Meet Cam Rickers | Founder, Creative Hustle USA

We had the good fortune of connecting with Cam Rickers and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Cam, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
Ever since I started following the underground music scene in Atlanta several years ago, my mission has always been to help the artists. At the time back in 2018-2019, I was no longer managing any artists. I was throwing shows occasionally but really just enjoying the live music, meeting new people, and helping connect dots for a few artists. I was at a point where I felt like I had a lot of options, different paths I could take. I ultimately came up with the idea for Creative Hustle, a music blog and event series. With the blog, I could shine light on a lot of the city’s talent that wasn’t getting picked up by Pigeons & Planes or Lyrical Lemonade. I had a good friend, Millan Verma, who had also been covering the Atlanta scene for a while and writing for a few publications. We played football together in high school and he was actually moving back down here from New York so he was the first person I hit up. Millan became our Editor and we wouldn’t be where we’re at without him. From there, me and him started recruiting writers to the team, putting out articles, and threw an awesome launch party in December 2019.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
What really sets Creative Hustle apart I believe is the passion we have for the music and the relationships we cherish. We’re not just a website, we’re real guys who will listen to your music, will build relationships with artists and will be in the crowd at local shows. We’ve got a core 3 of myself, Millan, and Lotus that have been on board since we launched a year and half a go and we’ve had other writers and team members come and go. Between the 3 of us, I think we’ve really plugged in and made an impact in the creative community. The pandemic was definitely challenging because we couldn’t throw shows. We had such a dope show lined up with some killer artists but we had to scrap it because COVID hit like right before we were about to start promo. I’m really looking forward to throwing some more shows soon though. After a year of not performing, I think some artists took a step forwards, some backwards so I think it’ll be interesting to see who become the frequent headliners. Hopefully, we can push a few artists into that conversation,

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
First, we’ll hit Twisted Soul for the fried chicken and collard greens. Maybe on the weekend, we’ll go to Big Sky for bottomless mimosas and the buffalo chicken rolls. That’s been a go-to for me and my girlfriend, Kyla lately. Piedmont Park always makes for a nice afternoon, maybe throw the football or something. We’d go see a Braves game up at Truist Park and hit a few of the bars at the Battery post-game. There’s so much to do around Atlanta, I could go on for a while. Those are just a few of my favorite spots.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
It’s gotta be my Dad. I’ve always had a super cool relationship with my dad, he’s had a big influence on me. In a lot of ways, I think he sparked my love for music. He’s always been a huge music guy, a real Dead-head so he introduced me to that kind of music early on, stuff like Grateful Dead & Phish. We would go to concerts together whenever Dead & Company or another one of his favorite bands would come to town and I remember being a 17-18 year old kid at those shows looking around and just loving every bit of the atmosphere. I was just amazed that one band, a couple of musicians could bring thousands of people so much happiness & joy. For that one night, nobody is worried about their job or their bills, they just want to get lost in the music and that really inspired me to throw my own shows and try to provide an atmosphere that could do the same. I definetly gained a deeper appreciation from music through my dad. He’s really taught me about what kinds of effects music can have on the mind & soul. Also, shoutout to my Mom, she’s taught me a lot too. They’ve really been big for me.

Website: www.creativehustleusa.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/camrickers/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cam-rickers-b6a501183/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/CamRickers

Image Credits
Cameron Rodriguez Deiandre Penny Burdview