We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Emmanuel Mesen a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Emmanuel, thanks for joining us today. Coming up with the idea is so exciting, but then comes the hard part – executing. Too often the media ignores the execution part and goes from idea to success, skipping over the nitty, gritty details of executing in the early days. We think that’s a disservice both to the entrepreneurs who built something amazing as well as the public who isn’t getting a realistic picture of what it takes to succeed. So, we’d really appreciate if you could open up about your execution story – how did you go from idea to execution?

Never Come Home at its conception was just a group of friends that loved the creativity in the world. We agreed that there were so many opportunities for creatives to show their work to the world they just weren’t really sure how to get there. We took it upon ourselves to use our knowledge to provide these photographers, writers, and anyone willing to work hard with opportunities to grow as creatives. We started to just reach out to publicist and sometimes directly to artist with the hopes of getting media passes to give to these amazing young talents. It didn’t take long for us to realize we were building a community of people who cared about their craft and from then on we began to explore the rest of the creative world.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Never Come Home (NVR) is a New Jersey-based multimedia company founded by four friends (Semaj McLeod, Emmy Mesen, Jose Castillo, and Tiago Almeida) who met at a music festival. Rooted in a mission to support creatives across all fields—musicians, photographers, journalists, and more—NVR provides opportunities and exposure to help talents thrive.

Over the years, we’ve built a robust network of connections and curated a welcoming space where individuals can share their gifts, talents, and ambitions. While our foundation lies in music journalism and event curation/production, we’ve expanded our reach through photographing, writing, and creating social content about emerging and established artists. We also play a critical role in the logistical aspects of event planning, ensuring even the smallest details are covered.

Our journey has been marked by several exciting milestones:
– Hosting a “food drive function” in collaboration with collectives from the New York underground scene, offering discounted entry for donations.
– Organizing our first solo event, which combined a party atmosphere with a showcase of local creatives’ works.
– Garnering over 20M+ views on a single TikTok video (@nvrcomehome).
– Traveling to Kentucky as media for the inaugural Gazebo Festival founded by Jack Harlow.
– Throwing a 300+ attendee summer party featuring tooth gems, tattoos, and a music festival ticket giveaway.
– Launching networking events that connect creatives with future collaborators.

Additionally, we’ve released clothing, traveled across states and countries for music festivals and events, and are currently working on a huge project that will be released next month (🤫)
The concept for NVR was born out of a desire to challenge the “gatekeeping” culture prevalent in the New York creative industry. We strive to provide opportunities to all, regardless of their portfolio or standing. At NVR, we believe there’s potential in everyone.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

We started by marketing to people intrigued by our story—four best friends who met at a music festival and launched a media company. It resonated because it was unique and relatable, helping us build an initial following. However, we soon realized it wasn’t just about our story—it was about the people’s stories.

We shifted focus to being in the background, showing our faces less and emphasizing the community. We polished our visual style for consistency and leaned into initiatives like monthly playlists and ‘Artists to Know’ and more regular show review articles and coverage. These generated shares and engagement outside our circle. Staying in tune with cultural moments and sparking meaningful conversations became key.

For those starting out: stay authentic, focus on building a community, and be adaptable as you grow.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

Consistency was key to establishing our reputation in the market. Whether it was regularly being on-site at shows, whether it was writing, photographing, doing social content or all 3, maintaining a near-daily posting schedule, consistently sharing fresh content, photos, and events, or showing up at as many events as possible, our presence—both in person and on social feeds—played a significant role in building our credibility and visibility.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://nvrcomehome.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nvrcomehome/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@nvrcomehome
• Other: tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nvrcomehome

Image Credits

John Krug
Jose Castillo