Bo Karlen | What Happens in Vegas | SKC Live | EP05

Transcript
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foreign [Music]
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back to another episode of SKC live I'm actually so excited and by the way I'm
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Brian KIPP but I'm so excited as I even forgot to tell my own name I'm sitting here with
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the myth the man the legend the Creator night life Vegas everything Mr Beau Town
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himself in the flesh hey what's up everybody Bob Carlin here live from SKC
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Brian KIPP thanks so much for having me on the podcast really looking forward to this uh I know we go way back and so I
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think we should have some good stories for the people here today no no absolutely but here's the thing though did I did we do we call each other up
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and say hey let's both wear our Captain's Club hoodie we didn't no no that that's that's called uh just being
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on the same page on the same wavelength like uh you know our our direct circle of people that we work with and we
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obviously look up to and because we have business ventures yeah you know I promote this you know daily just like you do oh no for sure and I actually
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need to get more of these I think we're supposed to get two on the captain's Club while they retrieved one of them so I need to get another one because this is going to be worn out but uh yeah 11
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captains Club Miami goes all the way back to you know ex partner of mine Gina lopinto Pioneer and legend of Las Vegas
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nightlife what I was about to say is that you know a lot of people that are are kind of
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getting into the night Loves You Know nightlife scene in the industry you know they all know Gina lopento 11 Miami
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right right and in Miami he's mayor he's Legend obviously you know with all you
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know with all the partners and obviously the creator of 11 Dennis agouri um but the but a lot of people in Miami
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don't know judo's history in Las Vegas where he literally created I'm gonna say
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underground electronic music Night Live after hours I mean a lot of people like
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they're like oh well yeah Empire Ballroom will still take it back okay well what about like Rhino all right
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cool take it back Utopia cool take it back and you were there from the very
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beginning Yeah March 96 uh transplanted here from Portland Oregon didn't know a
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soul just uh life change got out of relationship out there and moved to Vegas came to the Rio one night when
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Club Rio was there with back in the days with Steven yeah a little Stevie boy and there was a line outside this door clear
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to the valet and I was like Wow Vegas nightlife and so I went there that night and uh brought a piece of candy with me
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and uh that was my eye-opening experience of that I sit in the Rio watching the Boogie Nights on Wednesday
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night and watching the bikini contest and thousands of people here and I instantly came to me here I was like wow
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24 hours no rules alcohol 24 7. strip clubs strip clubs everything and I
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thought wow I kind of found my calling being a people person like I am I came from a little bit of an underground
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scene in Portland before I moved even though I was a big athlete I was throwing parties but nothing on the level when I moved to Vegas when you got
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here your eyes just like popped out of your head instantly well you know what's crazy a lot of people don't know this but um
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when I went to high school here oh wow I grew up here but I worked for
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um a radio station 94.1 it was called 94.1 jams and this is when they were out on Water Street in Henderson before they
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moved off Rainbow and and they kind of changed their format a little bit but um I actually helped on the promotion
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side um and Club Rio was obviously also
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inside uh the Rio um I actually got the opportunity to go to Club Rio and it had all the private
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Sky boxes oh yeah I remember that yeah and I remember the first time I got together I was 18 years old and they
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told me hey you can't go down to the club because I'm not 21 right but hey we'll sneak you up to the sky boxes and
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I actually got to hang out with two people that were actually actually three people were in that room it was remember
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the the group lighter shade of brown yeah yeah very beginning Marky Mark oh wow he was there so obviously Mark
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Wahlberg and Coolio they were all in the same room up in now Club Rio rest in
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peace Coolio yeah yeah that was sudden yeah out of nowhere he was a big big deal here in the scene
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with a lot of the locals around town in the party scene so going way back like you did you know then yeah no no 100 we
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actually did um so you know I did that so you know my opportunity I'm trying to tie into Club Rio but man there's gonna
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be a hundred things we're going to talk about here but um I used to also be a part of this group called empty Pockets Productions
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and empty Pockets Productions was an underground kind of like Warehouse Rave group and we had like the electronic
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music techno side right and then we also had like the hip-hop side and DJ Warren
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peace uh yes and he was DJing at the radio station unrv on the unov radio
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where we actually I it was actually one of uh one of the partners Armani and a guy named Ed Miller which is actually
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still bartending to this day Eddie Miller Ed Miller I love Eddie Miller he's a wet Republic forever yeah yeah
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he's great yeah he was and he went over to uh Arya he was doing uh what is that
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the the lounge there anyway ways yeah he's all over the place but so yeah so
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it's funny we're going to fold this all into it but I was working at a Pizza Hut during high
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school he was a delivery driver and that's how we met and I was you know I wasn't the most popular kid at my scope
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I was pretty popular in sports and a lot of different clubs and so he literally kind of recruited me and said hey do you
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want to be a part of this production and it just helped me promote this so of course flyers on every cars flyers and
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lockers and um but the one thing that was really predominant back then is nobody had a
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camera a video camera well my dad had a really cool you know the big video camera that you put the VH yeah yep and
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so literally I would come and film all of the parties and so they always put this really big I I can't remember the
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guy's name was like a Samoan our guide that would kind of stay with me because you know because I had this big camera
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and you know if I got bumped into or I was a little guy and um oh had the time
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of my life and I got to meet a lot of amazing people but that was a 90 5 96. so it was right when you were
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coming on the scene yeah um but I wasn't old enough yet I was just graduating high school in 95 and
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um you know I wanted to go but yet you had Sharks Club she had a drink yep the drink yeah yep you had uh what was the
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place over at um at the Venetian Cy so WB WB WB upstairs where the tower is
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now currently that was that the outside little patio stuff that was great that was the beginning no no but what was the
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one that was inside the Venetia and the ones DVD actually did it it was like cyk oh c2k oh C2 codes the first mega Club
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I've worked with Stevie came on brought and did that whole thing there in the beginning ctk was the the first mega Club in the country
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really yeah that was the first big big what did that open up did it open up like a 90s we brought rubber pip and hoe
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and all that stuff there right around 2000 2002 is when that all got taken away and shut down so right around 98 to
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2002 I'm thinking right in there yeah yeah but that was the first mega Club when the Venetian opened and that really
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was the big draw for that and that kind of what put the club seat on the map other than you know the origination of
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like Utopia you know which was really the biggest Club around town then at that point oh no 100 it actually so I
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actually got uh when I was living in Miami so I after I graduated high school you know I joined the Coast Guard I end
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up finding my way out to Miami and um and while I wasn't working I was
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learning a new trait which is photography and I got to meet a lot of the club promoters in Miami because
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around that time they changed the legal age from 18 to 21 to go to a club in on
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Miami Beach and it really kind of it kind of hurt the seat a little bit because I mean Miami beach at the time
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that was the mecca other than New York for for models and so models were
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flocking down to South Beach to be represented by all these different Mega talent agencies beautiful photo shoots
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the beaches yeah so I actually kind of got on the ground floor and you know became a you know a pretty
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big photographer in Miami and um so a lot of the promoters I I ended up
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getting introduced to they literally were like hey Brian like if you you know we're turning this club into a
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restaurant beforehand and obviously they were doing to get around the rules so that if there's a restaurant it could be
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all ages and then they'd just stay in there as it turns into a club and put the switch put the switch is the club
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down yeah and um so they're like hey can you bring like you know four to six
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eight you know hot model girls and well I'll come for dinner we'll give you free bottles we'll put you front and center
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remember the club bed absolutely used to go all the time wnc yeah that was
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actually the club the first club that I that I actually started doing that with and they were literally every week call
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me and say Brian can you bring like another 6A girls we'll put you on that on that Center bed right when you walked
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into bed but it's all literally beds right it was that first one and it was on Monday nights it was our industry
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night and um and yeah I mean I would do that and before you know I started meeting all these people and then I
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nightlife industry to even just powerful people and they find out I'm from Vegas
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so I kind of became Mr Vegas Without Really knowing Vegas at all and so now
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when I'm flying back and forth from Miami to Vegas I saw my family out here they're like hey you need me you need to
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meet my friend Victor Dre oh yeah you need to meet my friend Paulie Freeman Gina lopinto uh Stevie D like so like I
