Words by Lara Gamble, a friend of ours who is a freelance writer for Brooklyn Radio and other publications.
As someone who really doesn’t know much about cars other than which ones I think look nicer than others, it was an interesting experience for me to attend the 2014 Nurotag Homecoming show at the Miami Airport Convention Center this past Sunday, August 31. It was cool to see so many well-maintained cars pull in to the space (and they looked even better against some that just didn’t belong there). I was able to get a few minutes with Javier Cardona, Nurotag’s Media and Public Relations Director, to find out more about Nurotag and its beginnings. Check out the interview below and then make sure you have a look at all the photos!
CC: Okay, Javi. How long has the Nurotag show been running?
Javi: Two years.
CC: And how long have you been with Nurotag?
Javi: For two and a half years. I started writing for the magazine originally. We had an online magazine at the time, and we were running it. We still do, but we’ve been active more in the car show aspect of it. But, it’s been around. We just did our first event in SoHo Studios, which is in Winwood, the art district. And from there, we did a garage format where it was a parking garage. And it was four floors filled with cars and music. And then we tried this year to come back and do it more in the warehouse type feeling of one floor.
CC: Do you like it in this setting more?
Javi: I do. The logistics are actually a lot harder of a parking garage – to make sure that everybody on every floor is doing what they should.
CC: So was Nurotag originally a magazine?
Javi: No, we started as a car show series. A lot of people don’t know that the founder actually had a run from here to Orlando and to Naples. It’s called the Gator Run. So Nurotag – he actually flipped Gator Run and made Nurotag, which is Gator Run spelled backwards.
CC: That’s amazing. I like that.
Javi: So, that’s where he got the name. He used the same concept, but he’s doing high-end cars now. He wanted to kind of start more of a lifestyle brand versus just a car show. That’s why we have bikes in there, some models. So, it’s more…you don’t really call it a car show. It is a car show series, but we try to incorporate a lifestyle.
CC: Is there an expected attendee list? As in, do you hope to see certain cars over others?
Javi: We appreciate all cars. My background is in high-end, exotic cars, and so is his. But we like all cars, appreciate all builds, as it is, bikes especially – we love it. But as far as people are concerned, we’re actually just looking for the local market. We want Nurotag to be a platform for local artists and stuff. In our first show, we had a graffiti artist paint a car, and we did it in Miami at Marlins Park. We had another artist come from Germany and paint a car there, too. We couldn’t do it in this one, but we’re doing it for ny/nj show, I believe.
CC: Do you know the furthest distance is that people have come from to attend?
Javi: I’ve seen someone who drove from Chicago here, and then they’re going to be at the one over there as well. So, you know. If there’s nothing better to do, you take a road trip.
CC: You guys were just on tour. How’d that go?
Javi: It was good. It’s rough at first – getting in places where not many people know who you are. But, it was a good way to get our brand out there to the West Coast.
CC: Which cities did you hit over there?
Javi: We had San Francisco and Los Angeles. San Francisco was my favorite.
CC: Is there anything else you want to add for those who might not be familiar with Nurotag?
Javi: At first, a lot of people see the chaos with Nurotag. We really just want everybody to have a good time, but it’s hard to be a small team and be everywhere.
CC: Everything to everyone.
Javi: Exactly. So, we want people to understand that we’re still a work in progress. As, always, you’re never perfect. But we want people to come out and have fun.
CC: Do you want to promote anything that might be coming up?
Javi: We have Virginia Beach coming up September 13 at the Virginia Beach Convention Center. And then, Ocotober 5 is New York. Well, New York/New Jersey, at the Meadowlands Expo Center. So, we’ll be over there October 5. That’s really it. As a brand, we look for people with sneakers and fashion to some extent. Hopefully we start incorporating more t-shirts and stuff people can actually wear and take with them to help get the name out there.
For more photos from the Nurotag Homecoming show, click Here