"Personal success is finding balance and self-awareness by setting clear boundaries between work and life."
Welcome to ValiantCEO Magazine, where we delve into the world of visionary leaders and their incredible journeys. In this exclusive feature, we have the privilege of sitting down with Harry Johns White, the CEO of NBAblast.com, who has harnessed the power of artificial intelligence to transform the landscape of sports content creation. Harry has taken the road less traveled and achieved remarkable success through his unique blend of passion, perseverance, and technological innovation.
In this captivating interview, Harry opens up about his background, his deep-rooted love for sports, and how that love steered him towards an unconventional career path. He shares his experiences of growing up in a small town near Phoenix, Arizona, and his unrelenting passion for the NBA. Against the odds, he forged a path into the sports industry, combining his dedication to the game with a degree in dietetics.
Discover how Harry’s journey took a monumental turn when he embraced AI technology to enhance content creation at NBAblast.com. His insights into the impact of AI, the challenges faced, and his vision for the future provide a fascinating glimpse into the world of AI-powered innovation. Harry Johns White’s story is a testament to what one can achieve with determination, a deep love for their craft, and the innovative application of technology.
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Table of Contents
We are thrilled to have you join us today, welcome to ValiantCEO Magazine’s exclusive interview! Let’s start off with a little introduction. Tell our readers a bit about yourself and your company.
Harry Johns White: My name is Harry Johns White, I come from a small town, just outside of Pheonix, AZ.
Since I was a kid, I was always fascinated about sports, my parents used to say that if I were to share the same enthusiasm for education, I’d most likely have a PhD by the age of 25, but scholar education was never fit for me, and I spent a lot of time watching NBA, MLB, NFL and sometimes even Formula 1, but I found NBA to be the most fascinating, fast-paced sports out there, and then my dream of working in the sports industry started.
Throughout many years, I’ve been specializing in it, gaining knowledge and gathering statistics, but I also had to make a living, so I decided to obtain a degree in dietetics, and work in a local gym. It wasn’t much, but I always had the bigger picture in my head and I knew I can land a job related to NBA.
And that’s when the opportunity came – back than a rather small project called NBAblast.com was looking for someone who knew marketing, but most importantly was a die hard fan of NBA, someone who could offer content plan, high quality articles, interview series and many more.
Thanks to them being a small project, I was able to get the job, despite not having too much prior experience, but a lot of knowledge. I’ll be forever thankful for giving me the chance, as many people would reject me after having a brief look at my resume, and here I had the chance to tell more about myself and showcase my expertise.
Ever since then, I always gave 100%, and NBAblast started slowly growing, day by day. We landed our first interviews, we started getting more traffic to our website, and even received accreditation for our fist game.
Now, we have very ambitious plans, which I cannot share with you yet, but it’s a huge step forward, and we hope to start closing the gap between ourselves and the biggest players in the NBA news league.
Can you share with us your journey towards integrating AI into your business operations?
Harry Johns White: We started utilizing AI tools primarily for content creation. These tools were not just instrumental in creating written content, but also extremely handy in scripting our video content.
They would analyze the vast data and statistics we had on NBA, and come up with engaging and informative content ideas, which significantly reduced our brainstorming time and allowed us to focus more on content production and quality.
Another interesting application was using AI to script our internal tasks and jobs. This was incredibly beneficial in automating and optimizing our workflows, thereby enhancing our operational efficiency.
For example, we used AI to write Python scripts which helped in managing and analyzing the vast array of NBA statistics we deal with. This not only made our lives easier but also allowed us to delve deeper into insights, which would have been very time-consuming otherwise.
This adoption of AI allowed us to be more innovative and stay competitive, especially as we aimed to close the gap between ourselves and the bigger players in the NBA news league.
By leveraging AI, we were able to scale our content production, enhance our operational efficiency, and bring more value to our audience, contributing significantly to our ambitious growth plans, without the need to hire more people, which would be an extra costs for us.
What specific areas of your business have been most impacted by AI, and how?
Harry Johns White: the most significant impact of AI in our business at NBAblast.com has undoubtedly been in the area of content creation. The AI tools we’ve employed have become invaluable in aiding our creative process.
They have enabled us to generate a plethora of ideas and script outlines, drastically reducing the time spent on conceptualization and allowing us to focus on refining and producing high-quality content.
However, I would like to emphasize that while AI has been a remarkable tool, it is just that—a tool. We hold the craft of writing and content creation in high regard, and we never simply copy-paste AI-generated articles. It’s crucial for us that every piece of content we produce maintains a human touch, ensuring originality and authenticity.
The AI-generated content serves as a starting point or a draft, which our team then meticulously shapes, refines, and personalizes to meet our high standards and align with our unique voice and style.
In this way, AI has become an assistant that accelerates our workflow but doesn’t replace the essential human elements of creativity, insight, and passion that go into crafting our content. Balancing the efficiency of AI with our commitment to authenticity has allowed us to consistently deliver high-quality and engaging content to our audience, furthering our growth and presence in the NBA news league.