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literally got to meet like I got to have dinner with with Victor um when Dre still had a steakhouse
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downstairs absolutely um and then it was funny because when I was I was there for that I got to meet
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my very first night life nightclub host that actually I wish the nightclub host
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Community would actually go back to this remember Cassie Rose of course so Cassie
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I got introduced to her with Victor's Victor's favorite he loved her well he referred me to her and and then so
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Cassie actually uh every time I would say hey I'm coming to Vegas you would say hey do you need a car service do you
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need a hotel you need a book she was so careful careful I mean like attentive to
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me yeah she's very professional about it she was very good at her job well and she was a VIP host of The After Hours club after I was still was kind of being
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discovered right yeah um but that but the whole thing is that like that's how nightclub hosts need to
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kind of be now granted they don't have the leverage and the power that probably she probably had back then where she could they probably had an account at at
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uh you know executive or whatever limousine services sure where they can go do this because I was coming in and
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you know she was setting me up at the table and I remember like it was a big deal if you did anything above 1500 yeah
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and actually it was never a 15 hour minimum what was it how how were tables sold back then well buy one get ones
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you got to buy five bottles oh before they change the whole minimum thing yep yeah you're right yeah exactly well it's
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three or four bottles and back then obviously the prices weren't what they were now but still they weren't imposing
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the number of bottles that just went to a minimum exactly 100 but but I remember when they kind of shape like really we
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we still played that bottle game up until probably excess opened and an excess kind of changed it and said no
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it's a table minimum yeah yeah that's actually the first ones to probably incorporate that full-time like
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full-time Incorporated yeah I think it was them Light Group Maybe started with it maybe with Andrew and Andy yeah I I
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definitely don't want to take any credit from somebody that actually did it but but I remember being in that scene that the very first nightclub that actually
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said here's the table minimum minimum spend minimum spent yeah
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um and was you know that the club actually did it I mean I you know you know me and Mark J which obviously you
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know very well you know we you know we partnered up and and and did the sunset session party at Tau for a long time
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um many years and you know the Cabanas and the day beds had minimum spends
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and I felt like the outdoor you know all the day clubs they already had that kind of because you can't really say 10
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bottles of a baby club and really now you actually could because it's nothing really nowadays nobody ever thought it
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was going to blow up the way it did yeah no nobody ever thought Tom Beach came on on the scene the same year that that uh
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that that bear opened up in 2007 rehab was already the the king dingalings and
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the space probably the funnest debauchery party if you wanted to be debauchery and have candy
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um it was definitely the the party to be at yeah I remember when they started first bringing all the big DJs they did
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hip hop and then we started bringing Tiësto and then I mean overnight that thing became a global sensation you know
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uh rehab was definitely probably the biggest strongest party back in those days you know oh hands down I mean I mean when you're talking about legendary
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but also at the Hard Rock Body English Sunday Sunday school favorite one of my favorite spots I think I think literally
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those are two of the biggest most memorable parties that I would say hands
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down in Las Vegas as a club can you know consistent I mean worship Thursdays at Tau obviously was legendary on his own
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peer Tuesdays you know was you know another Legend but really I can't think
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of any other party Sunday school the Hard Rock was a place to be back then too it was cracking with all the
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celebrities Vince Neils the Rodman's uh you know Molly Crew all the people Pamela Anderson all those big
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celebrities they're so Body English and then you doubled up during the day of rehab you didn't leave the Hard Rock for three or four days you got the room
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there and you you camped out because there was no better place to be and that's where everybody was and then I it
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was funny because still to this day I I keep hearing I'm not going to the Virgin
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Hotel because I took out the Center Bar worst thing they've ever done the Center Bar at the Hard Rock was the mecca one
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of the greatest stories I've ever heard was actually a guy that I know uh pretty well and I know you know him too Keith
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regondo over at uh Crazy Horse three he tells me he was working at Club Paradise and a guy with was basically pitching
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Amazon's stock to him in 1998 1999 now
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just imagine like we're talking like less than a dollar a stock whatever it was and and he said that he literally
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missed the meeting because he was he ended up meeting a bunch of people and
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things got weird from the Hard Rock Circle bar so the Hard Rock Circle bar
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prevented him because he was really interested he probably would have bought in um but he things went you know sideways
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and and I apologize Keith if I'm butchering the story but I I know it I know it's along those lines but but but
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yeah but I mean that that Center Bar I remember in 2000 coming out staying at
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the Hard Rock um which I remember that that in a Bellagio were like the two most
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expensive places to stay um even the Palms the promises are not another legendary response
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um but yeah I mean but I remember being there in being at the Center Bar and really feeling like everybody that was
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there were authentic people and if you understand Vegas bars after 12 o'clock
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they kind of turn into you're gonna find you know you can find anything you want for a price right we'll just say that
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and uh but I felt like they were always authentic because I I ended up you know meeting meeting a girl or two and you
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know having my first Vegas real kind of hookup experience at the Hard Rock yeah
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that's where all the girls were it was the the center meeting where you meet where's the Hard Rock and pretty soon
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it's just like everybody's at the Hard Rock at level 12. and then it was Body English and then once you got your crew together you were you're doing one of
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the two daytime or nighttime in the pool parties at rehab as well so well but if you but if you think about it I mean
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Hard Rock's rival you would have thought would have been anything else on the Strip no it was the Palms right on the
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other side of the freeway now now think about it how how is that possible the Las Vegas Strip the most value piece of
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property I believe I think it even Rivals Times Square I think it's more expensive
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all these casinos all this money all these marketing minds and you got two
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hotels independently on privately owned yeah the Maloofs own one then you had
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Morton's on the other one and they're kicking the crap out of the Las Vegas Strip because they were
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innovators yeah I mean Peter you know Peter had Harry his son and then you had then you had you know the malus had
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George and George is he listened to people you know I mean I I never got really close with George I've been in
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the same room I've been dinner drinks you know I actually was a casting producer on the TV show Inked it was
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inside the Palms Huntington and Carrie Hart yeah yeah I got brought in through my good friend Austin James that was the
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actual the well he was actually the casting producer I guess I was a casting director um but um but yeah I mean like those
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were the hey days of Las Vegas I would say from 2003
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to 2009. 89 would probably be the Heyday yeah and
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I was at the explosion of everybody you know getting into being a host or um you know throwing parties as
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promoters and then that's kind of where the promoter came in right there we were talking so much about hosts but all
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these big clubs opened up and then it really kind of opened up space for promoters and that's kind of where I came in yep you know I was I was out I
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met tons of people and I've always built my network I always put out a card and I started doing small weekly parties and
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then I'm like wow no one's doing after hours here this is even prior to Utopia and so I opened up a little place
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um called forbidden you know if you remember over here on Polaris and Valley View it was 18 and over all nude and the
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owner was like if you could bring people here I'll pay you and I was like oh okay I'll let you open are you talking over
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what was across our deal uh Polaris and I think um right here on Valley View
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close to di right in that little area there and it would just sat back off there it was just a little place but it was just
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total debauchery I mean it was 18 and over alcohol you know sneaking in party
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favors everywhere and everybody came there and that was the beginning well we outgrew that so fast because it was
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about a 150 person venue and then I did little BJ's Lounge behind MGM right
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there on Tropicana kind of a temporary spot was it the best place for it but I had to move my people somewhere because
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we grew so fast for after hours Now Utopia opens up now I'm there I'm living there I know Gino I know Paulie they did
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their thing but I was kind of doing the after hours so we became friends and relationships and everybody knew you know oh we're going to Bose after hours
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or whatever so then I started getting in Gino's there I'm like dude if I put my sources together you put your Utopia
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together let's find a spot well we outgrew BJ's lounge and it was a sports bar it wasn't the best place to do but
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it held its spot for probably six months so then we did Tommy's over at uh or
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Jerry's over across from the college little College spot there was right on Maryland Parkway it's called Jerry's and
