Today we’d like to introduce you to Kevin Reese.
Hi Kevin, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I moved to Atlanta, GA in 2006 when I was 18 years old from Northern CA to attend Morehouse College. Like most college students, I had no idea what my career path would be. I changed majors multiple times in an effort to find my calling. In my Junior year at Morehouse, a few friends of mine asked me to assist in promotion for their upcoming concert with the new artist “Wale.” I passed out some fliers and started assisting them in strategically organizing the event. That concert was the first show I ever produced and looking back extremely iconic. The lineup included Wale, B.O.B, T.I. The legendary UCB and Yellow Wolf. Also in attendance was a young artist by the name of “Big Sean” trying to get on stage to perform a couple of his songs. Unfortunately, we didn’t know who he was so we didn’t allow him to perform.
That night was the birth of my company Atlantic Division Entertainment (ADE). ADE went on to produce and promote the rising of some of today’s biggest names J.Cole, Wiz Khalifa, Kendrick Lamar, ASAP Rocky, and many more. Starting my career while in college gave me the opportunity to freely grow and make mistakes without too much rope holding me back. With my partners Jhordan Gibbs and Chase Freeman, we built a brand for eccentric music lovers. We targeted the metro Atlanta colleges as our patrons; the AUC, Georgia State, Emory, Georgia Tech, and Kennesaw State. Every year in business we grew whether with knowledge, resources, or relationships we became very close with the city and developed a true understanding of the concert promotion business. We built rapport with all venues in the city Masquerade, Centerstage, Tabernacle and more. We established ourselves as goto marketing partners for some of their events which enabled us to soak and learn the industry eco-system from an early age while still booking our own shows. Our biggest issue when we were younger was finding somebody that believed in us and would fund our ventures. The search for investment went on for six years. As we grew and developed so did our need for strategy.
In the summer of 2014 while attending Diplo’s Mad Decent block party festival. The newest member of our organization Greg Burton stumbled across a new concept. While attending the event, the diversity blew us away. It was a giant melting pot. He said what if we created a brand that embodies this. No specific sound or identity just people who can be free to enjoy the music. We paired that concept with wanted to highlight the baked good community and the name Milk and Cookies was conceived. From there, we began to develop the brand. Our colleague Sascha Stone founder of ScoreMore shows in Texas and Tory Lanez manager introduced us to an up-and-coming promoter who was looking to grow his brand Bowe O’Brien. Bowe had the capital and we had the resources and relationships in the city. Milk and Cookies Festival was born then. We produced our first show in 2015 and the rest is history.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It definitely was anything but a smooth road. We have had to scratch and climb to gain any recognition in this industry and we still do so today. We started when we were kids with no real business acumen. We enjoyed Music and saw this as an opportunity to develop ourselves into something. We were dreamers with blind determination. We jumped off of a cliff without a parachute and we learned how to fly on the way down. I think that’s the best way to explain our ascension. I would be here all day telling stories of all the roadblocks we overcame. Roadblocks are there to teach you how to steer. Everything we ever went through was put there so we could grow. We wouldn’t be where we are today without those lessons. I’m thankful for my bad times because it really lets you appreciate and cherish the good times. Pain and struggle build your character. Being an entrepreneur is about persistence and learning to adapt to different climates. You don’t work for anybody so you need to make money appear from thin air. Sometimes that takes time and dedication to create. However, wants you to break through that threshold of struggle, the fruits of your labor make everything worth it.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I had to work hard to understand what my gifts were. I had to work hard to understand my skill set and what I could specialize in. I think that fear played a major role for me in tapping into my potential. However, once you figure out your direction it becomes easy to hit that red launch button time and time again. If I could describe myself in one word, I’d say I’m an “engine.” I have a unique ability to push people to move and execute things. In every business relationship I am a part of, I generally navigate to a leadership role. When I finally understood that skill set it enabled me to mold myself and gave me the confidence to work on other areas of business that I didn’t think I would be good at. I now wear the hat of Public Speaker, Accountant, Operation Director, and many others.
I put a lot of time into developing myself and I am very proud of the steps I’ve taken. I am no longer afraid to challenge myself to be better. I think that’s also the part that separates me from other people. Most people are comfortable where they are. They don’t want to challenges themselves to be better. Challenging yourself to be better generally means struggle and pain. Most people don’t have the stomach for pain. But once you see that pain equals growth, your mindset begins to change.
Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?
When Covid-19 hit, there was a bunch of questions for the live events community. There were several live stream shows that were put out. Many people saw this as the answer in case concerts were not able to return for the foreseeable future. However, as I said from the beginning of this pandemic, you cannot replace the experience of an in-person event with a Livestream event. The energy is unmatched and it’s one of the reasons I got into the business in the beginning. The connection with the artist and energy in the room is almost like a drug high. You don’t experience that with live stream shows. I believe my industry will continue to grow. It is a multi-billion dollar industry. People understand the importance of shows and the demand for them. Music is a part of our human vibration. We connect with it. It is the reason why we feel certain songs euphorically.
Contact Info:
- Email: INFO@MILKANDCOOKIESFESTIVAL.COM
- Website: WWW.MILKANDCOOKIESFESTIVAL.COM
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/milkcookiesfest/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/milkcookiesfest/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCM1MBL6NuFCNjpSZRr4-k2Q
