#PSBPopCulture: #AnyGymIsHome Santa – Dec. 16, 2016

Christmas is my favorite time of year. When I was in school, the holiday used to be receiving gifts now that I’m older it’s all about being in a position giving back to the community that i live in. All Christmas season long, I’ll be sending #AnyGymIsHome gear to kids and teams across the country. Post a picture of yourself on social media with your current AnyGymIsHome clothes and make sure to tag / mention me in it for a chance to get a new addition to your collection.

By: Brandon Clay @PSBPopCulture

PSBPCBC100Brandon Clay serves as the publisher of PSBPopCulture.com. A self-professed entertainment, music and sports junkie, Clay has been on his game since picking up his first Nintendo and Sony Walkman in the early 90’s. Adding in a SLAM (Basketball) Magazine subscription in the late-90’s had him setup up for lifelong success. Clay is also a founding member of the “Luxury Boys Club” designed to stay on top of whatever is next in the world of PopCulture. You can follow him on Twitter @psbpopculture.

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#PSBPopCulture: “Boot Camp” – Oct. 12, 2016

I use the term “Boot Camp” to describe my weeks outside of July. Most days consist of standard work for the company, multiple workouts / recovery and fueling my body.

By: Brandon Clay @PSBPopCulture

My longtime friend Tom Bender said years ago that 80 percent of our appearance is based off of what we take in, the other 20 is our workout results. As an expert in his field who trained Calvin Johnson, who is a future NFL Hall of Fame Wide Receiver, during his prime I give Tom’s words full attention.

In talking fitness / fuel consumption with Allison Howard and Jordan Davis, I’ve realized how hard it is to make lifetime altering changes both to our workouts and what we take in. Most of the people I’m in contact with (myself included) don’t have the genetic makeup to consume large amounts of food high in sugar or fat content and still look they weigh the want.

I started my effort to change my frame towards the end of 2012 and have continued to learn more about my body in each passing year. In 2013, the focus was getting back in the gym to run everyday. In 2014, I started to change the way I fueled my body cutting out the massive amounts of sugar I took in daily. 2015 marked the beginning of getting back to lifting weights while 2016 has been a focus on tying all three of those things together. I’ll post an entry a month with progress and more detail on what’s going on in my world fitness wise.

Jordan, who I consider both my friend and fitness rival, provided me with the final motivation to take this part of my daily routine public with his Snapchat post yesterday:

I then took to my Instagram / Snapchat at BrandonClayPSB to politely let him (and all of you) know that I’ve been on my “Boot Camp” grind consistently since the end of the July NCAA evaluation period.

PSBPCBC100Brandon Clay serves as the publisher of PSBPopCulture.com. A self-professed entertainment, music and sports junkie, Clay has been on his game since picking up his first Nintendo and Sony Walkman in the early 90’s. Adding in a SLAM (Basketball) Magazine subscription in the late-90’s had him setup up for lifelong success. Clay is also a founding member of the “Luxury Boys Club” designed to stay on top of whatever is next in the world of PopCulture. You can follow him on Twitter @psbpopculture.

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#PSBPopCulture: A Night in Buckhead – Sept. 20, 2016

By: Brandon Clay @PSBPopCulture

Lenox Mall and Phipps Plaza are the center of the Buckhead community. Located about 15 minutes from downtown Atlanta, there is a little something for everyone from the daytime activities to the night life. Part of our team – Jordan Davis, Alli Lhamon – (and affiliate member Anna Grace Smathers) joined me to check it out. We enlisted the help of our PSBPopCulture.com Lead Photographer, Larry Rhinehart and snapped some shots of the area.

Here’s a look at some of the pictures that made it to our respective social media accounts:

{Staying Hydrated} đź“˝: @larrywrhinehart

A photo posted by JD (@palmtreejd) on

Photography by @larrywrhinehart

A photo posted by ALLI (@allilha) on

PSBPCBC100Brandon Clay serves as the publisher of PSBPopCulture.com. A self-professed entertainment, music and sports junkie, Clay has been on his game since picking up his first Nintendo and Sony Walkman in the early 90’s. Adding in a SLAM (Basketball) Magazine subscription in the late-90’s had him setup up for lifelong success. Clay is also a founding member of the “Luxury Boys Club” designed to stay on top of whatever is next in the world of PopCulture. You can follow him on Twitter @psbpopculture.

