RECIPROC8’s Block Party Activation
Community Activation Advisor • Creative Consultant
Overview
Advised on the community activation strategy for Reciproc8's presence at the Bailey's Café x STooPS block party in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn. Shaped the guest experience and creative direction across the Congreg8 hospitality tent, a block-wide scavenger hunt, and activation briefs for local businesses, artists, and vendors — all designed to move people through their neighborhood and into genuine connection with each other.
Emotional Intention
To make people feel like the community they've been looking for was already around them. Every touchpoint was designed to slow people down, spark curiosity, and invite a real question: what do I give back to the people around me?
Outcome
A fully documented creative direction built for independent execution by the on-site team that translated Reciproc8's mission of reciprocal exchange into a felt, lived block party experience.
Role
Community Activation Advisor & Creative Consultant
Services Provided
Guest experience and spatial narrative design
Congreg8 hospitality tent concept and experience brief
Block-wide scavenger hunt arc, narrative, and hint card creative direction
Activation briefs for local businesses across Creative, Builder, and Professional Service lanes
Nostalgia and atmosphere reference document
Bi-weekly alignment calls and final pre-event handoff
Main Takeaway
This project was a reminder that the most powerful activations can still be the result of simple execution, such as a puzzle that brings back childhood nostalgia, a scavenger hunt that guides you to local artists or business owners in the area. By collaborating with local businesses and vendors to design moments that went beyond the typical vendor table experience, the goal was to bring the actual meaning of reciprocation back to the block by engaging in simple details and conversation starters that challenged attendees to think of their own contributions.
The Chowdhury’s Multicultural Wedding
Experiential Design Creative Director
Overview
Designed the intentional moments, details, and activations for Orle and Twesh's multicultural wedding weekend — a Bengali American and Haitian American love story celebrated across two days at Johnson's Locust Hall Farm in New Jersey. Working from a deep story excavation process, the creative direction translated the couple's individual childhoods, cultural heritages, and shared values into a fully felt guest experience — from the sensory details of the space to the participatory moments woven throughout the day.
Emotional Intention
Orle and Twesh didn't grow up with their cultures handed to them whole. They both had to search for what their heritage meant to them personally. The goal was to honor that journey by making their two worlds feel like one cohesive story. Every detail was designed so that guests could feel personally considered, culturally seen, and genuinely included in the story of how Orle and Twesh found cultural identity through community, and how they envision honoring that in their next chapter.
Outcome
A two-day wedding weekend where every touchpoint — the fruit bowl on the dining table, the incense in the air, the dreams guests wrote and released into water, the Bengali and Haitian translations shown side by side — told the story of how culture is not only something we inherit, it's something we nurture together through community.
Role
Experiential design & creative direction
Services Provided
Story excavation — deep interview process pulling from both of their childhoods, memories, cultural backgrounds, and relationship
Sensory environment design across visual, sound, and aroma — translating childhood memories into physical details guests could see, smell, and feel
Cultural moment and activation design across both days — pre-wedding dinner, ceremony, cocktail hour, and reception
Community and connection activations — guest prompts, dream-sharing station, prayer book, table question prompts, and sweet exchange
Visual storytelling details — childhood memory tablescapes, dining table filled with both cultures' artifacts, lit pathway with words of love in English and Haitian Creole, "window" frames into each other's worlds
Trilingual signage and menu translation across English, Haitian Creole, and Bengali
Main Takeaway
This was the most personal and meaningful project I've taken on with Held Here. It asked me to do something I love most — listen deeply, excavate story, and translate what I find into something people can actually feel. Orle and Twesh gave me access to their most intimate memories and trusted me to hold them with care. The lesson I'll carry forward is that the most powerful design isn't about grand aesthetics of picture-perfect moments, but about emphasizing specificity — ensuring that their wedding isn’t just a celebration but a significant union of cultures and birth of a new kind of community.
Rekindle by Millie Gibson — Music Visualizer
Creative Direction • Visual Storytelling
Overview
A short-form visual companion to Millie Gibson's single, Rekindle. The brief was simple: translate the emotional world of the song into a series of intimate visual moments. Shot on iPhone at Prospect Park, Brooklyn, in one location over a single golden hour shoot.
Emotional Intention
To build a visual world that the song already embodied — feelings of warmth, unhurried-ness, and honesty. The concept centered on return: returning to yourself, to the earth, to something may have always been waiting. Every image was built around soft vignettes, natural light, and the quiet gesture of .
Outcome
Together we established the cultural foundation for Reciproc8’s community: clarifying its language, participation norms, and activation formats. Early community gatherings and skill-sharing moments helped test how people engage with reciprocity in practice, generating insights that informed both community strategy and product direction.
Role
Creative Director & Videographer
Services Provided
Concept development rooted in the emotional world of the song
Creative discovery questionnaire to excavate meaning and visual direction
Mood, color, and location direction
On-set creative direction and shot planning
On-location filming (iPhone)
Main Takeaway
This project confirmed that a big part of what I do is take the emotional core of someone's story and find the visual language to match it. Working within the constraints of a short-form format, one location, and a tight timeline pushed me to be more intentional about every choice. It's made me more confident about pursuing creative direction as a deliberate offering within Held Here.
