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Melcolm X. Ruffin

@melcolmx

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🏀 Chief Business Officer @ballislife
✊🏾Co-founder of @seen.community
🎓@UMass + @harvardhbs
📍LA
🏠CHI
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@United Airlines honored our family’s three generations and 100+ years of service in celebration of their centennial ✈️ The legacy began with our Grandma Rose 🌹, continued with @carolphillipsmason + @mrsginafaye + Uncle Mel and lives on through pilot @deaconruffin. Eternally grateful to United, CEO @scottkirby and President Brett Hart for this tribute and this new family heirloom 🙏🏾 by @melcolmx
#ForeverRuffin 💍🤍🕊️♾️ VII.XIX.MMXXIV . . . . 🏆: @uniquecaboweddings 📸: @franktesistecophoto 📍: @corazoncabo 💍: @moijeydiamonds 👰🏾‍♀️: @alexandrasbridalboutique 🤵🏾‍♂️: @no33custom 💄: @suzannemorelcabo 💐: @magnoliafloralboutique 🍽️: @the.cabo.wedding.co 🪩: @djmarkyg_ 🎻: @luciano.pavan.violinist by @melcolmx
We’re those friends that just got engaged 💍♥️ @sean_luciene by @melcolmx
“What’s the story behind this tattoo?” Midway through, I explained to the tattoo artist that the barcode I wanted for my first tat was from the medical wristband worn during my brain tumor surgery 3 years ago (9.6.23). “You want to hear something crazy?” By pure coincidence (or fate), @bearly.inked opened up that as a child he was also one of the 94,340 annual Americans diagnosed with a brain tumor. As he showed us the scar behind his ear, I reflected back on my own surgery and days spent recovering in the ER filled with uncertainty. Neither of us could believe the universe brought us together for this powerful moment and embodiment of Sonder. ~~~ I no longer keep that physical hospital wristband as a keepsake or reminder of the day my life changed forever. Instead I wear my tattoo as a badge of honor and marked 2026 as a new chapter in life. From the turmoil of “perseverance” to the enthusiasm of “hope”. Here are some of my favorite memories from this new chapter all the way through my milestone birthday filled with love, gratitude, family and friends. #Empathy ☯️ #Sonder @natlbraintumorsociety 🎨: @wanderlust_tattoos (Amherst, MA) by @melcolmx
“The 1v1 scene is continuing to grow throughout the world of basketball, and a key component in growing the game: @ballislife” - @madysonmmarie @8newsnow Introducing Ballislife One on One Championship 🏀🏆 Incredibly proud of the whole Ballislife team rallying to produce the biggest ever event in the space during NBA Summer League in Las Vegas. The energy in the building was ELECTRIC and the NBA stars + basketball community showed out to support 🔥 Shout out @mattballislife05 @arek_ballislife @devinthelab for the vision. We’re just getting started! 😤 📸: @itsloskii by @melcolmx
I’m proud to present Jazz Worldwide 🎺🌍🎶 launched during @intljazzday in Chicago. More than a production and media company, Jazz Worldwide is a boundary-breaking community designed to unite musicians, journalists, and enthusiasts of all generations. My team is focused on accelerating the momentum of the “My Jazz Life” newsletter by hosting experiential “Our Jazz Life” events and launching other original productions (More to come soon!). Subscribe for the My Jazz Life newsletter and visit jazzworldwide.com for more information through the links in my profile bio. Musings of a jazz junky: “Jazz is a living organism. It absorbs the people and the time it is in. The people absorb it, then throw it back out as art. As the times change, so do the people, and so does the music. From the Southside of Chicago to South Africa and beyond, jazz is reflecting the space it occupies. My mission with Jazz Worldwide is to explore those differences and grow this organism alongside a new, global audience.” #JazzWorldwide 🎺🌍🎶 Management: @gailboydmgmt Production: @sidvicious_media Strategy: @melcolmx Brand design: @liamakesthis by @melcolmx
