Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Marina Mohan. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Marina, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?
I began my bikini brand with little knowledge that it would lead me to cofounding a nonprofit for artists. I had always envisioned being able to collaborate with artist especially within my community to employ brand ambassadors as well as employees, and being an artist myself, I always aimed to be apart of the culture. I was approached by artist Dubeu about creating a community built on knowledge and resources. I have always wanted to work with artists especially in the music industry.
Marina, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
My name is Marina Mohan, I am an educator as well as an artists, creator and business woman. I am one of three people who have co-founded 4Ever450, a nonprofit based on unity within the community. It’s aim is to provide artists and creators of all kinds with opportunities for development, production, promotional services, education, and experiences. We have helped artists create promotions for events, as well as connect artists with a multitude of resources such as producers, engineers, videographers, and more. We also aim to create events within the community to give opportunities for artists and creators to showcase their work and make connections within the community. Previously before we officially became a nonprofit we created a Visual Showcase event to highlight local artists’ visual productions. Many of the works included artist’s music videos which were showcased to a small audience as well as 450’s social media network. Fans voted for their favorite visual based on 3 different categories. We had awesome giveaways with our top winner receiving donated studio time from a local engineer. This event sparked the idea of solidifying 4Ever450 into a community based nonprofit for artists and creators. We saw the value in collaboration and the endless possibilities and connections we could make within the community.
Recently we embarked in creating our first Creative Artist Workshop where we collaborated with a handful of local artists, producers, videographers, and engineers on a community music project. Our first day began with a professional writing session where artists met with producers and hand selected curated beats. Our second day included recording in the studio with local engineers to create 3 collaborative songs. We had the opportunity to collaborate with Las Vegas’s radio station HOT 702.5 to showcase all three of these songs in a live debut and have fans vote on their favorite song for 4Ever450 to take and create a music video. Our final day wraps up with a visual production with all the artists and collaborators. Throughout this process we have had the opportunity to highlight some of Phoenix’s independent artists and local music industry professionals. 450 aims to bring more events like this into the community to help foster collaboration and opportunities within the community.
The nonprofit currently has partnered with a local business and hosts an open mic night every Tuesday night at the Giving Tree Café in Downtown Phoenix. This night allows for poets, singers, rappers, and lovers of music and vegan food to share the same space and share their love for music and the arts within the community. We hope that over time we will be able to offer more events to highlight and give exposure to the amazing artists and creators within the community.
Any advice for managing a team?
I would have to say that communication is by far the best way to manage a team effectively. When everyone on the team feels heard, they feel seen. With a nonprofit we have a Board of Directors. With this being said the other founders and I have rigorous discussions with the board about new ideas, budgeting, marketing, and whatever else arises. One way I always suggest to keep morale high is to spread the wealth. It doesn’t benefit anyone or the business you are trying to build if one person takes on the bulk of responsibility. Creating a team centered environment has helped us grow even faster than we expected. I think it’s always important as a leader to remember you can always learn more and working and collaborating with others is a great way to explore innovation and different perspectives, not to mention being on a team feels a lot more supportive than going at things solo.
How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?
One of the most effective strategies for growing, building and maintaining our reputation is making connections with people and clients. Whenever we work with someone we always encourage them to join a 450 Discovery meeting where they get to meet a handful or all of the team virtually or in person. We prefer to make connections in person when possible. As a team we are very strict about our recommendations and will always collaborate and work with a business or individual before we recommend them to those within the 450’s community. We do this as a quality control as to who we refer someone to, whether it’s a videographer, photographer, or producer we want to send our clientele to someone reliable, fair, and who produces quality results. As an artist it can be hard to field the multitude of services out there and its difficult trusting someone with your personal art and brand. We always like to follow up with clients as well and gain testimonials for references and help us conquer some of the hiccups that come with maintaining the quality of what 4Ever450 represents and is working to connect creators with.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://tell.ie/4ever450/faCeRFfRi2Un
- Instagram: frequency450
- Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/4Ever450-100686055928356/?ref=page_internal
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/will-thomas-05921a13b?original_referer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F
- Twitter: https://mobile.twitter.com/frequency450_
- Other: https://happeningnext.com/event/new-year-visual-showcase-night-party-eid4sntijvnm31 tiktok: frequency_450
Image Credits
NPM Entertainment