“Mai understood [the vision I had for ‘Rekindle’] really well. She was able to take something that was very internal and emotional for me and translate it into something visual without making it feel overly polished or disconnected from the heart of the song.”
— Millie Gibson, artist & musician
Full Crate Kitchen: An Intimate Dinner & Live Listening Event
Experiential Design • Community Strategy • Immersive Storytelling
Overview
Full Crate Kitchen partnered with Held Here to design an intimate dinner and live listening experience built around AURA's debut EP, "are you up?" The evening brought together 20 guests at Rosa in Williamsburg for a four-course meal designed to mirror the emotional arc of the EP — using food as the primary sensory driver that made guests available to music, story, and each other.
Emotional Intention
To create the conditions for genuine presence. Each course was mapped to a chapter of AURA's creative evolution — from tension and late-night longing to release and arrival. The goal was not to explain the music but to let guests feel their way into it, so that by the time AURA performed, the room was already open and personally reflective.
Outcome
The evening functioned as both a cultural event and a proof of concept: that food, music, and intentional space design can work together to produce connection that a standard listening party or dinner alone cannot. Guests left having experienced the EP not as an audience, but as participants in the overall creative journey.
Role
Community Strategy Consultant • Experiential Designer • Creative Director • Narrative Producer
Services Provided
Thematic framework development mapping AURA's EP arc to four courses
Dish naming and inspiration copy rooted in lyric and emotional texture
Full run of show and event architecture
Collateral design: tasting notes booklets, fortune teller menu, conversation cards, affirmation spoon tags, artist bookmarks
Floral, tablescape, and spatial design direction
Facilitation and moderation of the live listening session
Storytelling strategy and artist interview framework
Main Takeaway
The most powerful listening experiences don't begin with the music, they begin with the body. When guests are fed, held, and gently guided into presence through sensory experience, they become genuinely available to storytelling. This event was designed around that belief: that food is emotional architecture, and that the right sequence of sensation can open a room in ways that performance alone cannot. This is the work Held Here brings to every experiential design and community strategy engagement — the belief that presence is thoughtfully designed so that every person walks away reflecting on their own creative journeys.
RECIPROC8’s Community Strategy
Community Strategy • Cultural Foundations
Overview
Reciproc8 is a community-centered platform designed to help people exchange skills, time, and resources outside of traditional monetary systems. The founder partnered with Held Here to clarify the cultural vision of the platform and shape how reciprocity, mutual aid, and skill-sharing could be experienced both online and in real life.
Emotional Intention
The goal was to shift the perception of “bartering” away from transactions and toward something more relational and human. This work centered on helping people see that what they already know, create, and care about has value — and that community exchange can be rooted in curiosity, generosity, and mutual support rather than obligation.
Outcome
Together we established the cultural foundation for Reciproc8’s community: clarifying its language, participation norms, and activation formats. Early community gatherings and skill-sharing moments helped test how people engage with reciprocity in practice, generating insights that informed both community strategy and product direction.
Role
Community Strategist & Consultant
Services Provided
Community strategy & cultural framework development
Narrative positioning around reciprocity and exchange
Early adopter insights synthesis and strategic recommendations
Community activation design (skill-sharing gatherings, workshops, social exchanges)
Community Champions program concepting
Storytelling frameworks for community participation and exchanges
World-building language for prompts, social content, and events
Feedback loops to translate real user experiences into product and community insights
Main Takeaway
Rather than centering community around user acquisition, this work focused on uncovering the deeper cultural meaning of bartering and reciprocity. By building a shared language and experiences around those values first, the community could develop trust, curiosity, and understanding—creating a stronger foundation for participation than growth tactics alone.
“When I announced Reciproc8 back in September, my focus was app first, community second. However, working with Held Here made me realize that community comes first, app second. Being able to meet and speak with people who already have the language of bartering/mutual exchange and providing them with the infrastructure/platform is slower, but it resonates more.”
— Jonathan, Founder of Reciproc8
FIRST PITCH The First Course Intimate Dinner
Experiential Design • Community Activation
Overview
Held Here partnered with First Pitch to design an intimate dinner experience celebrating emerging creators of color during Black History Month. The evening was envisioned as a reflective, story-centered environment where each guest could feel seen, honored, and connected to the larger narrative of creative legacy.
Emotional Intention
To create a sense of recognition, reflection, and possibility for the creators in the room. Rather than centering traditional networking dynamics, the evening focused on honoring the personal journeys behind each creative voice. Every design detail — from the dinner table decor to the personalized storytelling pieces — was intended to help guests feel seen and celebrated within a larger narrative of collective growth. The space encouraged creators to pause, reflect on how far they’ve come, and connect with others through shared experiences, leaving the room feeling both grounded in their story and inspired for what lies ahead.
Outcome
The event successfully created a warm, intimate environment where creators, founders, and brand partners could engage in meaningful conversation and reflection. Guests described the experience as thoughtful, affirming, and emotionally resonant, with several noting how rare it is to attend an industry event that prioritizes genuine connection over traditional networking.
