Today we’d like to introduce you to Nick Brandt.
Hi Nick, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’m a bit of a unique bird! I’ve had my hands in quite a few industries and projects in my fun, short life. My parents were raised here in South Austin and attended Crockett High School, so I have personally watched this city become the boomtown that it is!
After my mom and dad attended the University of Texas, my dad became an F-16 pilot for the US Air Force, causing us to move every 2-3 years. We finally landed back in Texas and I eventually found my way to UT Austin also, majoring in Radio, Television, and Film.
Post-college, I spent several years working in the entertainment industry in Los Angeles before working as a consultant at an organizational management firm. My passion to help people led me to care for others by working in a variety of non-profits and ministries. It was here I learned to direct events and experiences to serve the needs of others.
In 2020, with a global pandemic looming, live events nationwide were being canceled. This left myself, and another event director friend, Bryant Underwood, scrambling to help organizations with their new-found digital event needs.
Our first digital event we directed was in partnership with Pulse, a Minneapolis-based non-profit (pulse.org). This 10-hour live digital broadcast was called “Leader Check-In: Perspective in a Pandemic” (Leadercheckin.com) and was produced in only 8 days’ time! We rushed to produce this event to provide hope, direction, and wisdom to anyone who would consider themselves a “leader” — from mothers and fathers, to business leaders, pastors, and more. The livestream garnered national attention, aired wisdom and teaching from over 50 nationally-recognized leaders, and did it all from the safety of their homes across the country. We were shocked to learn that the program rallied over 30 million viewers nationwide during those 10 hours!
The broadcast included nationally recognized voices such as Sadie Robertson Huff (Duck Dynasty and Dancing with the Stars), Jon Foreman (singer/songwriter and lead singer of Switchfoot), governmental figures such as Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina, and Senator James Lankford of Oklahoma, the acting US Surgeon General at the time, Jerome Adams, (who aired live to show the country how to make their own mask!), as well as business leaders such as Steve Green (Hobby Lobby), psychologist Dr. Henry Cloud, and former Indianapolis Colts Head Coach, and current sports analyst Tony Dungy.
With our success, we shifted nearly immediately to direct yet another global broadcast of hope for people of the Christian faith. On behalf of Pulse, we purchased the domain GoodFriday.com and directed a global digital event that aired in over 95 countries and in 45 languages. Can you imagine seeing people watching your event on a cell phone, sitting on a dirt floor in the middle of Kenya? It was a very surreal moment for Bryant and I!
These two digital events ultimately catapulted us to fortify our consulting and event management talents, and we launched Launchpad Events and Media Architects officially in 2021.
A few other fun facts about me? I completed my Master’s degree in Christian Leadership and Biblical studies at Dallas Theological Seminary, have studied at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts for acting, and am also the founder and current Executive Director of The Gathering ATX – a monthly prayer and worship gathering around the campus of UT Austin (www.thegatheringatx.com).
I also have 25+ years working professionally as an actor, host, and model within the national entertainment industry, including a recurring role on the Emmy-winning TV Series Friday Night Lights, Tyler Perry’s Too Close to Home, and commercials such as Nike, Chevy, AT&T, Gold’s Gym, the NBA, Xcel Energy, TJ Maxx, and more, and have produced some episodes on the Emmy winning YouTube series Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man staring Emmanuel Acho.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It is never a smooth road to building something and launching a new endeavor. For one, learning the ever-evolving event world in a post-COVID era has been quite the challenge. We as a country moved from live events into digital events, then hybrid, and now back to a desire for more live events. Technology has changed dramatically (and daily!) and the needs of individuals and organizations are constantly evolving. We have to be constant learners in all that we do.
However, a few things have always remained the same, and seldom change. One of those guiding realities is that people desire genuine and authentic connection, and people love to gather to do so.
Our goal has and always will be to create meaningful moments for others to connect. Whether that is directing a live event, or navigating the challenges of a digital-screen fatigue in a digital event, we have to think and act creatively to enhance an attendee or viewer’s experience and help them meaningfully engage content and each other.
We also have to over-prepare, and be ready to shift plans quickly as circumstances and clients’ needs adjust. One story that comes to mind was a large-scale live event we were directing during the pandemic. We spent nearly a year and a half preparing for a national gathering on the National Mall in Washington DC for hundreds of thousands of attendees, believing COVID would end at any point and people would be legally allowed to gather. Sadly, after countless plans developed and scraped, working with the District of Columbia municipal regulations, and the federal government’s wishes, we had to cancel the entire multi-million dollar event campaign. This was extremely heartbreaking to work so hard for so long, and to not see your work come to fruition. But this is the life of directing events! You have to remain on your toes, be ready to act swiftly, and shift your plans accordingly. C’est la vie!
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Launchpad Events & Media Architects?
Launchpad designs and executes world-class transformational live and digital events, films, and campaigns. In short, we’re the event management team you hire when you need dreamers, doers, planners, and executors to carry any or all of your live/digital event & content creation needs. From ideation to execution, your vision’s fruition is our team’s mission!
Launchpad Events & Media Architects began as a result of two close friends who carry an immense passion for designing, developing, and executing events and content. After over a decade serving as senior-level event directors for a variety of globally recognized corporations, ministries, and non-profits, we took our combined 20+ years of event experience and developed Launchpad Events & Media. Our jointly-run boutique agency thrives on a heartbeat to partner with and serve leaders who genuinely desire to positively impact and transform the hearts, lives, and souls of humanity. We like to think we are great at making the “magic” happen as we create the moments and memories that last a lifetime.
While we offer the personalized and intimate experience of a boutique agency, we pack a punch of world-class excellence, experience, and scalability found with a large firm.
Are there any apps, books, podcasts, blogs or other resources you think our readers should check out?
I am a person of genuine faith in Jesus, so on a daily basis, I spend time being still, slowing down, and listening to great teachers of the Bible — these keep me focused and grounded on my values. This is what matters most to me in my life. My faith puts a heavy emphasis on the value of all people, and helps answer some of life’s most pressing and difficult questions that we all have: Where am I going? Where did I come from? What is my purpose here? How can I live to find joy, peace, and happiness?
In addition to faith content, I am an avid reader — I love David Brooks columns (New York Times) for perspective on humanity, Brene Brown’s podcast and books (um, how cool that she had Bono recently here in Austin at the Paramount!), Leadership development podcasts such as Jon Gordon’s Podcast, and for fun, in my commute, I often listen daily to the Bobby Bones Show – this helps remind me its okay to laugh, not take life too seriously, and its also okay to just veg out here and there. Bobby also got his start in Austin, so here’s to supporting the local legends!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.launchpadevents.com.
- Instagram: @heynickbrandt
- Other: www.thegatheringatx.com
