around developing and promoting events in the Washington, D.C. area. The company grossed over $1 million over the first two years, and Mason had officially caught the entrepreneurship bug.
In 2016, Mason began his largest and current business venture, Vaunt Media. The concept was a platform on which athletes and celebrities could create content and share their stories. This concept was pioneering at the time, as this was before almost every player shared their experiences via Instagram or Youtube, or had their own podcast.
Through the years, Vaunt Media has essentially become a vessel, connecting athletes and celebrities to production companies, and it has been able to monetize on both sides of this process. For example, Vaunt Media worked with Post Malone to create the concept for his celebrity beer pong tournament, which was eventually sold to and produced by Facebook.
Roger Mason’s desire to create led him to develop Vaunt Media, which has been successful in offering fans a new way to connect with their favorite athletes, as well as providing athletes and celebrities with a new way of expanding and monetizing their own personal brand.
