Prototype Issue
The High Cost of Cool
By Dara Coye
(page 1 of 1)Bee Nguyen is cooler than you, and for $5,000 an hour he’ll prove it. Nguyen (pronounced Win), 32, is founder and CEO of Grand Tactics, a business-consulting firm based in downtown LA.
His office, like him, straddles a fine line between slick and substantial urban cool and big business. His whole package exudes a certain self-made edginess, with his tatted arms, iced-diamond grill and easy colloquial slang. And yet when it comes to business, Nguyen speaks softly and carries a big stick, a flawlessly articulate stick worth its weight in pop culture gold.
Born in Saigon and raised in Hawthorne, Nguyen has become the quintessential youth-culture specialist. He is pursued by the Fortune 500. If urban culture is the primary influence of pop culture, then Nguyen’s street acumen goes for a premium. But the true secret to Nguyen’s success is sort of enigmatic.
It’s one thing to be an influential trendsetter, but it’s another thing entirely to be a well-calculated brand. After all, if every hipster hanging on a VIP line knew how to profit from his swagger, Nguyen wouldn’t be in such high demand.
After graduating from U.C. Santa Barbara in 1997 with a degree in film, Nguyen landed an internship at Loud Records. Working under music mogul Steve Rifkin, Nguyen soon honed his passion for hip-hop into a marketing gig. As director of marketing for Loud Records’ sister company, SRC, Nguyen was one of the first to introduce corporate America (Adidas, New Line Cinema and Pepsi) to a burgeoning youth culture largely influenced by hip-hop and urban sensibilities.
Careerwise, Nguyen’s corporate involvement culminated at Nike, where he was responsible for brand marketing for the entire LA region. In the end, however, the slow grind of implementing the ever-evolving urban culture to a global economy resulted in Nguyen launching Grand Tactics in 2003.
Nguyen’s business dealings are just as extensive as his social obligations. Grand Tactics, Nguyen’s self-described “baby,” is part consulting firm, part clothing line and part production company and music label. Nguyen’s got what it takes to make just about anything look cool enough to replicate.
And since he’s also the go-to guy for nightly goings on around town, his form and function will always converge after hours. But you won’t find him throwing back well drinks at the local watering hole or waiting in long club lines. And he wouldn’t even bother stepping into a club that doesn’t have table service. So the question remains: How does someone so invested in the high life consistently have his finger on the pulse of urban youth?
Organically, Nguyen’s business model makes perfect sense: We all want what the cool kids got first. This “macrobiotic marketing” is a trickle-down theory that disseminates products and brands from the top to the masses. Nguyen doesn’t have to know what the kids want, because if he has it, they’ll want it soon enough. Intuitively, Nguyen’s as business savvy as they come. He summed up his mystique: “It makes perfect sense, but not everyone can do it.”
wow Posted by weezy 388 days ago
I never knew that you could have a career in just being cool, I guess this guy is living proof!! must be nice to do what you love, Im glad there is hope for all of us....
thoughts about this Posted by eoj 193 days ago
Like the latest trends "cool" is fleeting, its also subjective. Cool for Nguyen.
Discussion