Entrepreneur of the Month — Eddie Hayes: Underscore
Meet Eddie Hayes of Underscore
Wize Media’s July 2019 Entrepreneur of the Month is Eddie Hayes, founder and CEO of Underscore. The company is “a creative network dedicated to curating collaborative artistic events, centralizing the global creative community, and empowering them to grow their networks, build their brands, and advance their careers.” I had the pleasure of interviewing Eddie to get some insight into the process of building a unique brand, organizing events, and reaching the niche audience of creatives.
“My reality was that I was surrounded by an abundance of creative talent across disciplines throughout all my networks, and recognized the undeniable demand for a platform to uplift them.”
JS: What inspired you to start Underscore?
EH: The context isn’t too glamorous, but I spent the summer of 2017 struggling to balance my internship at a community development corporation with my creative endeavors. Then one night, after a talk with my father about the importance of utilizing the several different networks I was connected to across schools, organizations, and programs, the seed for Underscore came into fruition overnight. My reality was that I was surrounded by an abundance of creative talent across disciplines throughout all my networks, and recognized the undeniable demand for a platform to uplift them. What began as a promotional hub for talented creatives wound up evolving into a mission to become the solution to the many ailments of the creative economy.
JS: How did you come up with the name?
EH: Our name is the same name as our squad back in high school, to be completely honest. The symbolism of the squad name was simple. An underscore, a simple “____”, is usually seen most commonly on lines on documents where you need to fill in the blank with your name. We felt we had yet to “make a name for ourselves”, in the grandiose, legacy-defining way. And instead of following other people’s paths, we wanted to create our own. Aligning the inspirational effect we wanted to have on individuals with the values of the company, we left it as that, and found more meaning in the name after the genesis.
“But, what makes Underscore Ave. different is that we’re not trying to become a player in the game, but rather revolutionize it completely.”
JS: The media landscape is crazy right now. There are so many different apps, pages, digital companies, and more that can take people’s attention away. In your opinion, what draws people to Underscore? What makes your brand stand out?
EH: In heavy consideration of the current state of the “up-and-coming” figures in the culture industry, I think the main attraction to Underscore Ave. is our mission. Everybody is trying to enter the game, whether as a showcase platform, a PR/Marketing agency, a party host, a creative collective, etc. This is good! Executing on your creative passion is important and good for the creative economy. But, what makes Underscore Ave. different is that we’re not trying to become a player in the game, but rather revolutionize it completely. Proprietary info stops me from going into specific detail, but our mission statement is pretty explanatory. We aim to connect the culture industry to an ecosystem of creative artistry, community, and opportunity. We have encompassed the entirety of the culture industry, not just the creatives, into our business plan. Laying out the scope of our brand, the functionality of the business, and a statement of our values causes people to find affinity in what we stand for, thankfully.
JS: You recently put on a couple of events like the Meet Up 2019 (“Shifting your passion into a career”) and FLOWcase (freestyle tournament). Describe the process of organizing those events. What impact have those events had on your business?
EH: The Meet Up 2019 and FLOWcase Episode 1 were two great events we recently held. The former was a hybrid of networking, seminars, and artist showcases, while the latter was predominantly a hip-hop showcase accompanied by a pop-up shop. Organizing the FLOWcase took quite the effort. Finding a space was one thing. But acquiring talent, devising a marketing strategy, and executing the event were laborious. Most great events should be anyway. There were pros and cons to it, as it was our very first, but it was well-received and overall successful. The Meet Up was much easier to plan because it was a co-sponsored effort and a continuation of what we had done previously last summer. Both events were effective in widening our consumer base and spreading brand awareness. U-LIVE aims to translate the digital connections we make into physical experiences. So far, so good.
“Someone else materializing your vision before you, because they had a team to get things done, is the last thing you’d want to cope with.”
JS: What is the most important piece of advice you would give to up-and-coming creatives?
EH: Know what you need to do, why you do it, and how to do it. Do everything you do with purpose. No matter what your goal is, whether to build your brand, widen your consumer base, grow your network, or all three, gameplan. If you want to do it alone, at least solidify your network and connect to the right resources to prevent you from being lost. And as important as anything else, don’t be afraid to ask for help. Not just “support me bro!!” but help with specific endeavors. It all goes back to purpose! Ask yourself what “making a name for yourself” truly implies, and get to it.
