Leaving no stone unturned in the realm of content creation, conversation facilitation, and event curation, Driven Society has become part of the creative professional scene in New York City by its focus on live events targeted to millennials of color.
The organization has partnered with major brands including WeWork, JBL, Hennessy, Belaire Rose, Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival, New York Latino Film Festival, and more, The platform’s CEO and co-founder Travis Weeks sits at the helm of the ship with co-founders Natalia Saavedra, Zuhaib Kokab, and Darren Bowen. I spoke with Weeks about the mission behind Driven Society, its various arms of business and the importance of amplifying up-and-coming talent.
“The goal of Driven Society is to cultivate a community of creatives that push the culture forward and build success for millennials and post-millennials. We envision a world where business, philosophy, and art converge to provide equal opportunity for success regardless of background or privilege. We want to lead, nurture, and support the next generation of innovative entrepreneurs and leaders in creating cultural change and professional success.”
Driven Society’s goal aligns with the outlook of millennial Americans. According to Forbes, millennials start their first business around the age of 27. Surveys suggest over 62% of millennials have considered starting their own business. Seventy-two percent feel that startups and entrepreneurs are necessary for economic improvement through job creation and innovation (yet 77% are holding back because they view business startups as too risky).
(Photo Courtesy of Driven Society)
“We enjoy always keeping our eyes and ears open to whoever isn’t afraid to voice their opinions and those looking to implement change and/or impact their communities. Whenever we see that, we make it a point keep track of those individuals and look for ways to build relationships. Once you spot one and surround yourself with a rising cultural leader, it becomes easier to keep track and come across them.”
The group uses a multi-pillar approach to foster the game changers of the culture. Live events, interactive marketplace, and strategic partnerships. The live events serve as platforms for the sharing of knowledge and best practices. The interactive marketplace is where products can be showcased and sold as a result of the knowledge and best practices learned through the live event series. The strategic partnerships help amplify both the live events and the marketplace by putting up-and-coming creatives in the same room with representatives from major brands.
(Photo Courtesy of Driven Society)
“Our community of creative entrepreneurs exists to inspire, energize, and nurture ideas in support of a thriving generation of young people. We envision a world where business, philosophy, and art converge to provide equal opportunity for success regardless of background or privilege. Working with brands that value the multicultural perspective is a big part of it and brands that want to expose our community to something of substance. Since we’re a part of this community, it’s easy for us to identify our peers who are also pushing culture in their own way and giving them the platform to grow.”
Driven Society’s latest event, titled SoundByte, is the organization’s effort to stay on top of innovative life programming. The bi-monthly series addresses the growing convergence of tech, music, and culture as millennials of color seek to obtain the information needed to take ownership of their billion-dollar influence on pop cultural industries
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