Samantha Tabby Schmidt
Founder | Performing Arts Director
Street Square Avenue, Persistence on the move is a Creative Bureau that encourages, transforms and aspires kids and youngsters to dream, explore, think and connect. Helping them to identify their gifts, talents and reach their greatest potential - by bringing imaginative stories to life.
Founded by Aruban born Samantha Tabby Schmidt, a graduate in the Performing Arts.
Schmidt’s Academic background: Rotterdam Center for Theatre The Netherlands/ High School for the Arts Utrecht (HKU) The Netherlands/ TISCH school of Arts (NYU) and The Lee Strasberg Institute of Fine Arts in New York.
As a dedicated and eager full time student Schmidt made time a few days a week to work at various Broadway Theaters under The Shubert Organization.
Throughout her career Schmidt has become a member of the Recording Academy’s New York Chapter – better known as the Grammy Awards. As a member of the Academy, Schmidt has visited the Grammy Camp where talented students from across the USA are selected to attend a week of music seminars, workshops and performances with recording artists and music industry leaders.
Schmidt also worked on creative projects in Aruba, such as: Aruba Soul Beach Music Festival and on the first edition of Aruba Film Festival.
Passionate about developing youngsters in their creative abilities, she founded the Street Square Avenue Institute in her native island, Aruba.
Street Square Avenue has a long-term goal to develop a strong and healthy self-concept, enabling the child to be happy, do well in life and to be better prepared for the real world. Ultimately to be a kind, healthy being with a strong sense of self.
Samantha’s own Journey:
When asked who Samantha Tabby Schmidt was, she answered: “A dreamer in the role of my life, one that makes the impossible possible by being determined and persistent. I am extremely confident with a strong sense of self. Though I was not always like this,” she said.
“As a youngster growing up I was extremely shy and always in the background, afraid to be seen and not comfortable in crowds, I would feel like a fish out of water. However, going to ballet classes was what I loved and could have danced it off, I never felt shy dancing.”
“In 1999 while already working in New York, after having finished my studies, I suddenly received the news that my father became very ill which resulted in me moving back to Aruba. I wanted to be close to my father who has always been my backbone and support, if it wasn’t for him I would have never achieved and reached my potential.”
“The intention was to stay for one year and then go back to my dream job in New York, however as time passed by I got comfortable on the island and started working. The reality is that once I left New York, I lost all my creative motivation, vision and self.”
“After many years of working in the tourism industry on the island I started feeling out of place. I started experiencing this burning passion within me that I had to bring to life. I needed to continue what I had started and I had to simply pick it up where I left off. I started thinking about what I had left behind and what I had already achieved during my time in New York before moving back to Aruba. So I decided to go for it, I followed my passion and founded my foundation and called it Street Square Avenue.”
Street Square Avenue
“The name Street Square Avenue was born on January 09, 2015. While in search for a name that would both be ‘outside the box’ and feed, motivate and hype my creativity, I one day decided to go sit on the beach to be precise Baby Beach, a place where I go a lot in my free time to sit and think. Having packed some books, magazines and other reading materials, I started to browse through them searching for a name that would connect to my spirit. I also happened to have a New York City Subway map with me, which I decided to pull out as well, and after a short while there it was, looking me right in the face; New York, the city that is made up of streets, squares, avenues, parks and blocks. So, for my love for New York, the place where I once lived and is the bedrock of my artistic passion and formation, I called the foundation Street Square Avenue,” Schmidt explains.
“Street Square Avenue represents a symbol of stimulation for all set out to bring their dreams to reality by taking action.
Street represents the starting point - the Dream.
Square represents the Journey through which one puts in the work to achieve their goal.
Avenue represents the Accomplishment, the achievement and celebration.
The slogan, “Persistence on the move,” stands for the fact that with persistence one overcomes resistance." - Samantha Tabby Schmidt.
Schmidt paints a picture of her first backstage experience at the Grammys that took place in New York that year at Madison Square Garden:
"Schmidt describes her first backstage/ green room experience at the Grammys in Madison Square Garden as a surreal moment. The song of the year that year was Eric Clapton and Baby Face called: "Change The World."
Up to this day, that song deeply inspires me because of the blessing of being there present at the 39th Grammy Awards."
"This is where I confirmed that with dedication and faith, there's no mountain too high that one cannot climb.
After this experience, I was like: I will move mountains because of being persistent."
Testimonials:
Lisa Zahn:
I have the pleasure of knowing Samantha “Tabby” Schmidt for more than 15 years. I met Samantha when she became a member of the Recording Academy’s New York Chapter – better known as the GRAMMY Awards. The Recording Academy represents the voices of performers, songwriters, producers, engineers, and all music professionals.
During my 27-years as Senior Project Manager of the Recording Academy, I have met, and worked with multitudes of Academy members, and I see that Samantha has music in her heart and soul. As a member of the Academy she had the rare opportunity to visit GRAMMY Camp where talented students from across the USA were selected to attend a week of music seminars, workshops and performances with recording artists and music industry leaders.
I have always known her to be a woman with great determination and passion for whatever she sets her sights on. After my departure from the Academy, I moved on to Women in the World / Tina Brown Media as Project Manager, Production & Operations. To this day I have remained close with Samantha.
She will be opening up her youth musical theater in May, a goal that she has nurtured and cultivated and now see to fruition. Her brand “Street Square Avenue – persistence on the move” is one of great meaning – whatever the struggle, the perseverance in your journey will lead you to the final objective that lies within you, no matter what the goal is.
I hope you join me in believing in Samantha and Street Square Avenue – it is a true labor of love!
- Lisa Zahn, Former Senior Project Manager of the Recording Academy