Amateur Hour
Co-Founder / Amateur DJ
2013–Now
In 2013, fellow designer Alaa Mendili and I decided to embark on a social experiment: become DJ’s and see how far we could take it.
We called ourselves Amateur Hour to speak to our approach: not taking ourselves too seriously and valuing the process of learning something new. What we lacked in DJ skills, we made up for with a fun visual identity, dance videos, colorful matching outfits, and hosting memorable events.
We started playing for about a dozen people, to hundreds, to thousands, at times producing and hosting our own events, at other times, supporting non-profits and arts organizations to fundraise and attract a younger and more diverse audience.
We took on each event as an opportunity to elevate the experience and add to the story of this social experiment, from playing atop a floating sauna in the middle of Seattle’s Lake Union, to playing in a roofless dive bar in Mexico during a thunderstorm, to booking the final act of Facebook’s company holiday party.
Over the years, as the experiment turned from an inside joke to an idea that our audience truly identified with, we evolved the brand to go beyond just music.
We're working on a clothing line, published an 'Internet' photo-book, and continue to expand and apply our point of view to different mediums.
