We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Luke Klaer. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Luke below.

Luke, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Owning a business isn’t always glamorous and so most business owners we’ve connected with have shared that on tough days they sometimes wonder what it would have been like to have just had a regular job instead of all the responsibility of running a business. Have you ever felt that way?

I love building businesses. It is something I have been in the mix with since I was 20 years old. I was a part of a Vape, that had tremendous success and was fortunate to be heavily involved with from just about the beginning and for several years. I later branched out and started another Vape Juice Company that did pretty well for some time there. I have helped several CBD companies over the years. A lot of the reasons why I chose Industrial Engineering for my degree is it’s all about efficiency and how to execute in a more effective way in every facet of the business. As I continued to gain knowledge in my classes, I would instantly apply these things to my own business or the businesses I was a part of. In 2016/2017 is when I worked a little less on other businesses in conjunction with Prism Collective and put vastly more energy into PC. Had covid not happened I probably would still be full-time with just my Prism work. However, I graduated in December 2020 and was offered an amazing opportunity to go work for an Aerospace company called Area-I, inc. where I am still currently employed. As I started the job, the music industry began opening back up and it was and is difficult to do both at the same time, so I had to make some pivots in order to make it work. For years, I would tell myself I am never working for another company again, due to poor experiences at companies, but I am so fortunate and blessed to work for Area-I, that I don’t feel like just another number or person there to be replaced, but I feel a part of an integral member to the collective success of the business. The way they operate is how I want to operate PC, and I have been learning so much not only in my discipline but on how to operate a business and goals to have as PC continues to grow and evolve. This has provided me a safety blanket as well, so that I can focus more on the creative works of Prism versus the stressors that come with driving business and making sure enough revenue is being generated, so the whole team can thrive. I plan to continue this job for the long haul and continue to build prism’s foundation so that we have longevity. It is interesting doing both and sometimes I do have to make tough decisions, but I feel confident of the trajectory of my career and the progression and path that Prism Collective is headed.

Luke, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Prism Collective in essence represents the refraction of Light and Community. What I mean by this, is that when light shines through a Prism, on the other side would be the full spectrum of the rainbow or ROY G BIV, due to the light bending or refracting, and through that refraction, we as humans, see color. In 2012, I had gone through one of my first adult spiritual awakenings, which is what propelled the beginning stages of this passion project, which has become a full-scale business. Furthermore, when we as humans align our Mind, Body, and Soul and let that represent the Prism, and we allow the Light to shine through the prism within us, an empowering experience takes place, which can be represented by ROY G BIV, and to me represents the infinite possibilities and endless opportunities that are ahead of us, so long as we seek, take action, and do the work. I also like to call this a type of enlightenment, which usually those whose spirit has been awakened tend to also have the desire to make their surroundings, communities, and the world a better place and also help others, hence where the community aspect comes into play. This started as a movement and band and an outlet to bring people together through creative arts. In my time touring as a musician, I learned quickly how tough the come up for an artist can be and how imperative having a solid team is to one’s success in the Creative Arts space. All along this time, I was continuing to finish my Industrial Engineering degree. I would go back and forth between the two to the best of my ability, but at times would ditch school and go do music and then come back somewhat as a “starving artist,” some would say, and then go back to school. Along this time, we had added promotions for shows into what we offered with PC and I would offer marketing/sale strategies to different companies as well, which is still something I do now too. Whether it be marketing strategies for a product release or helping businesses get their sales team executing more efficiently. We have made apparel off and on over the years, however, definitely something that I want to take more seriously moving forward and get some clothing lines launched. Some of the experiences I had as a musician such as not being able to play at certain venues or being charged too much for particular services, we began to purchase production gear, which we could use for our own events, but also rent out to other companies for their events, tradeshows, concerts, and festivals. We have a sound system, lighting, projection mapping capabilities, video wall, lasers, and connections with a lot of other great companies, who can help make things happen with us. I have some amazing and super talented friends, who saw the vision and were on board with the shift, and boom Prism Productions began to take off. We have been fortunate with some awesome clients scattered across the southeast, who has become consistent business for us. We were off to the races and pretty much booked every weekend, and at points would have one team in Atlanta and another in Nashville. Covid really smashed our momentum and trajectory, however, things are getting back and going again, but it definitely did hurt. During those times, we would host streams for clients all across the nation, and was a cool way to stay relevant and a part of the scene in a very trying time for many people. I knew I also wanted to help fellow creatives along their journey, so I also launched our Prism MGMT Group and Agency, which has had a slow start due to it being launched right before the shutdowns hit, so has taken some time to get this side of the business going, which I am grateful to the artists apart of our collective and have stuck with us, while the industry opens back up and we go full-scale with that. I have some athletes and some video gamers, I am currently looking into bringing on to the MGMT team, and excited for what comes of that. Ultimately, what makes all this worth it is the healing power of music and all creative arts. Our Slogan is Together WE Rise, United WE Prosper, and to me; what makes us different is the genuine desire to bring people together to have profound and positive impacts in whatever capacity we may be a part of. I have always been called to help others and bring people together, and do my best to be a positive influence on those around me. I have very large visions with Prism Collective and if there is anything I have learned is that patience is so crucial in any worthwhile endeavor. My desire with PC is to make this a global brand, and bring value to our clients, our artists/creatives, our communities, and the world as a whole. The newest addition to PC, which is still in the works, is the Prism Empowerment Program, which is going to be heavily focused on children/young adults, and helping with addiction, mental health, Trauma, and other social issues, where I see a lot of opportunities to make some transformative impact. I have some really awesome partners in this venture, whom I am very excited to get things going with.

