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Meet Nick Torres

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Today we’d like to introduce you to Nick Torres.

Nick, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
It’s definitely been a windy road with lots of ups and downs to get to this specific point! Today I’m lucky to be involved in a lot of cool projects in both the music and cannabis worlds, but early in my career I just wanted to be a sound engineer. My first job doing that was at the now closed Old Curtis St. Bar in NE Downtown area when I was 18-19 years old. At the time, I was attending the recording arts program at CU Denver as well. During that era, I became involved with several local hip hop acts, producing and recording songs, as well as booking and managing artists, and eventually producing/promoting concerts with national talent. The more I got into concerts, the more I began to be attracted to the business side of the music industry as well as the broader world of marketing.

I got involved with the cannabis industry when I began producing promotional concerts for Doctor’s Orders Dispensary in 2011, eventually becoming their full-time Marketing Director for three stores by 2014. Fortunately I’ve been able to structure my partnership D.O. in a way that has still afforded me the ability to continue pursuing other ventures as well.

In 2014, my friend Alex Cochran and I co-founded GetEmHigh.com, an online music blog centered around hip hop, edm, and cannabis culture. Based in Denver, but featuring artists and content from around the world, we’ve created a platform to feature independent artists, as well as an affordable advertising solution for hundreds of emerging brands in the cannabis space. We’ve employed dozens of Denver creatives as contributors over the years and I’ve had the chance to interview the likes of Hannibal Buress, Stooki Sound, Desert Dwellers, and many many more.

In 2016, my friend Paul Padilla Jr. was at odds with his business partner at Diverse Studios, so we joined forces to rebrand and create Mint Audio, an affordable recording studio focused on hip hop, r&b and vocal recording. Paul handles the creative side of things, and with my background in recording and audio combined and my more recently acquired business administration skills we were really able to hit the ground running, and we have now been in business for over 4 years.

Has it been a smooth road?
Not at all. I definitely have an unorthodox career having chosen a path of limited involvement in a lot of projects as opposed to diving into one thing 100%. A huge part of my road to entrepreneurship is also born of rejection. When I was younger the only thing I knew is that I was obsessed with music and I wanted to make my living surrounded by creative people. I applied for dozens of jobs in the music industry to no avail. The field is highly competitive, saturated, and very difficult to break into, and I was unable to get interviews or even calls back during my first year after graduating. The realization that I would have to figure out my own way to break into that world was life changing. Once I started trying to do things on my own is when I started to make progress and eventually gain attention from the right people. I’ve definitely been involved in more than a fair share of failed ventures, financial losses, frustrations, sacrifices, and ruined relationships. I’ve worked upwards of 80 hours per week for over a decade to finally come out on the other side with a stable life at age 32.

We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
Most of the projects I’m involved with have survived their infancy stage, so now that things are pretty stable, I’m really focusing on expanding and fixing deficiencies, and most importantly creating more opportunities for others to get involved.

We’re currently working on launching our Mint Mentors program at the studio which will pair underprivileged youth of color with an established Denver artist as a mentor to help them learn how to record and find their voice, free of cost.

At Getemhigh.com we’re working on a line of rolling papers that will support the Last Prisoner Project to help fight for cannabis reform and free individuals who are incarcerated for cannabis possession.

Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
I love Denver for many reasons. I was born here, and while I’ve spent time in many places around the country and world, I have a hard time imagining anywhere else as home. I love the friendly people, the abundance of Mexican food, the concert scene (can’t beat Red Rocks), the 300 days of sun each year, and the fact that we’ve made ourselves the epicenter of cannabis legalization. On the other hand, it does sadden me to see the rapid and reckless gentrification of the city that’s changing the face of so many historic neighborhoods forever. I hope we can find a way to continue improving and developing the city in a more responsible and respectful way that serves the interests of everyone.

Pricing:

  • Mint Audio $40/hr for professional level recording.

Contact Info:

Image Credit:
University of Colorado at Denver

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