Ensemble
The creator and culture practice inside Hoorae Media. We pair brands with the talent, formats, and storytelling that earn attention instead of buying it.
Media & entertainment
New York City
Ian Schafer
Two decades spent building at the seam where creators, brands, and culture meet. Today I co-lead Ensemble, the strategy and creator engine inside Issa Rae's Hoorae Media, helping companies show up in culture in a way people actually want to watch.
What I'm building now
Lo Kee
A hospitality and events venture built on the conviction that the best brand moments happen in real rooms, around a table, in person.
Where I spend my time
Creators
Treating creators as the new media companies they are - building the deals, content, and infrastructure that let their work scale.
Brand partnerships
Connecting marketers to culture with strategy that respects the audience, so the partnership feels like the point, not the interruption.
Media & entertainment
Reading where attention is heading next and helping legacy brands and new platforms meet it there before everyone else does.
The arc
Ensemble (Hoorae Media)
Co-Founder & President
Built the creator and brand-strategy arm of Issa Rae's media company from the ground up.
Lo Kee
Co-Founder
Hospitality and events, bringing partnerships off the screen and into the room.
Deep Focus
Founder & Chairman
One of the first agencies built for the social and digital era - acquired and scaled into a global shop.
Beyond the day job
Board Member, Rialto Center for Creativity
Backing the institutions and education that grow the next generation of creative talent.
Speaker & commentator
A recurring voice on stages and in the press on the creator economy, the future of advertising, and how brands earn a place in culture.
Contact
Building something at the edge of culture?
If it touches creators, brand partnerships, or media, I'd like to hear about it.