We were lucky to catch up with Fortuna Sung recently and have shared our conversation below.

Fortuna, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What was it like going from idea to execution? Can you share some of the backstory and some of the major steps or milestones?

The start of my journey dates back to my roots, growing up with parents deeply involved in the arts world. Both worked in the film industry — one had a double career in music and film, while the other was an actress — and their creative paths were a major source of inspiration for me.

The real beginning of this entrepreneurial chapter came when I reconnected with Matthew Garrison, now my partner in many aspects of life and work. We had known each other since high school in Rome, Italy, and after reconnecting 20 years later, we found ourselves at a similar juncture: ready to build something truly meaningful — something that would be ours, and that would give back to the community.

Drawing on my experiences setting up new businesses and producing small and large-scale events in Hong Kong, I decided to make the move to Brooklyn. Prior to that, I had only spent my college years in California, so New York was a brand new adventure. But I was excited. I saw so much energy, diversity, and artistic vibrancy in the city, and I was ready to embrace all the challenges that lay ahead.

Setting up the business — especially building a new venue from scratch — was a much bigger hurdle than I had envisioned. In Hong Kong, government departments are more centralized and streamlined; starting something similar there would usually take about four months to complete, with all licenses and permits in place. In New York, it took eleven months. It was a lesson in patience, perseverance, and adaptability.

But once we opened our doors, things quickly gained momentum. Thanks to Matthew’s extensive experience and network in the music industry, musicians trusted us and were eager to bring their performances to our space. Over time, we evolved beyond music presentations, hosting art exhibitions, dance performances, recitals, workshops, jam sessions — and even weddings and bar and bat mitzvah celebrations.

In 2014, recognizing the growing needs of the creative community, we founded our nonprofit organization, ShapeShifter Plus. Through it, we curated events not only at our venue in Gowanus but at other locations around the city and Upstate New York. Around the same time, Matthew began developing a new software platform called TuneBend — a powerful tool designed to support multi-layered music creation and collaboration. TuneBend even led us to a meeting with Tim Cook, which was a career highlight and a wonderful moment of recognition for our efforts.

The pandemic took a heavy toll on our businesses. We were forced to pause operations and ultimately closed down our original venue. But in 2022, we found a new beginning — relocating to Park Slope, where we also live. Our new space is larger, more versatile, and includes an upstairs studio that now hosts a range of educational programs, especially for young children. It has allowed our vision to continue evolving, and today, the space is thriving again.

Currently, we are working on one of our most ambitious projects to date: a five-day festival celebrating the John Coltrane Centennial. This project is a collaboration with the Coltrane Home, Belongō, and Baryshnikov Arts — an event that feels like a culmination of all the work, relationships, and dreams that have shaped this incredible journey.

Looking back, it’s clear that every twist and turn — every challenge and every pivot — helped shape the foundation we stand on today. And looking ahead, I feel more energized than ever to continue building, supporting, and celebrating the creative community that has given so much to all of us.

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.

I was born in Hong Kong and moved to Rome, Italy at the age of 12 with my parents. After finishing high school there, I continued my education in San Francisco, initially pursuing a pre-med major. However, I soon discovered that my true passion was in the arts, and I shifted my focus to fine arts.

From there, my journey took me north to Vancouver, and later to Seattle, where I studied architectural graphics. After completing my studies, I returned to Hong Kong and worked in the arts field before starting my own children’s arts center.

In 2010, I returned to the United States and have been building and operating businesses ever since.

Today, we offer a vibrant space for the music and arts community. Our venue is fully equipped with a professional sound system, a full-service bar for evening events, and a café during the day. We host a variety of programming — from live performances and recitals to toddler-friendly events.

Our upstairs studio is home to a partnership with Allora, who conduct after-school activities for young children. In addition to live shows, we offer services for audio and visual recordings, workshops, private events, and art exhibitions — currently collaborating with the Park Slope Windsor Terrace Artists Collective.

Our space is conveniently located and designed to be flexible, welcoming new ideas and creative projects. Whether it’s a performance, an exhibition, a recording session, or a community event, we’re always excited to support and help bring new visions to life.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

In the beginning, our focus was on presenting music performances and workshops. We planned to showcase all genres, but because of my partner Matt Garrison’s strong background in jazz, the space naturally attracted mostly jazz musicians. As a result, we primarily presented jazz performances — and the best part was, we never had to actively solicit musicians. They found us.

Over time, new opportunities started to come our way. Customers began approaching us to host their weddings and bar/bat mitzvahs. Live music was always a central part of these events, and our space proved to be an ideal setting — intimate, flexible, and equipped for high-quality sound. These events gradually became one of our main income streams, which was crucial, especially because it’s not always easy to draw consistent large crowds for experimental and emerging music presentations.

Many of the projects we championed were innovative and boundary-pushing, which made them artistically rewarding but sometimes more challenging to market to wider audiences. The private events helped provide the financial stability we needed to keep our mission alive: creating a home for creative, cutting-edge work.

We’d appreciate any insights you can share with us about selling a business.

Yes, before I moved to New York from Hong Kong, I sold my business there — an arts and crafts learning center for children. The sale went smoothly because I had kept the business in excellent shape. It had a strong, loyal customer base, healthy finances, and a promising future outlook. It made the transition easy, and I was able to move forward knowing I had left it in a great place.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.shapeshifterplus.org
• Instagram: shapeshifterlab, shapeshifterplus
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ShapeShifterLabNY
• Linkedin: No
• Twitter: No
• Youtube: not very active
• Yelp: Do not wish to be on help. Sorry, not a business we would support

Image Credits

Fortuna Sung
Caroline Mardok (for the photo of me)