We Don't Follow Culture. We Disrupt It.
Tai Ku Labs creates the IRL experiences that move disruptive industries into mainstream culture. Cannabis. Crypto. Wrestling. Food. Art. We bring people together on unsettled ground and make it feel like home.
Tai Ku Labs is an IRL experience agency for disruptive industries: Web3, cannabis, AI, professional wrestling, and food. We operate where mainstream agencies don't: in newly legal markets, emerging tech communities, and scenes that are still being built. Other agencies study these spaces from the outside; we've been on the ground for over a decade.
"Tai Ku" means Good Energy in Taino, the indigenous language of the Dominican Republic. Dominican hospitality applied to every activation, every room, every detail.
50+ IRL Activations · 16+ Cities Worldwide · 2x Clio Award Winner · Est. 2021 Bringing the Good Energy. 50+ activations across New York, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Miami, Denver, Buffalo, Paris, Brussels, Buenos Aires and beyond, for brands like Base, 4th Rope Wrestling, Rove, Happy Munkey, and Onchain Creators. Concept to execution to reporting, end to end. Founded 2021, New York City. Founder: David Hernandez (Zen).
Coming Fall 2026: Web Flea, an IRL marketplace where the onchain world meets the streets.
From 15-person chef dinners to 4,500-person festivals in Vegas. We build the rooms other agencies can't get into. Dominican hospitality at the door, Clio-winning production behind it. Venue, talent, logistics, flawless day-of. This is our superpower.
POAPs before POAPs were a category. AR gallery walks. NFT mints tied to IRL moments. AI agents on Base. DAO-funded activations in Brussels and Paris. 5+ years building on the frontier, not writing about it.
We don't write pitch decks for industries we don't live in. Cannabis since 2016. Onchain since 2021. Wrestling since 2024. Go-to-market, campaign architecture, and creative direction rooted in 10 years of showing up where culture actually forms.
35mm film, Polaroid, multi-cam podcast rigs, drone, XLR. 100+ episodes produced. NYT, Bloomberg, NBC have run our coverage. We shoot what the culture wants to remember and cut it into something that travels.
Built Titi's Empanadas and Cachapas y Mas past 50K+ followers each with zero ad spend. Platform-native, influencer-led, community-first. If the content doesn't feel like it came from inside the room, we don't ship it.
2023 · New York, NY · 1,500+ people · Cannabis
Five-story museum takeover on 5th Avenue blending cannabis culture with a mainstream institution. Clio Award Winner.
Tai Ku's role: Creative strategy, campaign design, press outreach, sponsorship coordination, influencer campaign strategy, vendor management, day-of operations, media team leadership, budget management, social media strategy
2026 · Denver, CO · 1,200+ people · Web3 & AI
Official ETH Denver side event. Opened with an AI film festival, closed with a rave that ran until 4am. Top DJs, Denver underground, and the peak of ETH Denver's Web3 energy in one building.
Tai Ku's role: Full event production, official ETH Denver side event coordination, AI film festival curation, talent and DJ booking, venue activation, hospitality, media capture, sponsor coordination, budget management
2025 · Brooklyn, NY · 100+ people · Web3 & AI
Launched the Base app to 100 creators in direct partnership with the Base team. Lightning talks, curated local food, and onchain social platforms.
Tai Ku's role: Event production, budget management, vendor coordination, media capture, partner coordination, guest experience curation, hospitality management
2025 · Buffalo, NY · 2,500+ people · Wrestling & Entertainment
Largest Heels Have Eyes to date. Joey Badass, Styles P, Bun B, Westside Gunn, Smoke DZA, and The Hardy Brothers at Buffalo Riverworks.
Tai Ku's role: Production assistance, talent coordination, day-of operations, load-in/load-out management, large-scale event management
2021 · New York, NY · 2,000+ people · Cannabis
First cannabis event on Ticketmaster in New York. Two-night institutional takeover. Clio Award Winner.
Tai Ku's role: Creative strategy, campaign design, press outreach, sponsorship coordination, vendor management, day-of operations, media team leadership, budget management, social media strategy
2022 · Las Vegas, NV · 4,500+ people · Cannabis
Official closing event of MJ Biz Con. Hot air balloons, camel rides, professional joint rollers, and billboard placements on the Strip.
Tai Ku's role: Creative strategy, campaign design, press outreach, sponsorship coordination, vendor management, day-of operations, guest list curation, media team leadership, budget management, social media strategy
2021 · New York, NY · 800+ people · Cannabis
First 420 event after New York cannabis legalization and the first major experiential activation post-COVID.
