Of all of the cities in California, few get much less credit score for his or her contributions to our collective tradition than the state’s capital, Sacramento. Lengthy dubbed the “Metropolis of Timber,” whereas it has actually turn into a serious hub for the hashish trade, there’s additionally an unbelievable artwork group rising via the cracks that’s quietly powering the extra visible features of the enterprise. An ideal instance of considered one of these aesthetic wizards is the Yellow Brick Group (YBG) crew. Finest recognized all through the nation for his or her work with Alien Labs, the attain of YBG really spans far additional than hashish—particularly within the metropolis they name house.
Based by a gaggle of long-time pals, Curtis Currier, Damian Lynch, and Shawn Kahan, within the few quick years since its inception in 2018, YBG has already run the company gamut. This consists of creating model identities and designing and producing merchandise and installations, and throwing their very own occasions to assist the group and cultures that they love and symbolize.
On the subject of supporting Sacramento, it’s clear there’s little that these guys take into consideration apart from placing on for his or her hometown. Given the quantity of Our Street Night Markets they’ve thrown, it’s all too obvious that any free time (or cash) they handle to search out goes again towards shining the highlight on the native delicacies they cherish so dearly, lots of that are owned by their household and pals, outdated and new.
“Everyone was leaving Sacramento,” Kahan tells me. “So many companies that I do know, that I grew up round, have been closing down… Associates, you already know, shedding their homes… We wished to create that revolving door the place folks really feel like they will keep right here and work on actually cool stuff. That they don’t have to go away, to go to LA, or Portland, or the Bay Space.
“I noticed this actually nice piece that mentioned one thing like, ‘We now have simply as a lot expertise right here as every other place’ or ‘We now have simply as many vital issues happening right here as different locations,’ and we would like folks to know that. Nonetheless, in the event that they don’t, we actually don’t care. Sacramento, being the state’s capital, you’ve sort of acquired all of California, proper? Whereas like, not all of California has you.”
One of many pillars of the YBG is bringing that mentality to life. Displaying the entire state, and the world at massive, that the Metropolis of Timber deserves its flowers, too.
The Group
The formation of YBG was much more natural than you’d count on. Though the group has now grown far bigger than simply the three of them, it’s nonetheless primarily a collective of pals who’ve a historical past constructing collectively, and found out methods to flip these tasks into an actual profession. Kahan and Lynch grew up in the identical neighborhood. They went to center college collectively and met Currier later in life. Whereas the group’s cohesiveness now could all appear serendipitous, it wasn’t a plan. In truth, on paper, YBG is an eclectic bunch.
Kahan had entrepreneurial tendencies from the bounce, flipping packs and beginning a clothes line to earn a living when he was nonetheless a young person. Shortly legitimizing his first clothes model after getting kicked out of highschool for the aforementioned hashish affiliation, he scaled that first challenge as much as placements in over 26 retailers each regionally and internationally. Ultimately he began to assist expertise, like five-time NBA All-Star from the Sacramento Kings DeMarcus Cousins and internationally acclaimed artist David Garibaldi, develop their very own manufacturers, alongside the inventive pursuits he was exploring on his personal inside the metropolis. He’s acquired this virtually surfer rockstar vibe, sporting a person bun however sometimes sporting good clothes, if that is smart.
Lynch, alternatively, has a robust logistical thoughts and comes throughout way more straight-laced. Earlier than finally becoming a member of the Air Pressure, Lynch was throwing a number of the largest warehouse events in Sacramento. Kahan finally began serving to him with build-outs, and promotions, however becoming the items collectively from permits to zoning instantly made sense to Lynch, and have become a candy spot he would rekindle after his time within the navy along with his first actual profession path: throwing healthcare festivals.
Currier—the oldest of the group—grew up simply outdoors of downtown Sac. Skating from a younger age—and when there have been a lot fewer folks doing it on the time as he likes to level out—he was uncovered early to the wonders of artwork from hip-hop to DJing. His first job was working the entrance desk at an indoor skate park for the town (which I really feel speaks volumes about Sacramento.) He developed a status for having events of his personal in highschool as a result of he beloved to DJ and he didn’t eat hashish, so the mother and father of his pals felt that their youngsters have been secure over at his home. That is form of analogous to Currier as I do know him—he likes to uplift these round him and is prepared to hold the load of creating that occur. When he was working a high-paying engineering job touring across the nation, he would commonly make investments his earnings into his pals’ pipe-dream tasks simply to “contribute to the betterment of what they have been engaged on.” He acquired good at DJing too—finally successful Purple Bull’s coveted 3Style competitors in Sac—alongside incomes a design diploma from Sacramento State College, the place he graduated prime of his class.
