How Bradford Got His Entrepreneurial Groove Back (or a Christmas Message for 2014)

2014 started in Miami, where a trip to Tulum was suddenly diverted to Florida due to a scam artist renting us a fake house. But we made the most of it. Georgi and I crashed at Lauren Foster’s place and we spent a week with Kyle Dull and Mark Silver. A special friendship sprung that week between Mark and I. The sun was shining in January, though my heart ached, as I still struggled to figure out what exactly I was supposed to do with my life.

So I went searching and I first wound up in London where I commiserated with Fab friends still stinging. In head-to-toe Comme des Garçons, I celebrated Tracy Doree’s birthday with a rag tag group of Germans and Brits. The day before I dined with Frédéric Guyot du Repaire and other fun friends and drank til the sun came up. Then I popped over to Berlin to see the friends I’d made there. I was still escaping in travel and booze, but I started to form a plan. That plan: 2014 was going to be a year where I found myself. The goal was to do a lot and let that inspire my next step. And I vowed to continue to see the world.

With that frame of mind I came back to America and quickly launched a consultancy business, Shellhammer. Splash page up, press interviews occurred, potential clients started calling. Hannah Mode became my first employee.

The first call I took was Scott Ballantyne. Then he was CMO of Backcountry, the huge and profitable e-commerce company based in Park City, Utah. I went out and spent two weeks with the goats. What happened there was magic. I ended up returning to Utah 16 times in 2014. After 11 months, I remain an advisor to the company. I remain great friends with current and former colleagues. I helped transform the site experience, brand identity, and merch mix. And I have friends forever there. From Jill, the inspiring CEO, to Bryan, the talented head of design, to Craig, with his 15K cat-loving Instagram followers. Erica, Pete, Kevin, Jess, Liz, Ross … Too many to name. I thank you Scott and Backcountry. The confidence I gained and the joy I felt in your walls heavily influenced where I stand today. You guys saved me in a way.

In February I went to San Francisco with Georgi and drank wine with the usual subjects (Suzy/James, Jack/Eric, Leland, Ryan/Austin). I crashed in the Sherpa office starting to bat around ideas of new companies. I stood at a Fast Company party with Ali Pincus, Brit Morin, Tyra Banks and the founders of Taskrabbit and Pinterest and if I am being honest, I felt sorry for myself. I no longer was running a company. Drunken texts to Ali that night inspired me more than she likely knows. I left SF determined to do something. It snowed in NYC a lot, I started working for SuperPier as creative director. I made art with neon light.

Then I convinced Mark Silver to run away to Rio with me. In the sun and during a week of perfect weather we snapped into a routine of eating chicken and hearts of palm, sunning ourselves, napping, and talking about life. About what’s next. I had an emotional breakthrough there in a Brazil, the land I met Georgi in, a place that tugs on my heart. Your surroundings can inspire you and I knew one of two things had to happen when I returned to NYC, one thing had to give: I either needed to leave the city or stay and build. I decided to stay. Mark was a big reason I started to think like an entrepreneur again.

In March I was named Chief Design Officer of Backcountry. With Dan Kurtz of Dragonette and Marcella Detroit, I recorded a cover of Enjoy The Silence for Mark’s birthday. We celebrated that day with a gorgeous dinner where I sat next to Laverne Cox and watched Courtney Act mime Monroe. Off to Utah where I went skiing. In NYC I celebrated Sandra’s birthday at the 21 Club and my mother’s at Zubehaus. I was getting my groove back.

In April I was everywhere. I went to Poland to meet Grażyna Kulczyk, who invited to me to Poznan to dream up the Art and Fashion Forum, a 10-day event for the best design students in Poland. I was asked to curate the event. I said yes not knowing what exactly to expect. It was a gut decision and I am so thankful I let this inspiring woman and her equally inspiring deputy Miron convince me to take on this project. After Poland, I popped over to Berlin and danced at Berghein and kissed friends. From Berlin I was off to Milan. I dreamed up a band with Tom Dixon. I wore floral head-to-toe Gucci and caused scenes. I kept my name out there, watching, waiting, determining what would be my next act in this community. At dinner with Jasper Conran and Tom I looked around the room and thought “Bradford you have something to bring to this world.” I wrote that down on a napkin.

I flew then to London and sang with Tom Dixon, covering Sylvester and Gloria Gaynor. I lost my shirt dancing with Jwan Yosef in East London (don’t ask!). Then I traveled to Utah and then Idaho making margaritas in campers on Easter with mountain people. I returned to NYC in time to catch the Pet Shop Boys. Georgi, Alireza, Zach, and I screamed like school girls.

In May I paddle boarded with Pete Labore and Jill Layfield and almost got knocked over by a whale. I wore wigs and played porn charades in the Hollywood Hills with a random group of freaks and folks. I saw Hedwig on Broadway, attended ICFF, and spent a weekend on Fire Island. I tattooed the Fab heart on my arm in blue. A monument. I can say I did it all for love. I also wrote an essay called “You’re a Designer, Not the CEO.” 100K people read it online. Fast Company published it.

