Episode Transcript
[00:00:04] Speaker A: Wow.
Hi. What's up? Hi.
[00:00:07] Speaker B: How are you? How are we?
[00:00:09] Speaker A: I'm great. How are you guys?
[00:00:10] Speaker B: We are here.
[00:00:11] Speaker C: We're fantastic. I'm fantastic.
[00:00:12] Speaker A: I'm. I'm fantastic. I'm also Dana, by the way. For those of you who don't know me, I'm a dancer. I'm a choreographer. I'm an educator. I'm a big fan of both of you, and I'm feeling very honored to be a part of this conversation. It's a significant moment for both of you, and I think. I think especially significant moments are better shared in conversation than in monologue. So, again, grateful to be a part of this conversation about the next chapter for Monsters of Hip Hop.
[00:00:40] Speaker B: Likewise.
[00:00:41] Speaker C: Thank you. Thank you.
[00:00:42] Speaker A: Yeah, I'm excited to dig in, but I do want to do some introductions first, and I'm not going to do that part. You guys are. So tell us everything you want us to know about you. Andy Funk.
[00:00:52] Speaker B: I am Andy Funk.
[00:00:54] Speaker A: Andy.
[00:00:54] Speaker B: And I am the co founder of Monsters of Hip Hop, along with my wife Becky and her sister Angie.
My dad.
I was just going to keep going. I was like, I'm on camera now. Why not?
[00:01:07] Speaker A: I don't hand me a microphone because I will keep talking. Truly, I podcast host. I can talk for extended periods of time unprompted. So you might have to reel me back into the conversation, but that was a gorgeous introduction.
[00:01:20] Speaker B: My wife said, land the plane, so that's what you get.
[00:01:24] Speaker A: Gorgeous. All right, Jeremy.
[00:01:25] Speaker C: I'm Jeremy Keaton. I'm the founder of Adrenaline, Revive, and the National Dance Honors. I'm a father of three, and I have an absolutely incredible, supportive wife.
[00:01:34] Speaker A: Gorgeous. I could not have written those introductions better myself. I think this passing of the torch, passing of the hat, I see it less of A from A to B and more of a collaboration between the two of you. But I think instead of starting with both of you at the same time, maybe, Andy, if you could just talk a little bit about your motivation for this transition, your why.
[00:01:59] Speaker B: Yeah, so our why kind of starts with the family. Starts with life. Life's life for a while now. And, you know, we've had losses, we've had health issues, and there's. We're driven by other things that we want to do. We're super proud of where we are, super proud of the brand and. And everyone who's been a part of it. But there's more that we want to accomplish. There's other areas we want to explore and challenges we want to take on.
Other areas we Want to see if we can have an impact. And the catalyst was really my dad passed away in last November, and it was an opportunity for me to reprioritize and look inward at what we've done, take stock of that, and then realize I have three kids going into next chapters. I have my mom to fulfill things with. And it's just the timing was right.
We're, you know, kind of at peace with it. And when we thought about what we wanted the next chapter of Monsters to be like it was, we cared deeply about what happened. We care deeply about maintaining its uniqueness, the integrity and essence of what it is. And I know this guy here has an affinity for hip hop. I've known him for a long time, and we've developed such a great relationship through this dance educators collective with not just him, but others. And it was.
It was just the next step. It was good timing.
[00:03:26] Speaker A: This is a podcast about dance transitions, actually. And I think dancers and people who understand dance are naturally good at transitions. Like, for example, Andy Funk. You might not consider yourself much of a dancer, but I just asked why, and you gave me why and why now and why Jeremy and I.
To me, it totally makes sense, but that's because I know you. I know there are people out there who this might not make sense for. So we'll just ask a couple more questions and in my view, hopefully get jacked on this next step of Monsters.
I didn't say this at the beginning. I came up, maybe not all the way through Monsters, but I was introduced to Monsters in the early, early days.