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#PSBPopCulture: The Vision – Sept. 19, 2016

By: Brandon Clay @PSBPopCulture

The year was 2002. I was 20 with a college degree and a vision to spend my life helping kids chase their dreams of playing basketball at the college level and beyond. I didn’t have any money to invest but was willing to spend my weekday & weekend nights in gyms around the state of Georgia watching players. I worked as many as four part-time jobs at a time in those first 3-5 years to keep rent paid, lights on and Ramen Noodles on my plate. Even when I lost the little money I made on events that didn’t pan out, I never lost hope…..

Fast Forward. 2016. I’m 35 with a growing business that has impacted thousands of kids and employs hundreds annually. Sure people still doubt the work I put in but a lot more people respect the efforts than those who don’t. If you have a gift and the work ethic, don’t let anyone tell you what you can or can’t be. Work smart, stay humble.

A couple of my favorite quotes to describe the work:

“Who you know lock themselves in a room doing five beats a day for three summers? That’s a Different World like Cree Summer. I’m supposed to do these numbers.” – Kanye, “Spaceship”

“Vision in my head all I had to was get it out.” – T.I., “Slideshow”

“She said I would never be as big as Trey Songz, boy was she wrong. That was just negative energy for me to feed off.” – Drake, “From Time”

[Photo Cred: Larry Rhinehart]

PSBPCBC100Brandon Clay serves as the publisher of PSBPopCulture.com. A self-professed entertainment, music and sports junkie, Clay has been on his game since picking up his first Nintendo and Sony Walkman in the early 90’s. Adding in a SLAM (Basketball) Magazine subscription in the late-90’s had him setup up for lifelong success. Clay is also a founding member of the “Luxury Boys Club” designed to stay on top of whatever is next in the world of PopCulture. You can follow him on Twitter @psbpopculture.

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#PSBPopCulture: Helping Hearts 5K for Jeremy Nelson – Sept. 15, 2016

By: Brandon Clay @PSBPopCulture

We lost our friend Jeremy Nelson back in January 2013. He would have been a junior at Buford High School this academic year. In his memory, his family created an annual 5K race in his honor. Held on a Saturday morning each fall, the race is well attended by family, friends and dedicated runners alike.

For readers who haven’t had a chance to participate in an event like this, I would encourage it. I am a firm believer that there is a unique appreciation and perspective about life that can only be derived by celebrating the memory of someone else’s.

There are too many familiar faces to name them all but I want to thank Jeremy’s family for organizing the event: Herb, Nan, Kristina and Jessica Nelson are extended family to me though not blood related. Truth be told, I spend more time with them in gyms on a yearly basis than I do my own extended blood relatives. Over the years, the family always looks out for me with a plate and a hug. Having them around makes celebrating Jeremy’s life each year that much more special.

PSBPCBC100Brandon Clay serves as the publisher of PSBPopCulture.com. A self-professed entertainment, music and sports junkie, Clay has been on his game since picking up his first Nintendo and Sony Walkman in the early 90’s. Adding in a SLAM (Basketball) Magazine subscription in the late-90’s had him setup up for lifelong success. Clay is also a founding member of the “Luxury Boys Club” designed to stay on top of whatever is next in the world of PopCulture. You can follow him on Twitter @psbpopculture.

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#PSBPopCulture: Views From “The Lab”

I spend a lot of time in the office aka “The Lab.” For years, I’ve used music to motivate me and even posted quotes on my various timelines. In the spring of 2016, I started a daily routine of taking five to ten minutes a day to clean out my thoughts on paper so they’re there for me to look back at to see progress. Most of them are business related but all have a music subject theme based on what I’ve been playing that day.

By: Brandon Clay @PSBPopCulture

Sometimes the social takeaway is an original thought. Sometimes it’s a direct quote from an artist. This page will serve as the landing hub for what I decide to post off my Twitter account. Enjoy!