What are the biggest obstacles you’ve faced in implementing AI, and how did you overcome them?
Harry Johns White: Implementing AI into our workflow at NBAblast.com did pose some challenges. The biggest obstacle was ensuring that we maintain the human touch in our articles. We are committed to producing authentic and high-quality content, and we didn’t want to compromise this by relying too heavily on AI-generated text.
To address this, we instituted an internal policy limiting AI-generated content to no more than 30% of any given article. This policy has helped us strike a balance between leveraging the efficiency of AI and maintaining the originality and quality of our content.
It ensures that the majority of our content is human-generated, infused with personal insights, experiences, and the unique voice that our audience values.
Another significant challenge was learning how to effectively prompt the AI. This was a novel concept for everyone on board, and it required a substantial investment of time and effort to understand and master. Crafting effective prompts is crucial in guiding the AI to generate content that is relevant, coherent, and aligned with our goals.
Despite the learning curve, we viewed this as a long-term investment, and it has indeed been paying off. The team has become proficient in interacting with the AI tools, and we have been able to harness their capabilities more effectively, leading to improved content quality and efficiency in our operations.
By addressing these challenges head-on and staying committed to our values and goals, we have been able to successfully integrate AI into our operations, enhancing our content creation process while preserving the authenticity and quality that define NBAblast.com.
What advice would you give to other CEOs looking to integrate AI into their business?
Harry Johns White: For CEOs looking to integrate AI into their businesses, my advice, drawn from our journey at NBAblast.com, is to approach the task slowly and thoughtfully. Starting with a smaller, manageable project can be beneficial to understand how AI can best fit into your workflows and address your specific needs.
This measured approach enables a thorough assessment of the impact, helping address challenges early and informing decisions about scaling up the AI integration.
Maintaining the human touch in your services or products is paramount. It’s essential to set clear guidelines on the level of AI involvement and to ensure that every output adheres to your standards of quality and retains authenticity.
At the same time, investing time in educating and training your team on the new technology is crucial. Encouraging an environment of learning and experimentation can help your team become comfortable and confident in utilizing AI tools effectively.
Addressing ethical considerations is non-negotiable when implementing AI. Organizations need to maintain vigilance over the information AI tools generate, scrutinizing outputs for adherence to ethical standards and organizational values. In a rapidly evolving field like AI, staying informed about the latest developments and being open to adapting your strategies is key. Continuing to explore how AI can further enhance your operations will help your organization stay ahead.
Regular assessments of the impact of AI on your business are also essential. Evaluating the effectiveness of AI in achieving your goals and making necessary adjustments is part of a successful integration strategy.
Additionally, investing in the right AI tools that align with your business needs and objectives is a foundational step. Every AI tool serves a different purpose, and thorough research before investment will ensure that the chosen tools align with your business objectives.
How do you see AI evolving in your industry over the next 5 years?
Harry Johns White: Predicting the exact trajectory of AI evolution in the industry over the next five years can indeed be challenging, especially given the rapid and sometimes unexpected developments we have witnessed so far. Just a year ago, no one could have foreseen the significant growth and advancements that have occurred, demonstrating the dynamic nature of this field.
While a precise forecast for five years is beyond the horizon, it’s evident that AI will continue to grow rapidly and significantly shape the industry. The landscape is ever-evolving, and we can anticipate continuous advancements, innovations, and the emergence of new, potentially more powerful AI tools.
These developments will likely offer enhanced capabilities and open up new possibilities for how we leverage AI in content creation, audience engagement, and various other aspects of our work.
What does “success” in 2023 mean to you? It could be on a personal or business level, please share your vision.
Harry Johns White: For me, success in 2023 has multiple facets, both on a personal and professional level. On the business front, I am thrilled to share that NBAblast.com has already hit its growth targets for the year, exceeding our expectations. This achievement reflects the hard work, dedication, and passion of our team, and it sets a positive trajectory for the future of our project.
On a personal level, success has been about achieving balance and greater self-awareness. I’ve managed to draw a clear boundary between work and personal life, which I consider a significant accomplishment.
Being successful doesn’t necessarily mean being the best in everything; to me, it means being able to sleep peacefully at night, knowing I have given my best and that everything in my life is moving in the right direction.
I’m blessed with a loving wife and a three-year-old child, and spending quality time with them is invaluable. Achieving a balance between my professional commitments and family life has brought me immense satisfaction and contentment. To me, this balance is a key component of my definition of success this year.
Jed Morley, VIP Contributor to ValiantCEO and the host of this interview would like to thank Harry Johns White for taking the time to do this interview and share his knowledge and experience with our readers.
Disclaimer: The ValiantCEO Community welcomes voices from many spheres on our open platform. We publish pieces as written by outside contributors with a wide range of opinions, which don’t necessarily reflect our own. Community stories are not commissioned by our editorial team and must meet our guidelines prior to being published.