[00:04:08] Speaker B: Yes, you were.
[00:04:09] Speaker A: And it shaped my professional life.
It gifted me some of the most important relationships of my life. And so I know you're deeply invested in it. I know this couldn't have been a easy or flippant decision to make. Yeah, your why is solid. And your why now is solid. And Jeremy, cover your ears. Your why. Jeremy is also solid. I think you two actually have a lot of cool parallels in your lives.
[00:04:34] Speaker C: We do.
[00:04:35] Speaker A: Tell me more.
[00:04:36] Speaker C: Oh, no. I mean, we actually started the businesses the exact same year I started Adrenaline the same year he started Monsters.
We each are married to our high school sweethearts.
[00:04:49] Speaker A: That part I did not know.
[00:04:50] Speaker C: We each have three children.
And, yeah, we became friends really fast.
[00:04:56] Speaker A: So some people might not even notice the transition. It might just be like it happened and you're the same person in different bodies.
Yeah, you're going to notice it for sure.
[00:05:07] Speaker B: I was going to say yeah. Yeah.
[00:05:09] Speaker A: Okay, so show me your vision, Jeremy. What do you see for Monsters. What stays the same? What looks different? What's your vision?
[00:05:17] Speaker C: As this has happened pretty rapidly and slowly at the same time, understanding how much Monsters means to that community is loud. And it just reiterates the importance to make sure that we keep that foundation and that essence of what Monsters is together. And we're going to be looking at opportunities where we can expand and hopefully enhance the experience.
But that's it. Monsters are going to remain monsters. And hopefully we have an opportunity to take it to another level.
[00:05:51] Speaker A: That's beautiful. Thank you for that.
[00:05:53] Speaker C: Of course.
[00:05:53] Speaker A: Gorgeous. And I want to come. Like, I want to see it.
[00:05:55] Speaker C: Come on.
[00:05:56] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:05:56] Speaker B: Come on. As you should. As everyone should. Yeah.
[00:05:59] Speaker A: All right, so some kind of tougher questions here, because we know it's all about relationships, and you both have spent a long time building your very similar and maybe parallel at times, relationship network.
How do you honor the relationships built in both of your places for this next step?
[00:06:19] Speaker C: Is that a question to me?
[00:06:20] Speaker A: I guess both of you. Because for you, Andy, I'm imagining, like.
Because I know that you're a family person and you have two. Right. Like, you have this family that you chose and that you built with monsters, and you have the family that is yours.
[00:06:34] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:06:34] Speaker A: And they will both always be. But right now, you're choosing to invest time, energy, effort, this, you know, your. Yourself.
[00:06:46] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:06:46] Speaker A: Into that. I don't think love is a finite resource, but I know you love your Monsters family.
[00:06:54] Speaker C: How do you.
[00:06:55] Speaker A: How do you plan to stay connected to them?
[00:06:57] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:06:58] Speaker A: And then how do you plan to bridge connections, maybe with people that you don't know, including the attendees, the studio owners, but also faculty. Like, how does that look?
[00:07:08] Speaker B: So for me, I've said this a few times, and I had a great conversation a few weeks ago with Carrie Milne is brilliant, from Ireland when she was here, and we both talked about this.
It's not a business transaction for me. I've never had a business transaction with our faculty. It's meant more than that. The front cover of my book is the Monsters Family. It's not just business. It's so much more than that. And I. And I deeply mean that. It is something we're incredibly proud of, but inspired by them all the time. Like, we see them on commercials, we see them on tour, and it's just like, look at our kids. You know? And it's hard to put into words, really, because with any kind of transition, change is inevitable.
[00:07:52] Speaker A: Right.
[00:07:52] Speaker B: But change is not a bad thing. It can be difficult. But I've told Jeremy, Becky, and I both told him we are.
