IT TAKES A VILLAGE
A conversation with Chase Vaughn on event curation, live music, and human connection.

November 19, 2025

Writen by Miles James
Photographed by Miles James


“You’re gonna walk away with something that changes the directory of your life,” Chase tells us. “That’s very profound, and a big promise, but that's what my events do.”

Sankofa was glowing on the 14th, that warm red-and-gold haze spilling out the windows like the building itself was excited for the night. Young adults from all over the DC area drifted in off Georgia Ave, all pulled in by the promise of something special. 

And the night was just that—special. 

Folks grabbed seats, leaned against bookshelves, or stood shoulder-to-shoulder on the floor, waiting on the moment the lights dipped and the music took over.

At the center of it all was Toks, and her band; The Professionals. They began with (insert song) and the event had official begun. “I enjoyed the live music and the band,” Kameron Hall, a patron said, “I had fun dancing and chatting it up with my friends.“

But one has to ask, what does it take to put on an event like this?







According to Chase Vaughn, it takes everything: your time, your heart, your people. “It took a lot of sacrifice,” he admits. “It took a village to get there.” And that village wasn’t just staff or volunteers. It was friends who believed in the vision enough to pour themselves into it. “Everyone that’s involved, from me, to Russel, to Daniel. Those people are my friends.”


For Chase, the process wasn’t glamorous. It was long nights, tight deadlines, and unexpected decisions. “I even had to drop a class to make sure the event went well. I sold my car after my mentor told me that I had to hustle to see success.” He says it with a small laugh, but the weight behind it is real. This was built with intention and commitment. He placed deep trust in the people around him: “I put a lot of trust into my team to make sure that the show we put on was people’s money worth.” Every detail, from the lighting to the sound to the pacing of the set, was crafted with care, not convenience. When he sums it all up, he doesn’t hesitate: “It’s a labor of love.”



A growing sentiment in the world, especially amongst the youth, is that we’re more disconnected now—from each other, from ourselves, and from the moments that used to feel grounding. Chase tells us; “People are more disconnected now, and events like these can connect people.”It’s part of what pushed him to create a night that insisted on presence and community.

Chase wanted to counter that disconnection with a shared experience. “I hope they walk in the room and they leave feeling more connected with the people they shared the room with,” he said. And that wasn’t just wishful thinking, it was the design. As people walked in, they were invited to find out which archetype they resonated with most: The Lover, The Innocent, The Hero, The Witness, and the Magician. Madison Theresias, who had helped him on his last project, collaborated with him again to shape the integrated personality test. “It was designed to make people feel closer to each other.”

If you found out you were a Lover, you suddenly had a reason to talk to the person next to you filling out the same card. If you were a Magician, you could look around and spot someone else holding that same symbol and know instantly, yeah, we might understand each other.




“Everybody deserves to be a part of this great thing that we call Music.” he tells us. The pop up concert was crafted for anyone searching for something real and warm. Chase wanted people to walk in and know instantly that they didn’t need credentials to take up space. They didn’t need to know the right people or fit a certain aesthetic. All they needed was the willingness to show up and be present.

For Chase, the success of the night wasn’t measured in ticket sales or crowd size. It was measured in whether people left feeling just a little bit better than they came.

“As the night comes to a close, I hope that you’ve been healed in some way.” That was his closing wish. And standing in that room, you could feel the truth of it. People lingered and nobody rushed out. Conversations stretched long after the last note.