Tour Pittsburgh, PA with Cody Baker

Cody, you’re known for your Food and Beverage photography and tying that into great events all over the city. Can you tell us how you transitioned into this?

When I got downtown for college, I got a job waiting on tables at a restaurant in Market Square. While waiting on tables, I took over their socials to make extra cash. That opened my eyes to a whole new way of work with which I ran with. While building my own social media accounts and others, I started to throw small events to help grow my own brand. From there, it clicked that I could bring in other restaurants, liquor brands, etc. From there, I steadily grew bigger and bigger each event.

Your events are often free and have a wide range of themes and venues. What are some of your favorite events to throw?

The OG Creatives Drink events are my favorite. They require the most work but feel the best to accomplish. Block Parties and our Clocked Out events on the rooftop downtown are also up there.

You talk about merging content creation and your events. How does this come about, and how would you describe it best showcases Pittsburgh?

I try to work with companies on bringing more to the table than just getting people to show up and taste their products. Creating specific campaigns with my own vision and using Pittsburgh, I think, helps the brands appear more approachable to our consumers vs. just sharing content they provide or repeating a flier over and over.

I spent a lot of time in Pittsburgh in my youth. I was recently back after about 20 years and was blown away with how much has changed, especially with the food and beverage offerings. How would you best describe the scene to someone who wouldn’t think of your city as a great nightlife destination?

I feel like each neighborhood has its own thing going on. Different scenes gravitate to specific places, and they can get repetitive. Although that may sound bad, I think of it as a good thing. You can hop around town and take advantage of what each neighborhood offers. For example, I’d start downtown for dinner, head to Lawrenceville for drinks, and end the night at a dive/dinner in Shadyside/Wilkinsburg.

You’ve done quite a bit of events with Jägermeister in the past. What have been some of your favorites?

Our Clocked Out event we did downtown a few years back! The on-premise activation was super cool, and the bar (Kimpton Hotel Monaco is what I am referring to for clocked out/rooftops if you want to include that) really ran with the menu and made the drinks unique and fun.

What is your favorite Jägermeister cocktail?

Last week I had Jager with a lot of chili-infused into it and carrot juice. It was spicy, smooth, and just overall, very different.

What would your perfect day be if you had one day to explore the city and all there is to do?

If the weather is nice, I’d bike down to the strip to grab a coffee and some food from a spot around there. Then head up to Lawrenceville for a drink or two to meet with some friends. I will probably make my way back downtown to hang out in the Square for a few hours. Then grab dinner and end my night at Lawrenceville.

Cody Baker is the founder of Creatives Drink. A local networking, beverage, and multimedia brand in Pittsburgh PA. The goal of Creatives Drink is to bring together like-minded individuals and introduce them to local businesses, brands, and events in the area. Creatives also work directly with businesses on event production, photography, and consulting.