THE HYPE MAN | ADAM NELSON | WORKHOUSE

THE HYPE MAN | ADAM NELSON | WORKHOUSE

Workhouse (www.workhousepr.com) managed services include media communications, web design, advertising, digital marketing, brand development, public relations, social media, business promotion, marketing strategy, engagement and optimization, social collaboration, eCommerce oversight, data analytics, photography / videography, and entertainment talent acquisition. direct management of all print, digital, advertising and brand communications, creative direction, personal creative captures through photography and videography, promotion of specialty events, experiential marketing, consumer outreach, public relations, social media messaging, and leasing support through the development of cutting edge collateral to communicate client's unique qualities.

His Gig:
Imagine being in charge of opening the new Virgin Megastore in New York City or promoting Francis Ford Coppola's latest work. Adam Nelson is the CEO & founder of WORKHOUSE and his job is to promote and publicize some the entertainment industry's biggest stars.

Workhouse has produced over one hundred domestic & international publicity campaigns and special events. It is a full-service promotional firm that specializes in the coordination of corporate and celebrity Publicity, special events, product and company launches, guerrilla marketing, and street promotions.Visit www.workhousepr.com           

How Cool is This?:
Accomplishments for Workhouse include Francis Ford Coppola's Festa Macaroni!, Interview Magazine's 30th Anniversary, the launch of Versace on Fifth Avenue, Virgin Megastore Union Square Opening, Galleries Lafayette's 20th Annual Festival De La Mode, Lee Young Hee's US debut at Carnegie Hall, the US Premiere of Little Senegal at Harlem's legendary Apollo Theater. Their clients have included Tim Burton, David LaChapelle, Sean "Puffy" Combs, Diane von Furstenberg, Jazz at Lincoln Center, the International Emmy Awards, Ford Motor company, Creative Exchange Agency, Chandelier Creative Agency, Porsche, CBGBs and more.          

A Day in the Life of:
There is no typical day for Adam Nelson. He wakes up at 5am, meditates, takes his children to school and hits the boxing gym before arriving by Vespa motorcycle to his office. At 9am, he has a 'war room' staff meeting where his employees field 'Team Pitches" in rapid succession. This includes brainstorming innovative creative on how to best promote or publicize a current client or special event. Workhouse creates arresting image & video-based content for every client including a poetic biography and an EPK (electronic press kit). This is in addition to their searches for the best new event venues and crafting never-done-before promotional initiates. Nelson's company is a one-stop shop for anyone who wants to promote an event, celebrity profile or grand opening.

Career Path:
From humble beginnings, Nelson began his firm from a rented kitchen space within Gill Holland's Cineblast Productions at the end of the 1990's. With $16 dollars in the bank and a handful of clients including legendary photographer David LaChapelle and Interview Magazine, he slowly began to grow his brand eventually taking over the 2,000 square foot Soho office. With a staff of 25, his company moved to larger quarters, taking over a 10k sq ft loft in Chelsea. In 2010, the agency was bought by the Morris + King Company but Nelson negotiated a buy back a year later opting to move his firm to New York City's trendy Meatpacking District. It was then that Workhouse went on to produce events at Carnegie Hall, Rome's Palazzo delle Esposizioni,and Las Vegas' White House.

However, Nelson's employment path started out far from glamorous. In elementary school he was a newspaper deliverer. In Junior High, he worked at a local McDonald's. A line from his then imposing manager stuck in his head "If you have time to lean, you have time to clean". He staid with labor jobs like those throughout high school but wised up in college, taking advantage of every internship he could. "Almost every job I had started out as an internship," he said. He was heavily involved in the theatre scene during college and worked and volunteered in several different small theatre houses - as well as took part in several stage productions himself. Through acting, he got involved in a small theatre company called Malparte where he worked with actors such as Ethan Hawke. Malparte needed a publicist and Nelson was the man for the job. It was his first stab at public relations. He moved on to work for legendary publicist Peggy Seigal and Jason Weinberg.From there he held a few different public relations jobs including, Saks Fifth Avenue and as Public Relations Director of the legendary venue Irving Plaza Concert Hall before forming his own agency.

High Five:
"You get to see immediate results in this business. One way or another."

Down Low:
"Their is a deep misconception of just what publicity and promotions are."

Words From the Wise:
"Be a good person. The entertainment industry can be incredibly difficult to work in."   
       
Education:
Hight School for the Performing and Visual Arts in Houston, Texas. Undergraduate degree from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, PA. Theatre degrees from Yale and Oxford Universities.