Topic: One Simple Solution for Phone-Life Balance.
About Aaron
Aaron Samson is a product marketer, storyteller and brand strategist. In addition to telling his own stories, he empowers others to share their own. He currently works as the Product Marketing Lead for Facebook’s Youth Division, enabling kids to responsibly share their stories and connect with the family and friends that are most important to them.
Background
Aaron grew up in Berkeley, California before moving to Chicago where he earned a Bachelor of Speech from Northwestern University. His parents wanted him to become a lawyer, but Aaron had other plans in mind, pursuing a career as an actor and writer. He moved to Los Angeles and co-founded the theater Company, The Next Arena, where he wrote, produced and starred in the play, Not Dead Yet, earning the elusive Critics Choice’ from the LA Times, along with Best Playwriting from the LA Weekly Theater Awards.
The Journey
After a decade pursuing the arts, Aaron shifted gears and developed a passion for youth product marketing and branding. Shortly after earning his MBA from UC Irvine, Aaron worked in Global Brand Marketing and Strategy for Mattel. He was thrilled to lead Mattel’s iconic brands such as Matchbox, UNO, Pictionary and Scrabble. After Mattel, he joined Hasbro and launched their Los Angeles satellite office. He was responsible for managing the product development and marketing strategies for iconic Disney properties such as Moana, Beauty and the Beast, as well as the NBC Universal property, Trolls.
Passion
Aaron’s passion for youth marketing, tech and storytelling converged when he started working at Facebook last year. He works on Messenger Kids, a safer app for kids to connect, and empowers kids with creative filters, games and tools that lead to fun and active screen time. Prior to relocating to the Bay Area with his wife and three kids, Aaron lived in the San Fernando Valley, where he represented District 52 in Toastmaster’s annual World Championship of Public Speaking.