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so we did that out for a while and I said Gino still is at the right spot we need something on the Strip because you had to do the drive from the strip over
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to Maryland Parkway lots of police and whatnot so then I walked into a little place called the Blue Lantern
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and they were in deep [ __ ] it was a strip club kinda gay club you know for guy
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strippers so it was predominantly a gay club and I walked in I talked to the owner and he's like oh no you know we're getting ready to close down I said Gino
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I found a great spot brought Gino over there and then that's when Spearmint Rhino came in and that's how we met John
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and and Gino went in and did the deal right before that we had our first shot at Dre's a lot of people don't know
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there's a lot of people that you know Dre's was actually before Ryan me and Gino went in there and said hey we want
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to do an after hours we want to do a night and he's like Victor was like and I knew Victor from probably you know
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kind of the same people you'd in the same Circle and he was like ah no we want to do a Wednesday dinner night and me and Jerry like no we want I know you
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know after hours you know boom boom and and that he didn't take the bait so then we walked into Blue Lantern Gino went
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and did the deal and that's how Rhino was going for about nine months before he got shut down and drays had opened up
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during that transformation of it but that's kind of dating back from forbidden to BJ's Lounge to Jerry's that
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we mean Gino kind of merged together we took the concept of dreads they didn't want it then we found the Blue Lantern
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which is the gay club and then that evolved in the Spearmint Rhino to what it is today so that's how far back the concept goes which was crazy because I
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actually know Kevin and I know KCAL oh yeah great guys yeah and there were the there was uh KCAL was the owner of the
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Blue Lantern and Kevin was the lawyer which is now his husband oh wow right
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right yeah right that's right and when was it John uh no no no no before who no
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who's the guy who got kind of banished from Vegas the owner of rhino John Gray
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there's another guy and we probably needed you know she know what no because he kind of took over from that point I
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became the promoter he did the so what happened is that that guy had to leave town for whatever reason and he went
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over this is a story from King Kong Kevin that they went over and they said hey can you keep an eye on my on my
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strip club right now and they're like wow we're a
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couple it's not really our Forte right um but sure and then it turned into a
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longer thing where they said listen if you want us to take this over you know we'll take it over but we need we need
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paperwork right and then it turned over to where if you think about it genius two guys already know the hospitality
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industry don't know that don't know the mainstream strip club industry but they're two gay guys right who's a less
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threatened person to all the girls are going to come over there right so so
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literally that's how it all started and then John Crystal um literally he was I believe the first
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hire yeah he was the first time and still there till this day yeah plus later yeah no great job and um and then
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I remember you know and then of course Ronald Monday nights Rhino first it was
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after hours right yeah you guys were doing Saturday nights there crushing it I mean show up at eight nine in the
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morning there was a thousand people out front it was crazy and then the Pippin hole rubber days fed into that and just
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and there were days we they're easily many days that we stayed two three four days and then we didn't even leave the
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place then they brought food in so we didn't even have to leave for food though we didn't eat very much during the course of those days but but uh
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eventually that just became like a home and it was just so fun and then we added the other days like you're saying you know the other promotion nights and
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stuff well yeah because I I literally remember remember when I would be in Miami and come out to Vegas for the weekend
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and I would literally try to find a weekend I can actually leave on Tuesday morning because I wanted to be here for
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Monday night at Rhino yeah and because I started you know meeting all these different people and then that's
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actually when I met you well I first met you during those times
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um you know we we never really got close then we're in the same circles the same thing with Geno same circles and then um
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and I remember really funny story I come out I I come out today I'm back in Vegas and
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somebody's introducing me to uh reintroducing me to Paulie Freeman and uh you know we had the long hair it
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definitely had the long hair he was the director of nightclubs for Caesars Entertainment yeah and he was at Voodoo
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Lounge and so um I got introduced to him and I'm trying to remember how the whole
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connection happened but I remember I had like four or five girls with me and um so Paulie's like hey I you know I've
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got kind of a busy night but I I'm gonna get you a table a Voodoo Lounge and I'm going to send you over a complimentary
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bottle and I'm like all right cool now this is like I'm just fresh in from Miami so it's 2004 2005. so like moving
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back to Vegas now um oh it was my birthday that's exactly what it was it was my birthday
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um somebody reconnected us and I went over to Voodoo Lounge and so the waitress comes over to me now remember
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Vegas Miami so I'm I'm already a program Miami style all right now I'm coming I'm
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gonna have to get reformatted to Vegas the waitress comes up to me hands me a bottle menu and she goes you could pick
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any bottle you want on the menu and this is before they had like crazy like you
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know Louis the 13th right you know huge uh Ace of Spades or I'm sorry or Christ out all that stuff and um and uh it was
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referred a bottle of vodka so I'm looking down the list I go Sky I'll take a bottle of Skye now in Miami the top at
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the time it was Gray Goose Belvedere and Skye and those probably in those three
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orders but but they're all first to Market those three pretty much well Skye
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had a really cool presentation with a light underneath the bottle and before the light flicker things and the bottle
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press they would come out with these bottles of Sky through the club and literally you're like hold on a second I
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want a bottle of Sky because people can all see that all these bottles are coming to my table presentation but what
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sky did is they go Vegas is starting to blow up let's go and do this ridiculous I mean I'm sure they regret it now
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because it destroyed their whole brand hey we want to get sky in all the wells and everywhere we're gonna do ten
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dollars I'll take it back it was six dollars and 25 cents for a 750 liter
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bottle oh wow yeah and whatever the case well I think it was 1200 case and then it was like eight dollars for a liter
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bottle and so of course everybody Industries are scooping it up but do you
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think they made it their premium no no so like literally the girl goes what bottle do you want and I go sky
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and then she goes just so you know you can get any bottle
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on the menu like almost no no I like the coolness of sky and I go I go I go wild cobalt blue yeah yeah I I go you know
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what's wrong with the bottle like what's wrong you guys not have it she goes no no it's not but that's our top bottles
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and like literally when I heard that that's branding and marketing epic
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failure number one right what with the brand and I and and on this on this you
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know podcast I don't ever want to ever trash a brand but if you go back whoever came up with that concept like the
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marketing department all right and The Branding department for the brand all
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right because there's two different things there they literally never talked because when when when when when the
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marketing department goes hey we're gonna you know they're talking to sales right and so I was like Hey we're gonna take over Vegas we're gonna do this The
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Branding people should have stepped in and said hold on you're you're going to trash our
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branch keep it keeping it so anyways I mean so do you so yeah so that so that's
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my my story but we're getting reconnected with poly then he comes over to the table when I was there you know
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had a cocktail and he and I'm like yeah you know I remember meeting this guy Gina lopento he was like oh my gosh
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actually he is coming here actually I'm going to go meet with him downstairs do you want to come with me I'm like hell
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yeah so went downstairs and that's why I got reconnected to Gino as well and he and this is when he was just opening up
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Empire Ballroom when he open up in a power Ballroom oh gosh it was it 2003 2014 three and four yeah right after c2k
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so yeah about that time because I know that him and Polly were still I don't know if they're what their business
28:11
relationship was but I know they still have some sort of relationship whether or not it was sharing information on
28:17
sponsors or whatever it was but I know that they still work together because I know Paulie used to be as GM on the in
28:23
the Utopia days right yeah absolutely yeah yeah he was there during the day and then he went over to Voodoo we did rise and shine at voodoo on the memorial
28:28
weekends brought in the LA promotions the Danny bees and the castros and so rise and shine was great being up there
28:34
and watching the Sun come similar to like the Terrace now but that was a great little spot whenever we did that I
28:40
mean and we did those on the big weekends where everybody the pimp and ho rub with people and everybody and trying to get up those elevator to the Voodoo
28:47
Lounge and stuff was it was a good spot we tried to revisit that and get more parties later on but after Paulie left
28:52
and stuff they weren't really into the whole you know that concept anymore you know so it didn't last long well it was
28:57
really weird because you're 100 right because I I think I think the Rio was trying to reinvent themselves because one of the major thing happened they
29:04
ended up getting the World Series of Poker I'm just gonna say and that's probably the reason why is they brought that in with a whole nother crowd and
29:09
had to change well you're talking like uh hundreds of millions of dollars over a 45-day span that could also came to
29:17
the VIP for that World Series of Poker because I remember they used to you know have a lot of their After parties or
29:22
pre-parties and whatnot so so so funny story when it moved over there uh Jeffrey Pollock was the commissioner of
29:29
the World Series of Poker and um I got introduced to him because I you know I I
29:34
played like I played professional cash games for like 2005 to 2010.
