When Hurricane Helene devastated Western North Carolina, the ripple effects were felt far beyond the immediate areas impacted. For Parag Bhandari, Co-Founder of Bull City Summit (BCS), the destruction wasn’t just a headline—it was a call to action. As the storm claimed lives, destroyed small businesses, and left entire communities in turmoil, Bhandari and the Bull City Summit team felt an urgency to respond. Leveraging an existing collaboration with André 3000, they crafted a campaign to raise funds and awareness for those most affected, merging culture and community in a way that feels true to the spirit of BCS.
In this exclusive interview, Parag Bhandari takes us through the thought process behind this impactful initiative. From the inspiration to connect the Bull City Summit platform with hurricane relief efforts, to partnering with artists like André 3000 and local organizations like Botanist & Barrel, the campaign embodies what Bhandari describes as BCS’s core mission: uplifting communities through meaningful collaborations.
As Bhandari reflects on the success of this event and the partnerships that made it possible, it becomes clear that Bull City Summit is more than a gathering for art, music, science, and food. It’s a vehicle for change, rooted in a commitment to the local community while aiming to make a lasting impact across the region.
Through their innovative approach to event programming and a dedication to causes that matter, Bhandari and the Bull City Summit team are redefining what it means to blend culture with purpose.
What was the inspiration behind bringing André 3000 to support Hurricane Helene relief through Bull City Summit?
We were all devastated by the huge destructive impact Hurricane Helene had on the entire North Carolina community. Ovenight, hundreds of lives were lost, small businesses were destroyed, and in a lot of ways we just felt helpless because Durham obviously was not impacted like Asheville was, and so we just wanted to do something. Bull City Summit was also in the middle of working with André 3000’s team to promote the show at Durham Performing Arts Center, and so we came up with the idea of the Meet & Greet as a unique, cool and relevant way to create awareness that even weeks after the storm hit, people and businesses were still hurting.
Can you explain how the Bull City Summit event with André 3000 drove awareness and donations for those affected by Hurricane Helene?
Sure. The concept was a simple opt-in to join a mailing list about receiving further information about Western North Carolina hurricane relief efforts, and by doing so, you were entered to win a chance to meet André 3000 backstage during a special and intimate Meet & Greet and Q&A Session with André. Pretty cool, huh? Fans also had the option to donate to relief efforts via Southern Smoke Foundation, who do great work supporting members of the Food & Beverage industry affected by disaster or hardship.
André’s and his team were very accommodating and great to work with, and encouraged us to spread the word on the relief promotion, providing what we requested in terms of tickets and/or VIP access to the event for contest winners.
How did you decide to partner Bull City Summit specifically with Botanist & Barrel and the Southern Smoke Foundation for this cause?
Botanist and Barrel, a fantastic independent craft winery and farm based in Asheville, was one of the first sponsors of Bull City Summit and Durham Summer, our sister Wine & Food event also in Durham, supporting individual one off events for years before we even pulled together the first formal Summit in 2023. When the hurricane hit Asheville, Botanist & Barrel and Lyndon Smith, Farmer and Chief Operating Officer, were the first people we thought of.
What has happened to them and so many other independent farms and small businesses in the Asheville area is incalculable, and so I reached out to Lyndon just to see if there was something, anything, that we could do. The promotion with André seemed to really speak to us both, as its something that was unique and something that we could execute relatively easily to create awareness and drive funds for the cause.
Can you share any stories or examples of how previous Bull City Summit events have supported local causes, and how do you envision Bull City Summit continuing to impact local and regional communities in the years to come?
At its core, Bull City Summit is all about supporting non-profits, small businesses, while pairing the resources of my agency UG Strategies whenever possible in terms of access to brands, sponsors, and artists. For example, we’ve created Artist Grant partnerships with Tito’s Vodka and Durham Arts Council, where local Durham artists applied for micro-grants funded by Tito’s Love Tito’s, non-profit arm.
We’ve also worked with Durham-based non-profits such as Families & Communities Rising, Triangle Blues Society, and others, creating fund-raising programs with our events and sponsors. There is such a huge independent arts, non-profit, and cause-based community here in North Carolina — and in the years to come we hope to play our part in creating unique and fun programs and drive change.
What’s one key takeaway or message you hope every attendee leaves with from this experience?
We’re all in this together. This is not a race, it’s not a pissing contest, it’s not about us vs. them. Don’t be threatened by new people moving to Durham. Life is too short for that. Just do your best and help the community that you live in. And, try to have fun with it!