Today we’d like to introduce you to Drew Crowder.
Hi Drew, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
Hashtag, as a family of companies, began fifteen years ago. It started with film funding and production services. Then, it branched into original media production, content creation, streaming video, and podcasts.
After that, it added a publishing arm for comic books, graphic novels, and children’s books. Since then Hashtag has sprouted branches and businesses in travel & tourism, PR & marketing, event creation & organization, and more. The hashtag began its development on the culmination of all of its IP, Hashtag Gaming Arena, in 2018.
Hashtag Gaming Arena is a first-of-its-kind ‘gaming community event center,’ a space built by gamers, for gamers. It’s a positive, inclusive, and safe space for gaming enthusiasts of all kinds to call home.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Every small business has struggles, and we’re no different. We’ve had financing struggles and staffing issues, and the Pandemic actually forced us to pivot our entire business model, it’s been an uphill battle the whole way.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
As a small business owner of a very lean startup ecosystem, I became a Swiss Army Knife. I was able to do, at a remedial level, practically everything my businesses needed to survive. I was 20 when I started my first business, I knew I had time to cultivate something special.
As a self-proclaimed serial entrepreneur and workaholic, I dedicated my life to learning as much as I could every day for what became twenty years. I have my BA in International Business from Virginia Tech and my MA in Fiction Writing from Johns Hopkins University. I got the former at 21, and the latter at 40. After undergrad, I started working for my family’s construction business and took year-round classes for five years to earn a specialized industrial design certification.
Over the 20-year span, I also became a TV host, studio engineer, radio personality, podcaster, video editor, event director, art director, publisher, tourism consultant, film producer, and active Mensa member. Inadvertently, though my title changed from time to time, I also became a career executive. I feel that my experience is what sets me apart and is a key component to the flexibility and prosperity of the business.
Through the dark clouds of the global pandemic, the silver lining of ‘free time and flexible schedule’ led me to discover a work-life balance that ultimately led me to the woman that would become my amazing wife. My wife and family are the reason I get up to go to work every day. I believe the key to my personal success is having a solid foundation at home.
They support me through the bad times and the good. Small business ownership is a roller coaster; you balance debt, hardship, incredible loss, and endless pivots. But sometimes you get lucky enough to thrive, and I know they have my back through it all.
What were you like growing up?
I was a bright kid and soaked up information like a sponge. I didn’t skip a grade but I started at an early age. Communication and connection with my peers were strained so my parents enrolled me in as many sports and extracurricular activities as possible.
I did summer theater, computer camp, sports camps, year-round soccer, and swimming. By seventh grade, I discovered a love of reading, TV, and film. I became the kid that told stories. I enjoyed making things up and living in fantasy worlds.
In my free time, once they’d been invented, I played video games. Sure, I played Varsity sports and excelled at school, but I would eventually always retreat to games.
That was my time, and ultimately I think I created Hashtag because it was something that I never had as a kid. I wanted to give the next generation the opportunity to locate and thrive in that community.
Contact Info:
- Email: info@hashtagarena.com
- Website: https://www.hashtagarena.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/arenahashtag
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hashtagarena
- Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/hashtagarena
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/hashtagarena
- Other: https://www.twitch.com/hashtagarena