PSBPCBC100Brandon Clay serves as the publisher of PSBPopCulture.com. A self-professed entertainment, music and sports junkie, Clay has been on his game since picking up his first Nintendo and Sony Walkman in the early 90’s. Adding in a SLAM (Basketball) Magazine subscription in the late-90’s had him setup up for lifelong success. Clay is also a founding member of the “Luxury Boys Club” designed to stay on top of whatever is next in the world of PopCulture. You can follow him on Twitter @psbpopculture.

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#PSBPopCulture: 51,000 Hours and Counting – August 6, 2016

By: Brandon Clay @PSBPopCulture

As I enter my 15th season in the industry and 13th at the head of Peach State Basketball, Inc., my view on our success and reasons for it change by the year.

We just finished our busiest season of the calendar year. The month of July is a combination of four straight 100-hour work weeks for me as our team produces seven different team events certified by the NCAA. This allows college coaches from all over the country to attend and evaluate players for potential scholarship offers to play at the school or university. Our entire team spends thousands of hours trying to perfect our craft annually.

There is a lot of time to think about how life changes inside of a 400-hour workload during July each year. In 2016, I thought a lot about the best selling book, “Outliers” by Malcolm Gladwell. In it, Gladwell states that “ten thousand hours is the magic number of greatness.”

***Disclaimer: Without question, there is a combination of inherent talent and continued expansion of skill training, development techniques that apply here as well.

I believe there is a truth to time on the job increasing the amount of situations seen and response time with accuracy improving as a result. I see that in the case of some of my colleagues in other facets of life as well: Branden Mayweather, Dain Pool, Sean “Sticks” Smith and Shun Williams. All of them are seeing increased success with each year that passes. I did simple math on my career to date to see where I stacked up right now in relation to Gladwell’s 10,000 hour theory. Here’s what I came up with:

14 years x 365 days (no vacations here since Day One) = 5,110 days

5,110 x 10 hours a day = 51,110 hours

Conclusion: If the 10,000 hour rule (with the applied disclaimer) makes you an expert in the field, 14 years worth of dedicated work in grassroots basketball marketing have helped shaped the current path for Peach State Basketball in a very noticeable way.

PSBPCMayDayBrandon Clay serves as the publisher of PSBPopCulture.com. A self-professed entertainment, music and sports junkie, Clay has been on his game since picking up his first Nintendo and Sony Walkman in the early 90’s. Adding in a SLAM (Basketball) Magazine subscription in the late-90’s had him setup up for lifelong success. Clay is also a founding member of the “Luxury Boys Club” designed to stay on top of whatever is next in the world of PopCulture. You can follow him on Twitter @psbpopculture.

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#PSBPopCulture: Will Apple Purchase Tidal? – July 1, 2016

By: Alli Lhamon @allilhamonn and Brandon Clay @PSBPopCulture

According to a Wall Street Journal report, Apple could possibly be buying out Tidal Music. If Apple buys Tidal, new music from artists originally signed with Tidal, including Jay-Z, Kanye West and Beyonce, will now be available on Apple Music the day they release it. Apple already boasts some of the world’s top acts including Drake.

ALLI: The switch will be beneficial to most everyone. Most people subscribe to Apple Music because it comes with their iPhone. With that being said, no one is trying to pay for two music subscriptions. So, if Tidal makes the switch, a lot of music will be more accessible to us.

BRANDON: I’m an Apple Music subscriber. I’ll be ecstatic if this deal goes through. I don’t watch a ton of music videos but had a tough time getting the latest Kanye West album, “The Life of Pablo.” This will save us all a couple of hours in the long run. Honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised at all to see Apple pass the cost of adding the Tidal client base to the service right on to the consumer.

Here’s a quick, easy read with more detail about the benefits: CLICK TO READ

Alli100Aug2016
Alli Lhamon represents the next wave of PSBPopCulture.com. A fashion and music junkie, Lhamon has been on her game since Day One in 2000. She’s a genius in the classroom and might finish with more degrees than the rest of the team combined. You can follow her on Twitter @allilhamonn.