29:41
um but anyways I got introduced to Jeffrey Park when he first came on board and I was already doing parties and so I
29:47
said hey let me do the launch party for the World Series of Poker and let me do the wrap party right before the main
29:52
event if you know anything about the World Series of Poker there's all these events leading up to the main event satellite let me call them no no they're
30:00
actually racial events oh wow yeah I mean it started off with like a handful a couple dozen or a dozen and now it's
30:05
like over 60 plus events that are actually bracelet events because that's the most coveted thing yeah you have to
30:12
win one of those in order because again ongoing tournament style or no no they're individual events literally like
30:17
there'll be like a 1500 buy-in to a fifty thousand dollar Omaha tournament to all these different events leading up
30:25
to the main event which which is its own event number which was like 60 something this year
30:31
um anybody could buy into the main event it's a ten thousand dollar buy-in it's the largest poker you know tournament in
30:37
the world 8 000 people there in the first two or three years a year I think it was over 8 000 or something like that one point I believe this year we
30:43
actually they went over eight thousand again I mean the price is stupid amount of money but what ended up happening is
30:49
I I end up doing the the the launch party in the rap party I did it for three
30:55
years I think tells us seven eight and nine and did I Voodoo um and um I literally just went to
31:01
Paulie and I said hey I'm working with you know these guys and um God it was a guy I can't remember his
31:06
name um he was really good friends with Mark J um and he was uh one of the marketing
31:13
managers for the World Series of Poker but he also was like a a floor a floor supervisor
31:18
um anyways he ended up kind of really helping me cement the whole deal um but yeah I mean and but when Jeffrey
31:25
left there was a new guy that took over um and he just decided you know we don't really need launch parties and rap
31:31
parties I personally think you you do I I I think it's a spectacle sure um I do
31:37
remember on the last year that um uh that I was doing it uh Jeffrey came
31:43
to me and he go he goes hey he goes he goes have you heard that song Poker Face uh by this artist named Lady Gaga and I
31:51
was like Lady Gaga he's like yeah and I go he's like do you think we could try to get her to sing Poker Face
31:57
um uh launching the main event day one and I said well I I know somebody I can
32:03
reach out to so I wrote out you know I started you know making my contacts and I know a guy named Mike easterman I
32:09
don't know if you know Mark easterman he's a big Talent Bob yeah I believe he exclusively or at least he used to
32:15
exclusively managed Mario Lopez oh wow but he he was like the influencer uh
32:22
like the all the Playboy Playmates to you know to be an A-list celebrities uh
32:28
but I know he had Lady Gaga on his roster because I literally reached out to him and I said hey how much would it cost for her to come in just to sing
32:34
poker face no concert nothing else just to launch the World Series of Poker yep
32:40
and he literally break reached out and contacted Lady Gaga and Lady Gaga as
32:45
management team said a half million dollars wow and I said uh just to sing
32:52
one song and I said her minimum booking is a half million dollars
32:57
if I believe it this is one of those guilty and I know you've run to it a million
33:03
times if she would have been presented it directly I think she probably would have said oh I'd be honored right to be
33:10
the one part of the marketing and everything with that globally wow if it would have happened
33:15
it would have probably been I I probably still Jeffrey would probably still be the commissioner and
33:22
I'd probably still be doing well so there's a bunker launch events but but the funny thing about is I actually became friends uh recently with a guy
33:29
named Paul Blair which is has been uh Gaga's producer for I believe since
33:35
poker face and I I remember telling him that story and he goes you know what I think I
33:41
remember that being kind of pitched and I go and I go was it pitched to her she
33:47
said a half a million oh and you go he goes actually I don't remember the details but no it never got to her yeah
33:52
and I go manager greeted and those agents they're tough to get through yeah well and again the vision right it's so
33:59
hard to get to the division of some of these people and again by no means am I trying to call anybody
34:04
um especially you know times were different then too look how it's evolved now and how how much easier it is with our relationships and networks and
34:10
producing parties and marketing and you know with your SKC group and what you've done with towel group and 11 and some of
34:16
the bigger Brands yeah it's just a ball it's just an evolution of that even like we go back to the Utopia days it was
34:23
guerrilla Street marketing Gino ran the inside he made me little business cards all I did was walk around the Hard Rock
34:30
and give out cards or half off and it was gorilla Street Market then we did the colleges then we did the cars the
34:36
parking lot we did the gay areas we did everything there was no problem back then doing this gorilla Street marketing
34:41
now well you get fined and it's a big deal now so no no but did you but but here's the one thing I've talked to I've
34:48
talked to you know because obviously you know I'm a few years behind you coming up in the world but like I literally
34:54
would talk to like these up-and-coming promoters and hosts and they all literally are like I don't want to be I
35:00
don't understand flowers I'm like listen I guarantee I I was I was like I was about to lead into it did that not open
35:07
up so many doors for you and then somebody you handle a card and they go hey you need to meet my friend Paul
35:12
Allen the billionaire or like I mean I met so many interesting people Yeah by literally doing the Gorilla Marketing
35:19
promotion absolutely and kind of cutting my teeth on that yeah I enjoyed doing it I actually I actually loved I loved it
35:27
people were in the clubs I spent the first two or three hours I went and did all the the parking lots everywhere and I was by myself and answering my phone
35:34
and back in this time when we first moved here and you could relate to this we had beepers this was like pre-phone so it was like doing your beeper putting
35:41
out flyers and then you know heading to the club and then bringing your group of people meeting and then doing the bottle
35:46
and the VIP stuff that eventually you know got stronger as the bigger Network you know I've had a hashtag I do forever
35:51
and it'll be incorporating a lot of the stuff I'm doing and it's it's all about your network and it's about the network you've built and the relationships you
35:57
build I mean my relationships and my network are just Priceless yeah you know I call it the bow Town Bible I'm like 24
36:04
000 phone numbers and and just hold on hold on I I got to tell a question boat comes to me and I I would
36:11
probably say I'm probably Bose like Tech Guy here's my ticket he literally calls me all the time strong point I'll admit
36:18
it no no no which is fine but he literally comes to me and he goes he goes you know he goes he goes
36:24
you know you've always helped me you've always supported me I want to support you you know what like hey I've got my LinkedIn I really want to send out a
36:30
bunch of emails like and kind of introducing SKC to my network because my Network's not just Vegas all over the
36:35
country and over the world and I go I go well you know like like how many of you you know how many people you have on
36:41
LinkedIn now now keep in mind I think I have a lot I have like 59 almost 6 000
36:46
people on LinkedIn look Bo's got 21 000 all right and he never uses it and
36:53
but but but that just tells you the power of what people wanted to connect
36:58
with you yeah they wanted to connect with you so bad that they're seeking you out connecting with you I remember even
37:05
