We recently connected with Anthony Tyson and have shared our conversation below.
Anthony, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today So, let’s start with trends – what are some of the largest or more impactful trends you are seeing in the industry?
What I’m seeing in the industry around San Diego, is that we’ve gotten away from the traditional “Night Out at a Nightclub” every weekend. The customers are looking for different events to attend now. The events range from Brunch to Masquerade Parties at Secret Locations. It’s great to see cause it keeps the city fresh. Our team is always asking “What can we give to the community next?”
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
So I originally started in the clothing line business as a co-partner of another clothing label. Once things got great for the brand, he was moving away from the city we resided in. Not to mention I had ideas completely unrelated to the brand so I decided to create “Southern Renaissance”. The presence of the south was definitely in full steam here in the city and I was able to find my lane catering to customers in the nightlife industry. After that was able to team up with a co-worker at my old job to join his club promotion business. We started getting people in at F6ix nightclub for a few dollars per head and thought about expanding, getting a team, and throwing our own events. In 2019 we collaborated with Vybz SD to bring a day party to the venue after the Super Bowl, once a month, we grabbed guys (and Paris) that were in the same position as us and introduced: Synful Sundayz. It took the city by storm and by the beginning of 2020, we were taking over The Music Box with over 600 people in attendance.
With ”High Definition Ent”, we bring theme-based events to places now around the west coast catered for the black community. We don’t have many safe and aesthetically pleasing places to go to and we do our best to continue to bring game-changing and viral events to the fold. These events include Synful Sundayz, Sippin Saturdays, Day Lounge, HUSH, SNV, and various takeovers at dozens of venues around San Diego and Phoenix.
With Southern Renaissance, we want to give our customers a taste of the southern culture that I grew up on with the colors and style of clothing for every adult. Over 200 pieces sold and are currently going through a rebrand, to focus on limited-quantity items and custom pieces.
We’d love to hear about you met your business partner.
Ahhh, one of my stories, and I won’t go into a lot of details cause he loves being behind the scenes with our business, we worked together, and notices I was very friendly with various people both in and out of work. I heard he had a company( High Def) that does party promotion, very up and coming. So I asked to host my Southern Renaissance brand release party. The outcome was better than expected and got the lightbulb to join him cause I’ve always planned private gatherings for years. So when we got back to 6 months for work, I’ve asked to join his company. Our age difference had him uneasy for a while. It wasn’t until he got offered a residency to promote for F6ix that he realized ” I need younger people on the team.”( they was offering 18+ nights) That was my way into the nightlife. We’ve been friends for a while, but now I consider Hunt as my big brother and a part of my extended family. Thank you for believing in me and trusting me with something that’s now a part of my life.
How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?
What helped me was simply doing one thing; being myself. In the line of work I’m in I’ve seen everyone from idols to rivals and everything in between. What set me apart was that I am ambitious, yet transparent. Worked hard, presented opportunities to my friends, and bring something downtown that was scarce at the time, black excellence. We already influence the nightlife, we can become bosses rather than promoters, become managers rather than a worker, own security companies rather than being just a guard. We offer so much yet don’t get the credit nor the compensation. With enough work and time, we can all find a lane. I ask this question every day; “What do I desire?”
Contact Info:
- Website: www.wethesouth.me
- Instagram: http://instagram.com/thesouthernsultan
- Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/1129754900408452
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCu75Xjhon51SXTJ9jj-X-yw
- Other: High Def Ent Info: https://www.highdefinitionent.com/ www.instagram.com/highdefentsd Southern Renaissance Info: www.instagram.com/southernrenaissance_
Image Credits
Sean Adams Golden Quality Visuals