Marco Shalma: Building Community-First Cultural Movements
Consultant • Industry Leader • Mentor • Speaker
For 10 years, Marco Shalma has been rewriting the rules of cultural production, proving that community-centered festivals create real economic impact.
10 Years of Proving Culture Is the Economy
In 2016, Marco launched the Bronx Night Market with no playbook; just a belief that community-centered events could generate measurable economic impact. He was right.​
Over 10 years, his festivals have:
Generated
$50M+ in local economic impact
Launched
1,000+ small businesses
Attracted
200K+ attendees annually
Created the blueprint for community-first cultural production.
The innovation wasn't just the events, it was the model. Marco built with neighborhoods, not on top of them. He centered vendors, not celebrities. And he created sustainable ecosystems instead of chasing viral moments.
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The result? Festivals that activate. Vendors who become business owners. And proof that culture is the economy.
How Marco Works
Consultant
Advises cities, BIDs, developers, landlords, and mall owners on designing cultural spaces and festivals that generate authentic engagement and measurable economic impact.
Speaker
Speaks on culture, commerce, and community development. Topics include authentic placemaking, cultural entrepreneurship, and festival economics.
Industry Leader
Pioneered NYC's modern night market format and proved festivals can serve any audience. His work influences how cultural events are produced nationwide.
Mentor
Through MASC Hospitality Group and EXPDT, Marco has mentored hundreds of food entrepreneurs, many who've gone from weekend vendors to brick-and-mortar owners.
Download Marco's Frameworks
No Algorithms.
No Influencers.
No Bullshit.
Marco's approach rejects gatekeeping, algorithm-driven curation, and manufactured authenticity. Instead, he builds events rooted in real community, real vendors, and real economic impact.
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This isn't just ethical, it's profitable. When you center community, everyone wins: vendors build equity, sponsors reach engaged audiences, cities see measurable returns.
New York Eats Here: Owning NYC's Food Culture
After 10 years perfecting the model, Marco is launching his most ambitious project:
New York Eats Here. A citywide ecosystem designed to own New York's unfiltered food culture. It launches summer 2025 with Harlem Summer Nights replacing and elevating our flagship Uptown Night Market with a vendor-first, neighborhood-rooted model built for scale. The national vision comes in 2027. But right now? All eyes are on Harlem.
Speaking & Consulting
Speaking Topics:
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The Economics of Community-First Festivals
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Authentic Placemaking in the Age of Algorithms
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Scaling Cultural IP: From Night Market to Citywide Brand
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Building Vendor Ecosystems That Create Wealth
Consulting Services:
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Festival strategy & production
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Vendor ecosystem design
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Sponsorship frameworks
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Public space activation & cultural programming
"The best way to predict the culture is to create it."
-Marco Shalma