Tai Ku's role: Creative strategy, press outreach, sponsorship coordination, vendor management, day-of operations, budget management, social media strategy
2023 · Harlem, New York, NY · 500+ people · Cannabis
Educational partnership with Community Board 9 and Columbia University. Panels with politicians and educators. ASL, Chinese, and Spanish translation services.
Tai Ku's role: Creative strategy, panel execution, press outreach, sponsorship coordination, vendor management, day-of operations, media team leadership, budget management, video documentation
2022 · Classic Car Club, New York, NY · 1,500+ people · Cannabis
Milestone celebration with reimagined brand identity. Logo redesign, merchandise creation, and full production.
Tai Ku's role: Creative strategy, brand refresh (logo redesign), merchandise design, press outreach, sponsorship coordination, vendor management, day-of operations, media team leadership, budget management, social media strategy
2022 · New York, NY · 600+ people · Cannabis
Major cannabis culture celebration on 7/10 with full production, press, and content output.
Tai Ku's role: Creative strategy, campaign design, press outreach, sponsorship coordination, vendor management, day-of operations, media team leadership, budget management, social media strategy, POAP design
2019-2024 · New York, NY · 100+ episodes · Cannabis
Over 100 episodes produced across five years. Managed guest sourcing, show notes, set design, video and audio production, and distribution strategy.
Tai Ku's role: Guest sourcing, show notes, set design, multi-camera video production, audio production, editing, distribution strategy
2024 · Neptune, New Jersey · Cannabis
Commissioned harvest photography at Hepworth Farm's legal outdoor cannabis grow during peak harvest season.
Tai Ku's role: Photography, videography, travel coordination, media editing and delivery
2024-2025 · Neptune, New Jersey · Cannabis
Indoor harvest content capture for Neptune's Garden legal cannabis cultivation facility.
Tai Ku's role: Photography, videography, travel coordination, media editing and delivery, asset management
2025 · New York, NY · Cannabis
Product photography for NOIZEY cannabis' debut drop in the New York State legal market.
Tai Ku's role: Photography direction, product coordination, media editing and delivery
2021 · Las Vegas, NV · Cannabis, Web3 & AI
Our first POAP test planted inside cannabis hospitality. A bespoke drop for the GreenHaus Blockchain activation at MJ Biz Con, planted to prove NFTs could work as loyalty infrastructure for legacy cannabis players.
Tai Ku's role: POAP concept and design direction, minting and technical deployment on-site in Vegas, partnership coordination with GreenHaus Blockchain
2021 · The Cosmo Hotel, Las Vegas, NV · Cannabis
Full hospitality suite production for GreenHaus Blockchain and MyCannabisAccountant during the world's largest cannabis conference.
Tai Ku's role: Event production, hospitality management, POAP design, guest experience curation, day-of operations
2021 · Las Vegas, NV · Cannabis, Web3 & AI
An onchain marker for the 'Clash of the Titans' keynote on cannabis culture versus big business. Made sure the audience left with a piece of the conversation already living in their wallet.
Tai Ku's role: POAP design direction, minting and technical deployment, distribution coordination with keynote organizers
2023 · Denver, CO · 200+ people · Web3 & AI
The inaugural Vibe Check. A curated party bridging crypto builders and Denver's creative community during ETH Denver 2023.
Tai Ku's role: Full event production, venue scouting, talent curation, hospitality, media capture, budget management
2024 · Denver, CO · 400+ people · Web3 & AI
Year two doubled down. Bigger venue, more talent, deeper community integration during ETH Denver 2024.
Tai Ku's role: Full event production, venue scouting, talent curation, hospitality, media capture, budget management
2025 · Denver, CO · 800+ people · Web3 & AI
The biggest Vibe Check yet. 800+ attendees, expanded programming, and partnerships with major Web3 brands during ETH Denver 2025.
Tai Ku's role: Full event production, venue scouting, talent curation, hospitality, media capture, budget management, sponsor coordination
2022 · New York, NY · 400+ people · Web3 & AI, Culture & Art
A blank gallery. QR codes on vinyl. All artwork visible only in augmented reality. Tai Ku educated mid-career physical artists on NFTs and blockchain from the ground up.
