Party Promotion 101: Easy Mode
Like any good movie, the elements that make for a smashing party are easy: “a good plot, believable characters, a little action, a little suspense, a little sex, and a happy ending,” according to notable party promoter Easy of Easy Money Entertainment.
Easy has been mixing fun ingredients into flavorful nights for a living since 2002. He’s a favorite recipe for Popstar Tuesdays at Guest House, Feel Good Fridays at The Manor, and Love Sexy Sundays at The Grand. His past projects included Grown & Sexy Wednesdays at Halo, Candy Rain Saturdays at Star, and Layer Cake Thursdays at Blvd/Duvet.
“A day in the ‘office’ for me might mean sitting at a table somewhere with friends enjoying a bottle of expensive champagne. Don’t get me wrong, there’s a lot of work that goes into creating a successful event, but once it’s up and running, you have the time to enjoy the fruits of your labor,” Easy says.
Today, Easy Money Entertainment consists of himself and an assistant, yet it continues to thrive on Easy’s well-structured business practices. With little direction, he started throwing parties in college and allowed knowledgeable mentors to map out strategies that eventually shaped his current work ethic.
The savvy party promoter uses his flexibility and staple components to create nightlife scenes that serve up tasteful attention. He organizes teams of individuals that all bring something different to the table. Therefore, he ends up with a good database, pretty women, ballers that spend money, and people who are well-connected in the industry.
Easy suggests that urban nightlife is in a transitional period right now, which signifies how important it is for promoters to leverage the people and places associated with the party world. They have to manage more obstacles on both sides of the rope. Promoters exercise more selectivity in dress code and some only open their doors for an exclusive bunch. Struggling party throwers have to negotiate with greedy club owners “and the bottle service culture that only cares about that 500% markup profit on a bottle,” he says.
Those who can upgrade hip-hop parties in the midst of uncontrollable variables are the ones who will take the scene to the next level, even after they grow a buzz for themselves. Easy thinks so many promoters are unsuccessful because they follow their egos instead of good business practices. “They think they want the money, but their decisions show that, for them, it’s more about being seen and being ‘that dude.’ They feed off the attention from the girls and want the reputation of being popular,” he says. That alone, is enough to be a career-stopper for any aspiring party promoter.
With his ego in check, Easy is celebrating the success of mid-week events he hosts weekly. “Now, I see a lot more people doing things and opening nights that are showing potential to be around for a while,” he notes. Easy Money Entertainment intends to remain on the scene as it club-hops its way to the next level. “I’m planning the fifth year anniversary now, you coming, right?”
By: Alyssa E.T. Roberts
