Welcome to Stubs

Think of the best concert you ever attended. Maybe it was your first show. Maybe you saw your favorite artist perform for the first time.

And when we go to a show that is so memorable, so life-changing, so joyful, we try to save a keepsake- like ticket stubs.

Nothing brings together people better than a concert. Sports comes close, except that competition gets in the way of camaraderie. Both an escape and a destination, concerts build community. Often, concerts serve as therapy—like writing

And so I welcome you to Stubs, where stories of music and migration, comiing-of-age, meet.

Stubs gives subscribers personal access to memorable concerts past, present, and future, via personal narrative and my +25 years of concert-going expertise.

Stubs is a creative initiative by my company GrantAnswers, and our move into the ever-growing creator economy via writing and art.

Stubs is comprised of 3 parts:

1. Archival, with personal videos via the YouTube channel and exclusive photos & other content on Instagram

2. Personal narratives that build community & move audiences to share their own music-centered stories

3. Music/Concert Reviews

4. Concert listings & tips

5. Job openings in music/media/entertainment

We invite you to share the stubs (and the stories behind those stubs) that mean the most in your life.

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To celebrate the launch of Stubs (and my recent birthday + a new year), I invite you to a free concert on Thursday, January 9th at the BAM Cafe in Brooklyn, NY with one of the most heralded vocalists & songwriters over the past 20 years. RSVP here.

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About the author:

Cris is Founder/CEO of GrantAnswers, an NYC-based strategy, data, and product consultancy founded in 2013. His work has helped ventures scale nationwide and impacted 1000+ individuals in launching careers in tech and securing acceptances to top colleges/universities. Cris earned a BA in Psychology from CUNY and ascended as a 21-year-old Ph.D. Candidate in Criminal Justice at the CUNY Graduate Center. His speaking engagements for the likes of Columbia Business School, UCLA, Teach for America, and the US Chamber of Commerce encompass career development, entrepreneurship, and technology.

As an emerging writer, Cris integrates Philippine and Saudi Arabian migration, coming-of-age in NYC, and 25+ years of concertgoing to form deeply reflective, intimately vulnerable, and humorously adventurous stories through universal themes of family, freedom, loss, nostalgia, and technological advancement. His piece “Never Tell [A Lie]” is featured in PEN America’s World Voices Festival and the 2025 DREAMing Out Loud Anthology. His journey from immigrant child to award-winning entrepreneur and immigrant rights advocate has been highlighted in outlets such as NYT, WSJ, MTV, and Forbes.

You can help Cris as follows:

1. Sharing vendor/independent contract opportunities related to strategy, product, data, storytelling, and concerts

2. Referrals for paid speaking engagements

3. Brand partnerships w/ media & sports companies, startups, and tech companies

4. A simple subscribe, share and recommendation of this newsletter

5. Warm connections to those who might be interested in publishing my writing

Send a direct message to @Cris_at_Concerts on Instagram