What made you want to start MATTE Projects? Were there any ads/events/campaigns that inspired you to do it yourself?

BK: I was more inspired by people, ideals, lifestyles, ability to control destiny, ability to create at will, the ability to say, "I want to do that" then do it. I've always read bios on people, I keep close tabs on creators, and at 24 it was time. Plus I wasn't a very good employee. I think MATTE is a likable brand, we're half consumer and half service based, which is important for balance. MP: It was a pretty natural progression. I had always been an organizer and loved curating sounds for friends and settings. Then a 'design thinking' course in college got me really into branding. From that I wanted to find a way to combine my love for music with branding. When Brett and I did the first Kitsuné Club Night, we started to realize to put on these shows is really like building a brand. We realized we could put these skills to use for clients. That's when we partnered with Matt Rowean who had years of ad and design experience and really introduced the agency piece of our business. MR: What interested me the most with what Brett and Max were doing, was the consumer-facing side of things. I'd worked on the service side for almost a decade. There is a constant frustration when you're client-facing all the time because you lack a true creative outlet, your ideas often get diluted because of the amount of approvals and 'cooks in the kitchen.' MATTE was our way to do both. We have select clients we work with that give us the resources to grow, but several times a year we have these massive events which we fully control. This does wonders for the creative process, to actually get to be your own client. Full Moon Festival NYC
3 of 10

The Guest List

More