Strategy executive and entrepreneurial builder transforming partners through community-powered cultural knowledge.

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complex
fader
jay z life and times
zora
radar

Cultural knowledge doesn’t just appear out of thin air. It originates from within communities. I believe that understanding different cultures requires active collaboration inside communities, beyond passive observation from the outside.

I’m currently the Executive Director of Strategy at dotdotdash. We’re an innovation company at the forefront of culture and emerging technology.

I was previously the Head of Strategy and Co-Founder of Complex Collective. We’re a community-powered cultural intelligence unit within Complex. With 30,000+ members and an advisory council of cultural leaders from Nike, Instagram, Fear Of God, KITH and The Future Party, we built an entirely new seven-figure business line. Our community knowledge led to culture-shaping work. We powered Brisk’s campaign that gave Michael B. Jordan his first-ever commercial directing project, and developed an internship program for his production company, Outlier Society, that provided young diverse creators with opportunities to learn from and work on content surrounding Marvel’s Black Panther, Marvel’s Venom and New York Comic Con. We powered Pull Up & Vote too, Complex’s campaign with Barack Obama to mobilize youth civic engagement around the 2020 election.

I’ve been experimenting with community knowledge in web3. As a community research consultant, I designed feedback loops for ZORA to better learn from its network of creators, devs and community leaders. I was also on the founding core team of RADAR, a decentralized global collective of 300+ researchers and innovators exploring better futures.

My background’s in music, having attended the Berklee College of Music. I co-founded a music management and consulting company that advised artists like VÉRITÉ, Tei Shi and Betty Who, taking our partners out of their day jobs and into making music full time. As the digital strategy lead, I also grew Jay Z’s media brand Life+Times from 0 to 200,000+ social followers.

brisk creators class michael b jordan
pull up vote barack obama
jay z life times

My community knowledge systems directly power ideas that drive cultural conversation.

teen vogue
vogue
wall street journal
wwd

Find me speaking at:

new york university
berklee college of music
business of fashion
water and music
sweathead
cornell tech
billboard
adage
adweek
the cut
pitchfork
digiday
los angeles times
npr

  • “Nick's got the kind of insatiable curiosity and relentless drive that's led him to meteoric success in multiple industries. I've rarely met someone who balances a cerebral, analytical side with a fiercely creative side the way Nick does, and it makes him a deadly weapon in our world of data & insight-led creativity. The through-line in all of Nick's pursuits is a fascination with culture and a duty to help others learn and grow. It's inspiring to watch him work.”

    Victor Pineiro, Director of Digital Innovation @ HBO Max

  • “Nick has his finger on the pulse of youth culture. He has the ability to synthesize and present insights in a way that is both relevant & actionable to his audience. Even better is his ability to translate these insights into innovative marketing concepts that challenge the status quo. And better than all of that is how enjoyable he is to work with.”

    Paul Webber, Director of Global Brand Marketing @ adidas Basketball

  • "Nick is one of the most impressive strategist I've had the opportunity to work with in my career. His ability to learn and understand emerging markets to develop and launch new business opportunities is impressive. Over the course of working together I enjoyed seeing him building multiple new to world projects from scratch all from his research and understanding of the marketplace. He's a great partner to build with!"

    Edgar Hernandez, CRO @ Complex Networks

  • "Nick is a very rare hybrid of someone being immersed in culture, while also being able to strategically analyzing information and data to make everyone around him better and more knowledgeable. Because of this, I felt very fortunate to work with Nick. He’s legitimately one of the smartest, most reliable people I have worked with, and always handles himself with the utmost integrity."

    Neil Wright, VP, Live & Experiential @ HARTBEAT

  • “Ridiculously insightful and wicked smart, Nick is an expert in his field. He can handle even the toughest of brand challenges who are all trying to play a meaningful role in youth culture. I was always in awe of Nick's ability to command a room and get people on board with ideas — even people who were initially on completely different pages.”

    Liz Levy, VP, Head of Branded Entertainment @ Hulu

  • “Nick is one of the most effective accountability partners I’ve had the honor of working with. A collaborative colleague, when trying to move due diligence projects forward, not only is he great at proactively streamlining communication across all necessary parties, he does his homework beyond his scope of work to empower and encourage positive action for others.”

    Terrece Walker, Global VP, Head of Communications @ SoundCloud

  • “Nick is a precise thinker who leads with an inspiring presence. His curiosity and ability to zoom out to read cultural trends has made me deeply trust his strategic recommendations.”

    J.Views, Grammy-Nominated Musician

  • "I've known Nick since his time as a business student at Berklee College of Music. It’s been impressive to watch his trajectory in navigating the ever-evolving intersection of creativity and commerce, for both himself and the talent around him. He’s always shown great enthusiasm for helping guide students through their own journeys of creative entrepreneurship."

    Panos Panay, Co-President & CRO @ The Recording Academy

If you’re looking for community knowledge architecture, cultural strategy, research, foresight, workshops, panels, keynotes, lectures or press quotes, let’s chat.