Meet David Ennio Minor | Hybrid Creative, Cultural Tech Entrepreneur, Composer & Ballerino

We had the good fortune of connecting with David Ennio Minor and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi David Ennio, is there a quote or affirmation that’s meaningful to you?
“For beautiful eyes, look for the good in others; for beautiful lips, speak only words of kindness; and for poise, walk with the knowledge that you are never alone.” —Audrey Hepburn

My limited understanding of the universe thus far is simple: responsibility is born in imagination. The power of thought has a tremendous impact. In fact, we shape the world with it. For me her quote not only alludes to benevolent world crafting, but also the tremendous responsibly each individual has on their shoulders to imagine something more beautiful than stale anachronisms and obsolete structures, which hold us within their confines and inhibit a better world.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I began as a ballerina and athlete, then fell into a wide array of different adventures and careers around the world, ranging from music, film, linguistics, pedagogy and theatre to tech, partnerships, social impact and creative marketing. I even have a degrees in Indian Classical Voice and Winemaking. Oh, and I make robot ballets in my free time as a sort of Di Vincian exercise where I bring dozens of experts together from different backgrounds to cross pollinate. Therein, I believe, lays so much growth.

All of these things coalesced into my current company Lunettes (with my co-founders Ryan Wang and BT), which is, in a nutshell, cultural technology. We joke that we’re APPLV, making pretty tech for consumers and creators, shifting the narrative away from the isolating, old-school tech and bro-facing trajectories into something beautiful, fun and fresh while celebrating both new and classic generations.

My biggest lessons along the way have been:
1. Collaborate with people you both trust and love, as time is precious. Be kind and never circumvent people or their efforts. It all comes back to you!
2. Be ridiculous. My old theatre teachers, Michael Litfin and Pat Briggs, used to say “if you don’t feel ridiculous, you’re not doing it right”.
3. Live for and seek out meaningful play. For me it’s surfing, the arts, languages, the pursuit of beauty in all forms. Without that, what’s the point of work or a career?
4. There’s a lot of bullshit in the world and those who produce it. Beware! However, it can be nice fertilizer for idea gardens.
5. Priorities in descending order: Family, love, fun, ocean, culture-arts, nature, free time, mind, then maybe money and career. A relaxed mind is a creative mind.
6. ADULTHOOD IS A FRAUDULENT LIE AND A TRAP! Don’t do it. It’s all fake!

My biggest challenges? A lot of premature deaths, unfortunately. My 3 best friends passed way too early, along with dozens of others I know. It oddly has taught me to celebrate life instead of brood it. I have a lot of fun, but dang, I miss them. When so much is dumped on you, you learn to really chase dreams because life is fleeting; norms and social structures full of crap. Be and reify whatever the hell you want, but don’t step on anybody’s toes while doing it.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I live between Oslo, Berlin and California:

Cali: Vineyard wine tastings, followed by surf session, epic hike in Big Sur, EDM rave in the desert with the speakers I keep in my Subaru, the food of the Central Coast… oh, the food! Hot springs, cuddle

When in Oslo, a good swim on the islands, a feminist march, followed by amazing pubs and people. Maybe get drunk and play vikings in the forest or summon fairies and elves with berries, love and booze.

Berlin: rent out my apartment and go clubbing for a month followed by great theatre and art shows with tiny excursions to the lakes and of course lots of my secret spots! :p

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
A massive shoutout to all of my mentors and friends; their infinite love and genius, which has made my life so fabulous to live. This includes: Ryan Wang, Dawn Laguens, my ambrosial parents (Bryan and Linda), Brittany Mier y Teran, Chiko Scozzafava, Reuben Cohen, Jacob Marshall and numerous others.

Website: https://lunettesculture.wixstudio.io/lunettes

Instagram: https://instagram.com/davidennio

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-ennio-minor-9b783139/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Davideminor

Other: www.davidminormusic.com www.elfjuice.com https://www.instagram.com/lunettesculture/ https://www.instagram.com/elf_juice_official/

Image Credits
Royal Danish Opera