Jon Stojan
Photo credit: Donslens
At the intersection of artistry and entrepreneurialism lies the unique talent of Alec “Nofhotos” Celestin, founder of the Nofhotos Group. This Gen Z crossover who aspires to be a combination of the legendary fashion designer & entrepreneur Virgil Abloh and the tech visionary Elon Musk, has rapidly made his presence known among both the entertainment and tech industries.
With a flair for creating in person experiences which have been the temporary homes of celebrities & artists such as Sia, Madelyn Cline, the D’Amelio’s, and thousands more, matched with an innate understanding of brand & content production, Celestin has carved a niche for himself within the world of start-ups & entertainment. Alec’s dual expertise in both arts and business further adds a unique strategic lens that differentiates him from other entrepreneurs.
Alec explains, “Many artists struggle with business, and many business minds struggle with the arts. We aim to bridge the two in just about everything that we do.”
The result? Billions of views & hundreds of millions of dollars. He’s gathered collaborations & works with creators such as Logan Paul, Bella Poarch, Bryce Hall. Artists such as Saweetie, Dillon Francis, & Florida Georgia Line. Brands such as Hollister, Amazon, & Juneshine. As well as being an early employee in three powerhouse tech entertainment startups Flighthouse (#1 brand on TikTok with 28m+ followers), Afterparty, and another content platform.
Yet, that was just the prelude to his latest blockbuster partnership with world renowned entrepreneur Lucy Guo and her brand-friendly exclusive content platform, Passes, which raised $9m from such as Multicoin, Menlo ventures, Craft Ventures, Paris Hilton, and Jake Paul’s fund Antifund. Lucy Guo is known for co-founding Scale AI which is now privately valued at around $7.3 billion and HF0/Backend capital where she invests in early stage startups. Nofhotos Group has partnered with Passes to help shape the forward-facing aspect of Passes. When asked why Nofhotos group partnered with Passes, Celestin replied “Lucy is an outstanding person & entrepreneur with an insane work ethic. On top of this she has a phenomenal track record with startups and her/her team’s product development is world class. Something in which Nofhotos Group has no specialties in. It was a no brainer for us, Passes is an incredible platform for fans and creators, it’s now time to take their brand & community to the next level.”
But where did it all begin? It actually began serendipitously. At age 20, he went to Hawaii with a new camera that was gifted to him as he was searching for a passion to grasp onto. There he discovered his love for videography. With camera in hand, he returned to Arizona State University as a sophomore in the fall & relentlessly pursued opportunities at the Goldrush music festival in 2018. His drive paid off and he managed to tour with Claptone, keeping up with classes while touring the festival circuit every weekend. This opened doors for him to work at UMG’s 1824 College program which then connected him with industry giants like Ash Stahl, previous COO and the current CEO of Flighthouse. Which then led to assuming the role of Flighthouse’s brand manager post-graduation.
When we asked him about his favorite moment of his career he drew back & said “There have been so many moments however I’d say, ahead of Logan’s fight with Floyd Mayweather I got the opportunity to train with him & his trainer. We went on a four mile run on the beach in Puerto Rico. At the time I was very out of shape as it was around the end of the pandemic. By the end of the run they had left me in the dust & I swear I was hallucinating a bit but I never stopped running. That feeling of pushing your limits, especially physically, is priceless.”
His company’s name Nofhotos Group comes primarily from his Instagram handle @fhotos. Earlier on in his career he would share his “fhotos” of artists & creators which got him exposure & garnered him a following. As he progressed in his career he veered away from posting his photography work of others shifting his focus on other aspects. This is when Nofhotos was born. Celestin, also a DJ, performs under the name Nofhotos & mentioned he may have a debut EP coming out soon.
As to the future? Celestin aims to carve out a legacy for himself & Nofhotos Group. We asked him what that might look like & he responded “You know, things are really speeding up & while I’ve been super happy and grateful, there’s so much that goes on behind the scenes which nobody sees, and it can be a lot at times. My main goal is to be happy and stay true to myself and my vision.” When we asked Celestin who’s footsteps he’d like to follow in & he mentioned Cole Bennett & Zack Bia. Bennett for his expertise and creations within the music industry, Lyrical Lemonade, his collaborations with Nike and more, and lastly his music festival Summer Smash. Bia, for his career in bridging all different styles of entertainment, celebrities, and experiences. Also has a collaboration with Nike & is currently touring as a DJ with Drake.
Alec “Nofhotos” Celestin’s story is more than just a tale of success. It’s a narrative of a “don’t stop until you drop” work ethic combined with passion and persistence. As he continues to break barriers as an artist and entrepreneur, his future is as limitless as his vision.