Toronto’s nightlife king offers a glimpse into his fabulous life behind the velvet rope.
You’re not the only nightlife entrepreneur out there, yet you’ve been on top for some time. What separates you from the pack?
Our clientele has matured and grown up with us, so we have a trust and credibility with them. They’re receptive to what we’re doing because we’re dedicated to a niche market that’s also discerning. They also travel and experience lots of great things so they’re always hungry for fresh concepts.
From all your travels, where does Toronto stack up on the international party scene?
Toronto’s still a young city and in many ways it’s still a conservative market. I think Toronto has really evolved in the last five to eight years, but there’s still a ways to go. Too many promoters just play it safe and don’t push the envelope and so clients don’t come to expect more.
If you were to offer advice to young nightlife upstarts, what would you say?
When I started it was really on the personal, grassroots one-to-one basis of just going out, introducing myself, telling people about what I’m doing and being sincere about my intentions. And then came MySpace, Facebook and then Twitter, and now there are a lot of promoters out there — I call them virtual promoters — that don’t actually go out to other parties. So I would say don’t do what everyone else is doing. Get out there, hit the ground and actually meet people yourself.
Do you find that being involved in the nightlife world makes it difficult to settle down?
Yeah, definitely. I was in a relationship for two years, but now that I am single again, I’ve come to the realization that the type of woman I hope to one day marry and be the mother of my children isn’t necessarily a woman I’m going to meet hanging out at the club. That’s not to say there aren’t good women there, but people go to the club to escape and you don’t always see their best side.
So what would be a way to present yourself well at a club?
Composure is paramount. You never know when people are watching you. Know your limit. Don’t get sloppy. It really comes down to staying in control: Have fun but don’t overdo it.
