Today we’d like to introduce you to Geoff Melton.
Hi Geoff, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
It’s hard to decide a starting point for Reflective’s story. There were so many events prior to its creation that could be considered the pinnacle point.
Way back:
I was always deeply infatuated with music. Drums at 6, upright bass at 11, bass guitar at 12, guitar/keys/uke/vocals/music theory at 14. Born and raised on classic rock, I quickly found myself incredibly influenced by the intricacies and complexity of Metal and Hardcore music around 10-12.
One day my family got satellite TV that came with music channels.
This opened a plethora of new musical horizons for me. I was regularly staying up late at night diving into any channel that would catch my attention.
Then it happened.
I came across electronic music.
I fell in love.
The way the tracks would build and then pump at the drops. I had “felt” music before this with Metal music, but this, this was different.
Instead of rage. I felt bliss.
Early Days
Now in High School, with my headphones full of electro-house and trance music everyday, I started to find myself not as close to my friends that I grew up with. I wish I could say it was just one of those “people grow/go in different directions” situations. But it wasn’t. I would be in my room and see my old friends walking by my house to go do something together, where they once wouldn’t have passed my house without asking me to join them.
It really hurt and confused my young and emotional mind.
I felt like an outcast.
Everyone in my peer group was either into Hip Hop, Country, Alternative, or Top 40s.
There was no “EDM clique” regardless of attending a school with 3500 students.
I slipped into a state of depression. I felt like I had VERY few genuine friends, I lost interest in school, which caused tension with my family, which made me even more depressed because I felt like my parents didn’t care at all that I was depressed about not having real friends or direction with my life.
I became suicidal.
I cared less and less about being here.
Eventually, I got to a point where I felt like the world was a better place without me in it.
Then the summer of 2008, I discovered Dubstep.
RUSKO’s track “Jehovah” reignited a flame within me that I had forgotten I had. I fell in love with music again like when I was a child.
Dubstep changed everything.
I dug deeper. For two years, I went on a relentless search for the most unheard music. The fewer plays the tracks had, the more excited I was to listen to them. Discovering new artists from across the world daily.
I was finally close enough in age to start attending EDM events. I could finally take my love for this music and my hobby of LED gloving in my bedroom to a crowd of people who ALSO loved this as much as me.
My first EDM event was Glitch Mob’s Drink the Sea Tour at the Masquerade in Atlanta. This show changed my perspective about what events ARE and what they can DO for attendees.
I rode the high of that show all the way to the next one. Each event better than the last, I quickly found myself fully immersed in the culture of Electronic Music events. Everyone that I encountered on my nightly adventures was full of love and life. Many unique characters entered my life during these times and I am forever grateful for the times we shared. Shows turned into festivals. Festivals turned into festival hopping. I fell more and more in love with it all as each day passed.
Early Promoter Days:
After attending hundreds of events and festivals, I became infatuated with the operating side of these events. I wanted to know the inner workings of every facet that went into creating these experiences.
I started out on a local promotion team for my favorite venue in Atlanta. This was my foot in the door to a whole other world. I loved the assignments, flyering local businesses and submitting pictures to the head Promoter, learning marketing and advertising techniques, how to talk to people and build relationships.
It was at this point in my life that I could fully accredit the extinguishment of depression to the EDM community. I knew I had found MY spot, my niche, my happy place.
From there on out, I set out to ensure that this community reaches as many people as it possibly can. It saved my life and I want to give that opportunity to as many as I can while I’m on this planet.
I started working with different promotional companies hosting events in the Atlanta area. I worked my way up to Head of Promotions and we ran a very successful weekly event. Ultimately the greed of the owner was the downfall of the company and eventually fizzled out. I still attended events but was uninterested in the promotions side of things. I just could no longer get 100% behind something that I couldn’t fully put my name and face on.
As I continued to attend events, I began to see shifts in the community. The crowd was different, people’s expectations were different, the vibe was starting to feel off. I started attending fewer and fewer events, only catching National acts as they would come through town.
Experimental Bass:
After a few years of sparsely attending events, one of my best friends, Brandon Smith, invited me out to an event at a small venue I had never been to or even heard of. I was resistant at first, but Brandon’s good at persuading. I am eternally grateful for him getting me out to this show because this is when I fell in love again with something that had saved my life. It was like seeing something that had died and come back to life before my very eyes. The crowd was right, the intentions were right, the vibe was BACK.
I started frequenting events again, falling in love with a whole new set of subgenres within EDM. Two years went by attending these events, the crowd and vibe were always right, but something started to feel mundane about the events over time. The artists playing were always phenomenal to experience, but I felt like there could be more. Another 6-12 months go by and I am constantly saying to my friends, “Someone else needs to start hosting events with something more than a billing of artists, sound, lights and a bar.”
I had no idea it would be us.
Panama City Trip:
On a family vacation to Panama City in October 2019, sitting on the balcony chatting with the family, the topic gets brought up about someone else hosting events in Atlanta. Through encouragement from my family, I decided it was time for us to take the plunge and be the ones to do it. I contemplated for days over how we would do the events, what we would feature, artists we wanted to book, and very importantly, a name. We bounced names off of each other all vacation. On the second to last day, it hit me.
