Earned Relevance

Rocky Parrish Sees You Rockin’ His Shoe Brands.

If you see Rocky Parrish smiling ever so coyly as he watches you walk by, no need to be alarmed. He’s most likely admiring his work.  As a consultant for titans like Nike and Under Armour, he helps to design and build brands that eventually find their way onto your feet.  He counts many elite athletes and Hollywood entertainers as his friends, but none of that phases him. Rocky would rather indulge the diva-tendencies of his young daughters and occasionally get to watch a basketball game courtside. It’s not much to ask at all.

We sat down with Rocky (virtually) to see what it’s really like to run with the big dawgs of the sneaker industry. By the way, he only Rocks the Swoosh!

Let’s go….

Basic info:

Full Name: Leon “Rocky” Parrish

Hometown: Oxon Hill, Maryland

Last school attended: Univ. of Maryland College Park

What you consider your career to be: Product Line Development & Marketing Consultant

…getting started.

What (when) was your first break in the business? Who was the person who took a shot on you?

Well I started off [doing] contracts and project management in and out of college; many folks mentioned that I was creative in making decisions and working-out difficult situations.  I also had a different way of putting decks together when I made presentations for progress or status report meetings.

 After a few years of consulting for Government IT Beltway Bandits and networking with many people, I decided to start my own marketing arm.  In addition to project management, I started helping small businesses to market themselves, and then I moved on to assisting small sneaker boutiques with making their businesses more appealing to compete with larger footwear distributors.

With me being a HUGE sneaker head, I decided to go to a sneaker symposium where designers from Brand Jordan were in attendance.  There were about five designers and the audience was basically full of kids 15 and up, and then there was me and a buddy of mine.  We were in our upper 20’s at the time.

While all the other kids were asking questions like what color was the next pair of Jordans going to come out in, I asked questions like “when designing your shoe, what inspirations do you use and why don’t those stories get told at retail?” Well other questions like that prompted a few of them to approach me after the symposium to thank me for asking questions that were actually intelligent and off the norm from what they usually get.

They gave me their cards, and a few months later Dwayne Edwards, the Director of Footwear for Brand Jordan emailed me and asked me if I was interested in having dinner with them because they were coming back in town to talk to the Georgetown Basketball Team about product. Present at that dinner was Octavio Lubrand (Brand Jordan Designer), Mike Ditullo (then Jordan Brand Designer, currently Director for Converse Footwear) and Jason Mayden (Senior Designer for Brand Jordan)

We talked over dinner, and I swear the topic of sneakers only came up twice in a 3 hour dinner session.  A month or so after that, Dwayne called me and asked if I would be interested in doing some focus groups for them. I agreed and that began a four year learning immersion into the world behind the sneaker.

What was the “aha” moment like when you said, “What the hell, I’m going to give it a shot (follow my dream)!”?

A few years ago, I had the chance to work for Nike full time and actually live in Beaverton, Oregon (headquarters).  It was something that I really had wanted to do for a long time, since becoming a consultant for Brand Jordan, but never pursued because I knew it wasn’t something that would be worthwhile financially. You have to be really entrenched in Nike to do well financially OR just be a consultant.  However, the opportunity would afford me the chance to work on several product lines. It was a significant carrot dangled in front of me.  So I said, “why not?!”

Describe that first moment when you were doing what you love and you felt like you made the right decision.

I was in a meeting with folks who had been at Nike for a while and  was one of two new guys in attendance.  On the table in front of me were about 15 new shoes, some NEVER to be seen by the public and others just concept which needed to be discussed on weather they would release on a limited basis or not.

Unbeknownst to me, I was sweating like I was being interrogated by the Feds…a few people even asked if I was ok.  What they didn’t realize was that I was so excited and built up with anxiety, I was trying to keep my emotions in check.  I was like a kid in a candy shop.

 At this very moment, are you passionate about what you are doing?

I am more than passionate about my work. I actually look forward to my work every day.  I no longer work directly for Nike, I consult for several of their athletes.  Knowing I make an actual difference in the branding of their name and in the development of their products brings a smile to my face.

There are only a fraction of people in the world who do what they love and get paid well for it.  Most of those people are entertainers and athletes.  I fall in neither of those categories and feel blessed for it.

…inspiring to you.

What (who) inspires you?

My kids. Plain and simple.  I look at my daughters and sons and want them to know that they can do what they want in life if its something that makes them happy.  I was also inspired by my parents (both worked at government jobs) to NOT get into a situation where I was working simply to just work with no passion or purpose.  Its not to take away from government workers, as I am sure they all have an ultimate purpose, but if its not your calling, I don’t think you can be truly happy with what you are doing.

What’s the most surreal experience you’ve had in the business?

I have met Michael Jordan, Lebron James and many other high profile athletes. I’ve only been starstruck by MJ.  I mean, he’s Michael Jordan!

For the rest of them, they are all younger than me, and I can never see myself being envious or in awe of them.  Only GOD himself.  However I did have the great experience of talking to the folks who were responsible or greatly responsible for bringing MJ and King James to the Swoosh.  They are Lynn Merritt and Howard White, also known as “H”.

