Chapter 7

One of the earlier conversations I had with Alexi as I was becoming an intern was about event hosting. I had attended a few of the events hosted by her and the other interns, and it was a lot of fun to be a part of, but I wasn’t sure what kind of event I could run. I feel like I’ve always been somewhat of a natural host and I think my parents instilled that in me. My house was also the place to hang out, and as I got older, the gatherings would get larger and larger. Over the last couple summers, I would use these “gatherings” to celebrate my birthday, commemorate the end of summer, and shed light on the projects I was working on, all at the same time. It became sort of a tradition, that I hoped to maintain moving forward. However, 2020 had different plans. Given the state of the world, I knew it would be impossible to host the kind of event I wanted, so I decided to let the idea go. That was, until, I joined Finessed Media.

Conveniently enough, I became an intern at Finessed Media on August 12th, 2020, the day of my 24th birthday - and a month to the day, I was granted the opportunity to host my first my first Virtual Event - A Worldwide Beat Battle.

When Alexi and I were discussing event ideas early on, the only thing I could think of was to create a platform for producers to share their beats and learn from each other, a “beat battle”, if you will. Luckily, Alexi loved the idea, because I have no idea what I would have done if she hadn’t.

A couple weeks before I joined Finessed, I had done an interview with YoungTN for Sidedoor Magazine. TN is a 17-year old producer out of Toronto who had just recently been placed on Lil Baby’s My Turn (Deluxe) for his work on the track “Social Distancing”, co-produced with Chi Chi and Section 8.

Talking to TN, I learned how important it is to him to use his platform and help people get to where he is. He’s one of the many young creatives that inspire me and give me hope that we’re going in the right direction, so when Alexi and I were planning a potential event, with an emphasis on educating the industry, and giving opportunities, I immediately thought of TN. I was almost certain he would be into the idea of sharing his story and doing a Q&A with upcoming producer, but what I didn’t expect was for him to be so excited. When it came down to deciding on a “prize” for the winner, TN was quick to suggest working with the producer on a beat, and working to help them get placed. That’s when I knew for sure I asked the right person for help.

TN graciously agreed to help me put together the event, and Alexi allowed us run free. Of course, prior to the event, there was a lot of work that needed to be done, but she was with me every step of the way. She helped make social media/marketing assets, she helped me put together an eventbrite page, and she even helped me get organized and prepared me to lead the event. Putting together an event this year was an opportunity I wasn’t sure I was going to get but thankfully, it happened. Some of my best friends attended and participated, but we also had producers from all over the world submit their production for listening and review. Producers from Serbia, Italy, Russia, USA, Canada and more, were in attendance, but ultimately, it was Atlanta that took home the crown. Swank Beats submitted the nearly perfect “Kappa”, and was able to connect with YoungTN. I’ve heard some of the stuff that they’re working on, and I couldn’t help but smile when I heard both of their tags on the same beat.

On that day, Finessed gave me the spotlight, but really, they gave all of us an opportunity. It’s bigger than Finessed Media, and it always has been. Bringing my idea of a Worldwide Beat Battle to life was proof of that.

Shout out to everyone who made it possible, and stay tuned to hear what TN and Swank are working on. If you’ve been following us, you know that we have a little surprise coming soon.

Thanks again for reading, and be sure to check out our IG for future events. This Saturday we’ll be hosting our Halloween “Tricks (of the trade) AND Treats” Event.

Talk soon,