When we started this thing up, we just wanted to be a creative space for our peers to enjoy. A safe space to talk music and art.

We had already built the recording studio and made lots of music - but i wanted to build a little stage where the artists could get on the Mic and rehearse. I saw a lot of instances where the guys (and girls) were writing songs in that would be very hard to perform- and my background is in writing music. So, internally, as part of our writing process, we built a little wooden stage and after the verses were written but before they were recorded - we would go and see if they could perform it. It wasn’t always in such a clean order - sometimes guys would punch in and we would try to perform after the fact. But the fact of the matter was that during a performance: you get to see if the through line emotion carries and translates.

Then…

I had the idea for the ANITL show. I said to myself - we are doing this internally - why not extend this to other friends and maybe even the community around Atlanta (if it ever got to that).

Luckily, I had became really good friends with Sam Arano a few months before, when we shot the Music Video for Bloody Murder - a song my great friend Tillman wrote. Without her, I would have been completely overwhelmed. Shout out to Sammie - the real MVP.

This became such a focus it was all hands on deck. We gave ourselves three weeks from the moment of idea conception to our first event.

During that first show, we didn’t even have the artists perform — HA — they just stood on stage and vibed to their tracks! It wasn’t even until during the show that we decided to have the audience vote. And then we had to figure out how — shoutout to Shamel for the idea of using Instagram.

After the show, we literally awarded the winner — Kanise — with studio time. We hadn’t even invented the Lab Session Concerts yet.

It wasn’t until she came on stage for the interview and said she was trying to build a band that the idea hit me — we should award her more than just studio time. We should give these winning artists something super special — an entire live performance production.

Tiny Desk Concerts, of course, popped in my head because of how much I’ve enjoyed watching them lately. We’d help outfit the artist with instrumental musicians, help compose the transcripts, help write and refine, rehearse, design the set around their personality, film and produce it — and record, mix & master.

It turned out to be a lot of work. As in — a LOT of work.

But we made it happen because that’s simply what we do.

As we kept progressing, working on this project and that project, it occurred to me that eventually I was going to completely run out of money…

But I looked at Season One of ANITL in its entirety and said to myself — just go for it.

The truth is, nothing had ever made me this happy in my life. This didn’t feel like business (which, when we’re making $0, it’s technically not a business) — it felt like tuning into something that was meant for me to find.

It felt bigger than a company… bigger than a hobby or a personal passion project… but what?

All of our events were free — for both artists and audience. We were completely in this for the Love of Music and for this Atlanta community of creatives.

We pushed forward and put on four totally successful Nites in the Lab - bringing in artists I could have never imagined. Such talent - the audience - such passion. Everything was lining up. We shot and released Kanise’s Lab Session Concert - and all were doing very well on youtube. The validation was there.

Then it happened…

The media team I had worked day and night with — spent COUNTLESS hours on either FaceTime or Zoom or in person with — said they had to go. They told me right as Sam and I were heading to Mexico (which was another cool part of the last two months I’ll get to soon).

What could I say… they had a “career-making” opportunity and I would never want to block that from them. I wished them well.

However, them not turning in so much of the work they said they would while we were in Mexico… put us in a crazy position.

It meant a lot of things —

Firstly, it meant that our amazing Instagram and YouTube momentum was going to come to a screeching halt. Oh, the pain of social & media these days.

Second, it meant that the runway (financially) I had spent my life savings for — to finish the first season of ANITL and the accompanying Lab Sessions — had completely changed.

My thoughts before they left: I thought if we hustled, I had the budget to get all of this done in 3–4 months.

But now… we had to start from square one.

Unedited music videos. The Mad ACE Lab Session. Two entire ANITL shows…

This really came at quite a time.

Then something pretty…… incredible… happened (though I didn’t know it at the time).

What I can only call a beautiful intersection of necessity and purpose hit me when Jordan Ayanna (past ANITL participant) said she had a song to write.

She explained something about links or children in classrooms, and I just said… Yes.

Let’s do this.

It honestly didn’t matter at the time what it was she wanted to do — because my heart has always trusted her.

Anyway, we made a song about Oysters.

I had zero idea before helping her with this song that only 1% of the original oyster population is still alive today.

I also had ZERO idea that oysters were a keystone species or that they literally act as biological fiters that keep the ocean clean.

We put our souls into the song and it felt great… she did that thing, but that didn’t change all the background chaos.

All the problems still existed — and as a matter of fact, were only growing larger by the day.

So I looked the only place I could… to God.

It was a pretty terrifying moment for me. On one hand, I had finally found a passion and pursuit that fulfilled me.

However… all of the signs were saying “abort mission.”

I began questioning whether I had been doing things all wrong.

I began questioning whether I was in this for the right reasons… really.

The answer was humbling: I wasn’t.

I was living in a state of limerence — and loving every moment of it.

Loving the hard work before the shows. Loving the musicians and friends and families who came out to enjoy. Loving the social acceptance.

Loving helping write and produce music with amazing human beings.

The entire thing was intoxicating.

And then I had a pretty ground-breaking realization:

What if this entire idea — Fitfo Labs, ANITL, Lab Sessions, “Bees of the Sea’— what if all of these ideas were just pointers? Arrows pointing me in the direction I really needed to be heading.

And then it hit me like a keystone that unlocked the Great Pyramid of Giza —

The creatives we’ve been around have the ability to change the world… for the better.

What if we could take this supercharged community we’re starting to foster — and aim our sights higher? Aim us at important initiatives.

What if Fitfo Labs evolved… into a Non Profit Organization with REAL Goals.

So Sammie and I talked — and we did it.

We got with the lawyers.

We got with the tax accountants.

We got everything we needed in order to apply.

Our New Mission Statement:

Fitfo Labs empowers artists to use their creativity for a greater purpose — connecting grassroots talent with global causes to inspire change, uplift communities, and protect the human spirit through art, music, and storytelling.

Thank you Media Team.

Thank you Sammie for believing in me even when things felt impossible.

Thank you Jordan Ayanna.

And Thank You God.

More to come.

-E