Within the last three years, Sheesh Media has become a staple in the up-and-coming Pop, R&B, and Hip-Hop scene. Headed by best friends Noah Schwartz and Perry Avgerinos, the two have weathered many storms together including a battle with cancer and Covid-19. However, through all of it, Sheesh has continued to build toward being one of the premier platforms for music discovery out right now.
Here’s their story:
How did you guys meet?
We met on a spring break trip in 2018 in Bimini, Bahamas. Going to the same university it was kind of odd that we didn’t already know each other given the student body at University of Miami isn’t super big, but that’s when we originally met. The first time we met it wasn’t anything related to business. We were just two college students having a good time on our spring break. Little did we know that was the very beginning of our friendship.
When did y’all start sheesh and how did you think of the name?
We started Sheesh in 2019. Both of us were doing a summer internship for a startup in the music industry and decided that we wanted to start something up ourselves. Already working together and being best friends, we felt confident that this was something we wanted to pursue. At the very beginning, we were still college students at the University of Miami and didn’t necessarily have a clear vision for where we wanted to take Sheesh but knew we had a passion for music, artist discovery, and live events so we worked around that. During our college days, we always found ourselves saying “sheesh” a ton and it kind of became our thing and then people at our school also started saying it. Note, this was before the trend on TikTok but when we started brainstorming names for our company during the middle of summer 2019, Sheesh was the first thing that came to mind and we ran with it.
How did it start?
Perry: Before being in that office for our internship and deciding to start Sheesh, it really started to formulate a summer prior. After spring semester (2018) when we met, going into that summer, Noah had a passion for event planning as he was the social chair for his fraternity and had an interest in doing his own events and possibly becoming a DJ. I (Perry) at the time was already DJing and producing music. Noah noticed that it would be easier to get involved on the business side instead of learning how to DJ/Produce and reached out to see if he could be my manager. Long story short, Noah ended up managing me, and together we put out original music, secured DJ residencies in Miami, and threw shows with booking talent and having me directly open for the headliner. This was a good proof of concept that we worked well together and both had similar interests. So that entire year we did shows and dropped music and then lived together in a studio apartment in NYC where we slept on air mattresses, did our internships, and then began working on Sheesh towards the end of that summer once the vision started coming to life.
Who were the first artists that y’all covered who really took off?
Noah: There are so many artists that we’ve covered throughout the years. We really take pride in our artist discovery, so every day we’re finding new talent that excites us. With that being said, I’d say Anees and ASTN are two artists that have definitely taken things to the next level recently that we covered early on. We got the chance to sit down with both of them and do an interview this year which was a super cool moment for us.
What was the first big challenge that you guys encountered?
Noah: I would say the biggest challenge we faced was not being in the same room. From 2020 up until our recent move to LA in 2022 it was difficult working remote from different states. Although, we were able to get on a routine and be as productive as possible during that time frame. There have been a lot of challenges throughout the few years of starting Sheesh up but we embrace the challenge. How can you grow when you don’t face challenges?
I saw that you guys were gonna move to LA and then Noah, unfortunately, got cancer. What was that period like for you Perry & what was it like for Noah?
Perry: It was honestly scary and stressful. With how fast everything happened, my main focus was on my best friend’s health which was extremely uncertain, and as weeks went by with Noah still in a medically-induced coma, it was hard to stay positive at times. I started to feel like we were really being tested. I was forced to step up and take full control, and eventually, my mindset shifted and I felt I had no choice but to keep moving forward with what I could control, keep Sheesh going, and I knew Noah would have done the same if I was in his position. Thankfully he made it out okay and now looking back, things really just happened for a reason.
Noah: For me, it all happened so fast so I wasn’t really able to process everything until after the fact but it was an extremely difficult time for me. I knew Perry was stepping up and handling business while I was recovering from being sick. It was hard knowing there was nothing I could do for a few months but most important was my health and fighting the situation at hand. I stayed optimistic and knew things would get better over time and we’d eventually be able to move out to LA and work on Sheesh full-time which is what we’re doing right now.
What kept both of you going during that time?
Perry: A lot kept us going during that time. Noah almost losing his life and then being able to get back on his feet to continue working on Sheesh after recovering was all the motivation in the world that we needed to keep moving forward. Life will throw curveballs and this was one of those situations for us. Life continues and we’re both thankfully healthy and hungrier than ever.
What does Sheesh bring to the table that no other platform has?
We feel like Sheesh brings a lot to the table. Ranging from the different genres we cover/our overall music taste, the content we curate, and how we’re able to bring people together with our events. We recently did our first official showcase in Los Angeles where we booked Unusual Demont, Johan Lenox, Arden Jones, Hans Williams, and Noah Guy. Many more shows on the way. There is honestly a lot more to Sheesh that is still unknown to the public that we’ll slowly be rolling out this year and for years to come.
What do you guys look for in artists that you’re posting & supporting?
It mainly boils down to the music. If we’re constantly running up your records and taking a liking to you, we’re definitely going to do anything in our power to put you on in some capacity.
How are you guys looking to expand the platform?
A big focus for us right now is original video content and showcases. We see that really taking things to the next level for us in 2022.
What is a piece of advice you’d give your past self about running a platform and 1 piece abt life in general?
Noah: Something we’d tell ourselves in the past is that it’s extremely important to not get down on yourself during the process of building your own platform and accept the small W’s along the way. It really takes time to build something special.
Perry: Life advice would be to not take things too seriously. It’s really not that deep. Everyday is a new day and you just have to be thankful for what you’ve got and what’s in front of you. We’re all victims of getting sucked into social media, especially when running a media company, but it’s important to work on yourself and not get caught up with the little things that may frustrate you.
What’s been the most rewarding moment when it comes to the growth of this platform?
Connections. We’ve been providing value to artists and their teams for years now without asking for much in return. The people we have met throughout the process have been a huge part of our journey and we’re just excited to grow with the people around us.