I'm not looking over your shoulder. I want you to take this and run with it. I trust you. I trust that you have seen and believe in our mission and are going to honor that. And I. I know that's not going to be easy, and he'll have changes to make that are inevitable, but he's going to have some additions and a lot of great things that he's going to do, too. And as I've gotten to know his staff a little bit more, I told Michael the first question that he asked in our meeting was about culture. He asked about the culture of the business. That meant a lot to me. It wasn't like X, Y, and Z. It was the culture. And so that says a lot to me. And so I know it's in good hands. I know transitions are never going to be easy.
And I just want everybody to know who has been a part of it, past, present, that you genuinely do mean a lot to us and the contributions you've made. Yes, Becky and I started it and you started it, but it's not possible. Like, it's got a special sauce to it. And that has everyone from registration to production to the people and the teachers.
And so all of that remains. All of that is there, and it's still going to be the amazing environment and culture that has been marinating for 22 years to now go to the next course.
[00:09:28] Speaker A: Way to bring it back with a food analogy, Andy. God, I love it.
[00:09:31] Speaker B: Food's so important. That's going to be one thing I will miss, because we have our favorite restaurants nationwide.
[00:09:37] Speaker C: Yeah, you have to let me know where they are.
[00:09:39] Speaker B: We'll see.
[00:09:39] Speaker C: We'll see.
[00:09:40] Speaker A: Right.
Database is private.
[00:09:43] Speaker B: You get the email list.
He just told me about one here in Nashville, so that's fair. We'll.
[00:09:48] Speaker C: Yeah, we'll trade off. We'll trade off. And that. That's the other thing.
Some more parallels.
[00:09:53] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:09:54] Speaker C: The faculty at Adrenaline revive and that entire team mean the world to me. And we. We do run and operate as a family. And that's not a slogan. That's just how we've always been. And that's the feeling that people receive when they come to our events. And our main focus for the past 23 years has been education.
And the moment that I went to Monsters with Andy, and I saw walking down the hallways, that all the parents were talking to Andy. Andy knew all of the dancers names. He'd give me backstories of every single dancer on how many shows they've been in what years? And all, like, all of the things, I.
I immediately knew that it was in the same vein. Number one, I wasn't looking to for another company.
And when he approached me and I was able to feel it myself, it made sense. It is in the right ethos of what Adrenaline revive are.
[00:10:49] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:10:51] Speaker C: So I'm going to do everything I can to continue to honor the legacy that he's built. And him and Becky and the entire Monsters team has done incredible things for hundreds and hundreds of dancers. And it's just so impressive to see him getting all the love that he deserves for building something so special. And we are going to honor that legacy.
[00:11:13] Speaker A: I love it.
[00:11:14] Speaker C: Yes, sir.
[00:11:15] Speaker A: Okay, you talked a little bit about timeline and this happening fast. Talk me through the timeline of this transition up until now and what keeps people can expect in terms of the rollout? Like what. Who do I work for in Google? I don't understand. But when will. When does this change effectively take place? And when did this conversation start?
[00:11:34] Speaker B: I think I reached out in January or February, maybe. I sent a text.
[00:11:38] Speaker C: He planted a seed.
[00:11:39] Speaker B: He planted a seed.
[00:11:41] Speaker A: Just checking the text.
[00:11:42] Speaker B: And I was like, hey, do you have time for.
Let me know when you have time to talk in private.
And he pretty much said, I'm. I'm available now.
[00:11:50] Speaker A: Right? Those texts get an immediate response from me.
[00:11:53] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah.
[00:11:54] Speaker A: Let me know when you have a moment.
[00:11:55] Speaker B: He's like, is everything okay? You know, we're working on this event, but, you know, we've talked about family and stuff. And he's like, is everything okay? And I said, yeah. And I just kind of threw it out there. I was reluctant because I was like, am I. Am I going to put this out? Like, am I going to do this? And. And it's not the first time we've thought about this, but I. I just said to him, I'm thinking about our exit strategy. And he's. I think you question. What do you mean, exit strategy? And I. And I told him I was like, my life passed post Monsters.
