About

Mike Lauer was 15 when a one-night opportunity put him under the basket at Madison Square Garden as an honorary ball boy for the New York Knicks. That night became eight seasons as a Knicks ball boy, followed by a continuing role tracking game statistics for the coaching staff while his work expanded into production, editing and live events at NBA Entertainment.

His career would ultimately look more like a map than a traditional corporate ladder, moving both inside and outside of professional sports. Along the way, he ran his own production company, worked in live operations at MLB Advanced Media and led large-scale sports streaming operations, with other stops that sometimes seemed disconnected until viewed from farther down the road.

Those experiences became the foundation of Sweat Equity: From Ball Boy to Builder, a memoir about the people, mistakes, opportunities and choices that shaped his path. The stories offer a perspective on what happens beneath the surface—how people work together, how trust is earned, how systems function and what becomes visible under pressure.

Today, Mike enjoys conversations with podcast hosts, students, leaders and teams who are curious about careers, people and how organizations actually work. He isn't interested in telling people what to think. He's interested in helping them widen their perspective.