In The Trenches with Said Yassin of It's Ok* Studios

This interview with Said Yassin, the founder and talent buyer of It’s Ok* Studios in Toronto, Ontario, is part of Hypebot’s In The Trenches series. In the Trenches is sponsored by venue, festival, and promoter marketing solution Bandsintown PRO, and features the unsung heroes who make live music happen.

It’s Ok* Studios is an independent Black-led and operated, multipurpose arts space located in Toronto’s historic Queen West neighbourhood. Transformed from a vacant retail building in the historic Queen West district, the space is a hub for artistic growth and development, a vibrant gathering place for Toronto’s Black artistic community.

Their annual, free music festival, It’s Ok* World, is returning to Toronto's Trillium Park this weekend, on Saturday, August 8. This year's artist programming includes Gena (Liv.e + Karriem Riggins), keiyaA, Clairmont The Second, Kwncy, Dvyn, DJ Shylosofly, and more. Learn more and grab tickets here.

Now, here's our conversation. Enjoy!

Hypebot: Hey Said, thanks so much for taking the time to answer some questions. You’ve got a festival coming up this weekend, we’ll touch on that, but let’s talk about the Studio first. I heard that the space is essentially “temporary” because eventually the city plans to build a park there. Is that true?

Said Yassin: "Yes, the space was always destined to be a park. I knew that when I signed on to take the building. I thought it would be closer to 10 years before we ever had to think about moving, but it’s been 4 years now and we’ve had a lot of lease extensions, so I’ve had to think about moving a lot. It’s Ok* started before we had a physical space and will continue on in some shape or form with or without one. I do think we will land on our feet and end up with something permanent though. We are in talks with the city about securing a new space, so I do think we will land on our feet and end up somewhere permanent."

I don’t think the demo of the building has affected what we do though. Aside from the administrative annoyances, I try to do the best I can with what I’ve got every day for my community. When I do get frustrated I just have to remind myself that it’s always better to have space than not, right? Not many people were given the opportunity I was given and how many beautiful things have been able to happen in the space, so no matter the length of the lease or the impending demo, I would have moved the same way."

H: This series is called In The Trenches — it’s normally reserved for traditional music venues with a daily booking/presenting operation. It’s OK* Studios is not exactly that, but I wonder if you could walk us through what you do differently, and why you're leaner and perhaps more integrated into the community around you?

SY: "We don’t like to call It’s Ok* Studios a venue or a gallery or any other traditional kind of name that would put it in a box. It’s just a space. It can be a gallery, a music venue, a rehearsal space, a wedding venue (once, and never again) or whatever you can imagine."

I came up as a DIY organizer and I’ve always brought people into spaces that weren’t meant for art and community. I want people to be able to look at what we've done with our space and hopefully change their perspective on what a space can be. We can’t be limited to the venues that exist and for the most part I hate traditional venues. I think a lot of times they are exploitative and unwelcoming spaces for my community."

We don’t have a fixed rate for folks to use the space. If you have a little grant money we will work with it, if you need to wait till the Eventbrite funds hit your account after the event we will work with it, if you have no money and just need space, we will figure it out. We try and meet everyone where they are at. I don’t think it’s helpful to have a one size fits all model, it turns away more people than it brings in. And we want to be known as a space that is supportive and puts our community first."

H: Speaking of which, you’ve said before: “no shade to Embrace or Live Nation, but it’s more interesting when things are put on by the community.” I think this can mean a lot of different things to different people. What does it mean to you?

SY: "I think we all want to be at things that are real. There's just a different level of care and attention when you go to something that's put together by people who genuinely believe in what they're doing. The events I enjoy going to are led by people who are part of the community. They aren't built because someone identified a gap in the market or is trying to capitalize on a viral moment. They happen because people genuinely love the music and are willing to take on the financial risk to make something happen."