The @ballislife x @seaworldsandiego All-American Game was an UNPRECEDENTED success 🏀🏆🐬 🏀 A fun “Victory Lap” for our elite hoopers and their families before college ball starts 🏆 Boys and girls All-American games, dunk contests, 3-point shootouts and 1v1 competitions 🎢 All-access to the unique experiences, 🐬 animal encounters and rides that @seaworldsandiego offers 🌟Surprises like meeting stars from the @la_sparks and being gifted the new LeBrons from @nike 👟 🎥 Hilarious content opportunities with our social team The parent of one of the games’ MVPs said it best: “We had an incredible experience. The business of basketball starts so early now but we have to let kids be kids.” 💯 Grateful for @seaworldsandiego hosting and our partners @okeeffescompany @wellwithall_ @nike for elevating the experience for the players and fans! by @melcolmx
First family weekend in San Diego was a success 🙌🏾🥳 •@melcolmx ran an incredible @ballislife event 🏀 •The events at @seaworldsandiego were top tier 🐬 •@phillphill kept the vibes going through the rain 🎸 Already planning the next family gathering 😏 by @melcolmx
Ball. Is. Life (officially!) 🏀 Proud to officially share I’ve started as Chief Business Officer of @ballislife under the leadership of the co-founders @mattballislife05 + @arek_ballislife. I’ll be focused on accelerating the business while tapping into the authentic legacy they’ve built in basketball over the past 20+ years across digital content, commerce, storytelling and community building. The competitive basketball content space — 1v1s, 2v2s, 3v3s — is at an inflection point. Billions of impressions. Millions of views. Tens of thousands of live viewers (in-person and pay-per-view). Matchups full of breakout basketball influencers. And Ballislife is leading the way. One of my favorite quotes is “You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards” (shout out Steve Jobs 🍎), and I couldn’t have imagined a better opportunity to tap into every experience, skill, connection and lesson I’ve gained across my career in the industry. It all leads perfectly to this moment and I can’t wait to get to work 🚀 From Nichols Lane to LA, the Hoop Dreams continue ♾️ by @melcolmx
My entire camera role of Lisbon is filled with @janeboob & @overtimebrandon and I couldn’t be more thrilled 🥹 It was an honor to be there for your big day. The intention, care, love, and joy felt throughout every space was unmatched. My New York fam 🫶🏾 love y’all forever and congratulations!!! by @melcolmx
It’s rare that an industry event actually fills your cup, but that’s exactly the environment @kar_inthegarage and @seebasschin curated for their @ccgsocial Office Warming Party 🏡 🎉 Big shout out to Karin, Seb, the CCG team and their clients. Congratulations on this major milestone. I know you’re just getting started! 🚀 📸: @bexxfrancois by @melcolmx
🎥 🏀 🎞️ 🍿 Shout out to @tsharp94 and @vacayvacayvacay on previewing their feature doc @hoopportraits at the @summerleaguefilmfestival. It was a special opportunity to showcase a work in progress of the project they’ve poured into the past 5 years for a small group of sports and entertainment industry VIPs (Kevin Garnett even caught the screening). As a kid from the West Side of Chicago, I’m proud to support Taylor and Hol’s vision to honor the legendary “Hoop Dreams” film by chronicling how “a life in basketball” has evolved over the past 30+ years. The film documents the growth of international basketball, rise of women’s basketball and changing amateur basketball landscape through the personal journeys of the 7 stars. Many thanks to Warren LeGarie and Albert Hall for establishing the Summer League Film Festival platform. And I appreciate Q&A Host @ericwnewman for recognizing the care and intentionality that Taylor and Hol brought into shepherding the stories. The team is excited to further refine these stories and explore opportunities to share Hoop Portraits with the world 🌎 🏀 ✌ DESCRIPTION “Hoop Portraits showcases what one must sacrifice to the game of basketball in order to make it professionally. From AAU to high school to college to the pros, this vérité documentary weaves together portraits of a diverse cast of hoopers whose shared dream is to be drafted into the NBA or WNBA.” CREDITS 🎬 Directors: Taylor Sharp, Holland Gallagher 🎬 Executive Producer: Melcolm Ruffin STARS 🏀 Toni Kukoč 🏀 Allie Quigley 🏀 Ty-Shon Alexander 🏀 Josh Hall 🏀 Mariana Valenzuela 🏀 Kuluel Mading 🏀 Jasmine Salcedo by @melcolmx

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