Jason Bass knows all about how to attract people to a specific brand.
For much of his adult life, the Maryland-based entrepreneur has help celebrate his hometown by calling attention to all of the good things the city has to offer. He has worked with large corporations like MillerCoors and Jameson performing multicultural marketing and sales expertise and Bass once served as CEO and creative ddirector of Treason Toting Company where he created travel bags and accessories that helped people pursue their passions.
Bass also has developed products and partnerships that have helped businesses in the area thrive.
Using his Treason Toting Company, Bass raised more than $500,000 in venture capital and earned the Light City 2018 Ravens Pitch Competition award.
A noted and gifted motivational speaker, Bass has also spoken on panels and at universities.
Earlier this year, he co-founded “Night Brunch” to celebrate food, music and friends in the Baltimore area and now he’s bringing it to the District.
“It’s known that food and music attract people and bring them together to naturally create communities,” Bass said. “We don’t need more reasons to be a part, we need more reasons to come together.”
The Night Brunch is a series of pop-up and brunch-themed parties that occurred at different eateries and venues throughout the city every month.
Bass co-founded the venture with Ryan Rhodes — aka DJ Impulse — and the two have cooked up success with the idea, which this summer includes a summer lunch program geared toward feeding city children who count on the school district for healthy meals.
“You know, we have all these connections with this — there are all of these food and beverage companies and people we connect with so we thought why don’t we try to solve one of the many problems that we’re facing,” Bass said. “We started seeing kids in need and we didn’t want that taken for granted and we realized there are a lot of people struggling in the community and so it was like let’s get these kids something to eat.”
Bass, who holds a bachelor’s degree in business management, said folks in and around Baltimore view him as “this trusted person that can inform people of things to do within the city and the potential we have here.”
“It’s just exciting to have the opportunity to promote a positive Baltimore and to create things that you might see in other cities,” he said.
Bass said he hopes to continue to encourage, motivate, educate Baltimoreans and the social aspect of Night Brunch should provide many opportunities to do so.
The concept was launched earlier this year at R. House food hall and, since then, Bass noted that large gatherings have attended Night Brunch at places such as Gertrude’s, Topside and Wet City.
Night Brunch takes place on Wednesday and Saturday nights and the menu includes a wide range of food and drinks.
Bass and DJ Impulse also provide cooking classes. It’s all part of their desire to unite residents.
“We can have these kinds of events that can create the culture we want to see in our city,” Bass said. “I’m just happy to be in a position to help and to do positive things for our people.”