Today we’d like to introduce you to Ray Plancarte, Elihu Velez and Jimbo Herrera.
For a few years, Ray Plancarte has been promoting and hosting small art and music events around east and downtown Houston. Ray’s vision has always been to promote new local artists, musicians, creatives and provide them with a platform where they can showcase their talent. It is very difficult to provide this kind of very welcoming platform without a permanent venue and the proper resources. Fortunately, with the help of friends, family, and investors, Ray started the Inside Out Venue project in the summer of 2018 along with his cousin and business partner, Elihu Velez, and it officially opened its doors in March 2019.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Starting a business such as an art and music venue from the ground up has definitely been very challenging. We were working on a very limited budget to get the doors opened therefore, much of the labor of getting the venue ready came from our small team of friends and family. Also, probably the most difficult process has been figuring out our identity as an art and music venue in the outskirt of the Houston inner loop. We’re still figuring things out along the way but, thanks to the artists, musicians, and vendors we’ve worked within the short amount of time we’ve been open, we’re starting to feel like we’re headed in the right direction.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Inside Out Venue story. Tell us more about the business.
Inside Out Venue provides a new platform for local artists, musicians, creatives, and more. Our goal is to provide the Houston creative talent space where they can freely express themselves, develop connections, promote collaboration. The shows we host and promote are very diverse that range from art shows, live music, DJ, comedy, to indoor vendor markets.
We believe that what makes us unique is how welcoming we are to the ideas and needs of the people we work with and how much we invest ourselves in the process of creating quality shows and events. Not all artists, musicians, content creators are on the same level as far as experience and resources therefore, regardless of who they are, we try to help them build their ideas, add value, and see them come in to fruition.
Also, we want to provide the southeast side of Houston and the surrounding communities easier access to live, interactive shows and performances without having to travel further into the city.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
Just like with everything, we felt that we’ve been hit with good and bad luck throughout this process. But, we feel very fortunate to have come this far in the process. Perhaps we owe it to chance and luck that we were able to acquire the venue and business we have which is a whole story in itself haha.
Contact Info:
- Address: 4108 Weslow St. Houston, TX 77087
- Website: www.insideouthtx.com
- Email: media@insideouthtx.com
- Instagram: @insideouthtx
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/insideouthtx/
Image Credit:
Jimbo Herrera, Jorge Aguilar
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