The agency is run by Founder and Chief Executive Matthew Newman, 34, who has two full-time employees. Brand Pillars holds talent and casting calls for event and marketing freelancers and asks questions about their values and skills that might match with its corporate clients.
It has built a database of 2,000 contractors and has staffed such high-profile companies as Amazon.com Inc., Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., Fenty Corp., Adidas, Bentley Motors Ltd. and Aston Martin Lagonda Global Holdings.
When the pandemic canceled major events The Brand Pillars had previously staffed, including the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival and South by Southwest, the company shifted to working on virtual events. Newman said his agency has focused on creating the same atmosphere online as it has for in-person events.
The web events, along with funds from the Paycheck Protection Program and Economic Injury Disaster Loan, kept The Brand Pillars afloat in 2020; Newman said he avoided layoffs and dedicated his staff to administrative work and strategizing for a post-pandemic economy.
But in the meantime, Newman said he knows Covid-19 will be around for a while, and he’s exploring how the firm might work with the health care industry.
QUOTE: “Never take yourself out of the seat of a student; you are always learning. It is very important to not get distracted by the potholes that come your way on the path of entrepreneurship.”
TIP FOR OTHER ENTREPRENEURS: Experiential staffing is all about relationships. If you don’t focus on establishing and maintaining concrete relationships, you will never win at the game of staffing.