probably five six seven eight maybe even nine years ago I probably still have it on my computer card no all no all of
37:13
your email lists oh I have tons of them it's still on my on my little chip thing in my safe and you know I've got
37:19
hundreds of thousands hundreds of thousands of emails you came to me and you said I need your help
37:25
again Tech guys this is probably eight nine years ago um and I literally went over to your condo at Panorama and we literally went
37:33
through and I and I first of all I had to I had to hire a cleaning service to
37:39
clean all the emails that was a big thing and then we had to upload everything to a database um and again you know I mean it must
37:45
have worked out because I know that you know Bo stops calling you on a problem it's fixed it's fixed
37:51
if you still call you or asking questions it's definitely not fixed but you know back to your point it's like I love what I do it wasn't work you know
37:58
getting to the club and meeting the people that's the high that's that's what you look for at the end so the rest is it's just easy and you're networking
38:04
along the way and hey you need a table now the now the VIP thing starts evolving now I'm booking more tables I
38:10
mean I put out over 200 000 business cards in 25 years to build my network don't do it so much now because the
38:15
evolution of technology and you know the social media or whatever just touching but uh you know that that
38:22
Network that I built it took 20 plus years is what got me into the world that I'm in now and you know me approached by
38:28
corporate companies for um you know equity in companies and and trying to make their brands grow or whatever the
38:33
product is you know I have several on the table right now and so I've evolved into this new world of technology and we
38:39
all have I mean and exploding right now just crazy it's really exciting to actually see you evolve into what you're
38:47
doing it's the same thing with me like you know how do I get into to you know earning you know one of the biggest
38:52
digital marketing companies in Las Vegas um and really it's because people would
38:58
come to me I they trust us you know they trust us we literally we literally never
39:04
burned anybody intentionally no we never really you know like we just were good
39:09
business people and but people called me up and say hey do you know somebody that
39:15
can um you know take photos of this you know somebody can make a logo you know somebody and after a while working with
39:21
all these different marketing departments in Las Vegas from you know working with you know tile group and I
39:27
didn't really work in the marketing department I was more like independent like I was definitely an independent contractor that was doing the Sunday
39:32
parties um but I still you know like I would have a little bit of input like Jordan minor was like my address you know
39:39
direct opponent contact and I remember having a couple conversations with him where he was like Hey you know we're booking this DJ what do you think
39:47
oh man best parties I just got to jump in I mean Ollie's my boy and rest in
39:52
peace and all but uh I think at the time of that when towel came in and tell Thursday of worship and all the other
39:58
clubs and after hours that was the world Memorial Day Weekend 2007 until 10 in
40:04
the morning no no no no no no the first year it went to one o'clock in the morning I was there I was there till
40:10
about 9 30. in the morning and I remember if somebody buys a bottle
40:15
I'll play one more hour that's what he said yeah and then it was like four people bought like it was a magnum it
40:21
was a five liter right yeah the big ones yeah it was a five liter it definitely wasn't 1.75 it was a five it was a
40:26
bigger one yeah and I remember the first hour it was like four and then like the second hour was like maybe no the second
40:31
hour was like one and then I think we're up to like seven o'clock now six thirty seven o'clock and then like literally
40:38
people just started still buying but here's a crazy thing people started showing up as much as it started uh uh
40:45
winning out it started filling back up with new tables and new people everybody was coming from everywhere else basically kind of extended after hours
40:51
do you remember who he was going heads up against over with jet oh and if you and it's okay I'll put you in a spot it
40:58
was Tiesto oh wow it was it was that Sunday night Memorial Day Weekend 2007 Tiesto was at
41:07
jet Eric Merlot was at Tau and if you know the layout and the layout of the Las Vegas Strip they're literally right
41:13
across the street from each other you can walk back and forth walked right over you know where Venus was across the
41:19
way there the back end no no no no no no no no no we're talking about Mirage oh barrage okay yeah yeah yeah yeah you're
41:26
thinking yeah so like literally The Mirage you literally walk right across the street and you're right in front of the canals and you walk right in you go
41:33
right upstairs to towel I mean literally like the escalator is right there and you go right up if you if and that was
41:39
the one thing like you know I remember I I never really hated ever like the
41:44
parking structures or anything like that but like literally if you could get dropped off or valet at the Venetian it
41:51
was so convenient to get the towel if you had to park in a parking garage good luck it was like a journey and the thing
41:57
is we're guys right we have no problem our shoes are probably not that uncomfortable they're probably always
42:02
really comfortable but the girls but the girls man and and like literally in their High yeah in their high heels and
42:08
and like it was like by the time you got to the club they're already like uh on my feet you know
42:14
um and I remember just dealing with that so I'm like so I literally whenever I had clients I literally would be like
42:20
all right listen we're gonna the girls we're gonna get you a cab it's before Uber we're gonna give you a cab or even
42:26
a limo and we're gonna drop you off right at the front of the Venetian you're gonna walk right in it's like
42:32
we're right there where the hotel uh check-in is and we're going to meet you at that bar right downstairs bottom of the escalator I couldn't even
42:39
tell of the barber it was called the bottom of the escalator bar that was a spot that was a spot that was a meet-up
42:45
spot yeah and literally and it was so convenient for the girls now literally leaving there was a whole entire story
42:51
because you know we're either getting a limo to go over to Rhino Sapphire Crazy Horse wherever
42:57
um but yeah I mean that that was the explosion that right about that time area like you said 2002 to 2009 that
43:04
that was probably the funnest the body English I would say 2007 was probably the best year yeah because I mean you
43:10
know you have Tao Beach opened up you had um bear opened up you had a
43:17
um well blush was really blowing up then because blush I think that's a great spot I like that spot oh my gosh yeah
43:23
yeah I love that Tristan oh Tris Tris went from Tris went from Labette to
43:29
trist terrible name a little bit at first no one liked that name no one got it I didn't get it I
43:34
didn't when they changed it I was like okay now I'll go to Tris is great let's go have a tryst
43:40
did you ever go to The Venue when it was about oh yeah of course I did but remember but the the problem with with
43:46
the venue wasn't the name which which I agree with you I don't like the name either but it was they had it was like
43:51
rooms yeah a difference it was sectioned off before they opened it up eventually later on when it uh interest yeah yeah
43:58
and then they opened it wide up and then it literally it changed the whole game because Tris actually gave everybody's
44:05
idea and vision for excess which is still arguably the number one uh nightclub in Las Vegas
44:11
hands down and for the longest time in the world because now I'm gonna say you know the the argument is going to be is
44:18
it excess in the top three clubs in my opinion in the country
44:23
is in no particular order because if I was going to put an order to be 11 on top as excess Omnia yeah and 11.
