Luke Hodson

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http://www.urbannerdscollective.com

I’m Luke Hodson, founder of Urban Nerds Collective - Youth Marketing Agency, born out of London’s freshest urban lifestyle brand, Urban Nerds, a family of creatives, established in East London in 2007, on the streets, in clubs, on t-shirts and online.

Our mission started by helping to break music scenes, blending underground genres through a series of live shows in gritty clubs and warehouses, playing host to the likes of Katy B, Tinchy Stryder and Professor Green early on in their careers whilst launching the Urban Nerds clothing label centered around the iconic bandana and sunglass clad logo.

Through an exciting journey that’s seen Urban Nerds dance stages and parties pop-up everywhere from Glastonbury to the slopes of the Austrian Alps, the shores of Croatia and back to the underground caverns of London’s Fabric, we’ve forged a collective dedicated to positively representing today's 18 – 24 British Youth.

In 2012 we started to open-up the Urban Nerds online hub, spreading our wings to welcome aboard like-minded brands with a shared desire to champion fresh, young talent and street culture, creating an agency that’s well, not quite an agency...it’s experiential but the Urban Nerds way.

Converse were one of the first brands to really understand our mission to support Britain's urban underground movement, meaning that when we were approached to help drive last year’s Block Party campaign, the brand welcomed the opportunity to pull together a unique set of pioneering British rappers and MCs, giving the audience one of the most exciting grime and UK rap showcases assembled in London for a few years in the bunker like surroundings of the Waterloo Tunnels.

Urban Nerds began showcasing grime at an early stage, which was challenging due to its negative stigma at the time, so we were proud to be able to champion the original music we love and offer the likes of Converse the authentic London sound.

As we continue to drive and represent the very best of British urban culture, 2013 marks the launch of the Urban Nerds creative agency, providing brands with the opportunity to form a credible relationship with youth audiences through exciting experiences. We’ve already lined-up some unique partnerships and are on the look out for urbanite brands that are ready to take the plunge and deliver their audience a slice of the real underground.