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2 Minutes With ... Andrew Beranbom, Co-Founder and CEO of First Tube
On the 'Fare Thee Well' tour and creating an immersive concert experience with Kehlani
Andrew Beranbom is a serial entrepreneur who has dedicated his career to early stage start-ups both as a founder, advisor and investor in digital SAAS marketing. For the past 7+ years, he has worked as co-founder and CEO of First Tube, a full-service hybrid experience platform that helps brands execute innovative sponsorship programs. Previously, Andrew was chief revenue officer of Bit.ly, and prior to that co-founder and head of business development of Extole.
We spent two minutes with Andrew to learn more about his background, his creative inspirations and recent work he’s admired.
Andrew, tell us…
Where you grew up, and where you live now.
I grew up in Rockland County, 20 miles north of NYC, and after graduating from the University of Maryland, I moved out to the Bay Area where I got involved in tech early at Yahoo! and then returned to N.Y. 15 years later where I currently reside in Brooklyn with my family.
Your earliest musical memory.
Phil Collins at Giants Stadium.
Your favorite bands/musicians today.
Tough question as it changes weekly. My life anthems are Phish, Bob Marley, My Morning Jacket, Guru, Grateful Dead and A Tribe Called Quest. Newer things… Anderson Paak, Hermanos Gutierrez, Tom Misch, Cactus Lee.
One of your favorite projects you’ve ever worked on.
Def has to still be my entrance into the music industry which sparked the idea of First Tube. I was hired to operate the PPV business and all marketing for the 50th Anniversary Tour of the Grateful Dead’s “Fare Thee Well” tour that had all the remaining members of the Grateful Dead and my favorite living guitarist, Trey Anastasio, perform five shows. We broke the record for most PPV sales ever for a music event, and I had access to one of the greatest musical experiences of my life in a way I could only dream of. For the first time, I had my lifelong passion for live music collide with my professional career and I was determined to find a path to continue connecting them moving forward, which resulted in the creation of First Tube.
A recent project you’re proud of.
When the pandemic ended we had 3,000 people show up at Pier 17 for an immersive concert experience featuring Kehlani. We brought in a custom transparent screen and did the entire concert production custom for Grey Goose. It smashed and had over 13 million people watch virtually.
One thing about how the music world is evolving that you’re excited about.
Artists (and other creator types) have more opportunities to create different levels of success from alternative revenue sources beyond performance that can be vital to the early stage success. I would like to think this will empower more artists over time to make a living and have opportunities to achieve a successful career.
Someone else’s work, in music or beyond, that you admired lately.
Ummmm ChatGPT is kind of a big deal, so kudos to Sam Altman and that team. Hopefully, they can responsibly guide the power of A.I. to be a positive force for humans.
In music, My friend Alex Kurland, who is the head of talent booking for Blue Note and also manages the Soul Rebels, is pushing the envelope on integrating multiple genres of music from jazz, funk, hip-hop to jam music with the clear goal of creating that one of a kind moment that music fans are always chasing.. He is a force that more people will learn about as time goes on.
A book, movie, TV show, or podcast you recently found inspiring.
The Bear and Ted Lasso.
An artist you admire outside the world of music.
Amanda Gorman
Your favorite fictional character.
Thornton Melon (Rodney Dangerfield from Back to School)
Someone worth following in social media.
Your main strength as a marketer/creative.
How to connect the dots from big ideas to clear business results.
Your biggest weakness.
My attention span.
Something people would find surprising about you.
I cry at cheesy movies.
One thing that always makes you happy.
The minute I walk in the door of my home and see my wife, daughters and my pup Ozzie.
One thing that always makes you sad.
Extreme right wing political positioning that harnesses fear to motivate non-progressive human instincts.
What you’d be doing if you weren’t in the music business.
I would be an architect.
2 Minutes With is our regular interview series where we chat with creatives about their backgrounds, creative inspirations, work they admire and more. For more about 2 Minutes With, or to be considered for the series, please get in touch.