And it was a pause for a second and I said, you know, I. I care deeply about what happens, but, you know, explain the whys. And. And I said, you know, would you have any interest in taking it over? And. And I think you paused for a second and whatever you said, I'm honored, whatever else it was. And then you were like, yes, yes. I don't know, but yes.
[00:12:44] Speaker C: Yeah, I don't know.
[00:12:46] Speaker B: Yeah.
And so I went home and I talked to Becky and I said, you know, I think There might be an opportunity.
And it wasn't that long after, I think maybe a couple of days, you had text me and said thank you, means a lot. And, and that that text was a really cool follow up to receive, to know that you were genuinely interested in. And you were so kind about it.
And so we just. Becky and I talked and we were like, she left it up to me. And, you know, as you know, she's. We put it out, she's had ups and downs with Ms. And we also have other goals and family stuff. And she's like, I'm going to leave this up to you because you're the one who's there now. And so I just slept on it and I think it was just. It just made sense. It just didn't seem like it was forced in any way, shape or form.
It was a big decision. And I was like, can we do this now? Should we do this now? And. And I talked to my kids too. I mean, I did. I talked to my kids and my mom and it just felt right. And I was like, let's, let's go. So we started that and it's been quite a process since then.
A lot of pressure because we were both under an NDA as we tried to figure things out and we both talked at one point. We're like, all right, the clock is ticking. The tour is coming up. We have lots of stuff to do.
[00:14:08] Speaker A: We need to get the weight from one foot to the other.
[00:14:10] Speaker B: Like, yeah, like this little. So much has to happen. We have this little secret that we're just. It's like weighing us down. And then we came together with a management agreement. So after our show, Jeremy took over management and operations. And so that's a transition. And, and it's been really respectful, I want to say. It's been a very inquisitive, respectful process to learn and, and come in and, and not just knock everything over.
[00:14:39] Speaker A: Right. So I think that in dance you can tell a great dancer from the quality of their transitions. And I think the same is true in business.
It's about timing. It's about how much weight you transfer and when. It's definitely about where the weight is transferring from and to. And this, to me, seems like a beautiful and smooth transition. That's a win, win.
I think the dance community will win. I think you'll win. I think you'll win. I think your family will win. It just makes so much sense to me and I'm so thrilled to see next Monsters, like the next chapter of Monsters. I'VE always loved what it is and I think that you have great confidence in Jeremy and I think Jeremy has great vision for monsters.
[00:15:25] Speaker B: Absolutely.
[00:15:26] Speaker A: To me, this is a no brainer and I'm thrilled for you both.
[00:15:29] Speaker C: Oh, thank you. Thank you. Very excited. Yeah, it's, it's, you know, like he mentioned, you know, we, we were both carrying a weight. Like it was almost like a, a dirty little secret.
[00:15:41] Speaker A: Right.
[00:15:41] Speaker C: And he wanted to share with his team, I wanted to share with my team so I could have some help because it was just him and I working together.
[00:15:50] Speaker B: Yeah. I had my family, he had himself.
[00:15:54] Speaker C: It was a lot, you know, it was a lot. And you know, luckily, through a lot of conversations, we were able to open some things up and I was able to bring my team in also under NDAs and kind of start working on some things in the background so we could at least start building that foundation. But we have a lot to learn. We have a lot to learn from his team.
I have a lot to learn about the company and their faculty. And you know, I. Knowing that how important the faculty is to him and how important he is to the faculty, it's just going to take me time. And I'm very aware that I need to show up with my actions and not my words, and I'll do that. So I just, I just need the time. And we've, and we've started that.
[00:16:36] Speaker A: So this is a gorgeous promise.
Are there anything, are there any other promises you'd like to make to either dance community or to your family?
[00:16:49] Speaker B: Either of you?
[00:16:49] Speaker A: Both.
[00:16:49] Speaker B: I'm gonna be as present as ever.
