Twitter Brings Uncle Louie, LaVar Arrington Together

This is an occasional series about a Sachem alum utilizing social media in his everyday business strategies for celebrities around the country ...

Social networking has become an easy and prolific task for Louis Gregory, who boasts over 66,000 followers as Uncle Louie on Twitter and regularly adds celebrities to his social media client list. The beauty, however, is when Gregory networks in front of the confined walls of the Internet and brings his super star clients together and grows his own network.

At this year’s Jim Kelly Celebrity Golf Tournament, he became the topic of conversation when former NFL linebacker LaVar Arrington was talking about him with wrestling and entertainment sensation Bill Goldberg, one of Gregory’s top clients. It didn’t take long before Arrington was using Gregory and his social media savvy skills to increase his followers and overall engagement on the web.

“Goldberg talked so much about him so I started working with him,” said Arrington, who played seven seasons in the NFL, primarily with the Washington Redskins. “He applies persistence and common sense to your strategies in growing your social network.”

Arrington, who tweets @LaVarArrington, has been active with his followers, but never thought about following them and that actively engaging in conversation would increase his bandwith.

“Louie has brought that element,” Arrington said. “The results have been outstanding.”

Gregory, a Sachem alumnus, has a plethora of professional athletes in his network from former NFLer Marcellus Wiley to Goldberg, Major League pitcher Brad Penny and plenty of others.

“When LaVar reached out to me, I was humbled by the call,” Gregory said. “After all, he's one of the most notorious NFL linebackers. Having learned that I was a topic of conversation at the Buffalo Bill's great Jim Kelly's Celebrity Golf Tournament was a proud moment. LaVar explained his social media goals and we discussed a plan to reach them. He's very motivated, easy to work with and always willing to go the extra mile.”

They share many common friends, including Bob Marley's son Rohan Marley, University of Miami football legend and CEO of Marley Coffee.

Understanding social media, Arrington said, is half the battle with tackling the medium correctly.

“It’s cutting out the middle man,” he said. “If you understand how to leverage your brand in what is still considered the wild west and new frontier, and if you have people like Louie helping you grow, by the time this thing goes to the next level you’ll be ahead of the game.”

Gregory said they have a project in development where he’s teamed the legendary rapper Eric B of Eric B and Rakim with Arrington for a made for television sports talk show.

Arrington has kept busy since his retirement from the NFL. He blogs for the Washington Post, hosts a sports talk radio show in the D.C. area, is developing a training apparel line and appears on television regularly in Washington as well.

“There are a lot of benefits to me being busy,” he said. “My earning capacity is larger then I like it to be. I made a ton of money playing football, but just staying active and being able to be compensated is nice.

“I never looked at myself as solely a football player. I found something I was talented in and made the best of it. Now it’s television, blogging, a radio show and social media. I’m competing with the best in that arena as well.”

Follow the many people mentioned in this story on Twitter @SachemPatch, @ChrisVaccaro, @Goldberg, @LaVarArrington, @UncleLouie and @EricB.