44:33
yeah I'd have to agree yeah I mean there's in one order I don't know but I mean it all depends on your on on your
44:40
on your um oh nothing really compares to 11. so let's go back to 11 for a second yeah you know what Gino took in the
44:45
concept there with Dennis and and you know uh to be able to grow and explode
44:51
as fast as it did with the concept but the Beautiful Girls I'll tell you the number one thing about 11. that is a
44:56
family over there I have not seen what they have over there in the family and the employees the management like
45:03
everybody gets hugs and Shakes and that is the number one thing about 11. I envy that all the time now now here the girls
45:09
gave me chills yeah no 100 that the culture I created here at SKC very much the same thing we always Walt
45:16
good morning this and that everybody has access to all the department heads myself they can just walk into my office
45:23
they got a question for me pull the same thing with the 11. what I really love is every time I go to Miami and I'm there
45:30
pretty often as you know um every time I'm like all like the kind
45:35
of the pregame spot is a Gold Rush right all right so I'll show up the gold rush and then like Danny Solomon one of the
45:40
partners he'll show up and then Derrick Henry one of the other partners will show up and they when they greet each
45:46
other it's like they haven't seen each other in a freaking year or longer hey brother in a literally hug each other
45:52
that's the energy they create walking in the room it's amazing when Dennis shows up everybody like you know when Dennis
45:58
is going to show up building yeah the whole building knows but but but that right there shows me the respect right
46:07
that they give to everybody no 100 whole team he comes in and
46:12
everybody from the from the manager to the bar lead
46:19
but to the busboy yeah Busboys to the guy who's in the kitchen the guy who's doing the hookah they go over hey Dennis
46:26
and they shake his hand and Dennis had always has a smile on his face yeah
46:31
happy guy all the partners have that and like it used to be it used to be like uh walking
46:38
into 11 with Geno um from the time that we'd pull up yeah
46:44
to finally get in to get to where like we're gonna post up whether it's in that back bar in on the side or you know you
46:51
know or a Dennis's table you know literally it could take
46:57
10 minutes like wow I got here at one it's two o'clock I haven't even got a drink or you could take an hour yeah because he everybody comes up and wants
47:04
to say hi yeah and and he gives you're right the family I mean there's nothing
47:10
like that you could be an outsider and watch it and go wow they got a special
47:15
thing so so so I'm gonna show you I'm going to show you the name don't say the name okay all right don't say the name
47:22
uh-huh all right you know who that is of course okay dear friends okay good so he hit me up over the weekend he was in
47:28
town yeah he was in mind with the wife yep yep so he was out there and um and the only reason why I'm not gonna I
47:34
don't want to say his name has nothing to do with him I'm sure he'll be on your show at some point no no 100 he will be but but the thing is is that he
47:40
literally the first time he ever went to 11 was this weekend oh wow really I wanted to reach out to him but I figured
47:46
you'd already his birthday his birthday always falls I don't know art basil oh
47:52
nice no which is bad because we can't I mean the cheapest table at 11. oh yeah
47:58
is what 40 000. that's ridiculous 30 000 is what it is and so you know and of course you're not you're not going to
48:04
you know celebrate your birthday by yourself so anyways my point is is that like he he went for the first time yeah and um
48:12
he actually a a mutual friend of his uh is a big customer or a big you know uh
48:18
supporter of 11. he got a table that night and so he actually got to full 11 experience so I'm literally texting with
48:25
him he down the pit yep right in front of right in front of Dennis's table oh nice Tina was right
48:31
there everybody not to me yeah so like literally I literally said glad everything worked out
48:36
um and you've got the full 11 experience perfect because it you know there was you know getting him
48:42
you know on the list and getting him in the first night was a different because he went twice he went two nights in a row yeah um he said yeah buddy he's like
48:49
he's like that club was amazing nice that's a big statement coming from him who's been around is he's a Utopia guy I
48:56
date people back he's one of those guys so for him to say that and it's funny because he called me about a year ago
49:01
hey can you give me a let me do a space give me Tim and I send him all the minimums this is like a year ago he was almost irritated by it like what I can't
49:08
get a cheaper table no no no we were together but no me anywhere together where the text came in okay yeah oh
49:15
actually hold on I I actually have you're gonna You're gonna laugh yeah you
49:21
keep it I I keep everything on my phone I don't he's like I don't do that so I I
49:26
literally you know hopefully this is not uh being weird on uh on the oh man I I
49:32
gotta find it um anyways I'll find it soon enough but anyways he literally sent me
49:38
um a screenshot of the um of the message that he had
49:43
with Gino oh nice and and and and and and part of it was from last year was on
49:48
there and literally it was hey um uh hey I'm in town love to come by
49:54
and check out the club um and this is like in the middle of the afternoon and uh Gino's response was
50:01
um awesome love to see you keep me updated you know um you know if he's coming
50:07
um and then of course you know he hit him up and um you know sometimes Gino gets really
50:12
you know busy and sometimes you know he doesn't get objective in a while well then he checks his phone but sometimes
50:19
you know like there's so many different group chats going on but anyway so I kind of nudged and say Hey you know he
50:25
wants to go over to the club and check it out anyways but a portion of it was right above it and it says hey bro sorry
50:32
but whatever this is all we have left and it was a thirty thousand dollar table yep exactly now I remember and I
50:38
remember yeah and and he was born like can't they do a lower minimum I'm like bro you you'll once you go there and
50:44
experience it and see it but he hadn't done that yet so and now he has and now he has and actually I'm really excited
50:50
um you know me and you actually should go and pop over and see him out of spot I was there about 5 a.m on Saturday oh
50:56
he was didn't see him of course but uh I frequent that place no no no no no no no we should definitely go there we should
51:02
definitely um um because I I want to know I want to hear his experience yeah exactly yeah I mean the club's been open nine years now
51:09
we're going on nine years 11 is yeah that one February 2023 it's gonna be nine years I remember being there from
51:16
you know opening day because I mean as you know like we you know me and Gina were you know working together at
51:22
Hustler I was doing all the marketing right right and Social Media stuff and um and uh obviously Gina was operating
51:30
the club and you know doing all that and I I I remember really funny story because I you know
51:37
that was the last venue that you know worked at before you know um partnering up with Dennis and you
51:42
know moving on he literally calls me up and this is like 2010 2011 I can't remember when and
51:49
he goes hey um are you at Crazy Horse 3 right now remember crazy used to do the reload
51:55
parties every Wednesday right all right or once a month on a Wednesday and reload is basically they give you a
52:00
credit card they basically upped it yeah yeah and then and so you can go in as an industry person they literally would
52:08
um only charge you like industry prices yeah it was like half price drinks I thought it was big yeah but but they
52:13
also gave you credit on your card um which was really cool and obviously we brought a lot of people there and
52:19
over the years but anyways I said yeah I'm over here he goes do me a favor he goes hop in your car head over to
52:25
Hustler and I literally was like why like there's no reason to Hustler was
52:30
literally had opened up with the big huge like the name this beautiful Club
52:35
probably one of the most beautiful strip clubs on you know in Las Vegas and it just crashed because they brought an
52:41
all-outside non-vegas people which we all know is is always always going to Doom to fail yeah we walked in our walk
52:49
oh I I literally said hey I'm here he kind of walks out we meet or come in a little Lobby for your area and we walk
52:55
through and we literally counted there was nine 9 or 12 dancers oh wow all
53:02
right and this is at like 9 30 10 o'clock all right so I mean you I mean that's early yeah okay they're supposed
53:09
to check in at nine I think yeah it's like nine to twelve dancers and about five to six customers oh wow all right
