Conversations with Peter Spears II

Today we’d like to introduce you to Peter Spears II.

Hi Peter, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Born and raised in Montgomery, Al. to Vera & Peter Spears, Sr. Oldest of 2 boys. Younger brother is Jason Spears. He resides in Chicago, Il. working as a marketing manager in the financial planning and investment services industry. My parents, brother, and myself are all graduates of Tuskegee University.

I attended Tuskegee on Basketball scholarship. During my time there I studied and graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Sales & Marketing. Also during that time at Tuskegee, I was introduced to the nightlife marketing and party promotions hustle by a friend and teammate Briant Hightower. Not knowing that years later I would have a professional career based off the knowledge and experience I was learning hosting events and designing clothes in Tuskegee, Alabama.

During this time promoting parties in school, I learned the importance of creating experiences that your guest felt were unique to your brand. It may have very well been the same building with a different promoter every week, but when it was my week you knew something would be different and worth coming back again. Another thing I learned, is how expensive it can be as a promoter to have fresh new clothes for every party so I learned to design my own. Back then I was inspired by Miskeen, a well known artist from Philadelphia who specialized in hand-painted, one of a kind pieces. I started with my own personal hand-painted pieces and eventually transitioned to having my sketches reimagined in airbrush by a friend and tattoo artist by the name of Antonio Hooks. I sold a few to friends and teammates but these creations were more for me but I enjoyed the process and the output was pretty good for a novice looking to spend less money on clothes and have more money to reinvest in bigger themed parties.

I graduated Tuskegee in 2006 and shortly after decided to move to Atlanta. During this transition period, my family and I unexpectedly loss my mother to an illness she was battling in private. Needless to say that was a pivotal moment in my life not specifically for the loss but more for the timing. There is never is good time to lose a loved one but during a period of physical, spiritual, and emotional transition can be extremely tough because it makes you second guess yourself and everything you’ve been doing. With faith, I was able to find the strength to continue with the move.

Through God’s grace, and A close friend of mine, Kenneth Henderson I was introduced to a nightlife and promotions team that had similar experiences and interest in creating these nightlife experiences at the level I believed it should be executed. Dream Team Entertainment was a nightlife company founded by approximately 9 guys who were in school together at the AUC and decided to add some structure to their party promotion operation after finishing Morehouse College. The guys reminded me of what I was doing in Tuskegee with my team. We had instant chemistry and our brotherhood is just as strong now as it was in 2006 when I joined them.

Fast forward a couple years, and it becomes abundantly clear to me that there is a bigger game being played in this party and nightlife marketing racket that I believe people who look like me are often shut out of. Not only did I notice that we are rarely invited to join this game, but I also learned that we “promoters” are one of the main reasons why companies are successful. The grassroots marketing that happens in metropolitan cities like Atlanta. shows not only our ability to bring guest to an establishment but we were also showing our ability to influence what people drink, wear, and eat when coming to our events. Once I recognized this, I started asking questions and eventually gained enough information to pursue a career in the spirits industry. I started approximately 10 years ago on this journey beginning my career as a sales and marketing representative for a large spirits distributor in a small territory. Now, currently serving as the North American Marketing Manager for Cultural Partnerships for the third largest global supplier of spirits.

During this time, learning and growing in the spirits industry I have continued to create and design merchandise and apparel. In early 2016 I founded a personal lifestyle brand labeled “One Monkey Clothing Company”. Our mission is to empower the future creatives of the world to live unapologetically in their truths and to let no one get in their way! Every year the brand grows exponentially and I still enjoy the process of creating garments and work with creatives in the textiles and apparel industry.

I am a proud father of 2 daughters (Harlow 3, Phenix 1) whom I share with my everything, Ms. Samara Thomas.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Definitely not a smooth road! But what I can say is that everything I’ve wanted to do in my career for both the spirits industry and designing garments has happened which continues to make me want add more goals to my list. I believe in hard work and smart work. When I’m doing both of those things I know eventually I’ll break through whatever I set my mind to.

In my spirits journey, a challenge that I experienced early on was articulating to those in decision making positions the need for the work that I was championing. Essentially what was happening was the devolopment of experiential marketing. In order for your brand to grow its consumer base and move them along the marketing funnel from consideration to conversion, they would need to create or align themselves with moments and moment makers. Moments highlighted by a spirits provide your personal historical context. When joining with others and celebrating a moment you not only remember the people in the room, you remember the thoughtful nature of the toast, and you will also remember your cocktail.

Obstacles for my clothing brand was honestly learning fabrics and supplier communication. Learning fabrics takes time and its a moving target. You will always have new supplier offering and providing new fabric blends but the most important element is strong supplier relationships. In order to have a foundation for those stronger partnerships you will have to focus on communication. Many worthy suppliers exist all over the world and in order to provide your customers with the absolute best product it starts with your commitment to constructing a quality garment and your ability to instruct your manufacturer.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
In my professional life, my current work as the Partnership Marketing Manager is to connect our brands to culture. All culture! I find great passion in working with all groups whether collectively or individually to develop relationships of mutual benefit. Sponsorships are a thing of the past for me. We are either partners or we’re nothing. We need more seats at the table and we need more tables! The thing I’m most proud of is I have the ability to collaborate with creatives on the journey upward. Global brands usually want to partner with creatives at their peak (there is value in that also) but I find greater satisfaction in joining a creator as they work out the kinks and document the growth.

As for my creative endeavors with OMC, I appreciate and are very humbled every time I receive an order. The alerts can become overwhelming but, I asked for it! Makes me laugh when I bump into someone with one of our pieces on. The designs are mostly my scribblings, and rough sketches (cleaned up by professional designers) or quotes I’ve picked up over the years so, when someone likes it enough to order it’s definitely a rush, still.

What do you like and dislike about the city?
Atlanta was my New York! If you can make it to Atlanta, you can make it anywhere. People from all over the world come to Atlanta looking to establish roots and create new opportunities. Competition here is not frowned upon. Hate is!! I love the camaraderie amongst the entrepreneurs and creatives in Atlanta. Coming from Montgomery, Alabama I knew as a child that Atlanta would grow to be what it is now and I always wanted to be apart of it. I’ve been to Paris, I love New York, and L.A. is always a vibe but I would choose Atlanta every time.

Contact Info:

• Email: info@shoponemonkey.com
• Website: www.shoponemonkey.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shoponemonkey/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shoponemonkey
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/shoponemonkey