Today we’d like to introduce you to Sameen Ahmad.
Hi Sameen, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I had the best start which was my greuling but long-term rewarding beginnings in Investment Banking in the Big Apple. The work was challenging but set a great foundation to lead me to where I am today. I learned the basics of a company’s financial working statements and how to value the worth of a business. After spending a little bit of time on Wall Street, I headed to work at Starwood Resorts which is now known at the Marriott Group. My first foray in hospitality led me to travel globally opening spas at hotels worldwide. One afternoon in New York, I was fortunate enough to meet Beau Armstrong, the CEO of Stratus Properties. Beau believed in me and allowed me to lead the concepting and operations of the W Austin Away Spa which brought me to Austin. 11 years ago, I found a home in Austin that I’ll never leave.
Since then, I’ve worked at Austin City Limits Live and went on to leading the expansion of the Brooklyn Bowl in Las Vegas and London. I spent some time working with a Michelin star chef on expanding her restaurants in the US as well dipping my toes into festival + event production.
For the past six years, I have led Hank & Ed Management, my company with business partner Bill Orner, in approximately 100 events from 5,000 to 200,000 people in daily attendance, business managed rising grammy-winning musician Billy Strings and more. Austin is still home and I’m more polished in my career than ever. Each rung of the ladder has truly helped achieve such gratification and success.
Most recently, I have spread my wings working with Insomniac, the world’s leading EDM music promoter on their future greening efforts. This has been one of the most rewarding clients in the festival space that truly cares about the fans and their journey each step of the way. They even call their fans headliners because they are the star of the show.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Generally, it’s been a smooth ride and I’m so grateful for that. However, I spend a lot of time traveling which is straining on friendships and family. I have a very supportive network that always continues right where we left off.
The largest challenges have been how busy you truly become when you start your own business but it’s also just as gratifying.
We’ve been impressed with Hank & Ed Management LLC, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Hank and Ed Management LLC was founded in 2016. We are a full-service artist, festival, concert and event company offering services from production, stage management to site operations, logistics and more. We have you covered. Our core cultural competency is we believe in people and building their futures through field experience and motivation.
Brand wise, we are most proud of bringing the first major festival back to the North East with Live Nation in Scranton, PA after the start of the pandemic in 2021 known as Peach Festival. It was a very emotional moment to see that many people gathered together again.
Our other incredible accomplishment was watching our artist Billy Strings win a Grammy for best Bluegrass Album in 2021. It had been a really rough year for events and live music so to achieve such a high accolade for such a beautiful album gave you all the feels and still does.
Our company is a one stop shop. We offer ticketing services, emergency management plans, COVID mitigation plans for large events and more.
Do you have any advice for those looking to network or find a mentor?
Finding a mentor isn’t about only looking up to them but having them look to you for advice, too! A mentorship is a two way street. My suggestion is to not be afraid to seek one out from someone you look up to or who has a glimmer of where you see yourself in 5, 10, 20 years.
Contact Info:
- Email: sameen@hankanded.com
- Website: hankanded.com
- Instagram: hankanded
Image Credits
SHANE TIMM PHOTOGRAPHY