June popped with a bang as Bianca Del Rio roasted me at a private dinner in Tribeca. Upstate that same week Sandra Hansel, also in drag, roasted me a second time. I started testing out ideas for new companies with friends like Matt Baer, Justin Chen, and PJ Mattan on weekends upstate. I went fly fishing in Utah. Played board games in San Francisco. Lunched with Michelle Visage in NYC and then I flew back to Poland.

In July in Poland I was on a press junket. Interviews. Magazine covers. Newspaper stories. It was awesome. In a private plane Miron, Peter, and I flew from Warsaw to Gdansk and danced to sunrise watching late night shows by Lykke Li and Jack White. I also discovered silent disco with Bartek. Google it. I flew from Poland to Utah (try that!). And I trekked to DC where I sang at the wedding of Basar and Scott. I also got to see my mom and eat steamed crabs. I painted our apartment pink. I started winding down my consultancy gigs. I had come up with something new to work on.

August was half work and half play. I worked on ideas, incubating a new company. I went to Warsaw and designed. Malmo and danced. I also went to Jordan with Jesse Cozart, a trip that changed my life. On a rooftop 20 hot gay guys drank beer in Amman on a Friday night. A knock on a door occurred. Everyone went silent. They were concerned. I realized then and there how lucky gay people in the US are and how far we have to go in this world. Luckily, it was the building super and all was good. Beyonce came back on and I bowed out to sleep early. Petra took my breathe away. I rode a camel. And then I flew to Mykonos where I joined up with Georgi and we sunned and funned and I felt butch racing around on a 4-wheeler.

In September I said goodbye to Utah with a raging night of slushy whiskey and dear friends. I ate burgers with Whoopi Goldberg and Tom Leonardis and spoke on stage in San Francisco. And I started talking about my next thing. And I refined it and kept talking all over NYC and SF and finally the dark cloud of my previous year vanished in thin air. I literally felt the weight lift from me. And it happened when I figured out my next step. It was not until I had new hope, a plan, a new direction was I able to let go of the steps I had taken to get there.

I went to London for design week and wore shiny Burberry and whispered in ears and started speaking to designers and artists and makers. And I was motivated and unstoppable. Back in NYC I had a cavity filled and went to Minneapolis for a weekend visiting Grace and Andrea.

In October I saw Koons with my mom and stripped to nothing and played cards in a hidden room at Queen of the Night. Then I spent 20 days in Poland with the most inspiring teachers, artists, designers, and students. I left my time in Poland in love with that land. I also left with connections for life, designers to collaborate with, and new friends and business partners in Grazyna and Maciek. Much like my Utah experience, my Polish experience was transformative, personally and professionally. I gained confidence in my own talents and leadership abilities. I also left Poland knowing exactly what I am meant to do in this world, a moment of clarity that is equally freeing (yes, I know why I am on earth!) and troubling (fuck, what if I fuck it up!?). I came home and started working out of a new office. I spent a weekend in LA with Erasure (literally) dancing two nights in a row like a kid. And I donned bowler cap and jockstrap channeling A Clockwork Orange on Halloween, dancing in Brooklyn with David Mason, Kevin Aviance, and Casey Spooner. I worked out hardcore and lost 10 pounds.

November I got serious. I worked. Built. Hired. Debated. Collaborated. Networked. Dreamed. I got in the weeds. Thanksgiving was spent sick in Berlin, where I had a glass of wine with Jason Goldberg and viewed art with Danny Pellegriti. In Paris, Georgi and I dined in the Eiffel tower and giggled with Exterface and Francois Sagat. Shopped for olives and cheese with Billie Ray Martin. I also posed topless as a mouse for the photographic duo. Mugler Follies, Louis Vuitton Foundation, and then a flight back to NYC for Monte and Michael’s wedding. In kilt I vogued and sang show tunes while Brian Babst played the piano.

December came with a whispering tour to Miami for Basel. Dinners with Kim Kardashian and Lauren Foster. Mouse ears redux. And back to NYC, building. I pressed pause yesterday though. I am in Santiago, Chile right now. Georgi and I flew here this morning. Today I bought street art showing Chilean skylines made with pen on paper. We went to the Central Mercado and ate razor clams and ceviche and sea bass and hearts of palm. This week we go to New Zealand and Australia, returning home to NYC on January 4th. This is one last recharge before next year. A year started traveling ends traveling.

I saw the world in 2014. I am literally flying around it this week again. I did what I set out to do at the beginning of the year.

For a year I had the luxury of travel. I had the honor of working in foreign places (Poland, Utah). I figured my life out. I prepared for my next act. I had fun. I smiled. I built. I ate. I sang. I danced. I drew. I made peace. I turned a page.

I know not everyone has such an opportunity to find themselves, to pause their life, to work with the people they want to work with, not who they have to work with. And I don’t take any of that for granted. I hope I show that in how I treat people.

2013 was a year of extreme high and low. 2014 was a year of self discovery. 2015 looks to be one where I work my ass off and build something needed in this world.

Hard hat on. Army recruited. Shouts will be heard very soon.

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and have a great new year.

Bradford