Meet Niko Ivanov | Partner (NOX Media)

We had the good fortune of connecting with Niko Ivanov and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Niko, what habits do you feel play an important role in your life?
I fully believe in the idea that there is power in a pattern and that the patterns or habits of our lives will dictate where we go, what we will accomplish and ultimately who we will be.

There are of course bad habits that can throw us into a spiral/hold us back and we’ve all lived those but for me there are a handful of healthy habits that bring me clarity on a consistent basis which has allowed me to get where I am today.

Mental Reps – every morning when I wake up I start with something that Collin Henderson calls the HAW method. Long story short it’s where I go through my mental reps of gratitude, affirmation and declaration. This gets me fired up and grounds me at the same time. Starting your day in a place of gratitude and knowing your identity helps more than I could have ever imagined.

Gym/Health/Fitness – I grew up playing sports my whole life so staying in the gym + on top of my health is a big habit that keeps me going. Going for a run, lifting weights, dancing or even a good walk (moving your body) is vital for blowing off steam and releasing the endorphins to clear your mind and it also builds confidence as you start to accomplish things you had to work hard for.

Reading and Journaling might be my biggest habits/patterns that have gotten me to where I am. I love to read and have made it a huge part of my lifestyle. When I was in college a guest speaker came in and said “show me what you’re reading and I’ll show you your future” and that really stuck with me so I love to read. Journaling is where I can dream, cast vision, write down my prayers, my biggest goals and can even just go through real emotions of challenges. It’s such a great place to be real with myself and helps with that clarity.

Praying + serving in community – for me being a part of something bigger than me (church, community groups, etc.) has done more than almost any other habit. It keeps the focus off of me and puts it on others. When we focus on nothing but ourselves, our goals, our finances, our personal brand, our dreams, our families, etc. etc. etc. things can start to get cloudy. I’m a firm believer that we are here to help others and the more we help others the more we’re actually helping ourselves. I also love prayer – taking my time with God, time to slow down, time to put faith in something larger than myself – that’s where it’s all at for me. I can go as hard as I want but without that time to slow down and ask for guidance and clarity and to give thanks it’s all for not.

Specific goal setting / review – I go super in depth on my goal setting (daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly and annually). At the start of the year I lay out the annual/quarterly/monthly and from there I go week to week and day to day. This keeps me super accountable to the big goals I have but also is fun because you get to see how those priorities shift over the course of time (whether you want to get rid of a goal, it takes longer or happens a lot faster than you were going for).

Last thing I can think of is just taking time to have fun, to slow down and to spend time with loved ones. I love spending time with my wife, whether that’s a fun trip, a movie night at the house or even just a quick weekend coffee – it’s so key to have fun, to spend quality time with the ones you love and to do things other than grind. That’s where I get my recharge from.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
I along with my business partners run a digital marketing agency called NOX Media. We’re a boutique company that’s been united by everyone’s passion for culture and the opportunity we’ve found to deploy progressive content production and distribution principles to help grow and convert communities online. We’re a special mix of content creators, digital marketers, and culture lovers that know how to drive community and business growth online. We’ve been fortunate to work with some of the world’s leading record labels, artist management companies, digital media properties, brands, and entrepreneurs to launch platinum records, grow fan bases and digital media properties from scratch into the millions, and convert audiences to increase sales and revenue.

We started in the music industry about 4 years ago and have worked with some marquee names but have also had the opportunity to really expand and work in different verticals with some awesome CPG companies, lifestyle brands, web3 projects as well as athletes.

I’m just proud of the fact that we have such a tight knit team of high level achievers that love to have fun. Our culture at NOX is definitely my favorite thing because our culture is what allows us to not only keep growing and taking on new projects but also to deliver at such a high level.

Of course it was not easy – we like many others have dealt with a pandemic, cultural issues from within, shifting business models, financial scares and so much more. But those things were always for our benefit! We’ve grown from every challenge and I can truly say that I’ve never been more excited for NOX than I am now. Each challenge we face in life and in business doesn’t happen to us – it happens FOR us. We’re meant to grow and growth doesn’t always feel great nor does it always look pretty but we’re firm believers in the statement “if we don’t quit – we win”.

