Troy Michels

I build brands people believe in, not just buy from.For 25 years I've helped iconic brands lead cultural movements, win the audiences that matter, and grow, from a PR desk at Universal Orlando to a Fortune 50 spokesperson, from the founder's table to the boardroom.My roots are in sports, events, and lifestyle. I cut my teeth building athlete and event partnerships and action-sports culture at K2 Sports and Aspen Skiing Company, then brought that instinct to Target, where I built and led the Lifestyle Marketing division and became a public face of the brand, wiring experiential, cultural, and sports marketing into strategy across Marketing, Merchandising, Communications, HR, and Legal. It taught me the hardest thing in marketing: how to grow a beloved institution without losing what makes it beloved.I believe the strongest brands lead with purpose, and that brand is only real when it changes how people behave. I've spent years in the rooms where culture gets made, from the X Games and the Olympics to Coachella, the ESPYs, and Oscar weekend, and I've built my own: the Target Chalet in Aspen, RESQHOUSE over Coachella, and a hand in launching the Outside Days Festival. It taught me to see where culture is heading before it arrives, and to put brands there first. My favorite work takes what a company already stands for, its people, its story, what it genuinely believes, and turns it into momentum: categories reshaped, legacy brands made relevant again, new ones given meaning from day one. Not a logo people recognize. A movement people want to be part of.I've led and advised brands across sports, entertainment, performance, CPG, and lifestyle: Chief Brand Officer of Jocko Fuel and Origin USA, CEO of RESQWATER, advisor to the Carpenter family at Burton Snowboards, and partner to Lumi Labs and Computyfi. Through Konduit, the advisory firm I founded, I help leaders sharpen a vision and rally a team that runs through walls for it.A few things I've helped make happen:- Built product lines to $100M+ in sales- Raised capital 15+ times as a founder and CEO- Guided startups from founding to $1B+ valuations- Led brands as CEO, Chief Brand Officer, and corporate spokesperson- Launched movements that reshaped categories and the cultures behind themI live in the space between strategy and storytelling: brand and behavior, commerce and culture. Founders and executives bring me in to sharpen the vision, align the team, and build a brand people believe in, not just buy from.If you're building something that matters, let's talk.