MY STORY

“How We Do Anything Is How We Do Everything.”

Hi! I'm Corbitt. I was born and bred in Birmingham, Alabama, but with over a decade of my adult life spent in Los Angeles, CA, there's a good bit of SoCal spirit infused into this "Bama boy" heart of mine. Speaking of which, my professional journey began in 2005 after graduating from the University of Alabama - I then moved over 2,000 miles across the country to Los Angeles, where I launched my career in marketing. While in La La Land, I spent nearly the next 11 years of my life honing my skills in “big brand” marketing, negotiating and managing multimillion dollar sponsorship deals.

While working in LA, I had the privilege to travel extensively, managing sponsorship partner relationships, traveling to virtually every major city across the U.S. as well as internationally in Canada, Mexico, Spain, Italy, Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Throughout these global adventures, I even had the incredible opportunity to collaborate with sports legends as a part of our sponsorship deals such as David Beckham, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Lionel Messi (remind me to tell you my David Beckham “bowling story” if we ever meet in person…).

After my decade in Los Angeles and birth of my first daughter, it was time for a change. I had major career opportunities in my hometown of Birmingham, Alabama as well as Dallas, Texas. I’m not sure if it was the pull of my hometown or the opportunity itself, but I, ultimately, returned to my roots. I began my role of Vice President of Marketing for Iron Tribe Fitness, a national fitness franchise brand. During the span of three years, I led marketing and brand initiatives across Iron Tribe Fitness's 42 corporate and franchise locations scattered across the United States.

A couple of years into my role at Iron Tribe, the proverbial shit hit the fan, marking the onset of one of the most challenging periods of my life to date. Seemingly out of nowhere, I was struck with a 104-degree fever. My body convulsed, I couldn't discern up from down or right from left, and I was rushed to the hospital in an ambulance. I was quickly admitted to the ICU at Brookwood Hospital (big shoutout to those guys, by the way), where numerous tests were conducted to diagnose my condition, while doctors worked fervently to reduce my severe fever.

Eventually, I underwent a procedure known as a lumbar puncture (or spinal tap), where the medical staff inserted what appeared to be the longest needle I had ever seen into the lower base of my spine to extract fluid for testing. "It might be meningitis," they speculated, and began treating me accordingly. The primary concern was determining the type of meningitis: viral or bacterial? The test on my spinal fluid would take three days to culture, so in the meantime, I was treated for bacterial meningitis, which is highly contagious. At that point, it was uncertain whether I would ever walk out of the hospital again. That period was marked by a profound sense of isolation, with everyone around me donning what resembled hazmat suits.

Thankfully, the culture results revealed it was viral meningitis, but a long recovery journey lay ahead. After a week, I left the ICU to go home, yet I was far from recovered. It took about a month before I could return to the office, and I was so weakened that I couldn't even hold my 6-month-old daughter. The gym and physical fitness, which had always been significant parts of my life, were now out of reach. I fell into a depression and sought solace in various vices, some prescribed and others self-medicated.

This chapter of my life became my "Hero's Journey," as defined by Joseph Campbell's mythos. Fast forward through a significant recovery period, and I was finally on the path to recovery on all fronts. I made a commitment to myself to embrace opportunities, regardless of their size, fear factor, or my initial reluctance.

That's when I met my first real mentor, Brad Bearden, arguably one of the planet's best Facebook marketers. Brad was brought on board by Forrest Walden, the founder & CEO of Iron Tribe Fitness (another big shoutout to Forrest, not just for this, but for so much more, as someone I continue to admire and respect), to overhaul the brand's entire online strategy through Facebook ads and sales funnels. However, Brad's role was to strategize the "how," leaving the "doing" to the team for implementation, without his direct involvement in execution.

To say that this task was outside my comfort zone would be an understatement. I was the guy who struggled to connect to WiFi at Starbucks. Yet, we needed someone to operationalize Brad's Intellectual Property and make the rubber meet the road, and I said "yes."

This decision opened up an incredible opportunity to learn directly from one of the world's top Facebook advertisers. Over an intensive six-month period, I underwent extensive training under Brad's mentorship, focusing on Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO), a meticulous process aimed at increasing the conversion rate of website visitors into loyal customers. I also became proficient in using platforms like Infusionsoft (now Keap), further expanding my skill set. This time was dedicated to an immersive learning process, involving a lot of trial and error, as I diligently applied my newfound knowledge across various digital marketing disciplines.

So, in 2017, while still serving as the Vice President of Marketing at Iron Tribe Fitness, I started leveraging my expertise to consult with other brands. This dual role allowed me to gain invaluable insights and practical experience while actively contributing to the success of Iron Tribe Fitness.

As my consulting business gained momentum, I made the pivotal decision to step down from my role as VP of Marketing at Iron Tribe Fitness. I entrusted the responsibilities to a client, dedicating 100% of my time to launching my new digital ad agency, Apex Current. It all started from the humble confines of my own home's basement.

Apex Current experienced exponential growth, rapidly attracting a diverse range of clients spanning various industries, including fitness, orthodontics, healthcare, wellness supplements, nutrition, higher education, investing, independent news, events/seminars, luxury travel, and more. Notable brands such as Club Pilates, Birmingham Orthodontics, Medjet, Agenixs, XCI Racing, Breakout Games, Dr. Larry Fan, Below Body Bar, and Forum Health became valued clients of Apex Current, among many others.

My commitment remains unwavering to my original mission of inspiring everyone I encounter to pursue their life goals with relentless determination. I live by the quote, "How we do anything is how we do everything," often attributed to Martha Beck. I firmly believe that with unwavering commitment and giving 110% effort, anything is possible.