Stephen Orso is the embodiment of hustle. When everyone bobs, Stephen weaves. The investor, entrepreneur has never been one to take the traditional route. As early as high school, Stephen was involved in various entrepreneurial endeavors. In high school, Stephen started a high end sports memorabilia company; he used drop shipping and online marketing techniques before they were popularized in order to make over 200K before he graduated. At the young age of 17, Stephen illustrated that he was a force to be reckoned with by negotiating a deal with one of the largest sports memorabilia dealers in the world, JL Sports.
Beyond the fact that Stephen was on the front end of some of the most useful internet era sales techniques Stephen has always shown an ability to adapt and adjust. Growing up, Stephen was a baseball phenom, mastering the notoriously complicated knuckleball at a young age. Stephen's unique talent secured him personal training sessions with knuckleball great RA Dickey as well as a spot on the University of Maryland's Division 1 baseball team. Despite this great opportunity, Stephen saw a larger opportunity off the field. At the young age of 19 Stephen decided to forgo his baseball destiny and move back to NYC so he could pursue business opportunities while going to school; hardly a decision any regular teenager would make.
Stephen started his own events management company and began partnering with prestigious clubs and restaurants all over the city. Before he was even 20 years old, Stephen solidified his brand as an essential NYC tastemaker, making a small fortune while doing so. During this time Stephen worked with Cipriani, 1 Oak Night Club, Tao Group, Marquee Night Club, Catch Restaurant & Club, and many more elite New York City brands. Not only did Stephen take a risk by leaving a D1 scholarship on the table, but he also personally built a successful event management business from the ground up with no support or safety net.
Despite two early business successes, Stephen did not remain complacent. Stephen leveraged his newfound network and legitimacy to into the independent music industry. Investing his own money, Stephen began discovering and helping artists develop their sound, pay for costs, and market their music. Stephen's propensity to bet on himself paid off yet again. Stephen's bullish attitude towards risk, knowledge of online marketing, and access to elite NYC social networks gave him a unique ability to provide value in every aspect of an artist's creative and business process. After solidifying his success helping blow up Bryson Tiller (some of Tiller's classic freshman album TrapSoul was recorded in Stephen's house), Stephen started his own Record label and A&R Company Loyalty Records. With a unique roster of artists Stephen has found early business success with Hip-Hop/Rap and R&B super producer KBeazy.
When asked about the current climate and his next moves, Stephen responded, "you have to be able to find the opportunity in every situation, good or bad. Right now our artists have the ability to develop a closer relationship with their fans through social media, particularly streaming features and services IG Live, Twitch, and Periscope." Beyond trying to find the diamond in the rough for his record label during the Covid-19 Pandemic, Stephen is, of course, doing the same in his personal life. It has been reported that, in the ultimate bob and weave, Stephen not only made a ton of money by shorting the stock market before the economy shut down, but he also made a ton of money on bets like buying stock in Peleton, Zoom, Netflix, and Starbucks pre-shut down.
