on May 23, 2017 / by Downtown Dallas Inc. / in Blog Posts, Doing Business

Dallas is unique in a number of ways, but what distinguishes the Big D from others is the local character and prosperity that is evident when you walk through Downtown. That character includes the talent that floods the streets of Dallas.  

Three Dallas musicians make showcasing that local talent easier and more affordable.

Pete Swulius and Dave Howard played rock n’ roll around Deep Ellum in the band The Virgin Trebles. After graduating from college, the Virgin Trebles didn’t want economic troubles and decided to pair their computer software programming knowledge with their passion for music. The pair wanted to continue their involvement in the music scene and started a company that makes independent live shows and events simplistic to stage and promote. That company is Prekindle.

After a year in business, Swulius and Howard added J.R. Denson to the Prekindle partnership. Denson was touring with his band the Greater Good and was introduced to Prekindle by his entertainment attorney at Dallas’ City Tavern over some beers.

From there, Prekindle flourished and averages 4,000 events per year. Local event creators love working with Prekindle because their boutique ticketing company builds personal relationships and is a self-serve platform.

“We’re like the Indie-rock Ticketmaster,” said Denson. “We’re the team building personal relationships. Talent in this city is world-class and we feel lucky to be a part of the Dallas community.”

Prekindle was built from the ground-up in Dallas and has grown to a company that any venue or festival can access. But get this… they are a team of SEVEN people.

“We can handle anything,” said Denson.

Howard explained they offer a unique perspective to the ticketing business because they all have experience with every job in the company. This workload ranges from scanning tickets at the door to the coding of the website. Each member at Prekindle contributes to the software and writes the actual lines of code that makes up the Prekindle website.

At the actual events, the partners said they hire an army of kids and part-timers who are involved a few times per month to help out.

By offering prices that directly benefit the client, people can log on to their website and create events that flourish and achieve a fan base. Prekindle builds the online tools and services to help further that goal. The company has a weekly newsletter subscriber base of 110,000 in DFW alone that continues to grow. 

The company took off seven years ago and since then has become a competitor for companies like Ticketfly and Eventbrite.

The partners all agreed that they have a certain sense of pride getting to be behind the scenes at so many cool events.

“Getting to see our name [Prekindle] be a part of so many things and getting that recognition is the biggest kick I get out of it,” said Denson. “Seeing someone holding a pass with our logo and knowing how much work went into getting that ticket into their hands is the best feeling.”

Prekindle works with numerous event creators across the nation. They’ve worked with the Kessler Theater, Majestic Theatre, Dallas Morning News, The Rustic and the Dallas International Film Festival.   

In addition to large-scale events, the company also gives back by offering their services to charities and nonprofits.

Be sure to check out Prekindle’s line-up of events this summer. The Oak Cliff Film Fest, the ATX Television Festival, Untapped, and Deep Ellum Brewing Co.’s Brew-BQ are all awesome upcoming events you can attend this summer!

For a chance to win a 2 tickets to any event of your choice, click here: PreKindle Giveaway and make sure you follow us (@downtown_dallas) and PreKindle (@prekindletickets) on Instagram!

For more information on PreKindle, visit www.prekindle.com

For more information on all things to eat, see, and do Downtown, visit www.downtowndallas.com. And for a comprehensive list of Downtown events, visit events.downtowndallas.com.

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