53:16
now granted now granted um sorry um the um
53:23
you still have the staff and you know so it didn't put some bodies in there but it it looked dead right so we walked
53:29
through and then of the nine customers we'll say like three of them were were
53:34
pimps oh gosh and um and so he he goes he goes I mean he
53:41
gave me the whole tour second floor first floor basement roof but this is before the roof there
53:47
was nothing up there yeah I remember it was empty and um I was like he he goes
53:52
do you think this place has potential I said this is one of the most beautiful venues I've ever been in he goes well I
53:57
took I I just did a deal with Harry um and I'm taking it over I've got
54:02
pretty much carte blanche within reason he's like you want to be you know you want to be my marketing guy you know and
54:10
I said well I I yeah I would love to do as an independent but I'll be here every every night for you you know I remember
54:15
every time I called you were there at the bar yep so I literally you know I literally you know just you know went
54:22
for it and really because I believed in him I believe in Geno and literally the first
54:29
three months that we had that place cracking but we also were the first Club to do cash payouts through our promoters
54:37
oh nice at the at the booth so like the same place where the cabins were getting you know and the limo drivers were
54:43
getting their payouts we were doing the cash payouts and he but that was Geno's
54:49
idea I believe um people are going to bring more people there's stuff with some cash in their pockets no like literally they walk in
54:54
the group and then they walk right out there grab your cash and they walk right back to him to go enjoy or they would
55:00
just have that slip with them and then as they were leaving they get paid and um
55:05
it was so easy to get the promoters on board then or all the independent will come independent hosts right
55:10
Independence yep and um it blew up so we went from actually doing you know
55:16
filling in the crowd getting actually and now we got to get girls back there because obviously I could bring all the
55:22
guy customers but you still need the girls right absolutely um and um but yeah I mean we end up
55:27
crushing it and he did you know well obviously he did but the team did we crushed it so well that
55:36
um that yeah I mean opportunity came knocking for him in other places but it
55:41
it I don't want to air out all everything that he was thinking about during that time period but he had another offer on a table Yeah was
55:47
actually was really appealing and and it's not my business to say what it was but it was going to take him not to the
55:55
east coast it was going to take him farther to the West Coast um because I I think he was really I was
56:00
worried about like literally leaving Vegas like this is his home and he created an Empire here and it and it
56:05
always frustrated him how come I'm not on top because I created this I created
56:11
this and but he's not an arrogant person he's not a conceited person he just he just never yeah very humble but he never
56:17
understood why um you know why he wasn't you know
56:23
there or you know but he also was like if I'm just not getting my break my right but I'm telling you when he went
56:28
to Miami it was all good there I literally the support they believed in him he had a
56:34
track record and and you know change is good location was good obviously look what it did for him and his family they're happy they love it out there a
56:41
hundred percent because I remember he was out there for the first year without his family yeah because he kept coming back and forth
56:46
um and um yeah because I I mean like literally you know I had the opportunity just recently like last two three months
56:54
um uh Dennis agory came out with actually a bunch of people from 11. and for one of the conferences in town
57:01
and I actually you know was at dinner and you know um actually you know got
57:06
some good you know quality time with him you know what you know literally was you know taking him you know back to his hotel uh from a couple of the nights and
57:15
um I I really like that you know his vision that when he literally you know
57:23
what he had he did he just needed all this to fall into place yeah and do I
57:28
have to have the right components it takes a lot to build a team and and and and literally everybody you know
57:34
everybody thinks that you know it's this person and that person and this person it's literally it's 11 as a team it's
57:42
not one person it's not Geno it's not Derek it's not you know it's not Danny
57:47
it's not Dennis it's all of them collectively right and um and like
57:53
literally if there was a a hall of fame for nightclubs he should be inducted as uno number one
58:00
guy yeah because he literally you know with him we'll call it a burst uh what was it called a first round ballot yeah
58:07
first round ballot like him like the Jason's trousers of the world the Victor Dre's Jason you know the guys who
58:14
created Studio 54 you know the the uh uh uh Dave grubman's yeah yeah yeah it's
58:22
funny Jason Strauss he we're buddies and did always did a ton of business over there but he would always come up to me and he'd go I just want to thank you and
58:28
Gino for Paving the way for us you know really he used to say he used to say that to him and he'd say it a few four
58:33
times and as later in the night or earlier in the morning he would catch Jason it would be a little more
58:39
sarcastic toward the end but he was always very appreciative of what we've done and respected us and it was a mutual respect at that level and Geno
58:45
dealt with them a lot of different things so Jason Strauss to tell group Noah all those guys are great yeah no
58:50
and Lou I loved Lou Lou Aben you know it's funny he just opened up Lotus as I am up at uh Red Rock oh my friends were
58:58
just there this weekend Billy was up there yeah no yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah he actually I don't know he ended up
59:04
partnering with that family that you know the original one yeah then they ended up doing that but you go back to Jason Strauss one billion percent like
59:11
he he literally he he had faith in you know
59:16
but he had an idea for something you know he he kind of knew who he wanted to put in those places and at the
59:23
time you know it was me and Marche and you know um and RJ was a beast when it
59:28
came to promotion and promoting and I think the first year even prior to
59:33
television that was when we did Raw at uh the Luxor and Gina was in there and we were doing uh yeah Mark Jay
59:41
oh no marching goes all the way back to uh Rob or 1999 yeah and it it was a dome
59:48
that was it Wednesday night's pleasure Dome that was a big house Thursday was the big hip-hop night with Mr Bob and
59:53
all the hip-hop guys and whatnot so uh well you know you know what's crazy Marcy told me a story of how he even got
1:00:00
into so so Mark was working Billy Richardson senior hold on yep exactly so
1:00:06
Mark was on a flight from London to Las Vegas and he was sitting in first class and he
1:00:12
sat right next to Billy Richardson oh wow senior Junior you know what well Junior was pretty much ran the club but
1:00:17
senior was senior with the Mandalay Bay I want to say it was Junior it's probably Junior probably Junior I want
1:00:22
to say it was Junior so they're sitting out there Mark is working or just I think he's told he was still currently working for MTV London
1:00:29
and he was basically and so when they started chit chatting and they realized oh yeah well my father just built the
1:00:36
Mandalay Bay and I'm running this and then marks okay I'm you know working for MTV London and Billy goes you know what
1:00:43
you know who we could really we really want to get access to we cannot get a hold of is this guy named Paul ogenfold
1:00:50
oh geez and and Mark just did a special or did something with him
1:00:57
um like in the last two weeks before that or or very recent and he goes he
1:01:02
goes okay he goes I can get your power and father he goes listen you get me Paul oakenfald all right then then we're
1:01:08
gonna do some business together I was in the Heyday of transport and all his original albums that came out this is 1999 yeah so the funny story about
1:01:16
Marche I actually met Mark when he was at ice as a marketing director yeah he was there with that old reality show and
1:01:21
all that with AMG and yeah that was a little yeah no 100 but but you know what was crazy was
1:01:28
um everybody knew that Mark J lived at the Mandalay Bay yeah he did he had a sweet he had a sweet and every 28 days
1:01:34
he had to go down check out re-check back in into a new room uh well sometimes I don't want to get anybody in
1:01:41
trouble but I know every 28 Days Later check out and recheck back in uh because of of the of the laws of of uh of uh
1:01:48