Things are just better when the people making decisions are actually part of the community they're programming for. There's a real sense of accountability. If people trust me enough to pay for a ticket and I put together a corny show, I deserve to be told I didn't do a good job. I'll probably hear about it the next day. That kind of feedback keeps you honest and pushes you to make something people actually care about."

I think Live Nation and bigger concert promoters have an important role in the city. I definitely don't have the means to bring huge artists or put on stadium shows. But I do believe the first people breaking artists into a market should be community promoters. It gives artists a real opportunity to connect with a city's music scene instead of just flying in, playing a show, and flying out. Those early shows are where artists meet other musicians, discover local spaces, build relationships with audiences, and become part of a community."

I can’t count how many times I’ve seen an artist play for the first time in the city at a venue that doesn’t make sense with an opener who doesn’t fit and is not in front of the right people because the marketing department doesn’t know where this artists community is or could be."

"The events I enjoy going to are led by people who are part of the community. They aren't built because someone identified a gap in the market or is trying to capitalize on a viral moment. They happen because people genuinely love the music and are willing to take on the financial risk to make something happen."

H: What’s the biggest promise you make to the artists you present?

SY: "That I care, I care so much, maybe more than they care. I’ve worked at many venues and presented hundreds of shows as someone's employee and at times it just felt like we were getting through our Saturday shift vs being part of a beautiful moment and hopefully a core memory for someone. I will never lose sight of that, no matter how many shows or events we’ve done back to back to back. I want everyone to have the very best experience possible every time."

H: What are the best three spots to grab a bite after an event at It’s Ok*?

SY: "There's a haka place called Angara that we go to at the end of the night when it’s been a long one and we all need to have a sit down dinner. Alpha’s Shawarma is always a go to, and if it’s not a late show we go to Taqueria el Pastorcito in Kensington. If it’s super late then the Taqueria el Pastorcito at Bloor and Dufferin closes at 4am on the weekends."

*Black Rave Culture at It's Ok* World 2025.*

H: Is live performance essential in today’s music economy?

SY: "I think live performance is one of the last real opportunities to have a genuine experience with music. I’ve become a fan of so many artists after having the opportunity to see them live and lead me to buying merch, records, or a ticket to another show and bringing 4 friends."

H: What tools, strategies, or platforms do you use to market shows?

SY: "I use social media, mailing lists, poster campaigns. Kind of all of the traditional things but the thing I tell concert promoters is that it’s more about getting people to trust you as a brand equally as much as it is about the artist you are presenting."

You have to book music you believe in, but you also have to treat people well at every interaction you have with them both online and in person. We have so many people who come to shows and events we do and a lot of the times they have no idea who is performing but they’ve had a good time with us in the past and they trust our music curation enough that they are willing to buy a ticket and take a chance on something they might not be familiar with."

"You have to book music you believe in, but you also have to treat people well at every interaction you have with them both online and in person."

H: As for the festival, It's Ok* World, it’s amazing that it’s *FREE*, how is that possible? Can you tell us a bit about what to expect this year?

SY: "We are lucky to have grants and sponsorship that help make the festival free. I remember when I was a young student in Toronto and how many amazing concerts I was able to attend in the city completely free and this is our way of giving back."

I’ve been obsessively checking the weather for weeks now but as of today it should be a gorgeous day in one of the city's cutest parks and just a good day filled with community and good music. I think a good free show creates an atmosphere where people are coming in feeling good from the get go. You know when you pay $300 for a show you want that value to be returned to you in some way and it never really happens but a free show with really well curated music you are kind of already starting from a good position."

All of the artists this year are folks that I’ve been huge fans of this year and I’m excited to share them with everyone. Besides the music, we’ve got a local vendor market, really great food vendors too. There’s also a 95% chance you will make a new friend."

H: Lastly, what’s the most beautiful thing in the world?

SY: "What a tough question. I want to say bread."

But also maybe it’s when I go to my parents’ house and ask what’s for dinner, and my mom tells me to make it myself, and we do this whole back and forth, when she’d already made lasagna the whole time."