We’d love to hear the story of how you turned a side-hustle into a something much bigger.

100%. This started as a passion project. Simply, I made sure I was surrounded with like-minded individuals, who say the vision and when the time came to seize opportunities we would be ready. That’s exactly what I did and how we have become successful in what we do. I will always praise my best friends/business partners, because I would not have been able to make certain relationships happen, close particular deals, or make purchases without them. My guys are some of the best in the business and not only do I have them do amazing things together, but in addition, I get to watch these guys flourish with other companies and do incredible work for others too. Some of our first purchases were milestones because they broadened our capabilities on what we could offer and increased the cool things we could do. Sound Haven 2019, which is an amazing festival in TN, was another huge milestone for our team. We made a really cool stage happen, with some difficult limitations, but even more so, we as a unit pushed ourselves creatively and in the workload and curated something spectacular together, which furthermore drove us to work harder and take it to the next level. This has led us to be able to do larger-scale shows, which have greater payouts and opened many doors for us. Patience is a key ingredient in the process of a side hustle to full-time. At the end of the day, if you are passionate about something and willing to put the work in, you are destined for success. Success is a personal journey because people define it in so many ways, but to me, if you are doing something that you Love and you are surviving and growing as a person and as a business, then you are on the path to success. We also would put a lot of the profit into the business versus in our pocket and that’s the longevity play. Delayed Gratification is a powerful mindset, especially when running a business. Greatness takes time, massive action, and consistent passion.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

The one-word answer would be Passion. We have an inside joke amongst us, that we call the Prism Guarantee. We don’t market this or use it as a sales pitch, however, it is something that is important to us with the work we do and important to me in every facet of my life. Under Sell and Over Deliver. Too much you see a business doing it the opposite and nobody likes that. We take a lot of pride in the work that we do. If we say we can make it happen, it is going to happen. We aren’t going to have our brand or our work on anything that doesn’t match the caliber of work we have set for ourselves. For many shows, we would always change up the stage design to give the fans and attendees a different experience than before. With our artists, we want to be there for them as a human as well, not just the business stuff. This all trickles back to the idealogy of what Prism Collective is. When people experience PC in any format or any side of the business, my desire is they leave having had a profound and positive impact and feeling inspired. I want to bring hope to people and the Creative Arts space is a beautiful environment to do so. This goes with the other services of the business as well. Good People Helping Good People. Blessed People, Bless People.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/prismcollectiveatl/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/prismcollectiveatl
• Other: https://www.instagram.com/lukeklaer/ https://www.facebook.com/luke.klaer