Role
Experiential Designer · Creative Director · Narrative Producer
Services Provided
Experiential concept development & narrative spatial design
Handcrafted narrative artifacts including creator mini-zines, affirmation ribbon installation, and gallery storytelling elements
Community engagement strategy including guided conversation prompts and custom yearbook activation
Portrait studio creative direction
Brand integration strategy
Main Takeaway
The most powerful experiences don't just bring people together — they make people feel genuinely seen within the gathering. Belonging has to be intentionally designed, not assumed. My work is rooted in the belief that the best experiential design goes beyond aesthetics; it creates the conditions for real vulnerability, and vulnerability is what produces connection that outlasts the event itself.
“Mai executes to perfection. It was so refreshing to be able to trust that she cared about this moment just as much as we did. I’m putting her name next to community. She is one of the few that actually understands not only what it looks like but what it feels like.”
— Gabrielle, Co-Founder of First Pitch
“ARE YOU UP?” Listening Party
Experiential Design • Community Activation • Immersive Storytelling
Overview
Held Here collaborated with Jess to craft an immersive listening experience for Jess’s debut EP. Designed as an intimate and cinematic gathering, this event invited guests to slow down, listen deeply, and experience the EP as a living narrative — combining music, storytelling, and emotional reflection in a community setting.
Emotional Intention
To create a space that mirrors the emotional arc of the EP. From insomnia and inner tension to peace and release, the decor & designs invited vulnerability and presence that encouraged guests to engage not just with the music, but with their own inner dream worlds.
Outcome
The experience honored the EP’s creative arc, not as a performance, but as a shared visual & auditory story. Guests moved through the space as both audience and participant, engaging with activations that prompted late-night reflection, emotional resonance, and deeper connection to the music and the artist. The event also yielded a content ecosystem and keepsake materials that extended the EP’s impact far beyond one night.
Role
Experiential Designer • Creative Director · Narrative Producer
Services Provided
Immersive experience design centered on listening and storytelling
Visual & sound design ideation in collaboration with venue
Reflective writing activities & private listening booth
Lyric visual displays & ambient installations
Content and takeaway design (listening prompt cards, custom merch, photo tickets)
Community engagement strategy pre/during/post event
“[Mai] brought a rare combination of relational depth, intuition, creativity, and care. She understood my vision [for the event] on a deeper level and translated it into an experience that felt personal, immersive, and intentional. Her presence made the process feel collaborative and grounded, and she consistently brought the kind of thoughtfulness and sensitivity that cannot be captured in a typical deliverable.”
— Jess (AURA), singer/songwriter
FIRST PITCH Creators Community Event
Experiential Design • Community Activation
Overview
First Pitch hosted its inaugural networking event with the goal of creating a welcoming and intentional space where creators and industry professionals could engage in meaningful conversation and community. The event was designed to move beyond surface-level interaction, encouraging connection, trust, and mutual growth.
Emotional Intention
To reimagine what networking could feel like that is less transactional, and more human. The goal was to foster genuine dialogue and affirm creators as essential contributors to the industry’s future. Every interaction was designed to feel supportive, thoughtful, and connective.
Outcome
The event positioned First Pitch as a trusted and emotionally resonant force within the creator economy. Attendees left feeling seen, celebrated, and inspired. The experience also yielded evergreen tools—like the conversation cards and creator yearbook—that can be carried into future programming.
Role
Experiential Designer · Creative Director · Narrative Producer
Services Provided
Community experience concepting & spatial design
“Soar With Us” creator manifestation installation
Cohort gallery wall to highlight First Pitch’s current creators
First Pitch conversation card prompts (for deeper dialogue)
Content creation corner for organic brand engagement
Documentary-style storytelling: FP Yearbook, testimonial wall
“Mai heard our story and used it to carefully curate each activation that our guests were able to engage with in real time. From our manifestation corner to our yearbook and our conversation cards, her services allowed us to see our vision come to life so effortlessly.”
— Founders of First Pitch
TRAN’S STORY Visual Narrative
Visual Storytelling
Overview
Originally conceived as a graduation shoot, this project evolved into a deeper exploration of Tran’s journey that honored not just her PhD, but the emotional and personal transitions that paralleled it. Designed and directed by Held Here, the shoot became a visual archive of her becoming beyond academic milestones
Emotional Intention
To visually affirm that transformation is nonlinear, tender, and often quiet. This wasn’t about capturing a “grad photo” but more significantly, about making space for reflection, for holding complexity, and for reclaiming authorship over one’s narrative.
Outcome
The result is not just a portrait series but a visual narrative of becoming. Rooted in care, reflection, and identity, this project celebrates the soft, powerful truth that growth happens in the everyday. These images now live on as a living archive of self, held through film.
Role
Photographer · Creative Director · Personal Story Consultant
Services Provided
Creative concept development
Pre-shoot narrative conversation to understand personal history
On-site documentary portraiture
Visual storytelling with emphasis on legacy and emotional texture
Curated selects & sequencing for narrative cohesion
“Held Here produces a feeling, one that lingers well after the story itself. This is the kind of work that reminds the reader of the human behind every story, and Held Here's work honors that, with truth and precision.”
— Tran Hoang