I'm just excited to, to have moments, you know, I don't need stuff. I don't want stuff. I want time and experiences and, you know, I never anticipated walking away this early, but I'm excited about it. It's challenging, it's uncertain, it's scary. But it's also, I haven't felt this type of energy and that nervousness, you know, and so that's, that's great. And, and so, you know, I'm going to continue to do my best, be the best version for, for my kids, for my mom, my wife, you know, and, and I'm going to cheer them on, you know, I, I need them, I want them to be successful, you know, and I'm excited to go see it as well, you know, and, and see the kids continue to thrive, you know, like that's, you know, it's been, that's been our legacy is the kids and their successes and, and that's what gives us so much joy. So I'm excited to see that continue.
But, yeah.
[00:17:57] Speaker A: Gorgeous.
[00:17:58] Speaker B: Cool.
[00:17:59] Speaker A: Gorgeous.
[00:17:59] Speaker B: And you're amazing. Like, I was so, so grateful that you were going to do this.
[00:18:04] Speaker C: Yes.
[00:18:05] Speaker A: To be involved in this conversation is an honor, you guys. It's the coolest thing.
[00:18:09] Speaker C: Thank you.
[00:18:09] Speaker A: And you're setting such a great example for how to do this with compassion, with respect for your communities, and with so much respect for each other. I think. I mean, we're sitting here at Dance Educators Collective, which I can't think of a better embodiment of collaboration.
[00:18:24] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:18:25] Speaker A: And. And this is truly a. A weight transition. It's not a passing of. It's. It's.
Watch out. Don't make any sports analogies. Dana, you out of your element. But it really isn't like, hot potato, catch. Good luck. I see in you two both great collaborators, problem solvers, and people who are dedicated to the dance community.
I don't know what else is required other than patience and a good listening ear to the needs of your family, to the needs of your community. Like, I see two people doing their best and really well set up for success. I cannot wait to see what happens.
[00:19:02] Speaker B: Amazing.
[00:19:02] Speaker C: We can't wait either.
[00:19:03] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:19:04] Speaker C: Congratulations. Thank you so much.
[00:19:06] Speaker A: My pleasure. Thank you for including me in this conversation.
[00:19:08] Speaker C: Absolutely.
[00:19:08] Speaker A: It's good to see what this looks like, man.
Exit strategy. In the dance industry, we don't often get to plan for it.
[00:19:17] Speaker B: Correct.
[00:19:17] Speaker A: So it's beautiful to hear you with such a keen listening ear on timing, and to see you do this so deliberately and with so much heart is. I've always respected the shit out of you. And I've always respected the shit out of you. Are we allowed to?
[00:19:31] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:19:31] Speaker A: It's a good spot, but this is. I love the way that both of you are showing up to this challenge.
[00:19:37] Speaker C: Thank you.
[00:19:38] Speaker B: I have one more thing.
[00:19:39] Speaker A: Please.
Ooh.
Is there a physical embodiment of the transition? We're giving you a visual transition here.
[00:19:51] Speaker B: Did I get a jacket? You get a jacket. A secret the whole time.
[00:19:54] Speaker A: I didn't know you had a jacket.
[00:19:55] Speaker B: Get a jacket. Thank you, sir. I got you a smedium because I figured, you know, a schmedium.
[00:20:02] Speaker C: I definitely.
I love it.
[00:20:03] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:20:04] Speaker C: I love it. I'm gonna have to lose some weight, but I love it.
[00:20:07] Speaker B: Looks good.
[00:20:08] Speaker C: Let me see.
[00:20:09] Speaker A: Not with Andy's restaurant list. You're not gonna lose any weight.
[00:20:12] Speaker B: Good job. Thank you, sir.
Appreciate it.
[00:20:15] Speaker C: Yeah. Thank you. Thank you. I love it. Congrats. Thank you.
[00:20:20] Speaker B: Do we do this at the end, Sam.
