Customer Spotlight: AdHoc Presents

AdHoc Presents began in 2012 as a magazine dedicated to bringing attention to underground musicians and overlooked communities. Today, the Brooklyn, NY-based company has expanded to new markets (Raleigh, NC and Detroit, MI) and added event promotion to their repertoire—producing hundreds of events annually across the 3 cities. We spoke with Co-Founder Ric Leichtung and Marketing Manager Morgan Schaffner to learn how AdHoc turned a passion for documenting the ever-changing shape of the music scene into a successful, growing business.

What gave you the confidence to start AdHoc?

Ric: “One of the reasons why we were so blind and fearless in starting this company was that we just felt like the community would have our back. We knew that the community was being underserved. We knew that people wanted something different, and we really felt like if we could build it for them, that they would, in turn, support and provide for us.”

Can you tell us more about AdHoc’s community?

Morgan: “We cater to culture consumers, creators, and obsessives in all forms. Concert-goers who want to discover the next big band. Readers who want to know what’s coming next. Independent venues that need to beat the big international promoter that threatens their business. Companies who want to reach people by collaborating on something that’s meaningful.”

What sets AdHoc apart from its competition?

Ric: “Most concert promoters guard the tricks of their trade and don’t collaborate with others. We listen to the struggles of independent venues and choose to share our know-how with them to cultivate a stronger cultural community and financial sustainability. Listening to and understanding our community makes brands and companies want to partner with us because we’re better equipped to reach people, even more so than high-power creative agencies.”

What’s the biggest challenge you’ve faced along the way?

Ric: “Expanding outside of New York City. We’re a grassroots company that prioritizes a local scene, and the idea of producing events in a city that I don’t live in was scary to me, honestly. And it really begged the question: were we good enough as concert promoters to do this somewhere that was outside of our own backyard?”

Despite those fears, how did you know it was time to expand?

Ric: “I knew that it was time for AdHoc to grow because we were seeing so much success and getting so many great concerts that I felt like we needed a full-service marketing team that was not just as good as the competitors that monopolize our industry, but even better. Which is why we really committed to the idea of learning platforms like Mailchimp like the back of our hands and using them.”

Morgan: “Yeah, and after we expanded to North Carolina and Ric decided we were ready to take that leap of faith, we were able to expand to Detroit, too. And now we're able to establish ourselves pretty much anywhere."

Published: February 27, 2020