COMPLEX ACQUIRES FAMILY STYLE FOOD FESTIVAL

The Pioneering Food Festival That Celebrates the Best of Culinary and Fashion Cultures to Become New Complex Food Vertical and Expand to ComplexCon Las Vegas and Beyond

LOS ANGELES, May 30, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Complex, the definitive platform for global youth culture and music lifestyle, has announced its acquisition of Family Style Food Festival, the first-ever festival at the intersection of food and streetwear with a heavy hitting curated lineup of the best chefs, restaurants, brands and entertainment. This strategic partnership will combine two powerhouses in the industry to continue to provide unparalleled experiences and exclusive collaborations to passionate fans.

Family Style Food Festival, founded in 2019 by Ben Shenassafar and Bobby Kim of The Hundreds and Miles Canares, quickly became renowned for its unique blend of food, fashion, and entertainment. The acquisition of Family Style marks an exciting new chapter for the festival as it joins forces with the leading convergence culture media juggernaut and will serve as Complex's new food-focused vertical, delivering the latest news, content and media within the culture and food space.

The festival, which draws over 10,000 attendees annually, has featured the hottest restaurants, chefs, artists and brands including Evan Funke, Majordomo, Shake Shack, Community Goods Cafe, Broad Street Oyster, Howlin Rays, Boia De, Pokémon, Takashi Murakami, Verdy, James Jean, KidSuper, Billionaire Boys Club, Mister Cartoon, Awake NY and more. Through Complex's acquisition, Family Style will expand significantly in Los Angeles, head to new markets, and also pop-up for the first time at ComplexCon 2024 in Las Vegas this November.

"I've known Ben and Bobby for 20 years and it's been exciting to watch them build Family Style into the leading festival at the intersection of food and streetwear. I'm thrilled to welcome them to the Complex family," said Aaron Levant, CEO of Complex. "The festival aligns perfectly with our mission to redefine the way fans interact with their favorite chefs, brands and artists. We are excited to take Family Style to new heights and bring its highly sought-after collaborations to our fans across the world."

A celebration of creation, collaboration, and community, Family Style brings together the best brands, restaurants, and chefs to serve up limited one-of-a-kind collaborative food and merchandise items exclusively available at its events. Over the years, Family Style has collaborated with renowned streetwear brands and creators, resulting in standout pairings such as Jon & Vinny's x Off-White, Kith Treats x Nike, Katz's Deli x Anti Social Social Club, Russ & Daughters x The Hundreds, Ggiata x Interscope, Uncle Paulie's Deli x Modernica, Mother Wolf x Tommy Hilfiger and Gallery Dept x Burger She Wrote, among many others. These exclusive collaborations have become highly sought-after by streetwear and food enthusiasts alike.

"I am excited about the partnership between Family Style Food Festival and Complex. I've long admired Complex and its acute understanding and reflection of our cultural zeitgeist. Over the past five years, our team has poured their hearts into building the Family Style brand. Our communities have trusted us to provide the very best food and culture experiences," said Ben Shenassafar, Co-Founder of Family Style and The Hundreds. "With the support of Complex, we're excited to further expand Family Style into a media platform, becoming the definitive voice for all things food and culture. We're looking forward to continuing to grow Family Style into the largest food festival in the world."

"We're extremely proud of what we've built at Family Style, and this partnership with Complex helps us reach heights that we've only dreamed of previously. Complex has played such a big role for me growing up as a fan of fashion, music, and art and being welcomed to the family in this way means so much," added Miles Canares, Co-Founder of Family Style Food Festival.

Shenassafar previously created "Big Appetite," a design-focused video series on TasteMade that takes viewers on a journey across the country in search of restaurants that are creating one-of-a-kind experiences through their food and their design.

For more information about Complex and Family Style, please visit www.complex.com and www.familystylefest.com or follow on social at @Complex and @FamilyStyleFest.

ABOUT COMPLEX
Complex is the definitive platform for global youth culture and music lifestyle. With a powerful media presence and a curated marketplace, Complex engages its audience through video, long-form text, and social media, reflecting and shaping the zeitgeist of convergence culture. Complex's strategic partnership with Universal Music Group ensures unparalleled experiences and exclusive collaborations for passionate music fans.

ABOUT FAMILY STYLE
Family Style is a family-oriented food festival that brings people together through the collective love of food. Known for mixing food and fashion, Family Style connects the best brands and the tastiest restaurants to create limited one-of-a-kind collaborative food and merchandise items exclusively available at our events.

SOURCE Complex