Hey friends. Welcome to the free trail podcast. Of course, I'm your host Dylan Bowman. Today we are joined by Aaron Lutzi, a dear friend and

mentor who is returning for his second appearance on the show. Aaron was responsible for recruiting me

to Red Bull and operated as my athlete manager for many years before he moved on. He was also

critically the catalyzing force for me to start this silly podcast a few years ago,

something I will always be grateful for in a story that we recount in today's episode.

And even though we don't work together directly anymore, we still talk on the phone multiple times per week,

and he is still the number one sounding board for me when I'm kicking around a new idea

wrestling with a free trail related problem. Quite frankly, Lutzi is the man. He is universally

loved in the industry and it's great that we can get him some shine on the program. And luckily

for us, Aaron is now sharing all his brilliant insights about sports marketing here on the show

and also on his new YouTube channel called Super Athlete. This being contract season for a lot of

athletes, I figured it would be a good time to get Lutzi back on the show, give you a glimpse

into the conversations we have on the phone. So we talk about the past and present of athlete partnerships, the reasons brand

sponsor athletes to begin with, the value of creating long form content, the difference

between audience and community, the future of athlete partnerships, and a lot more.

Today's conversation will hopefully be entertaining for all audiences, but definitely

hugely relevant to professional athletes and aspiring professional athletes in the sports,

as well as those hoping to make a living or build a career in the outdoor industry. So if you like

it, go click through the show notes and subscribe to Aaron's YouTube channel where he's sharing

out all this wisdom for free.

And hint hint, Lutti and I are currently incubating a new media property that I think has the potential to be huge that will hopefully be launching in early 2024.

So I hope you enjoy this preview conversation.

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