Tai Ku's role: Exhibition concept, creative strategy, artist education and onboarding, campaign design, press outreach, vendor management, day-of operations, budget management, POAP design
2022 · 190 Bowery (Empire DAO), New York, NY · Web3 & AI, Culture & Art
Monthly series bridging Web3 and culture in Soho. NFT artist conversations, AR scavenger hunts, four-floor activations, and a Manifold NFT drop with Andre Oshea.
Tai Ku's role: Co-production, creative strategy, campaign design, venue activation, press outreach, sponsorship coordination, vendor management, day-of operations, guest list curation, budget management, talent outreach, POAP design
2022 · New York, NY · Web3 & AI, Cannabis
NFC-chipped mylar bag triggering an AR experience. Custom 3D-rendered NFT animation. An experiment crossing Web3, cannabis packaging, and consumer tech.
Tai Ku's role: Project leadership, creative direction, venue securing, stakeholder coordination, builder management, POAP design, full execution
2023 · Paris, France · Web3 & AI
Regen-focused panels and communal breakfasts during ETHCC Paris. Fresh Parisian groceries, conversations about building a brighter future onchain.
Tai Ku's role: Creative strategy, panel execution, press outreach, sponsorship coordination, vendor management, day-of operations, media team leadership, budget management, community facilitation, video production, photography
2024 · Brussels, Belgium · 400+ people · Web3 & AI
Official ETHCC side event with Nouns DAO collaboration and a led photo walk through Brussels. Successful onchain governance proposals funded the project.
Tai Ku's role: Creative strategy, photo walk curation, sponsorship coordination, vendor management, day-of operations, budget management, hospitality management, onchain governance coordination
2025 · ETH Denver, Denver, CO · 300+ people · Web3 & AI, Culture & Art
Full-length zine documenting crypto culture IRL. An artistic onboarding tool mixing education with editorial storytelling. Physical copies + NFT mint on Manifold.
Tai Ku's role: Creative direction, editorial strategy, zine design and production, portrait photography, Shopify setup, NFT mint coordination, media capture, budget management
2025 · Denver, CO · 350+ people · Web3 & AI
Produced summit with speakers from Base, ThirdWeb, Mantle, SparkHouse, Own the Doge, CryptoSapiens, Farcaster, and more.
Tai Ku's role: Event production, speaker coordination, media capture and editing, day-of operations, vendor management
2025 · Buenos Aires, Argentina · 75+ people · Web3 & AI
Full activation at Worldcoin office in partnership with NOUNS and Base during DevConnect Argentina.
Tai Ku's role: Event production, budget management, vendor coordination, media capture, partner coordination, guest experience curation
2025 · Buenos Aires, Argentina · 100+ people · Web3 & AI
Content challenge and rally with cash prizes for onchain content creation during DevConnect Argentina.
Tai Ku's role: Event production, content challenge design, prize coordination, media capture, participant engagement strategy
2026 · Boulder, CO · 50+ people · Web3 & AI
Incentivized content challenge during ETH Boulder with onchain submissions and cash prizes.
Tai Ku's role: Event production, content challenge design, budget management, vendor coordination, media capture, prize coordination
2026 · Denver, CO · 100+ people · Web3 & AI
Continued the incentivized onchain content creation model during ETH Denver 2026.
Tai Ku's role: Event production, content challenge design, budget management, vendor coordination, media capture, prize coordination
2025-Present · Atlanta, GA · Web3 & AI
A meme coin project focused on delivering financial literacy and crypto education to the Black community. For us, by us. Half ninja, half cowboy, 100% Black.
Tai Ku's role: GTM strategy consulting, brand strategy, IRL activation strategy, website design and development
2025 · Remote · Web3 & AI
Created a mindful wallet agent and submitted to Base Batches, exploring the intersection of AI agents and onchain user experience.
Tai Ku's role: Agent concept and development, Base Batches submission
2025 · New York, NY · Web3 & AI
Facilitated partnerships between Lil Nouns community and local NYC restaurants for the inaugural scavenger hunt during FarCon.
Tai Ku's role: Partner identification, venue scouting, community coordination, onchain governance support
2021 · New York, NY · Cannabis, Web3 & AI
Onchain proof of attendance at Happy Munkey's flagship NYC lounge. One of the earliest POAP drops inside a cannabis hospitality space, when most agencies still read NFTs as a PFP trend.