when it comes to hotel rooms but he literally Billy said listen you give me power unfold um you know like we're gonna do
1:01:55
business together he goes by the way where are you staying a mark didn't have a place to stay yet and this is back I
1:02:01
don't know I don't know if you remember this and God I wish we had a graphic of this but it doesn't mean no way we're
1:02:06
gonna find it um or maybe you guys could find it we could wrap the show with that see if you
1:02:11
could find at McCarran Airport it used to be a whole wall of telephones
1:02:18
where all the hotels it was literally if you type in Las
1:02:25
Vegas Airport Port Hotel phone wall call that so basically just
1:02:32
pick up like the bat line straight to Tau or straight to the Venetian or straight to the Luxor or whatever Hotel whatever Hotel I haven't seen that no no
1:02:39
it was a giant wall of phones like you because every time you came here you're
1:02:45
probably already connected up hooked up yeah I just kind of bypass it yeah remember a 1999 2000 the internet was
1:02:50
still fresh yeah how did you book how did you book a hotel room of course you called the hotel you made a reservation
1:02:56
but when you showed up to Las Vegas you know you if you didn't have a hotel room
1:03:01
that had a hotel wall um and um it would be really cool if they find a image but I mean it it's
1:03:07
probably a vintage photo but the but yeah you literally go over you pick up the phone and it'd be like it would go
1:03:13
right in the Mirage right into you know Caesars reservations and and also I
1:03:19
believe they used to have like a red light and if a red light was on I mean as a hotel was at capacity oh wow yeah
1:03:27
so um I'd love to see a picture of that I I didn't ever catch that one but yeah no that's a good idea back then no it
1:03:33
was crazy so right down right down the escalator from
1:03:38
oh my God in the baggage claim it's coming out of baggage claim and another thing I don't know I don't know if you
1:03:44
remember but remember how they used to always check your baggage ticket in order when you pick it up out
1:03:49
of the bag yeah or you were getting out there that that old I mean they always hired like you know senior citizens to
1:03:55
do it and they were very strict on it and you know what also that they gave them you know that they did that but
1:04:01
you're right if you you don't have your ticket sorry go over to the uh the to the uh courtesy desk for that Airline
1:04:07
and go get a reprint of your ticket good luck we're not getting out of that there'd be a line just to get a reprint
1:04:14
ticket but right so right into two parts of the of the two baggage claims right
1:04:20
because you have the two baggage claim sides on one of the walls was the phone
1:04:25
wall a phone while the hotel phone wall and a funny story when I used to do my Gorilla Marketing back there for Rhino I
1:04:31
would hit the airport and I would check all the flights a wins the Miami people come in where's the Chicago and I will
1:04:38
go to the airport and it was a free-for-all I just walked around and gave people cards well eventually they shut me down on that but uh even you
1:04:44
know that's where you got them you got them right off the thing you got them right at the airport here's the party you need your VIP I get you a limo and
1:04:50
that's kind of where that whole hosting thing came in but I was just a little more aggressive than everybody I went to where the people were and I think that
1:04:57
went a long ways on my marketing and being able to reach out to people and build a database you know the network I
1:05:02
did get into the whole VIP stuff and uh like you said we go back to it I had
1:05:07
some of the best times of my life back then when I was out running around the parking lots for four or six hours and you know everything had your initial on
1:05:13
it you had to put on so you knew when it came back and returns and um you know I miss those days you know and I think there's not a lot of that
1:05:20
anymore anything is not really traditional old school marketing like doing well I mean but you know I'm a
1:05:26
Technology Innovation yeah but it's like you know things come back around and I think you know if you're you know things
1:05:32
are different so I got out of the scene in about uh throwing parties around maybe 2015 with the explosion of the
1:05:38
clubs and I wasn't trying to throw my parties at Empire we were doing Empire then and I would do everything early from 11 to 3 or whatever and get my door
1:05:45
deal with Gina or whatever but once all the clubs opened up and these big DJs we had six different Tiesto here and Calvin
1:05:51
here and all that I kind of said you know what I'm going to bow out of this I'm not going to go up against these big you know massive clubs with these DJs
1:05:58
and it just well you couldn't anymore I mean I mean literally the the corporations the money they were spent
1:06:04
in the Billboards and the marketing they started listening and Steve Winton was one of the first ones he started
1:06:09
listening to his nightclub operators to like you know the Twins and and then you know the Sean
1:06:15
Christie's and the you know and uh Paulie Freeman now is over there operating all that yeah and I guarantee
1:06:21
you that a lot of the really good things that are happening in in the industry today are now because they're listening
1:06:27
to the people who know how it used to be I mean that whole Light Group you know
1:06:33
group The Angie and Andrew and uh Sean Christie was a House of Blues and that's kind of where uh Jesse and PSY came in
1:06:41
all those guys came in Larry Murphy was another one from that group McCormick that went over there hard rock yeah and
1:06:46
then you know babies that was big big son and Jesse were over there and Shannon Dupont and well that was Corey
1:06:52
yeah well no Shannon was actually she started she started at the Palms oh wait she started the palms and then
1:06:59
and then she ended up you know going over there's another local kind of industry Legend
1:07:04
um Sean Sean oh my God oh my gosh what's his last name I'm gonna be like an idiot and
1:07:11
hopefully this is an air like this Sean that whole uh so Sean and Shannon moved
1:07:16
here together oh I didn't know that and then and then when they and then when they uh and when they uh split up broker
1:07:22
or whatever with their own ways then that's what Shannon got with Corey um anyway I don't want to air out everybody's you know industry yeah
1:07:29
we can do a whole show on that one yeah so so with that I mean we're definitely
1:07:36
we rolled over an hour here and we're definitely doing the time oh yeah this is like part 10 down the road with
1:07:42
different segments we can I mean like literally we started off with like Hey we're tweeting with happens club and I
1:07:47
promise you guys that was nice all right because yeah we're not like you know like you know like the old school girls
1:07:52
are like hey what are you wearing you're wearing pink yeah no no literally we're vibing he came in with it in his hand
1:07:59
and I'm like oh my gosh he goes oh I gotta wear mine now cool and and the
1:08:05
irony was we literally were just talking about your office about Geno and
1:08:11
literally bam he facetimes me and he wanted to FaceTime me to say hi that they were doing uh uh the 11 family
1:08:18
right they were doing uh barbecue barbecue at the park with with both gold Russian 11 family in Miami for the
1:08:24
holidays and I was like oh that's so awesome but it was so weird we were just talking about him when he called yeah
1:08:29
and we'll be out there next weekend right art basil yeah I actually get there a few days before you I I get
1:08:35
there in the morning of the first okay cool and I and honestly you know what that's what we did at part two we'll
1:08:41
come back here in Miami no no no no oh once we come back from that Adventure yeah oh you know what I don't know
1:08:48
pop on one down there I don't know I don't get his time I don't know I don't know if the staff wants to go to Miami
1:08:53
and have a great time with great weather um but I don't know we'll figure that one out but anyways
1:08:58
there's so much to talk about in in the future stuff and you know it's a pleasure well thank you always you know
1:09:05
being able to uh be in your circle and work with you and we work direct and you know some of the business ventures we have and marketing things we have now
1:09:11
I'm excited about what's going on with SKC and the Boat Town Global and um you know expanding my stuff and
1:09:16
um well we definitely we definitely dive into that part too about like specifically what we're doing yeah but
1:09:22
hey thank you again I mean guys living living legend and nightlife
1:09:29
um but very good friend Bo Town Bo Harlan all right let's see thank you
1:09:34
again tune in next time we'll be here for yeah any other I mean we're gonna
1:09:39
have more great episodes but uh but thank you again SKC live Brian KIPP I'm
1:09:45
out peace guys dude we could talk for hours oh my God
1:09:51
oh my God