Beyond Infinite

(Published on Fashion 360 Magazine) 

Being creative and having the grit to work towards building your own dream company is a gene one has or does not possess. For Beyond 8 Founder Brittney Escovedo, this is an attribute her grandmother and mother possessed and had passed down to her. 

“My grandmother inspired me to be strong, to create opportunities for myself, to stay two steps ahead of the competition and to never give up,” Escovedo said. She then went on to explain how her grandmother was also an activist who spoke with immense pride and conviction when she used her voice to speak her truth.

“Her birthday was March 8th, she would have been 71 tomorrow,” Escovedo said. “International Women’s Day and Beyond 8’s '8' is from her bday. It represents that our capabilities are beyond infinite.”

When Escovedo was a young girl, she watched her mother run a company Escovedo said. Being able to witness her mother hard at work, this ultimately solidified the fact that she would be an entrepreneur when she was older. 

Prior to the creation of Beyond 8, Escovedo said she had worked as a producer, never a publicist. She worked at several PR firms such as Seventh House PR and Factory PR where she was the in-house producer- producing all of their retainer clients’ events Escovedo said.

Her time being a producer allowed her to curate the necessary skills she could take with her when it came time to create her own company. “I was finding my footing in New York, developing my confidence in event production and cultivating my relationships in a new city,” Escovedo said. 

            Besides gaining the necessary skills, she also gained important insight into what type of work environment she wanted to create that she had not experienced prior. She wanted to create a company that has a diverse and inclusive space where the staff feels appreciated and knows that their boss is rooting for them Escovedo said. 

            When there is a solid foundation laid down for staff, this then helps to translate to clients who are also able to feel that they are heard too. 

            “I hope my clients feel heard, that their vision came to life as they imagined, that the team was kind, creative, resourceful, paid attention to the small details that matter and did an overall kick-ass job,” Escovedo said. 

             Between Beyond 8’s authenticity and inclusion, this has allowed for endless success coming as the result. When asked about her favorite memory since starting her company, Escovedo said she had produced nearly every Pyer Moss show over the last five years but it was the show at Weeksville Heritage Center in September where she said she experienced a career-high. 

             “The history of the soil - the first freed slaves created their own community exactly where we stood, the concept of the show “Black Love,” the thought and consideration we put into every element of the show,” Escovedo said. “We hired black models, black PR agency, black stylist, black casting direction, black AV and lighting companies, black musical director and arranger, black choir, black musicians, black security guards, black wait staff, black staff, and the list goes on.”

Beyond 8 is more than a production company; it’s a group of people who work towards helping better their community. “We have the power to evoke change, to spend money in our community, to give opportunities to talented people in our community and it’s our responsibility to do that whenever we can- as often as possible,” Escovedo said.