Last Week, Bulleit Frontier Whiskey celebrated the latest installment of the Bulleit Pioneer Project, in partnership with UnitedMasters and Tribeca Festival. This event unified emerging pioneers in music, film, food and drink. The evening consisted of 5 different bars, each representing one of New Yorkโs five boroughs and its own signature cocktails.
โThe New New Yorkโ showcased expertly curated cocktails from ย mixologists from different boroughs โ Genesis Cruz from Manhattan, Natali Claros-Ospina from Brooklyn, Andria Rodriquez from The Bronx, Brian Ipuz from Queens and Jimmy Colvil from Staten Island. Each mixologist crafted a cocktail inspired by the unique essence and flavors of their area.
There was a main stage with various DJs spinning tunes throughout the night as well performances by United Masters artists. In addition to the complimentary cocktails and live performances, lite bites were also served throughout the evening. Bulleit proudly sponsors the Best New Director Award at the Tribeca Festival, which recognizes the outstanding achievements of first-time filmmakers venturing into uncharted creative territory. Six promising filmmakers from New York โ all nominees of the Tribeca Festival First Time Filmmakers award โ were given the spotlight to present new work within the expansive Chelsea Factory venue. The talent for the evening included Brandon Blue, Liana Banks, and Tosh Alexander alongside DJs from each borough, including Turbz from Brooklyn, Venus X from Manhattan, and Krystal Vega from Manhattan.
Cara Cusumano, Festival Director & VP, Programming, Tribeca Festival said,ย โThe inception of the Tribeca Festival marked a pivotal moment in revitalizing New York’s economic and cultural landscape in the wake of the World Trade Center attacks. Fueled by creativity, the festival injected fresh energy into the city, serving as a powerful symbol of resilience. Now, after 22 years, it is inspiring to come together once more and commemorate the creativity, strength, and profound cultural impact that New York continues to embody through this extraordinary event.โ
“The evening commenced with the first act of the 100-Hourย Commitment – a groundbreaking initiative dedicated to fostering growth and collaboration between emerging artists and renowned talent from UnitedMasters. Local talent were granted one hour of invaluable guidance and expertise from esteemed mentors such as J. Ivy (GRAMMY award winning spoken word poet), Joel Leon (performer and director), Clintn Lord (rapper), Fifi Jamil (activist and content creator), and Chaucer Barners (CMO of UnitedMasters)”
โRaw talent gets you a long way in this industry, but longevity can only come from the wisdom gained through experience. What excites me about the 100 Hour Commitment is the chance to sit with bright, emerging artists and impart them with the insights to navigate this space and the tools to combine their talent with the business savvy needed for long-term success,โ said Chaucer Barnes, Chief Marketing Officer of UnitedMasters Inc.”
We were able to catch up with Chaucer Barnes CMO of United Masters and Johannah Rogers, Global Brand Director of Bulleit Frontier Whiskey to discuss their ongoing collaboration and the 100 -Hour Commitment.
The Knockturnal: What does it mean to you to be a part of the Bulleit Pioneer project?
Johanna Rogers: I love the fact that as a brand we are intentional about bringing cultural creators together so that it can create something even better. We also love to amplify this community by giving them a platform, but also giving them mentorship and access to resources they wouldn’t normally have.
The Knockturnal: Why is this initiative like so special to you?
Johanna Rogers: So I’m a native New Yorker. I’m from Brooklyn. I grew up in the arts playing the violin, doing all the things, drama and you know, to see this come to life in this way and for us to do this work on behalf of this brand is imperative to really drive the culture makers essentially those that are living at the frontier culture is really important to us.ย ย ย
So how important is it to uplift the next generation of Creatives?ย
Johanna Rogers: Itโs really important. We are a brand that lives on the frontier of whiskey and culture, so for us itโs about making sure that those that are aspiring to be creators of culture themselves are provided with the same opportunities. Just continue to encourage that.
The Knockturnal: So we’ve seen pioneers in music, film food and art. What’s next? What’s the next frontier?
Johanna Rogers:ย It’s the work that we have to do to continue to mentor these creators, so what weโve committed to is a hundred hours with United Masters to mentor the creators and not just singers, there are producers and people who are running tours, who are looking to like license their music, so we’re providing resources with United Masters to mentor this community.
The Knockturnal: How did the 100 hour project come to fruition?
Johanna Rogers: It’s actually a need that United Masters and Manifest identified. Three out of four artists feel like they don’t have the right tools and resources and mentorship to actually achieve success. We can’t allow that especially given our imperative to really champion the frontier of culture.
The Knockturnal: What’s your favorite part of tonightโs event
Johanna Rogers: So, I’m from Brooklyn and we must win all the time. Although I can’t enjoy the cocktails, Iโm hopeful that everybody enjoys the Brooklyn cocktail, but we’re just really excited to celebrate all the buroughs of the city through food, music, through cocktails especially, so that’s my favorite part, just celebrating New York!
The Knockturnal: UnitedMasters has played an integral role in championing the next generation of independent artists – can you share why it is important to team up with the Bulleit Pioneer Project to help spotlight these artists?ย
Chaucer Barnes: While we have an ongoing bent toward artist discovery through our work with brands just like Bulleit, the 100-hour commitment is about preparing these artists to make the most of the spotlight when it comes, less than it is just spotlighting them tonight. This intimate event is special because we share our collective expertise in hopes that they can be cheat codes that take them further than any of us have gotten.
The Knockturnal: How does it feel to help bridge the gap between intersecting creative communities? Why is it so important for independent artists to connect with other creative people in their community?ย
Chaucer Barnes: Even when artists are not directly competing head to head, competition is just native to the emerging artist experience. Itโs exhausting. So itโs nice to have a cooperative moment among your peers, especially one specifically designed to deliver a โfarther togetherโ result. Knowledge transfer is a great incentive to get people to network and share, and when itโs done right, it forges more lasting connections than may be obvious at the onset.ย Who knows what fruit will be born of those mentees and mentors sharing the same space and mission for a moment. A hit record? A new business?ย All potential.
The Knockturnal: What was your favorite part of “The New New York” event?ย
Chaucer Barnes: Getting to meet and network with new artists through the 100-Hour Commitment initiative was an honor. Mentorship is a mutually beneficial process, so although one might label me as the โmentorโ with the wisdom to offer and the artists as โmenteesโ as the receivers, Iโm always learning and growing from them as well.ย Itโs always been a career and life hack of mine, and now that my time is more in demand than ever, itโs definitely the greatest privilege one can ask for.
The Knockturnal: UnitedMasters has been doing more activations this year- can we expect more events?
Chaucer Barnes: Absolutely, there’s wayyyyy more to come. Stay tuned.
