A3C Hip Hop Festival Blog

Stay Silent PVD Bring Brunch to A3C

Written by Sierra Brown | Sep 26

Being a curator is more than throwing an event or creating an immersive experience with cool installations and brand activations. The painstaking attention to detail and a genuine love for the culture is what separates the boys and girls from the men and women, and Stay Silent PVD prides themselves on being their biggest fans.

Known as an “experience agency,” Stay Silent PVD focuses on marketing, event production, content creation and pop-up retail projects, according to their website. The New England-based company launched in December 2012 by co-creators Sabrina Chaudhary and Jason “Where’s Nasty” Almieda after the two met in college, according to Stay Silent PVD’s Facebook page, and the ball has been rolling ever since.

Stay Silent PVD will be bringing their #EGGSOVER brunch series to A3C Oct. 7, so we talked with the creators about what it means to be a curator, their personal tastes and determining the “it” factor.

How did your showcase come together for A3C?

We've been going down to A3C for a few years now as attendees. During one of the years, we met A3C curator, Yusuf, who really thought our branding for our Eggs Over brunches were really dope. The following year, A3C reached out about getting us involved so it's been an on going conversation for a few years now.

What's something you pride yourself on most when it comes to how you managed to put this together?

We pride ourselves in really being fans of what we're putting into the world and involved in. It's like being an active participant in culture. We would have been attending A3C, even if we weren't hosting Eggs Over.

What do you look for in rising artists to determine if they have that “it” factor?

Energy --- What type of attitude do they have? How do they carry themselves? How do they treat people? It's not just about being a good artist, but being a better person. Putting that positive energy into the world makes us excited to work artists.

How do you feel about the title "curator" being used so freely in media and marketing today?

As long as the people using these titles are actually doing what their title entails, there's no issue. Curation is an essential part of our everyday life because of all the options. The world needs people who are going to put things on the radar.  It's almost become a word for someone "having taste."

What are some things that someone putting on a showcase may overlook that are crucial to the show’s success?

Every detail matters, from how you feel when you look at the flyer to what you experience when you walk into a space. No detail is too small.

To what extent does the showcase lineup reflect your personal taste?

Our brunch is used as a platform to pay homage to an artist/producer's discography. So while we won't have any performers, we will have DJ's playing music produced by Just Blaze. Coming of age in the '00s, what Just Blaze did with Roc-A-Fella records was really the soundtrack for high school and college for us. "Flipside," "I Really Mean It," "Touch The Sky" were all moments in time while we were growing up.

How do you handle the egos of artists/managers on the day of the show?

Leave it at the door and treat everyone with respect.

How will you gage the success of your showcases?

For us, coming from the New England region, just being able bring something we created outside of our hometown is a big deal to us. For 4 hours during our brunch, we're going to be sharing a piece of our culture with A3C and Atlanta.

How does building your personal brand translate to curating events?

It's all based on our experiences and perspective. With our events, we want to people to look at the world thru our lens. Whether that's putting a DJ/artist on someone's radar, introducing someone to a restaurant or just showing support for what we believe should be at the forefront.

What's the main way you discover new music? Is it through a streaming service or through personal relationships with labels/managers/artists?

From being around different people. We find new music online thru blogs and different playlists but aren't really sold on it until we see the energy of people at events, stores, or wherever our travels take us. There's no algorithm that can replace energy.

Breaking new music is a major part of A3C showcases. How do you shed a light on new artists without alienating your core fanbase?

By creating space for the new artists to grow and show their depth with their own personal brands. We use our events and playlists as a place to balance the classics but also give chances to the emerging.