Devo Harris: The Change-Maker at the Intersection of Creativity and Capital
Devo Harris is rethinking how we create and consume videos on the internet. Images courtesy of Devo Harris.
In his Harlem apartment, Devo Harris has hung a Cubist-style painting of himself. In Cubist artwork, objects are analyzed, broken up and reassembled in an abstracted form — instead of depicting objects from a single viewpoint. That fits Harris, whose career has unfolded from many points of view: He produced Kanye West’s first show at SOB’s in New York City, managed John Legend’s early work (they were college roommates), and has written songs with Britney Spears. He’s also a Columbia Business school grad, partner in the Crescendo Music Royalty Fund, and entrepreneur who is building Adventr, a platform to create interactive videos where viewers can control stories, purchase products, initiate text messages, drive software, and more.
Harris operates at the intersection of creativity and capital, and he can communicate the value of each party to the other (a rarity). Here, he shares why he wants to push the idea of what “can be” with Adventr, his personal experiences with racism while raising capital, and how he is making change for the next generation.
What led you down the path to build Adventr?
I’ve always had a fascination with building brands and that started with my work with Kanye West. Years ago, part of my first job working for him was burning CDs. He literally didn’t have time to burn all the CDs for all the demand for his tracks so I spent hours a day just burning CDs. At some point, iTunes came out and I told Kanye about this new program where we can upload all of his tracks and pick the ones that we want to send out. After that, Limewire mp3 came out and then streaming, and I saw this rapid iteration of media formats. I would just wonder What's next? in the video space.
Then, about 10 years ago, I made a music video for this song, “Attack of the Five Foot Hipster” and the song itself got a really lukewarm reception. The following week I put out an interactive version of the same song and video where you could choose what happens in it and suddenly people loved the song and the comments were awesome... It was night and day. That’s where it all started, from a random creative endeavor. And this eventually turned into the question: Why can’t you navigate video content just like any website?
What’s your objective with it?
Over 80 percent of internet traffic is video but video doesn't have the core basic concepts that you think of with the internet: personalization, searchability, and connectivity to other services. Pretty much every website, app, or web service you use has these elements. So why don’t they apply to video, which is the majority of the internet? One day these will apply to video and we’re looking to be the framework that enables this shift. We’re essentially building an operating system for video that allows it to catch up to the rest of the internet.
How big can this be?
It’ll be as big as the internet. The way that I'm talking about media — in terms of it not being a file but more of a dynamic playlist — will become the standard way of looking at web-based media. It’s already going that way if you look at modern streaming technology. Mov and mp4 files are a dated format.
Out of curiosity, why did you take letters out of “adventure”?
We couldn't afford them. The URL and SEO costs were too high.
What entrepreneurial lessons did you learn on the fly? What is the appeal to the creative community?
Designers, creators, producers — that’s who uses our products. It enables another dimension to storytelling and connected creativity. It provides a way to stand out with a premium video product in a world where everyone with a phone is a creator. We’re giving them a toolbox of exciting new tools that drive real results.
So our next steps are about educating users and getting them to think about what they would do with video if it acted like the rest of the internet. We have a music school that has started using Adventr to give music lessons through a video interface. We have musicians who are using it to make music videos that allow new ways for the viewer to engage with the artist. For example, in the middle of a video the viewer can text the artist and communicate with them in real-time. It allows the audience to get more involved in that story.
What sparked your creative spirit?
I always wanted to be in business and I consider creating to be a business, and money is just a scorecard. When I graduated from Wharton, I worked at a small consultancy here in Manhattan. And I got laid off from that job after about a year. That was me trying to do the responsible, safe, corporate thing. I figured if I could get laid off doing the safe thing, I might as well do what I want and take that risk of depending on myself.
What’s been the biggest challenge as an entrepreneur?
Two things: As a music producer, I’ve worked alone and independently a lot. Starting a company, you need to be more team oriented. I’m working on that.
Second, it was hard getting started in tech. Being a Black rap producer is not really conducive to getting your feet under you in the tech world, especially on the capital side.
The first time I went to one of the biggest tech law firms in New York, I told them my idea, how it worked, that I already had customers, am well-connected and that no one else is doing this. The lawyer said, “That sounds really cool. No one is going to invest in you. Your story is too different.” I thought that was crazy.
At the same time, I know buddies from business school who don’t look like me, had no domain expertise, no users, and no revenue and no track record of success who were getting millions in investment capital.
It’s ridiculous that somebody would not value what you brought to the table.
Coming from urban music, people want to have a beer with you. But cash money? No.
I’d go into investor meetings and tell them I made $25,000 in the first week of my business. With one person. Then I’d tell them about competitors I had from Israel. The response would be, “They’re from Israel? They’re going to be building great technology and have an awesome company.” They’d never heard of the organization before, but they ascribed certain factors to them because of where they’re from. If these investors are doing that to them, what are they ascribing to me? Bias still exists.
How does that make you want to change things for the next generation?
I want kids here in Harlem where I live, and everywhere else, to say, “I can come from our culture, be authentically me, and still win in this space.” The technological revolution is happening right now and if we, as people of color, don't have some ownership in it, we’ll lose generations of potential wealth and development as we just won’t be part of building our modern society. If I can be one spark in getting more kids of color to participate in technology, this journey is worth it.
The truth is that hip hop is the language of young people. If you’re looking to create products that young people are adopting, you should want people who can speak hip hop or come from that world and can communicate with this demographic. That’s why I'm trying to embed that in our communication and branding at Adventr — everything should have a little essence of culture.
If you weren’t building Adventr, what would you be doing?
I like furniture design, cooking, and writing. I’d probably be doing some combination of those fields. I’d definitely be creating in one way or another.
What compels you to be part of the conversation around what can be?
When I was burning CDs for Kanye, I had to react to media changes from the CD to mp3 and more. What if we got to create those advancements instead of just reacting to someone else’s? That looks like so much more fun.
Adventr.io is part of the In/Visible Ventures portfolio of early stage startups and future forward entrepreneurs. Their aim is to improve outcomes, unlock creativity, and assist founders with the challenges of growing a company. If you’d like to read more from The Creative Factor — such as Morten Bonde’s story about reinventing himself as a LEGO Art Director while losing his sight or Edése Doret: Inside the Mind-Boggling World of Private Jet Design — sign up for our newsletter.
