Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Spicy Creative. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Spicy, appreciate you joining us today. So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?

Spicy was created in response to a deep desire for ownership of the work we create. After being let go from a job during the COVID-19 pandemic, dreams of calling the shots and running our own business motivated us to think about the value of what we provide and what kind of impact we want to have on the communities that matter the most to us.

Our business is rooted in the arts. We got our start by producing short documentaries and content for artists. We then realized the need in the community for arts marketing services that support the careers of artists, which led us to start Spicy Creative. Fast forward to today, our agency has expanded to provide marketing and branding services to technology startups, arts organizations and small businesses.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Spicy is a marketing agency for adventurous brands. We connect businesses with their audiences through customized content and strategy. We elevate their digital experiences, bring their names to the public eye and emphasize what makes them great.

Our team combines business, marketing, communications and design strategies to craft meaningful and authentic brands. We don’t just come up with what’s cool, we refine the message our clients’ customers want to hear and the experience they crave. We help uncover what makes them special, differentiates them from the competition and defines who they are and what they want to be.

Can you tell us the story behind how you met your business partner?

Joe: Jeff and I are partners in business and in life. We met a few years before we founded Spicy. Jeff slid into my DMs [laughs] and asked me if I knew anything about color theory. I recommended one of my favorite books on color theory, “Interaction of Color” by Josef Albers. We had ideas of starting an artist-oriented zine that eventually turned into a short documentary series completed for a local art gallery. Through that experience, we came to understand that we could continue to offer this kind of promotion not only to artists, but to all kinds of businesses.

Jeff: Yeah, I have a habit of sliding into people’s DMs and just asking random questions or making a comment. At the time, when I met Joe, I was interested in knowing more about color theory and because I noticed that he was a graphic designer, I couldn’t help but ask questions on the topic. We started as friends and then eventually that led to a relationship and now a business partnership with Spicy. As Joe mentioned, we combined our skill sets in design and marketing to help create the artists documentary series and ever since then, we have been able to expand by providing our services to technology startups, arts organizations and small businesses.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

Joe: We are fortunate to have such a strong sense of community in Buffalo’s art scene. I think what really propelled us forward was positive word-of-mouth and our clear passion for helping artists expand their reach. Jeff and I have about 10 years of experience offering design and marketing solutions to a wide range of clients as agency freelancers, in-house employees and contractors.

Jeff: I second what Joe mentioned. We have been lucky to depend on referrals from existing and previous clients to keep us busy. Relationships matter in our industry so we always make it a habit to actively build our network of collaborators and partners that we can rely on. We know that we still have a ways to go in building our reputation, but we are excited for the challenge and can’t wait to put a “spicy” touch on future projects.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://yeahspicy.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yeahspicy/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yeahspicy
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/spicycreative/