We were lucky to catch up with Al Montagna recently and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Al thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. How did you come up with the idea for your business?
The idea of Unarthodox was almost instant. However, the build-up that helped me come up with the idea, took almost a lifetime. Unarthodox was conceptualized by my partner Maria Kordova and me in 2015. Although she has her own story, I can only share mine. For starters, Unarthodox is not an art studio, but a space where we host unique, immersive, interactive experiences using art. We use art as a tool for self-expression, reconnecting, and being in the moment. We believe that art has this incredible way of transforming us and making us feel alive. (and yes, this line is straight out of our website).
But before I can start to explain how I got to this idea, I must first tell you about me and my background. I do warn you, I looove to talk about myself ;)
To make a really long story short, I am a graphic designer by trade. I attended Kean University in New Jersey which was also where I taught as an adjunct professor. My life was all about graphic design. I started my first little agency at the age of 16. I knew then that this was what I wanted to do. Fast forward 25 years, having worked in multiple agencies and owning two of my own, I reached a point where I was all graphic designed out. I had enough of running an agency and dealing with demanding clients.
In my search for the meaning of life, or a mid-life crisis as some may call it, I decided to give fine art a chance, particularly photography and mixed media. My current business partner Maria, who I met at a networking event not too long before “the crisis”, was a partner in an artist representation company, so what better person to represent me in my new career as an artist. I had a few solo shows in New York City and was commissioned a few times, but I certainly wasn’t breaking the “broke artist” stereotype. The art establishment is extremely pretentious, intimidating, and it’s not always about your skill or who you know, but who knows you. Unless you fall into some kind of Basquiat-ish struggle story, it is very difficult to make a living in art.
However, I still wanted to be involved with art. So out of frustration with the rules and regulations that are bestowed upon everything, and my natural instinct as an entrepreneur, we decided to create Unarthodox…no rules, no regulations, no market research, no nothing. We gave ourselves a blank canvas (no pun intended), to create a space where folks can be exposed to the arts as a tool for self-expression. We decided to focus on the process rather than the finished product. Doesn’t matter what the end product is, as long as you enjoy the process of creating. No judgment, no lessons, just guidance. And so Unarthodox was born.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
Unarthodox is a series of creative experiences where each is designed to tackle your senses. Our experiences run the gamut, from the truly immersive Sculpture Without Sight and Intuitive Art to the fun, high-five, high-energy interactive group activities like Picture This and The Playground. Somewhere in between, you will find our painting experiences like A Night with Picasso and Mural. Eight experiences in total.
Sculpture Without Sight is a fully immersive experience where you get to sculpt blindfolded. That said, it’s not about creating a sculpture, it’s all about exploring your sense of touch. It’s about the process and not the finished product. You are surrounded by specially curated music and aromas. If you focus and be in the moment, you begin to see through your fingertips. You no longer rely on your eyes but on your fingertips, it’s phenomenal! This is only one of the many amazing experiences that we host.
Although we are open to the general public, most of our business comes from corporate team outings.
I designed most of our experiences, so I get a huge sense of gratification when I see our guests enjoying themselves. Some are transformed just by coming to us once. I didn’t just design the experience itself, but all of the marketing, aesthetics, host scripts, logos, and even photography. For me, it’s a true labor of love.
The thing that I am most proud of is our client list. We have had the opportunity to host companies such as Google, Disney, Amazon, NBA, MLB, and even Foreign Governments. We were also fortunate to be recognized by major media networks like ABC and NBC. We were on Shark Tank and many other network shows. We’ve hosted reality shows and not-so-reality shows.
Although we market our experiences as immersive and fun, they are also very therapeutic. We don’t mention the wellness aspect much, but the takeaway can be more beneficial than visiting a psychologist ;)
Unlike your traditional art-related studio, our locations in New York and Miami are trendy and sophisticated and the staff is extremely accommodating. We have a phenomenal team of artists, actors, and talented individuals who make sure everyone is cared for and feels like they belong.
Can you open up about how you funded your business?
Capital, a must when you start a brick-and-mortar business. We had none. When we were first conceptualizing Unarthodox, we were researching becoming a non-profit just so we could apply for grants. We didn’t have any money and did not know anything about obtaining it. That said, we were passionate about our concept and seeing it through. One day I was sitting having lunch with a friend of mine, Rich Arrabito. We were casually talking and I began to describe the new concept for the company. I was so passionate about it that he instantly decided to invest in it. He said “I want to invest in you”. I will never forget those words. After a $120,000 investment and 80-hour work weeks, we got Unarthodox off the ground. We would have never been able to start without that capital. We had enough money to start the business and sustain it for just a couple of months. The rest was up to us. The moral of the story, when you truly believe in something, it is easier to convince those with money to invest in you.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
When you are in the business of people gathering, certain occurrences are not good for business. Like, let’s say…COVID! At the beginning of the pandemic, not only did we lose 99% of all of our business, but companies started canceling, scheduled, pre-paid events which meant refunds! Talk about adding insult to injury. We went from hosting 3 events a day to literally zero. The rent, however, wasn’t going away. Neither were all of the bills that come along with having a brick-and-mortar. We were in an extremely tough situation. We lost most of our staff and all of our business. So we had to get creative. We started selling oranges at the corner! No, not really, but it almost came to that.
We needed a temporary solution to bring in income since the pandemic was going to last at least a couple of months, so we thought. We decided to pivot a little and turn some of our experiences into remote, virtual events. Not an easy thing to do but we tried. I had to somehow figure out how to do what we do in-house and make it interesting in a 2-dimensional environment. Although the experiences weren’t nearly as fun, they seemed to bring in a few clients, bringing some revenue to pay the temporarily negotiated rent for a space that we were not using. We did not want to lose the space. I refused to give up the space. I felt that if we gave up the space, we would lose momentum and not reopen. I was a little stubborn, but it paid off at the end.
As more and more companies began doing the online, virtual thing, competition became fierce. Companies with much better technologies, better funded, and purposely designed for the pandemic started to tower over us. But we kept plugging along. Things got tough financially, but we were resilient. We believed in our company and we were not going to give up. As the months went by and some companies started to have partial teams back in the office, we developed our Mobile department. Since everyone was still afraid to go places, instead of coming to us, we went to them. This helped with some revenue as well. Sometimes I think about how was it even possible to survive what we survived, and today, we are stronger than ever. I know, corny, but true.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.unarthodox.com
- Instagram: @unarthodoxnyc
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/unarthodoxstudio/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/unarthodox/
- Twitter: @unarthodoxnyc
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@UnarthodoxNewYork
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/unarthodox-new-york