For some creatives, entrepreneurship is a calling, no matter how prestigious or impressive their corporate resumes. Take Lauren Nadel and Christin Neal, the cofounders of MAFF.TV, (Music Art Fashion Forward), as textbook examples of creative professionals on a greater mission to empower underrepresented designers and artists from around the world.

MAFF, a dynamic platform that curates global video content , consists of an archive of more than 6,000 hand-picked videos and a catalog of more than 5,000 creatives, which continues to grow. The minute you arrive at the homepage, you are greeted by a diverse library of videos that awaken your senses and engage your curiosity. Discover and fall in love with work from directors, stylists, animators and sound designers – that you may have never known before.

For the duo, MAFF.TV is more than just a side hustle but a passion project, despite working full-time day jobs. Nadel, an Edinburgh graduate and SHOWstudio alum, currently works in the digital design, tech and advertising space and Neal in the creative technology world at The Mill, a VFX company. The Rhode Island School of Design graduate is a seasoned web developer with stints at digital media agencies and before delving into the tech industry, he worked as a designer at Tom Ford.

But working for big name agencies and fashion labels could not deter them from combining their skills to launch MAFF.TV. Their goal is to grow a digital community that promotes discovery and connection through the creative elements of music, art and fashion. Here, Nadel and Neal give a behind-the-scenes look at their startup journey:

What inspired you to launch MAFF.tv?

Our mission is to showcase artists from all around the world and give people access to learn more about underground cultures at the click of a button. Our dream is to exposeartists from all different backgrounds, especially from cities that aren't as exposed such as Accra, Ghana to San Juan, Puerto Rico. Our goal is to celebrate the things that bring us together as well as highlight and appreciate the beauty which differentiates us.

What is the biggest obstacle you face as web entrepreneurs?

We both work full time jobs to make MAFF happen. There's not much money in exposing artists from cities that mainstream American media doesn't tap into, especially during a time when people are more focused on fashion influencers showing off their bling. We're focused on getting real – and some of this content isn't even produced yet because these artists don't have the money to make it. So not only are we on a daily hunt to find content but we are now bootstrapping with our own money ways to make this content happen.

Describe a moment in your startup journey that you are most proud of–any major milestone?

We recently released Episode 1 of our MAFF Tour series (which first takes us to the favelas of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil). Watching the first cut of this from postproduction gave us both chills.

Share your words of wisdom with other aspiring creatives.

Everything you do, do it with love and chase what you believe in. We are on autopilot at this point, we're both grinding full time jobs to make MAFF happen. The whole project is about love- loving art, loving people, loving creation. We don't know if we can even fail at this point because it's made with so much love.

Why did you choose the .TV domain?

The future of TV is .TV! Ever heard of ‘I WANT MY MTV’? Maybe soon it will be ‘I WANT MY MAFF.TV!’
For any streaming platform, bring the .TV to [your] domain. IRL to URL.

October 22, 2022

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How MAFF.TV Empowers Underrepresented Artists from Around the World