24 January 2006
Lessons learned
Read the first part of the story here , the second here, and the third here. Check out Chosun's excellent mix (consider it a soundtrack to his tale) here.
The Tale of Chosun's Good Heart (conclusion).
By Chosun.
My event was now finalized and promotions had begun. All I had to do was hope that no other events would spring up at the last minute, promotions would be handled properly, and Mother Nature would not have a sudden hatred towards me. Boy, was I in for a surprise…
Murphy’s Law #1: Russell Simmons decides to host a very similar panel discussion/concert somewhere in Chelsea on the exact same night. There is talk of tremendous radio support, etc for this event that spontaneously materialized the same day. On top of this, Nike Town announces some HUGE sneaker event where they’re giving away tons of free sneakers and having some kind of a fashion show. Apparently, people had been lining up the night before in tents, etc, to guarantee their entry. The lines were wrapped AROUND THE BLOCK TWICE, according to my sources. What else could’ve gone wrong you ask?
Murphy’s Law #2: I must’ve peed on Mother Nature’s lawn or something in a past life because it was POURING on the night of my event. On top of that, it was really damn cold out on a Wednesday night in the city. I think it’s safe to say that I had placed myself into a lose/lose situation at this point. Nevertheless, what else could possibly go wrong?
Well, it turns out that Will and Rex’s promotions essentially amounted to Jack Schitt, and the only people coming through the venue’s doors were people who had heard about the event through me. In fact, let me rephrase that…the only PAYING people were those who heard about it through me. Sure Will brought people to the event, but proceeded to get EVERYONE past the register for the sake of some stupid film that he’s doing. Also, the venue (who told me they would promote as well) never ended up passing out any fliers for my event at all. In fact, the original box of 5,000 flyers they asked for was still there, unopened at the start of the event.
Therefore, after all was said and done…I was well over $9000 in the hole with nothing to show for it. Everyone I knew was asking me if I was ok due to the fact I was in a state and condition of being purely expressionless. Honestly, it pained me to even think about what had just happened to me, and how much I had put into it. On top of this, Black Rob never even performed. He showed up, took a look at the audience, and left. At that point, I didn’t care anymore…I had failed miserably to raise any funds for charity—not a single dime. In fact, I ended up losing almost half of what I had hoped to gain. I felt like any and all progress I had made on a personal and financial level had just been crushed. I hit an emotional floor and was pretty much useless for a few days following the event. I know it sounds stupid that something like this would devastate me so badly, but I truly put my heart and soul into this event. It was my baby…something I had put my love and sweat into…something that would allow me to contribute on a much larger scale to those in need. Oh well, I guess pain and loss is necessary sometimes…
So what have I learned from this? A) I need to prepare MUCH earlier, and deal with people that are more professional. B) Don’t rely on people to do things for me; I need to do them myself or hire professionals—they don’t share the same passion that I do. C) Also, perhaps most importantly for me, is to not always believe what everyone says…even if they sound like the noblest of people.
Furthermore, I DID walk away with many positive things. First off, I have formed relationships with quite a few industry artists, and have gained a sort of clout. In addition, I have found some great people as partners to help me reach my goals—people who will stand by me even in my times of darkness. Therefore, to end this journey on a positive note, I’d like to focus on the people who have supported me even after this entire event has come to a close: DJ Seoul, Anders, Nick & CL Smooth, Wolfpak Mgmt, DJ Wally/Pish Posh, DJ Chris Thomas, and of course my own artist, Big Pep.
There are few things better in life than knowing that you’ve got support, and I’ve got plenty. Now, it’s about time to start working on my next event…
(*Some of the names have been changed)
Thanks to Chosun for contributing his story. ¶ 11:11 PM
The Tale of Chosun's Good Heart (conclusion).
By Chosun.
My event was now finalized and promotions had begun. All I had to do was hope that no other events would spring up at the last minute, promotions would be handled properly, and Mother Nature would not have a sudden hatred towards me. Boy, was I in for a surprise…
Murphy’s Law #1: Russell Simmons decides to host a very similar panel discussion/concert somewhere in Chelsea on the exact same night. There is talk of tremendous radio support, etc for this event that spontaneously materialized the same day. On top of this, Nike Town announces some HUGE sneaker event where they’re giving away tons of free sneakers and having some kind of a fashion show. Apparently, people had been lining up the night before in tents, etc, to guarantee their entry. The lines were wrapped AROUND THE BLOCK TWICE, according to my sources. What else could’ve gone wrong you ask?
Murphy’s Law #2: I must’ve peed on Mother Nature’s lawn or something in a past life because it was POURING on the night of my event. On top of that, it was really damn cold out on a Wednesday night in the city. I think it’s safe to say that I had placed myself into a lose/lose situation at this point. Nevertheless, what else could possibly go wrong?
Well, it turns out that Will and Rex’s promotions essentially amounted to Jack Schitt, and the only people coming through the venue’s doors were people who had heard about the event through me. In fact, let me rephrase that…the only PAYING people were those who heard about it through me. Sure Will brought people to the event, but proceeded to get EVERYONE past the register for the sake of some stupid film that he’s doing. Also, the venue (who told me they would promote as well) never ended up passing out any fliers for my event at all. In fact, the original box of 5,000 flyers they asked for was still there, unopened at the start of the event.
Therefore, after all was said and done…I was well over $9000 in the hole with nothing to show for it. Everyone I knew was asking me if I was ok due to the fact I was in a state and condition of being purely expressionless. Honestly, it pained me to even think about what had just happened to me, and how much I had put into it. On top of this, Black Rob never even performed. He showed up, took a look at the audience, and left. At that point, I didn’t care anymore…I had failed miserably to raise any funds for charity—not a single dime. In fact, I ended up losing almost half of what I had hoped to gain. I felt like any and all progress I had made on a personal and financial level had just been crushed. I hit an emotional floor and was pretty much useless for a few days following the event. I know it sounds stupid that something like this would devastate me so badly, but I truly put my heart and soul into this event. It was my baby…something I had put my love and sweat into…something that would allow me to contribute on a much larger scale to those in need. Oh well, I guess pain and loss is necessary sometimes…
So what have I learned from this? A) I need to prepare MUCH earlier, and deal with people that are more professional. B) Don’t rely on people to do things for me; I need to do them myself or hire professionals—they don’t share the same passion that I do. C) Also, perhaps most importantly for me, is to not always believe what everyone says…even if they sound like the noblest of people.
Furthermore, I DID walk away with many positive things. First off, I have formed relationships with quite a few industry artists, and have gained a sort of clout. In addition, I have found some great people as partners to help me reach my goals—people who will stand by me even in my times of darkness. Therefore, to end this journey on a positive note, I’d like to focus on the people who have supported me even after this entire event has come to a close: DJ Seoul, Anders, Nick & CL Smooth, Wolfpak Mgmt, DJ Wally/Pish Posh, DJ Chris Thomas, and of course my own artist, Big Pep.
There are few things better in life than knowing that you’ve got support, and I’ve got plenty. Now, it’s about time to start working on my next event…
(*Some of the names have been changed)
Thanks to Chosun for contributing his story. ¶ 11:11 PM
