Alex Proud | Shares His Business Inspirations | United Kingdom
Alex Proud | Art collector, Serial Entrepreneur and Founder of the Proud Group, speaks about what inspires him in business |
Alex Proud, CEO Founder of the Proud Group of venues talks about what inspires him. Alex Proud has always been inspired by what looks fun, or interesting. He looks for what hasn’t been done, and what he feels should be done and that singular focus has lead him to cross art forms and genres and has led to several reinventions.
Alex Proud came to fame with the Proud photographic gallery where he decided to focus uniquely on rock photography because in his words:
“there were all these incredible archives of work from rock and roll history and no-one was celebrating the photographers, and I thought ‘Why not?!”.
Proud gained a reputation for being ‘really good’ and ‘really cool’ - but Alex insists that his motivation was always born from a genuine love of the work and clearly a burning desire for novelty and intellectual challenge. Alex Proud jumped from art collector to cabaret club owner over a decade ago when he opened Proud Cabaret. Alex says that he recognised that there was a largely forgotten art in cabaret and burlesque that had lost its audience in London, and he thought:
“this is something unique and it deserves a platform. I guess, my inspiration is a moveable feast, it’s art, creativity, it’s London itself.”
More recently, Alex Proud was forced to reinvent his business again when he lost the lease on his infamous music venue and the heartland of London’s most rock and roll bands: Proud Camden but he count opening his new flagship West End venue, Proud Embankment as his proudest moment yet. “It was the hardest, and boldest move we’ve made so far. It took real guts from everyone in the business. We were established at Proud Camden, the heart and soul of a local and loyal community and we had to move our base to the centre of London, the most competitive city for the nightlife industry, where a new concept opens every week. As a group, we had to learn fast, and we have only grown stronger because of it. I’m so proud of what we’ve achieved at this amazing and truly iconic venue: a superclub on the bank of the Thame, with a double height atrium for jaw-dropping circus cabaret stunts, and a massive 750 capacity for unforgettable parties and club events. There’s honestly nothing like it in London.
Alex Proud feels that the essential component to the Proud Group’s success is that they never stand still:
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