“We’ll figure out how to create a system around the idea” — Dave Free reveals his and Kendrick Lamar’s vision to attain success

Record producer and filmmaker Dave Free opened up about his and Kendrick Lamar's vision to attain success. The pgLang co-founder, when questioned about the company's formula for success in an interview with Elephant published on Thursday, June 11, 2024, told Gabe Allanoff:

"Kendrick or I will dream something up, although the idea could come from staff members too, and we’ll come into the office, and we’ll figure out how to create a system around the idea to make it self-sufficient."

He continued:

We make sure it’s going to be impactful, influential, financially stable, it’s going to shake people up, and it’s going to tell a story. When it’s developed, we ask, “Does it move you?”"

Free explained that they continue to refine the idea and the system through multiple similar explorations until they "can't poke any more holes." He called the process "break and repeat," adding that once there were "no more holes to poke," they felt comfortable putting it out "into the universe."

Since its founding in 2020, Lamar and Dave Free's multidisciplinary creative communications company has won several accolades, including six Cannes Lion Awards.

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"We want to treat artists like they’re start-ups" - Dave Free about pgLang's role as a creative agency

Dave Free met Kendrick Lamar in high school, and the duo have maintained a close relationship since. Per a 2016 report by Forbes, the filmmaker began his career working as a computer technician while helping the Compton rapper with his music. He even used his job to showcase Lamar to Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE), which led the label to sign the rapper in 2005.

Free became an in-house producer for the TDE and later its co-president along with Terrence Henderson in 2007. During that time, he served as Kenny's manager. The duo left TDE and founded pgLang in March 2020.

In a social media post, K. Dot described pgLang as a "multilingual, artist-friendly service company" that offers services like artist management, music production, advertising, film production, and publishing, among others. Talking to Elephant, Dave Free elaborated on the role of the company as a creative agency, stating:

"We want to treat artists like they’re start-ups. We want them to take ownership of their brand, which is really taking ownership of themselves."

He continued:

"You always hear people talking about all these elements of the business that they don’t like, but it’s not like there are a lot of active participants putting their money where their mouth is. We were like, ‘Let’s not talk about what we want to see from the industry — let’s just do it."

When questioned about his opinion on pgLang's run to date, Dave Free explained that the company is getting recognized as a brand on its own. The videographer added that he wants pgLang to be recognized for its "quality, high standard, and forward-thinking."

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In 2022, it was announced that Kenny and Dave were producing a comedy film through PgLang with South Park creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker. The film is scheduled for a July 4, 2025, release.