Inspiring Conversations with The 9AM Banger of The 9AM Banger

Today we’d like to introduce you to The 9AM Banger.

Hi The, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
The 9AM Banger started pretty organically. Going back to college, Adrian Almonte, Ken and Jonathan Espinal were always the ones throwing or attending early day events for things like SantaCon, St. Patrick’s Day, Cinco de Mayo, etc. After college, they still wanted that same energy and experience which led to the first 9AM Banger.

The very first 9AM Banger was actually just supposed to be a SantaCon pregame in Ken Espinal’s apartment. Him and the co-founders (Adrian and Jonathan) were DJs, so they set up DJ equipment, told people to BYOB, bring breakfast sandwiches, and just pull up. What was supposed to be a pregame ended up turning into a full-on party.

The next year, we did it again, but this time we rented out a small space because we couldn’t fit everyone in the apartment anymore. We charged people just enough to help cover the costs, and honestly, we didn’t even make money on it. As things grew, we obviously couldn’t keep the BYOB element, so we started working with venues to recreate that same feeling through things like our 9AM to 11AM open bar. A lot of people don’t realize this, but we actually cover the cost of those drinks ourselves because we wanted to keep that same welcoming, personable vibe from the early days.

Over time, what started as a pregame slowly evolved into a full experience. We began incorporating activations, performers, creators, surprise guests, live moments, and larger-scale production. Fast forward to today, and we’ve spent the last 10+ years growing the brand across multiple cities and even internationally.

At the end of the day, our goal has always stayed the same. We want people to come to a 9AM Banger and feel like they just experienced the best part of their weekend before most people are even done with brunch.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It definitely hasn’t been a smooth road. This has been 10+ years of trial and error, learning, adapting, and figuring things out as we go.
In the early days, some events were successful from an attendance standpoint, but financially we weren’t always making money because our expenses were too high. Even things like covering the open bar costs ourselves would eat into most of the revenue, but to us, keeping that experience and energy for attendees was important.

A lot of what we’ve built was self-taught. We had to learn sponsorships, production, marketing, operations, budgeting, P&Ls, and team management all in real time. This was before AI tools and all the resources that exist now, so we were really relying on our own experiences, our network, and a lot of experimentation.

Even today, it’s still not necessarily “smooth” because the brand continues to evolve. Marketing an R&B event is completely different from marketing a Perreo or Dancehall event. What works in New York might not work in Atlanta, Toronto, or Los Angeles. On top of that, we’re not just building one event series, we’re building multiple brands within the 9AM ecosystem like RNB at 9AM, Perreo at 9AM, Dancehall at 9AM, Rise & Rosé, and Miles at 9AM.

But I think that constant learning process is also what’s helped us grow. Every event teaches us something new, and after 10 years, we’ve become a lot more intentional about how we build experiences and scale the brand.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about The 9AM Banger ?
I think one of the biggest things people should know is that what started as an event series has evolved into much more of an experiential and marketing company.

Because the experiences we create for our own events have grown so much and generated so much attention online and in real life, brands have started tapping into us to help with their own activations, campaigns, and cultural marketing efforts.

A big part of that comes from my own background. Before 9AM Banger, I (Ken Espinal) spent over 13 years working across different areas of marketing including TV sponsorships, digital advertising, influencer marketing, creator partnerships, and brand strategy. So naturally, a lot of those worlds ended up blending into what we built with 9AM.

We’ve never looked at this as “just throwing parties.” We’ve always approached it like building a real brand. The same way major companies have teams focused on marketing, community, partnerships, creative, and growth, we’ve built similar structures internally as we’ve scaled. From community management and paid media to production, partnerships, and creative direction, there’s a lot happening behind the scenes that people don’t always realize.

What sets us apart the most though is the authenticity of the community. The energy at our events is hard to replicate because it genuinely feels organic. We’ve seen a lot of morning party concepts pop up over the years, but people constantly tell us the vibe feels different when they come to a 9AM Banger.

One of the things we’re most proud of is that we’ve been able to build that same sense of community across completely different cities and genres. Whether it’s New York, Miami, Chicago, Vegas, Toronto, or LA, people still recognize that same feeling when they walk into one of our events. Even across concepts like RNB at 9AM, Perreo at 9AM, Dancehall at 9AM, or Rise & Rosé, the audience always feels connected by the same energy and intention.

At the end of the day, what started as a simple pregame has grown into something with real cultural impact, and that’s probably what we’re most proud of.

Can you share something surprising about yourself?
I think one thing people might find surprising is that almost everything we’ve built has been self-taught. None of us came from nightlife or entertainment backgrounds when we started this. We were just a group of 22 and 23 year olds putting together a pregame that eventually turned into a business and brand. It’s also been 100% self-funded from day one. There were no investors or outside funding helping us build this.

A lot of what we know now came from learning in real time through experience, trial and error, and genuinely caring about the details. We taught ourselves everything from production and programming to negotiations, operations, marketing, and how to curate experiences that keep people engaged.

I also think people don’t realize how influenced we’ve been by festivals and live experiences we attended ourselves over the years. Events like EDC Las Vegas, Tomorrowland, and other large-scale festivals really inspired us from a production and experience standpoint. The surprises, the crowd energy, the touch points, and the attention to detail all stuck with us and influenced how we approach our own events.

Another thing people probably don’t realize is just how much planning goes into every single show. What people experience on a Saturday morning is usually the result of weeks or months of preparation. There are production calls, venue negotiations, talent coordination, staffing, creative planning, marketing rollouts, transportation logistics, hospitality, and dozens of moving parts happening behind the scenes.

When people attend a 9AM Banger, we want it to feel effortless and seamless, but that only happens because there’s a lot of work and intention happening before doors even open.

Pricing:

• Tickets typically range from around $20 to $60+ depending on the city, venue, and event experience
• Tickets come with complimentary 9AM–11AM open bar experience, which has become one of the signature elements of the brand

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.the9ambanger.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the9ambanger/?hl=en