We applied for the WeWork Creator Awards, specifically pitching an idea that we thought could win the launch category. We had the chance to win a $72k-$180k grant!

How amazing is that!? If you haven’t heard, WeWork has committed $20M to empower creators globally.

We put ourselves out there. We were ambitious. We brought forward a big idea….

And…. we lost. (Cue the sad music.)

Not only did we lose, but we weren’t even chosen as finalists to get the chance to speak at ACL Live in Austin, TX. And, if you haven’t been there, it’s such a cool venue!

But hey, THAT’S OK!

BTW. We still went to the Creator Awards here in Austin, TX. And it was a total blast!!

So, why do we think we lost?

Simple. We could have executed our idea better. Check out our submission video to see what I mean. Could have been better, right??

We tried hard to explain the idea of a future we want to build. But I’m not so sure we communicated it well enough. Based on our current workflow and people’s schedules, we ended up waiting until the day of the deadline to write up our idea, shoot, and edit the video. We submitted it at 10:47 PM. 1 hour and 13 minutes before the deadline. EEK!! Not a good idea!

The other reason we think we weren’t picked is that our idea wasn’t community focused enough. At least, not compared to the winner. Check out the winner’s idea! Sooo. goood!

Congrats to Deven Hariyani with Kwaddle. We are so excited for you. Like seriously, this is a game changer. To get that kind of funding, to promote a novel idea… what an accomplishment.

We’re definitely envious! 🙂 And we’ll be back again next year!

How do we feel about next year?

If WeWork decides to commit another $20M next year, we’re definitely competing again. This time, we’re going to be more prepared, create a well-rounded idea and take more consideration on how the community can benefit from our mission.

So, we will definitely need to adjust our initial concept. And possibly our mission.

We still feel EMPOWERED! We are ready to ignite change and cut through the clutter of the digital industry. Even though technology is growing at an unprecedented rate, we’re struggling as a society to keep up and use it to the best of its ability.

And even moreso, there’s a growing disconnect between businesses and technology. For example, business owners constantly tell us the difficulty in understanding how the digital landscape is really changing their company.

How is WeWork Changing our Business?

Get ready, WeWork, because we’re applying again for next year’s Creator Awards. And it’s going to be better than ever!

WeWork provides a funding solution for emerging artists and entrepreneurs. They are making dreams a reality for innovators all over the world.

As an innovative company with a strong passion for what we do, this is beyond exciting! Resources like what WeWork provides are what push things out into the market.

We feel like our voice can be heard through WeWork and we can be a part of something bigger than ourselves!

The moral of this blog post and one of my favorite quotes… “Don’t let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game.” – Babe Ruth

And that’s exactly what Blackhawk Digital Marketing plans on doing.

THANK YOU, WeWork!!