Tai Ku's role: Creative direction on the drop, POAP minting and technical deployment, distribution on-site to attendees
2022 · New York, NY · Cannabis, Web3 & AI
A collectible for Astor Club's 2-year milestone. Extended onchain identity into members-only cannabis hospitality two years before the category caught on.
Tai Ku's role: Creative direction, POAP issuance and technical deployment, client-side coordination on rollout
2022 · Webster Hall, New York, NY · Cannabis, Web3 & AI
Webster Hall takeover where the guest list walked out with a collectible. Part of a longer strategic play: introducing NFT infrastructure as community loyalty tooling for cannabis, back when that idea was still outside.
Tai Ku's role: POAP creative direction, minting and technical deployment, distribution coordination with the event team
2022 · New York, NY · Web3 & AI, Culture & Art
Our most widely distributed POAP to date. An art drop tied to The Hole gallery and Friends With Benefits' regenerative rave, minted to every attendee as a permanent record of the night.
Tai Ku's role: Creative direction, POAP platform operations, dispensing onchain to hundreds of attendees, partnership coordination across HOLE and FWB
2022 · Shopify NYC, New York, NY · Web3 & AI, Culture & Art
RhymeslikeDimez rebuilt his childhood bedroom inside Shopify NYC and livestreamed himself making animations from inside it, inviting artists who inspired him (Jeff Staple among them) to collaborate in the space. Two POAPs captured the run, one for the exhibition, one for the Seeing Sounds drop. Still one of the proudest visual moments in our POAP catalog.
Tai Ku's role: POAP design collaboration, minting and technical deployment for both drops, partner coordination across Black Flag NYC, Kristopher Kites, and Pudgy Penguins
2022 · New York, NY · Web3 & AI, Culture & Art
A remote-issued POAP for the Crypto Coven cosplay gathering. Translated witchy onchain identity into a shared IRL community artifact without needing our hands on the door.
Tai Ku's role: Creative direction, POAP minting and technical deployment, remote issuance to the Coven community
2022 · New York, NY · Web3 & AI, Culture & Art
A keepsake for the audience who showed up early to the Darris x Meta Teddys conversation on where music and onchain culture are headed. Issued remotely, handed to attendees through the partner team.
Tai Ku's role: POAP design input, minting and technical deployment, remote distribution through the partner team
2022 · New York, NY · Cannabis, Web3 & AI
Bridged cannabis ritual and onchain collectibles in one drop. Part of the broader campaign to pull the plant into Web3 tooling, and to pull Web3 into rooms that had never heard the acronym POAP.
Tai Ku's role: Creative direction, POAP minting and technical deployment, distribution coordination with the event team
2022 · New York, NY · Web3 & AI, Culture & Art
Funqest is a Harlem-based artist fusing street art with Japanese calligraphy, inventor of two techniques no one else paints with. 'No Limit Warriors' was his anime-inspired superhero exhibition. The POAP marked attendance onchain in a room most collectors didn't know they were supposed to be in.
Tai Ku's role: Creative direction on the drop, POAP minting and technical deployment, partner coordination with Funqest and the exhibition team
2024 · UIC Arena, Chicago, IL · 1,300+ people · Wrestling & Entertainment
Third installment of the wrestling x hip-hop concert series at Chicago's UIC Arena.
Tai Ku's role: Production assistance, talent coordination, day-of operations, load-in/load-out management
2024 · Center Stage, Atlanta, GA · 1,500+ people · Wrestling & Entertainment
Featuring Big Krit, Killer Mike, Westside Gunn, Smoke DZA, and The Hardy Brothers.
Tai Ku's role: Production assistance, talent coordination, day-of operations, load-in/load-out management
2025 · Austin, TX · 1,000+ people · Wrestling & Entertainment
Featuring Maxo Cream, Murda Mook, Westside Gunn, Smoke DZA, and The Hardy Brothers at SXSW.
Tai Ku's role: Production assistance, talent coordination, day-of operations, load-in/load-out management
2025 · Las Vegas, NV · 1,000+ people · Wrestling & Entertainment
Featuring Joey Badass, Michael Che, Flatbush Zombies, Westside Gunn during WrestleMania weekend.
Tai Ku's role: Production assistance, talent coordination, day-of operations, load-in/load-out management
2025 · Paris, France · 1,000+ people · Wrestling & Entertainment
Pray for Paris edition during Paris Fashion Week. International production with Joey Badass, Flatbush Zombies, Westside Gunn, and Nic Nemeth.
