Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Brit Brennan. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Brit, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. 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?
Our origin story is one of my favorite to tell.. it involved a fire pit, a bottle of good Italian wine, and some of the brightest minds in the business.
It also came at a point in time when I didn’t realize how much I needed to have started something for me, with some of my closest friends.
I had been laid off from my position at the time, and honestly was at a crossroads of what to do, as I had never been laid off before, and had, to be very vulnerable, tied up a great deal of my self worth in having a job, and a title that went along with it.
Nic (my business partner) and I sat around a fire pit, in November of 2020, and worked out our Business Plan, timeline and overall strategy, along with our spouses. Starting with launching an LLC, we basically made our list, checked it twice, and Hawkmoon was born. Once the LLC was opened, and the Insurance set, we set out to create promotional materials in house, and then it was out to our contacts of the last 20 plus years.
Long story short, it took a dream, dedication, and the passion of 4 to launch our dream.
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 background and context?
I started off as a Theatrical Production major, earning my BFA at the University of Pittsburgh, and I am living proof that you can make it very far in the Entertainment Industry, with a Theatre Degree.
In terms of the Company I had the pleasure to found, Hawkmoon is an entertainment company that creates immersive experiences, live entertainment, and Brand activations. We are a full-service design and production company providing solutions in live entertainment production.
What sets Hawkmoon apart is that it is founded specifically from Subject Matter Experts in all the areas that we offer solutions in for entertainment and beyond. To that, we have someone who can speak to all needs of a client, and are able to compliment each other in ways you often do not see in a startup.
We strive to be a performer first company, and take pride in the way we embrace our team, their needs and their ultimate goals as well. We go beyond the contractor experience, and also offer opportunities for our team in things such as resume review, budgeting, career coaching, etc. While of course we aways want our performers to stay as part of our family, our ultimate goal is that they are happy, healthy and successful.
From a business perspective, Hawkmoon is also unique and successful right out of the gate in our ability to partner and create Unique, Customizable experiences. We have a multitude of ready to go amazing quality acts and performances, but also have created completely brand new and unique offerings based on our client needs. Basically.. if you can imagine what you want, we have the ability to drive that into existence.
Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
Unlearning behaviors really comes from learning lessons, and I think that one of the greatest lessons I’ve had to learn was that I do not always have to have the answers, and then a second part to that, is that it is ok to Fail.
Humble Leadership gives you the opportunity to showcase to your teams that it is ok to not always know, and even better to take the chance to learn together. This has been pivotal in my leadership journey and it has taught me to be transparent and honest with my team, and to always share the why.
In conjunction, being a humble leader empowers you to fail, and in turn teach your teams that it is ok to fail, as long as you learn from it.
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
I genuinely think that Pivoting is the name of my career.
Every amazing opportunity I have had has come from taking an opportunity to pivot and realign my goals. I think one of the best examples of this was taking the opportunity that presented itself in joining the team at Knott’s Berry Farm. At the time, I had been laid off from my role, was in the process of opening a business, and had just gone through the most dysfunctional interview process of my career for a role I am beyond thankful didn’t work out.
It was the right opportunity at the right time, and out of it came amazing friendships, the opportunity to lead such a dynamic and diverse team, a VP role before 40, and making the Blooloop Top 50 Theme Park Influencer list.
Life is a series of Pivot’s and if you embrace them, you might just have the ride of a lifetime.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.hawkmoon.com
- Instagram: @hawkmooncreative
- Facebook: @hawkmoooncreative
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/hawkmoon-creative
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@hawkmooncreative