We were lucky to catch up with Shane Wilder recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Shane, thanks for joining us today. Naming anything – including a business – is so hard. Right? What’s the story behind how you came up with the name of your brand?

AREK the name actually came from a dream i had November 2017; in this dream it was like WW3. I remember still now – i was walking thru a High School hallway that looked exactly like its been through war with the ceiling falling down, lockers pushed over, pillars blocking the way to walk, crawling under beams, stepping over rocks while waving through clouds of smoke and i remember getting to the end of the hall way and trying to look through a pair of gym double doors that had blacked out windows with an active fire blazing all around the seems of the doors. Then i remember turning the corner from where i was walking down the hall way and seeing perfectly blue untouched high school lockers that had AREK spray painted in white all over it. Then turning my head to look straight down another corridor area where it had white untouched stairs that had a light beam like
it was from heaven leading up to another level.

when i woke up that name was etched into my head i couldn’t get it out for months, i always said that it tortured me not in a bad way but in a good way because i had a feeling it was connected to purpose. i began to create a outline of what AREK would be and i started with the acronym – Authentically Restoring Everyone’s Kuumba (Kuumba meaning creativity in Swahili). I was able to figure out the A R E on my own, but I must always give credit where do because the K I had some assistance from a young lady named Emani Parks. She knew Swahili. And I remembered I just wanted to use the K for creativity spelled with THE K, but she gave me something much more purposeful.

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 back background and context?

hello, my name is Shane Wilder also known as DJ AREK. I am a Renaissance man: I am a writer, actor, musician. I am a dancer, specializing in hip-hop, but also trained in ballet, modern, and African. I am a videographer and a photographer. I am a fashion designer, a coach, a mentor, a athlete: with backgrounds in football basketball and boxing. i am a creative director but besides all i am a Man of God and a Father – growing up my first love was football and I always thought that I was going to be in the NFL. But I fell in love with hip-hop, I got the taste of music from my mother. Through half of middle school and high school career I was a trained boxer in the DMV who sang in Choir winning superior at Hershey Park in the Choir Competitions. It wasn’t until I graduated high school and moved to Philadelphia is when i became a professional in the arts in many categories. I began in theatre with John Graves Productions that sparked a passion of creativity in me for 3 years becoming trained and performing in front of hundreds even with having 10 shows in one week at the Arts Bank right there on south and broad.
As i became more mature in my
gifts i changed and evolved into a visionary using my Iphone in the beginning to tell a story through pictures and videos. Fashion became a vital part of my expression because i was able to tell a story through it all. i remember walking into a party as a introvert and thinking to myself how do you control the party in this room and that sparked a whole curiosity of what i do today. Fast forwarding to the pandemic: i began studying the arts of DJing and what it means and it was like morphing everything I’ve learned into a performance that is meant to curate you to dance or vibe out with what you love. Music brings people together.
I made the investment during the pandemic into DJ equipment so I can do what I do professionally.

AREK –

AREK is an Independent Creative Organization, founded in 2017 by Shane Wilder.

AREK is a organization that provides creative services and merchandise to entrepreneurs, athletes and business owners.

We supply creatives with tools, tricks and tips about branding, marketing, and development.

We make products inspired by the aesthetics of luxury sportswear and high fashion. The people who was once kids are the people that are making history now.

Our promise is to To maintain the artistic freedom of expression or application of human creative skill and imagination.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

my most major pivot is when I was doing too much at once and trying to run a business on my own, even though that I was talented at many things and gifted at many things I had to find a pinpoint for me my business, my career and my life so I could be planted and grow in purpose.

I decided to focus on one thing which was DJing and it has gotten me into rooms that I couldn’t even imagine with the a.k.a. sorority to all expenses paid traveling to Atlanta and Chicago to bridge the gap for students and teachers using music, but that only happened when I began to focus on one thing which is the art and true meaning of DJing.

Where do you think you get most of your clients from?

word-of-mouth has been the best source of clients for me. I’m still working on my social media presence, but because people have either heard me DJ or seen my services in full action firsthand it created a word of mouth operation, which is how I got some of my most prestigious gigs. I truly appreciate my Clients that book me every year, even through the trial struggles and tribulations of their personal life. I haven’t always been a perfect CEO But the fact that the same clients who book me every year again, and again, it lets me know that I have been providing unforgettable value and love for the craft that ultimately create a unforgettable experience.

and those same clients that Has friends that need DJ services or creative services specifically they request me because I am truly one of a kind.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.arek.co
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dj_arek?igsh=ZXRiNXBvNWxnemkw&utm_source=qr
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100064154405432&mibextid=LQQJ4d
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/djarek?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=ios_app
• Soundcloud: https://on.soundcloud.com/fTiuhNX55fTLhqtw9

Image Credits

Shane Wilder – AREK LLC Photography
Dono’v Photography
Farrar Media Productions