Tai Ku's role: Production assistance, international logistics, talent coordination, day-of operations, load-in/load-out management
2025 · Six Flags Great Adventure, NJ · 2,000+ people · Wrestling & Entertainment
Westside Gunn, Smoke DZA, and The Hardy Brothers at Six Flags Great Adventure.
Tai Ku's role: Production assistance, talent coordination, day-of operations, load-in/load-out management
2025 · Winston-Salem, NC · 1,000+ people · Wrestling & Entertainment
Tenth installment at Wrestlecade featuring Westside Gunn, Smoke DZA, and The Hardy Brothers.
Tai Ku's role: Production assistance, talent coordination, day-of operations, load-in/load-out management
2026 · 2300 Arena, Philadelphia, PA · 1,500+ people · Wrestling & Entertainment
Featuring Westside Gunn, Smoke DZA, The Hardy Brothers, Beanie Sigel, and DJ Drama.
Tai Ku's role: Production assistance, talent coordination, day-of operations, load-in/load-out management
2025 · Brooklyn, NY · 450+ people · Wrestling & Entertainment
Extreme Verbal Arts: a concert series fusing underground hip-hop with mainstream wrestling. Produced by 1000 Words and Rickey Gray, the night's lyrical battles and performances were captured and pressed to vinyl.
Tai Ku's role: Sponsorship strategy, deck development, vendor outreach, branded product sourcing, budget management
2024-Present · New York, NY · Food & Hospitality
Built social media presence to 53K Instagram followers and 250K TikTok likes through strategic influencer marketing and creator partnerships.
Tai Ku's role: Influencer strategy, marketing campaign management, influencer outreach, social media growth strategy, community building
2025-Present · New York, NY · Food & Hospitality
Grew social presence to 55K Instagram followers and 100K TikTok likes through targeted influencer marketing.
Tai Ku's role: Influencer strategy, marketing campaign management, influencer outreach, social media growth strategy, community building
2024 · New York, NY · 150+ people · Food & Hospitality
Intimate elevated dining experience with curated guest list, ticket sales strategy, and full media documentation.
Tai Ku's role: Event strategy, guest list curation, ticket sales, dinner promotion, media capture, influencer curation
2023 · Soho House, New York, NY · 125+ people · Culture & Art
Full-length interview production and media capture at Soho House New York.
Tai Ku's role: Media capture, interview coordination, video production
2025 · NYCC, New York, NY · Culture & Art
Full media capture for Phase Hero Podcast's Peacemaker finale screening and panel at New York Comic Con.
Tai Ku's role: Media capture, photography, video production, editing
2025 · NYCC, New York, NY · Culture & Art
Media capture for Phase Hero's coverage of Marvel TV's past and future plans panel.
Tai Ku's role: Media capture, photography, video production, editing
2025 · New York, NY · Culture & Art, Food & Hospitality
Month-long augmented reality art walk celebrating UN World Peace Day, driving foot traffic through tech-forward activation.
Tai Ku's role: Partnership coordination, activation strategy, vendor management, media coordination
2022 · New Collectors Gallery, New York, NY · Culture & Art, Web3 & AI
Educational workshops onboarding artists and collectors to Web3 fundamentals.
Tai Ku's role: Curriculum development, instructor delivery, artist and collector onboarding, POAP design
Tai Ku Labs is an IRL experience agency. We produce events, activations, and creative campaigns end to end: concept, venue, talent, logistics, day-of operations, content capture, and reporting. From 15-person chef dinners to 4,500-person festivals.
We specialize in spaces mainstream agencies struggle to navigate: cannabis (since 2016), Web3 and AI (since 2021), professional wrestling, food and hospitality, and art. If your brand needs to show up credibly in an emerging scene, that is our lane.
Every project is scoped individually. Budgets range from intimate curated dinners to festival-scale productions, and we have produced award-winning work at both ends. Tell us your goals and budget range and we will tell you honestly what is achievable.
Yes. We have produced in 16+ cities including Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Miami, Denver, Paris, Brussels, and Buenos Aires. International production is part of the practice, not an exception.
We live in the industries we serve. A decade on the ground in newly legal cannabis markets, onchain communities, and independent wrestling means we bring intel and relationships other agencies have to research from the outside.
Email info@tai-ku.com or use the contact form on this page. Share what you are building, rough timing, and a budget range if you have one. We respond quickly and will tell you fast whether we are the right fit.
Two-time Clio Award winner. Coverage and features:
Email: info@tai-ku.com