A Force Across Industries
There are two certainties in life: things will change, and things will end. The question is, will you be at the mercy of those shifts, or will you steer the ship? For Aloni Ford, the answer has always been clear. She is, by all definitions, the captain of her own destiny.
Ford’s professional journey reads like a blueprint for what it means to lead boldly and build across borders, both figurative and literal. She has established herself as a dynamic force in sports management, television production, and, most recently, the Southern California sailing world. A storyteller, a starmaker, and a trailblazer. Ford moves with the kind of conviction and charisma that turns vision into legacy.
Early Roots of Leadership
Ford’s leadership story didn’t start in a boardroom or on a set. According to those close to her, she’s been a “boss” since the age of three, helping her father run his company and learning how to count money before she entered kindergarten. This foundation, equal parts discipline and imagination, laid the groundwork for her future success.
Her first major professional chapter began in Beverly Hills, working as an executive assistant at Coldwell Banker. There, she managed high-stakes real estate transactions, verified large-scale wire transfers, and through the network she built was able to contribute to both of President Barack Obama’s campaigns. But by the age of 27, despite her success, she felt like she had hit a ceiling. It was time for a leap.
“Sometimes we wait too long to chase our dreams,” she says. She knew it was time to step into something that truly fueled her creativity.
Glamour Meets Hustle
Ford transitioned into the world of entertainment, beginning as a model and actress before finding her calling behind the camera. During a routine callback, a producer asked if she’d ever considered working in production, a suggestion that opened the door to her next sense of purpose: producing content that shifts culture.
She quickly made waves in television, co-creating Mom’s Got Game, a reality series that landed on Oprah Winfrey’s OWN Network. Her ability to shepherd powerful, purpose-driven projects continued with Why Not?, a documentary-style film featuring NBA star Russell Westbrook and focusing on tech empowerment in L.A.’s Crenshaw community.
Today, Ford serves as Head of Production at Incubation Lab Productions, where she continues to bring bold, meaningful stories to life.
A Powerhouse in Sports Management
For nearly two decades, Ford has also managed the career of NBA champion and Grammy-nominated producer JaVale McGee. In an industry where women, especially Black women, are vastly underrepresented at the executive level, Ford has thrived.
Her management tenure includes three NBA championships, an Olympic gold medal, and a Grammy nomination—milestones that reflect not just her client’s success, but her own commitment to excellence and longevity in a high-pressure field.
Making Waves, Literally
While most would be content with conquering two male-dominated industries, Ford has added a third to her resume: sailing!
Her roles in the boating world are as impressive as they are unexpected. She is the Ambassador for the California Yacht Club, serves on the Inclusive Boating Committee for the Southern California Yachting Association, sits on the board of the Women’s Sailing Association of Santa Monica Bay, and acts as Director of Social Engagement for Naos Yachts.
What began as curiosity evolved into a calling. She once joked to her mother, “For years I thought you needed a rich white man to go boating. Now I am the rich white man.”
Her mission? To break barriers and bring more Black women and youth into the world of sailing. From hosting sailing clinics for just $10—experiences that often cost thousands—to producing inclusive, joy-filled events, Ford is actively rewriting who gets to experience the magic of the open water.
Redefining Celebration and Inclusion
Last Juneteenth, Ford made history by hosting one of the first large-scale Black cultural events at the California Yacht Club. With 200 Black attendees, live jazz, and a documentary screening on Black sailors titled, Searching for Good Trouble. The event marked a major shift in the representation of joy, culture, and belonging in traditionally exclusive spaces.
She continued this work in March for International Women’s Day, curating an all-women leadership event aboard a 46-foot yacht in Marina del Rey. The experience featured sound baths, meditation, chef-prepared bites, and a collection of donated books on business and personal empowerment, setting a new standard for what leadership gatherings can look and feel like.
Steering Toward the Future
Aloni Ford is a living embodiment of what it means to create your own lane, lead with vision, and bring others along for the ride. Whether she’s closing a deal, producing a pilot, mentoring a young creative, or hosting a cultural sailing clinic, Ford leaves a wake of empowerment and inspiration in her path.
Her ethos is simple but profound: “If not you, then who? If not now, then when?”
The next chapter of her journey is still being written, but one thing is certain: it will be bold, inclusive, and brilliantly executed.
Follow Aloni Ford’s journey:
Instagram: @Aloni__Ford
Gianluca Gibbons MBA, a trilingual Bermudian storyteller, saxophonist, and Sydney Palmer founder, a firm driving business growth through storytelling and community engagement. His motto, “We tell stories for a living, so dreams can live forever.”