Tanise and Derrick Love Break Down Their ‘Give, Buy, Hi’ Philosophy on ‘The Pop-Up!’
On a recent episode of The Pop-Up!, guest host Sean Goode sat down with wife and husband Tanise and Derrick Love, the co-founders of Sync Seattle. The couple joined Goode in the Black Media Matters studio for a conversation about their journey from a platonic friendship in North Carolina to becoming major cultural influencers and community builders in the Pacific Northwest.
Together, the Loves have leveraged their professional expertise and social media presence to connect thousands of Seattle residents with local small businesses, Black-led causes, and each other. During the interview, they shared their origin story, the multigenerational roots that shape their work, and the rapid growth of Sync Seattle.
An Origin Story Rooted in Service
The couple’s connection began years ago in Charlotte, North Carolina. Derrick, a member of the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity, was organizing a volunteer experience for Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Tanise was working as a director at one of the largest nonprofits in the area.
Following their initial meeting, the pair built a strictly platonic friendship.
"We spent a year and a half being friends…literally getting to know the depth of each other. And from there our love grew,” Tanise said. That foundational bond eventually blossomed into romance. This month, the couple will celebrate 12 years of marriage.
Generational ‘Gatherers’
Community service isn't just a professional endeavor for the Loves; it is a family legacy. Tanise and Derrick both described growing up in households they call the "house of the gatherers,” welcoming spaces where neighbors and friends naturally gravitated to kick back and connect.
Derrick proudly kept those ancestral names alive in the studio, sharing the story of his grandfather from Manning, South Carolina. Having grown up in poverty and knowing what it felt like to go without food, Cochran became a cook and dedicated himself to making sure every child in the neighborhood ate when they gathered at his home.
Similarly, Tanise’s mother was known for constantly looking out for friends and neighbors in Indiana. Tragically, the family lost Aington just two months after Sync Seattle launched, but she was able to attend their very first event.
"She stole the show, and I say her spirit is deeply rooted in everything we do through Sync Seattle... She's with me every day,” Tanise said of her mother.
The Birth of ‘Give, Buy, Hi’
Before moving to the West Coast, the couple formalized their innate desire to gather people for good causes during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. In Charlotte, local emergency ordinances were forcing housing-unstable individuals out of extended-stay motels. Witnessing people face immediate homelessness, the Loves maxed out their own credit cards to keep families housed before organizing a larger grassroots movement called Give, Buy, Hi.
Derrick broke down the three core pillars of the initiative:
Give: Contributing funds to GoFundMe campaigns to help families stay securely housed.
Buy: Intentional consumer support for local small businesses trying to pivot and stay afloat during lockdowns.
Hi: An emphasis on mental health and social connection, reminding people to stay connected and ask each other how they are doing during an isolating time.
Relocating To Seattle
In November of the pandemic, the Loves relocated across the country to Seattle without knowing a single person in the city. True to their values, they immediately began researching local, Black-led nonprofits and small businesses. Tanise noted the historical realities behind this research.
"I feel like so often people forget Black-led nonprofits are historically underfunded—the most underfunded across the globe,” she said.
They decided to recreate their successful grassroots framework on a grander scale. They put up a single, random Eventbrite page and a post on Instagram, telling themselves that if 30 people showed up to the Black-owned venue, they would keep the momentum going. To their shock, 80 people packed the space on night one, and attendees immediately asked them to continue.
Four years, over 100 events, and thousands of attendees later, Sync Seattle has blossomed into a thriving community staple in the Emerald City.
Tanise perfectly encapsulated the couple's down-to-earth philosophy.
"Our feed is chaotic. We're not these perfectly polished people. We just show up as who we are and folks keep coming. So, we're going to keep hosting,” she said.
Learn more about Sync Seattle and their upcoming events on Eventbrite, Instagram, and Facebook.
Stay tuned for more updates on The Pop-Up! coming soon on all Converge platforms.
Looking to book a space for your upcoming event? Check out Colman Commons for all your event space needs at colmancommons.com