As soon as the YBG crew had totally shaped, the synergies arose on their very own. They have been already collaborating, however finally, someday in the summertime of 2017, Kahan had the thought to take it to the following degree.
“It made numerous sense to me to begin an company,” Kahan says. “However we already had that synergy, you already know, rising up, working collectively. We labored on numerous totally different tasks. After which, yeah, when it got here time to resolve what I wished to do for the following part of my life, I actually wished to place collectively an company, and like, these have been the Avengers that I felt would make up the strongest unit.”
The Basis
With the intentions set, subsequent got here placing a reputation to the mission. Whereas Iinstinctively thought Yellow Brick Group was a play on The Wizard of Oz, like following the yellow brick street to success or one thing, their clarification is way extra thought out.
“Yellow bricks are what folks used to seek advice from for gold bricks,” Kahan says in regards to the metropolis’s wealthy historical past within the California Gold Rush. “We wished to have one thing that like, had a free tie again to Sacramento, however we additionally thought it was an fascinating strategy to sort of be that diamond within the tough.”
Currier explains how the toughest a part of the title was really the “Group.” First they talked about “Inventive Company” and “Design Agency,” however the guys didn’t need to be put in a field. They have been a catch-all, and felt their title ought to symbolize that.
The Evening Market
YBG launched its first Evening Market about six months after operation started. Designed to be a platform for Sacramento, they constructed this for his or her group to community and develop. The Our Avenue Evening Market is the sort of place the place native cooks can check out new menu gadgets and make new followers. It’s the place native artists can get their title on the market and promote a few of their work. It’s how they assist their pals’ companies, and the way they offer folks the chance to succeed in tens of hundreds of individuals. For the primary occasion they didn’t cost anybody, and anticipated possibly 2,000 folks to come back out. It value them round $50,000, but it surely was an funding of their model, and of their metropolis. About six instances as many individuals confirmed up for that first occasion they usually’ve since thrown 4 extra.
“We have been making an attempt to break down timeframes, if that is smart. We felt that if we might pull that off, folks can see numerous what we have been able to, proper? The design, the advertising and marketing… you already know, occasion manufacturing,” Kahan explains.
Enjoying with Hashish
Now, with regards to standing out in our trade, everyone knows crucial factor is the flower, after all. However the subsequent most vital factor? That’s the branding, and it’s not simply the graphic in your mylar or the emblem you’re going to run with. Crafting a strong model id is paramount in constructing a profitable firm, particularly one which’s meant to final a very long time.
“Every part has to have a ‘Why’ behind it. I’m continually bringing this up once we discuss to shoppers. I ask them ‘Why?’ on a regular basis,” Currier says. “We query the concepts. Nevertheless it’s not like a gotcha second, or to love, be dismissive or no matter, it’s as a result of in the event you can’t reply the ‘Why’ on one thing, there’s usually holes in it. Our job is to poke holes to search out the fill.”
Kahan believes what makes YBG distinctive is their sturdy understanding of hashish tradition.
“It’s both you perceive it however you possibly can’t execute, or you possibly can execute however you haven’t any thought what’s happening within the trade,” he says. “There was this concept that mothers, or generations of mothers, have been going to come back in and, I don’t know, change the best way we understood weed? What do soccer mothers learn about weed? We knew that wasn’t going to occur, and I believe we felt this related sense of duty that we did in our metropolis as we seemed on the hashish trade.”
Staying Dwelling
On the finish of the day, irrespective of the shopper, it’s clear that what’s most vital to YBG is the work they’re doing, and the group they’re fostering.
“We wished to create that area that we didn’t really feel like existed,” Kahan says.
Whereas they positively take work from outdoors the town, it’s clear that their ardour ignites for locals. In the present day about 85% of the work they do is both for somebody in, or for the town of, Sacramento.
“Now folks say, ‘Wow, it’s actually thrilling that we lastly have a neighborhood group that we don’t need to go outdoors Sacramento to get that kind of labor performed,’” Currier tells me with satisfaction. “We really feel tremendous stoked on that. Everybody thought—even right here regionally— that if you need one thing that’s going to love, improve the town, or make it cool, then you possibly can’t pull it from right here, as a result of, not cool, proper? Nah! In case you observe it again, there’s a lot of us in music, and skate tradition, or there’s folks from Sacramento which might be concerned with main trend and issues like that.”
For YBG success lies in constructing group, brick by brick.
“I believe Sacramento usually is a very collaborative city,” Kahan says. “And we glance to one another to construct issues collectively.”
This text was initially Up to date within the September 2023 difficulty of Excessive Instances Journal.