Those two are probably the most respected black men at Nike, and quite honestly, the smartest. Both can call Nike Chairman Phil Knight at anytime and voice their displeasure with anything.  Talking to them gave me insight on the business and life in general.  They also confirmed what I thought about reaching what “YOU” may think is your ultimate goal. For some, it’s working for Nike.  For me it was higher than that, working for yourself, and I was already doing that.

My reasoning is this. Most folks grow up in the Nike culture working at Footlocker or being an EKIN, as in a Nike Intern.  However it’s all they know.  Heaven forbid Nike went under -I’m sure the Government wouldn’t bail them out -there would be many folks who couldn’t go to Puma, Adidas or Reebok.

Because Nike has their way of doing things and everyone else does it differently, those people would have little to no other options.  This is one of the main reasons why I have continued to keep my options open by doing more than just marketing or branding for athletes.

Talking with those two gentlemen was invaluable.

Who is your favorite colleague to work with?

I work with a kid named Cody Harris who lives in Jamestown, California.  He is basically my personal graphic designer, a Photoshop expert and all-around footwear artistic guru.

I basically come up with a concept, and he brings it to life.  He’s a young cat and hasn’t gotten his break in the business yet, but he will soon.  He is 100 times better than many of the folks I have worked with that do what he does, but because he hasn’t worked with anyone else big, folks are apprehensive to take that chance on him.

Not me. The kid is an artistic genius.

Who do you admire? (No mom or dad allowed)

Chi McBride.  He’s a really good friend of mine. We met through the world of sneakers.  He’s a sneakerhead at heart, and to be a high-profile actor, he’s one of the most down to earth dudes you can ever meet.

It was only after we met at a NBA All – Star game in Vegas one year that I realized how many damn movies he’s actually been in before.  This guy probably has as many shoes as I do (400+) but NEVER EVER expects or asks anything of others (other than an exclusive or rare kick or two lol).

Most entertainers or athletes I’ve met or worked with think they are entitled to have their butt kissed or be given things, but this is a guy you can meet the first time and swear you have been friends for years.  No matter if either of us becomes broke and destitute (God Forbid) we will remain good friends.

Gadget(s) of choice?

My Crackberry is my one and only gadget of choice, because I don’t think I can live without it.  I have had many phones in my lifetime, but once I got a Blackberry I found out why its likened to crack.  You just HAVE to have it!!

…so disappointing.

What’s one thing you’ve done to disappoint yourself?

Not get into marketing earlier in life.  I think if I had, I wouldn’t have to work for myself, I could be the head of one of the big three footwear companies helping them do better than most of them are doing now.

What do others do that disappoints you?

Not help themselves.  I often come across folks that after hearing my story think I lucked into what I do.  In some ways, I did, but I had to show my skills and prove myself, which I still have to do even now to maintain and enhance what I have.  When you think I should just give you a position like I have without you putting in ANY work or effort….I am disappointed that anyone could think life is that easy.

How is the economic recession impacting you?

Right now, the recession isn’t impacting me as it once was with gas prices.  I am concerned however that some folks I work with don’t have foresight to know they wont be doing what they are doing forever and will need something to fall back on.

Just like I can’t expect to draw a check from an athlete forever, my work has to speak for me so the next athlete wants me to do work for them.

Which part of your job could you give up in an instant?

The travel.  I can be on the road for 3 days to a week.  If the Olympics are going on, it can be a few weeks.  I have kids, so with me being a Daddy who’s and attached to my kids, I get separation anxiety. Plus my daughters get salty if I don’t take them on the road with me so they can see the games in person since we get such good seats.  They like how the concierge lady will bring them milk in their seats.  My girls are Divas.

…leave ‘em with this..

 How do you deal with adversity?

My motto is this, and I got it from my Dad: Why complain about something if you can do something about it, and if you can’t do something about it, why complain? Its basically something I have always subscribed to in my life and relationships.  It doesn’t always go over well with others, but, hey, it works for me.

What quote/saying are you best known for?

If I find something to be crazy or out of sorts, you can know I will say “Unreal” or “Holy Poop”

What do you do when you are not on the grind/road?

Thinking of new concepts and hanging with the kids.

What’s next for you? 

Retirement.  I don’t want to work all my life and I have been working hard to get to that point.  I saw my parents working well into their 50’s and 60’s and although I know I will always be doing something. I want to work because I can part time out of my house sitting in my bed. lol

Where can we find you online?

Only if you Google me I suppose. I have found, that a website can do certain things for certain people, but for me, I can tell you better than I can show you.  A Website stands still and can’t represent me or my work like I can represent my services and my talents.  When you are good at what you do, people become your live webcast.

 If you had one last song to sing, line to deliver, or speech to give to a waiting audience of millions, what would you leave them with?

Everyone probably would say I did it my way by Frank Sinatra.  I have always been a person of wit who could come up with something on the fly, so I really wouldn’t know until the moment hit me.

However, if it were a group of kids, who I prefer to talk to because they are sometimes eager to know how to get to where they want to be, I would tell them impossible is nothing.  The Irony!