Something I’d love everyone to know about NOX is we’re the perfect blend of professionalism and cool. We have a team that spans across every major market in the US of people who LOVE culture. They love to shape culture. They love to stay up on trends but more than that – they love to SHAPE trends. We’re here to shape culture not just be a part of it. We’re here to give the best possible effort that anyone can give and since we all come from different backgrounds/schools our clients are going to get something specific and customized to them. At NOX you’re always going to get fresh and new – never recycled or cookie cutter. Lastly – the partners (including myself) all come from bigger corporate titans in marketing so our professionalism and ability to be buttoned up, communicate clearly and provide white glove service is just as much in our DNA as any sort of “cool” factor.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Oh this is easy – I’ve been an Angelino for going on 8 years so here’s exactly what we’d do…

They’d land and since I’m all about the vibes but I also live semi far (Calabasas) we’d cruise up the PCH through Malibu to catch the view. We’d stop and grab some food at either Malibu Farm or Neptune’s Net. That night we’d just chill and probably go hit Calabasas Commons (I recently moved out here and it’s such a low key spot I know they’d love it).

Next day we’d wake up – go hit Blue Jam Cafe and then go adventure.

I’m more of a views/outdoor so hitting the beach in Malibu or even a hike in Sierra Madre is a great go to.

Let’s be honest though – people want to come to LA to see the “stars” though – so a mixture of catching a game at Dodgers Stadium, hitting LA Live, cruising Sunset, swinging by Honor Bar in BH, shopping on Fairfax/Melrose, gotta hit Amoeba and then cap it off with some Salt & Straw would be in order. We wouldn’t be able to enjoyably hit that all in one day but it’s a must.

For the sake of seeing one more tourist spot (a lot of my hometown friends are super into it) we’d need to swing by Universal City Walk although it’s chaos for locals but it’s definitely cool.

Sunset Club in the Edition, Soho Warehouse, Water Grill Santa Monica, Inn of the Seventh Ray, Road to Seoul K-BBQ….all of these are musts.

I love a tattoo artist up in Simi Valley (not necessarily LA but whatever) – Lucky’s Tattoo (pending the friend we could get some great work there).

Going to Hollywood Cemetery for a Cinespia event and finally a rooftop pitstop at EP&LP would all be great.

There’s so many amazing pockets of LA that even the above isn’t enough for someone to truly appreciate how amazing this city is.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Oh man! I grew up with a single mother so I have so many mentors & people that I’d like to shoutout (and even still would have more than this article permits).

My wife (Nicole Ivanov) – ever since I met this woman I wanted to be better in every way. She’s my rock. She’s the love of my life. I feel like I can conquer anything with her by my side.

My mom (as a lot of people would say I wouldn’t be here without her)

My pastor (Chad Veach) – one of the greatest leaders ever. He’s played such a pivotal role in my life. As I moved from NM to LA his sacrifice and help has propelled me to where I am now.

My big bro (Justis Kao) – this dude has been the text book big brother that has legitimately been a role model for all good things. I want to be just like him when I grow up! lol

My biz partner (Matt Ligotti) – Matt and I crossed paths and truly have accomplished everything we ever said we would. So thankful for his character and willingness to grind in the trenches with me.

There are also people like Chad Tepper, Alec Strasmore, Gaddo, Pseudo, Chad Narayan, Mariano De Jesus, Trey Pickett, Mykell Wilson, Andrew Martz and Kevin Kapellas who have been literal life changers and brothers that have helped shape me as a man.

If you know me, I grew up with my boys in the streets of Albuquerque or on the sports fields so with a single mom and my siblings living in another state – friends, mentors, pastors and people like that mean more to me than I could ever explain. My friends are my family. I’m a representative for each of them because they all helped shape me to be HERE.

Website: wearenox.co

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nikogivanov/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nikolaigivanov/

Other: https://vm.tiktok.com/ZTRUnxMjq/

Image Credits
Nicole Ivanov