REFLECTIVE EVENTS.
Symbolizing my desire to give back what was once given to me, the opportunity to see all the beauty the world has to offer.
Representing karmic balance; do good and good will be done to you, send love out and watch it come flooding back in.
Marked with the symbol of Metatron’s cube, the icon of all creation, consisting of all platonic solids that make up everything in the known universe.
It was decided and so very clear to me that this was the path I was meant to take. I was able to combine my love for this community and environment, my hard work ethic, my love for gathering people for unforgettable experiences all into this one beautiful thing that I never expected to be doing.
EARLY REFLECTIVE DAYS:
Our inaugural event was the Black Friday Ball and we had less than 100 people attend. We took our first loss right out the gate. The response we received from literally every person that attended that event reassured me that I had made the right decision to start this.
We licked our financial wounds and put our noses to the grindstone to prepare for the follow up event six weeks later.
After two more events, we were really starting to get a flow going, then Covid hit. Everything we had worked for came to an abrupt halt. Without hosting events, we began to lose the small relevancy we had built up.
MID-POST COVID
During covid, we began to explore other facets of entertainment while live events were on hold. We assisted with a few live streams and began featuring artists and their tracks. This was a great way for us to continue to build relationships with artists and their management teams. Also, it became a great opportunity to showcase local talent.
Covid and the restrictions began to lighten, it felt like there was finally a light at the end of the covid tunnel. We got back into action, full swing. Booked a venue, booked a lineup, set a date, everything was in motion. Then restrictions were reinstated and we were forced to cancel the event. Yet again, we were in a stagnant state.
Then things really took a sharp turn for me. My Dad passed away. Taking time to process and deal with the emotion that came with that, I became less and less communicative with the team. Things were not looking good for Reflective.
Fast forward to the present day.
Since restrictions have lifted we have hosted multiple events and each event has a larger attendance than the one before it. Our most recent event My Secret Valentine 2 with kLL sMTH and Duffrey, was an absolute success with 864 beautiful souls present.
We are collaborating with many festivals in the southeast region this season and will also be continuing to do our own events.
Our events will ALWAYS be held will patron experience and safety as our #1 priorities. We will NEVER have VIP sections because EVERYONE is VIP. There will ALWAYS be local/upcoming artists on our lineups. We pour our hearts and souls into every event that we curate and we hope it shows.
In addition to a very intently curated music line up and top-of-the-line stage production, when attending our events you can expect to find; food/jewelry/art/trinket/ clothing vendors, live painters, an exceptional fire performance team, flamethrowers, LED tunnels, video game competitions, exotic dancers, interactive art installations, photo opportunities, and a lot of new friends.
Reflective Events currently consists of seven members on the Board of Directors, all of which additionally carry a position in operations(we all work full-time jobs as well).
We currently have twelve coordinators and a MASSIVE operations team handling everything from; security, load-in, setup, clean up, lighting, visuals, transportation, logistics, and so much more.
There are currently a number of projects underway, the one I am personally most excited about is the guest-ran visuals installment. Essentially we will have an area where sound reactive visuals are being projected onto a surface and can be controlled by any patron of the event. It’s very mesmerizing and fun to play with.
Oh, and the sound-reactive fire sculpture, stoked about that one too.
I wish I could talk more about other projects that are in development but you will just have to see them for yourself at the future Reflective Events shows.
I want to give a special thanks to:
Jenna Alderman
Holly Melton
Brian + Jenni
Jonathan Brooks
Ty Hayes
Brandon Smith
Austin + Tabbie
“Dan The Hot Dog Man”
Lucas Piquerez
Luke Klaer
Karl Niiranen
Joe Hoyla
Matt Knots
Red
Juju + Katie
Babbit + Hannah
Leeanne Blankenship
Renee Novelli
Courtnie Campbell
Everyone who helps execute these events
Everyone who has played a part in making them come together
The Artists and Artists’ Managers
Thankful for the friends we get to know.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
It has been an uphill battle to say at the least. Being a smaller promoter in a VERY competitive city has made some aspects of this challenging.
But I love the challenge.
Covid caused the majority of the challenges we have faced, banning events and limiting capacities causing the most headache.
On top of working 10+ hours a day as a full-time Cell Tower Technician, I make the time to see my family and work on Reflective as well.
Every member as a similar lifestyle, working 10+ hour days, making time for the family daily and working on all things Reflective.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
At its core, Reflective Events is a machine of relentless positivity and inspirational artforms. We curate live music events with a plethora of added features not typically seen at events.
Our goal is to inspire our patrons to experience the weird side of life. Discover unique music and art, make new friends, see new things. Expand your horizons. You never know what you may come across.
Each event that we host is very intently curated for patron experience. Bringing a unique vibe to each event, put together by over 100 people.
What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?
1. Expect the best, prepare for the worst.
2. Success is not final, failure is not fatal; it is the courage to continue that counts.
3. You never have as much time as you think you do.
Contact Info:
- Email: g.melton@reflectiveevents.org
- Website: reflectiveevents.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/reflectiveevents/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/reflective.events.ATL/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/ReflectiveEvents
Image Credits
Hennessee Media Zoe Elizabeth Photography
