Meet Niki Bridges

Today we’d like to introduce you to Niki Bridges. 

Hi Niki, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
As a native St. Louisan, I’ve always been interested in exploring the city and making the city a better place to live. I often heard people say that there was nothing to do in St. Louis, but I started off by checking out local publications and going to their events. I found out about more events and kept going to them. Friends would see my pictures and ask about where I went and hos, I found out about it. Pretty soon, I started emailing my friends about cool events coming up on the weekends that we might go to together. Fast forward to 2012. I meet my future business partner by chance, who was a transplant from Minnesota to St. Louis. I wanted to show him a good time and get him adjusted to his new city, so we went lots of places together. He soon suggested that I make the experience that I was giving him available to more people. After I finished my Master’s degree program at Washington University, STLNightOut was born in 2013. Since then, I’ve become involved in the local influencer community, attending events like St. Louis Fashion Week, Q in The Lou, and Shakespeare Festival of St. Louis as media. I have met lots of great people and had a great time. I do a weekly video of my “Top Weekend Picks” and maintain a public events calendar. I really like to showcase all of the great things we do have in St. Louis and all of the talented people who live here. 

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
STLNightOut caught on faster than I thought it would. People seemed to be hungry for this type of content from an everyday person that they could trust to be kind of their guide. I think the challenge seems to be now with the pandemic and people slowly getting back into going out to events. 2020 was very uncertain because of the lockdowns, the restrictions, and the cancellations of many events. I feel like I am now getting my footing back. I also feel that the great “blogger boom” of the past 5 years finally burst in 2019. Many of the blogger friends I have made have moved on to other endeavors or they have been transitioning to being “brand ambassadors” and I feel I have to continue to keep my content fresh and show growth in order to compete. 

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am the co-founder and writer behind STLNightOut, the one-stop place for fun in St. Louis. I am known for my weekly “Top Weekend Picks” videos, highlighting some of the most happening events for the upcoming weekend, as well as my event calendar, which has everything you can think of (and some things you haven’t) and is constantly updated. I am proud of being able to gain access to events and bring them to everyone. What sets me apart is that people can look to me as their personal concierge to have fun in St. Louis. I don’t have any agenda but to enjoy life and bring people along with me. 

What are your plans for the future?
I am currently working on another project, Da Plug STL, which brings news, events, and features to the black community in St. Louis and hopefully beyond. I am going to revamp the STLNightOut website and work on forming more brand partnerships so I can start doing more things like giveaways. 

Contact Info:

• Email: contact@saintlouisnightout.com
• Website: www.saintlouisnighout.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stlnightout/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/saintlouisnightout/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/saintlouisnight