PSBPCBC100
Brandon Clay serves as the publisher of PSBPopCulture.com. A self-professed entertainment, music and sports junkie, Clay has been on his game since picking up his first Nintendo and Sony Walkman in the early 90’s. Adding in a SLAM (Basketball) Magazine subscription in the late-90’s had him setup up for lifelong success. Clay is also a founding member of the “Luxury Boys Club” designed to stay on top of whatever is next in the world of PopCulture. You can follow him on Twitter @psbpopculture.

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#PSBPopCulture: A Day in the Life – Miller Grove “Reclaiming the Crown” Documentary Interview – May 26, 2016

By: Brandon Clay @PSBPopCulture

PSBPopCulture.com Publisher and McDonald’s All-American Game voter, Brandon Clay speaks at length with Marques Burnett about Miller Grove HS in “Reclaiming the Crown.” The documentary touches on a number of topics including winning seven of the last eight Georgia HS state titles in their class.

Location: Virtual Adrenaline Productions Studio (Duluth, Ga)
Social Media: Jordan “JD” Davis
Video Production Team: Brandon Keever (Soul Searching Studios)

Here is a look at the day from my Snapchat: BrandonClayPSB

Watch the full “Reclaiming the Crown” trailer here:

Marques and I broadcast the Miller Grove game to tip off the 2015-16 season. Watch here:

PSBPCMayDayBrandon Clay serves as the publisher of PSBPopCulture.com. A self-professed entertainment, music and sports junkie, Clay has been on his game since picking up his first Nintendo and Sony Walkman in the early 90’s. Adding in a SLAM (Basketball) Magazine subscription in the late-90’s had him setup up for lifelong success. Clay is also a founding member of the “Luxury Boys Club” designed to stay on top of whatever is next in the world of PopCulture. You can follow him on Twitter @psbpopculture.

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#PSBPopCulture: Summer ’16 Style Guide by Taylor Johnson – May 25, 2016

By: Taylor Johnson @KTaylorPSB

I have a habit of thinking that Nordstrom is the only store in the world, but they have every new trend I want so I can’t stay away. Here are a few essentials I get from Nordstrom just in time for summer:

Shirts

While shopping for a night out outfit I find myself drawn to every off the shoulder top in the store. Showing off your shoulders is definitely the trend right now. Nordstrom’s Savvy section has endless amounts of off the shoulder looks that you can dress down or dress up. I love the off shoulder shirt I got from Nordstrom with a bold floral print for a dressier look.

Shoes

Currently in every girl’s closet are: white converse and Birkenstocks. Birkenstocks are super comfy though not the look I am going for. However, subtle gladiator sandals are still fashion forward and won’t kill your feet all day either. They go great with almost anything from skinny jeans to dresses. Definitely a summer staple. Nordstrom has several options from Hinge, Sam Edelman, Topshop and Sam Edelman. Edelman is my personal favorite.

Jewelry

I am currently obsessed with Fabulina necklaces; great quality and in sync with the latest trends. They are an earthy style that can add something to any outfit. My personal favorites are the arrowhead necklaces but all of them look great with a simple top. I love adding a Fabulina necklace that is a completely different color than my outfit so it can really pop. Fab’rik boutiques carry Fabulina necklaces or you can shop online.

Make-Up

My Kylie Lipkit obsession hasn’t died yet. KoKo and Literally gloss basically go with me everywhere. However I am also obsessed with Anastasia makeup line that you can get at Nordstrom or even Ulta. I described their eyebrow gel to my friend Kaitlyn Burton as “life changing” which is dramatic but I love it that much. If your eyebrows don’t look good your entire face of makeup can look off. Lastly, Anastasia has an amazing powder contour kit that is so easy to use with an angle brush. Every make up account on social media is always talking about contouring but their kit is kind of fool proof and takes your make up to the next level.

Taylor-Staff-PicTaylor Johnson serves as Brandon Clay’s personal stylist and is one of the most fashionable people in Atlanta. She’s also the resident expert on Hulu and Netflix. While attending graduate school at Georgia State, she’ll contribute to various categories throughout the PSBPopCulture.com site. You can follow her on Twitter @KTaylorPSB.

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