We always knew that New York was a hot spot for tourists and people wanting to film cool videos, but during the pandemic, as companies had to pivot in various ways, our region became a place where more and more businesses wanted to actually relocate to or open up new offices in.
That was such the case for WKND, a digital content creation and advertising agency run by serial multi-millionaire entrepreneur Tommy Patterson.
Tommy and his team recently moved to town to open up one of their new east coast offices so that they could be closer to the companies here and help them not only achieve their content goals, but help them expand/scale.
We spoke to Tommy while he was recently in town setting up his new offices to learn more about what brought him here, and what WKND has lined up as the year moves forward.
You have just expanded to the New York region! Tell us why this move just HAD TO happen now?!
Our sister company WKND Investments made some strategic acquisitions in 2021 while also investing in some new startups. Furthermore, as cliche as it sounds, NYC is the city of dreams and I truly feel the entrepreneurial spirit and hustle here. Aside from the fact that we have investments and business partners here, I’m surrounded by so many like minded individuals and am able to gain inspiration, energy, and connection from my environment. Lastly, WKND is one of the fastest growing DTC growth agencies in the world and not having a presence in the greatest city in the world comes with huge opportunity costs.
What type of content will you be producing out of these new offices?
My main focus will be on utilizing our office space here to meet with current clientele, my business partners in our startup investments, and also having a space to bring potential clients to roadmap out creative campaigns and to make sure we’re a good fit for each other. At WKND, we always begin with an end in mind and our goal as the experts is to ensure we can actually produce the results our clients/prospects are actually looking to achieve and to ensure they are actually possible.There is so much opportunity to increase brand equity and brand growth through creative content creation, however, success can only be achieved once the proper northstar goals have been established and roadmapped out. Our goal is to launch another full service creative studio here in NYC by the end of 2022.
While people have been closing up offices during the pandemic, you are opening up more. How is this possible and how has it been running your business during these times?
At the beginning of the pandemic our company was affected immensely just through the sheer panic that was taking place in society. We have always utilized remote-based employees, however, we shifted many of our management and operational procedures online to accommodate this new reality. Furthermore, during the most trying times usually produce the biggest opportunities for growth and expansion. If you look at some of the biggest companies in the world (Uber, AirBNB) they were created during some of the most difficult times in our history. Finally, we can’t control the external forces around us but we can control how we respond. We chose to respond by taking advantage of the business climate to expand, acquire and invest in assets that can be rapidly grown and sold for large multiples in short time frames. When you view the business world differently than others you’ll see that one man’s misfortune is another man’s opportunity.
What have been some of your favorite New York companies / clients to work with?
Some of my favorite New York eCommerce brands are Bespoke Post, Bonobos, Best Made Co, Warby Parker and Boom By Cindy Joseph. All of these brands have incredible marketing and the WKND team would love to work with them on some creative growth campaigns.
What advice would you give to other young entrepreneurs here in New York looking at “making it”?
Never be afraid to “fail forward.” In order to have something you’ve never had, you must be willing to do something you’ve never done. No one, to my knowledge, just wakes up one day and is an expert at their craft. It is only through the process of confronting your fear and having the willingness to fail and learn that we evolve as people. “Success” means something different to everyone and you can’t be concerned with what other people think, say, or do. You must create your definition of success and be committed to the process of failing, learning and getting better.
When not working here in town, where are some of your favorite NY spots to hang at, eat at, etc.?
My favorite spots to eat at are Boqueria Soho and Ippudo. Oh, and I love me some Jack’s Wife Freda in the West Village! As far as activities, honestly, my favorite thing to do is to just explore the city, no technology, just me and my thoughts wandering around and taking everything in.
