Today we’d like to introduce you to Tashaun “Hugo” Williams.
Tashaun “Hugo”, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
My name is Tashaun “Hugo” Williams and I am an event curator and CEO of BAADlife Ent based in the South Florida area. Most of the magic happened here in Miami over the years. However, my events go beyond the borders of South Florida. If it’s one thing I’ve benefited from by starting out in Miami was being exposed to diversity in every sense of the word. This was a great tool in successfully curating events internationally, and it fostered my intentions of taking the BAADlife experience even further. BAAD stands for Believing And Achieving Dreams so in a nutshell I’ll be cliche and say the sky’s the limit really.
Let’s start from the beginning, shall we? Like many undergraduate students my path seemed somewhat undefined until I found my enthusiasm for events and event planning. My passion for event planning began during my first year at the Florida International University where I was recruited to the Student Programming Council as an event volunteer. I was recruited by a great friend of mine (who later told me she did it because she thought I was cute, haha) and I only did it because I wanted to get my volunteer hours in. Fast forward to however many years later, thanks to the SPC-BBC, I turned that task into a career goal.
Along the way, I found my love for events of all sizes, from comedy shows and open mics to large-scale festivals. I’ve been fortunate to have my name on the attendance sheets of several comedy shows and concerts, but nothing beats the experiences like Coachella, Rolling Loud, Made In America and The St. Kitts Music Festival (all research of course). I made it my task to attend as many events in as many places as my pockets would allow, to build my scope and my vision for the BAADlife Ent brand.
So far 2019 has been great to me, and anyone who attended events like The Wave, Top Off Brunch, and any Spring Phling Miami events would probably say the same. That was all “Phase I” of the BAAD life2k19 Vision Board. Up next we will be continuing the Top Off Brunch Series on Monday, September 2nd at Woodside Miami (I live for a shameless plug), and we’re Bringing back 106nParty: Totally 2000s, an event totally dedicated to the time period of 2000-2010. We will also be introducing a new series called “Cuffing SZN: RnB & More”, a monthly event of mood music like RnB, Lover’s Rock, Kompa, Dancehall and more! We also hope to feature local artists who fit into these genres and hopefully bring some new faces to their fan base. I will also be doing my first Miami Carnival event, Soca Villa: The Carnival Mansion Pool Party. I can honestly go on, but I’m pretty this was supposed to be brief (although it might be too late for that), so I’ll close by saying follow me on Instagram @baadlifeent and @imhugoboss for more information on “Phase II” of the BAADlife 2k19 Vision Board.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
The road has definitely had its ups and downs. Sometimes it feels like more downs, but the ups always tend to outweigh them. As for the struggles, the finances, shady “agreements” with venues, promotion, money going missing at the end of the night, you name it. They were all lessons I unfortunately had to learn the hard way, too many times but thanks to the team including legal (shout out to First Step Legal Solutions), I’ve been struggling less and growing more.
Please tell us more about your work, what you are currently focused on and most proud of.
Tashaun Williams the Administrative Coordinator, has a 9-5 at FIU in Controllers but I know that’s not what you’re asking about.
As I stated earlier, I curate events. While I am to be as original as possible, some events are just a BAAD reinvention of the wheel. My prized events/series are The Wave Pool Party, Top Off Brunch, Spring Phling Miami, 106&Party, and I am looking forward to the successful execution of Cuffing SZN: RnB & More.
I am most proud of my vision and desire to deliver quality experiences. I care about the impression a patron leaves my event with, I want them to think that if they see BAADlife Ent is a part of it, they want to be a part of it. I also like to experiment within reason and find new ways to recreate older event concepts, thus providing a new and enjoyable experience.
What role has luck had in your life and business?
Depending on who you ask you’ll hear I have excellent luck, or “I have a dark cloud not too far behind”. I can’t really say what role I think it has played because I’ve had my fair share of ups and downs along the way so the good/bad luck scale seems pretty balanced.
I believe that everything happens for a reason so I’ll take my Ws and Ls as I get them.
Contact Info:
- Email: baadlifeent@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/imhugoboss/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/mrbaad
- Other: https://www.instagram.com/baadlifeent/
Image Credit:
jacobhyppolite.com (@jacob.hyppolite on Instagram)
kevinmullings.com (@kevtoodope on Instagram)
@goldannfrancois on Instagram
@the_haitian_photographer on Instagram
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