In 2001, Andy Levine was managing the rock band, Sister Hazel. That year, some of the band’s most passionate fans expressed their desire to go on a trip with the band. Andy began brainstorming ideas and eventually settled on a Sister Hazel fan cruise through the Caribbean.
Despite some initial concerns about being “trapped” on a ship, that first cruise turned out to be a reunion of fans they already knew. For four days, the band members formed friendships with their most dedicated fans. And by the end of their vacation at sea, the community had formed.
Levine returned to Atlanta with a new ambition: To start a company that would tear down the walls between bands and their fans, allowing them to connect in an authentic way. He called this new company, Sixthman. Since 2001, Sixthman has produced over 125 music festivals on cruise ships for artists like KISS, KidRock, Kesha, Bon Jovi, Zac Brown, John Mayer, Joe Bonamassa, 311, Paramore and more. More than 250,000+ guests have vacationed for more than 1 million days on sixth man cruises.
In 2011, Sixthman was named the fastest-growing travel company by Inc. Magazine and the #87th overall fastest-growing company in America.
In 2012, Sixthman was acquired by Norwegian Cruise Lines, and Levine was named Business Person of the year by the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce. Levine stepped down as CEO of Sixthman in 2016, though he continues to support the organization as chairman.
Today, Andy lives in Atlanta, Georgia, where he raises his two children and builds new social entrepreneurial ventures (like Topeka and Moon Crush)through his startup, Always Saturday. He also invests his time mentoring young entrepreneurs and helping build empowerment paths for people lifting themselves out of poverty.
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What You’ll Learn in This Episode
- About Topeka
- Andy’s background and how he came to start Topeka
- How Andy’s start-up Always Saturday interacts with Topeka, along with Circles Morningside
- How consumers and artists can utilize Topeka’s services throughout the pandemic and beyond
- Plans to expand into other areas (i.e. chefs, athletes, etc.)
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