PARTY + PLAY: What the FUCK Do Gay Nightlife Promoters DO?

Wednesdays at Justin + 6 are Party + Play with the co-director of NYC's number one gay nightlife company, BoiParty and published author of the gay novel Gulliver Takes Manhattan, Justin Luke Zirilli. 

Want him to write about something specific? Just ask!
-----------------------------<3>

It happens all the time: My party is in full-swing. The dance floor is packed. The bartenders are running around serving up the cocktails. The go-go boys are dancing. Glowsticks are passing around the dance floor. The DJ is spinning and I am sipping a drink and chatting with some friends. Inevitably, someone will come up to me and say "Man, I'd LOVE to be a promoter! You guys just sit back, drink alcohol, and have boys fawn all over you and try to go home with you."

I usually nod and laugh and offer them a drink. Because it's easier than my ACTUAL response. Let me set this as straight as a gay man can: being a party promoter isn't all booze 'n' booty, folks. If it were, EVERYONE would be able to be a promoter. No no no. It is a very tough job. Let me explain.

A nightlife promoter is very much like a theatrical or film director or a writer. The better they are, the less you'll be aware of them. But rest assured, just because you don't SEE us working doesn't mean we're just gallivanting about, dipping our dicks in things. No.

In fact, a few months back, a friend of mine named Anthony came to crash at my apartment for a weekend. On Saturday morning, he watched in amazement as I pounded away at my computer keyboard, my cell phone attached to my ear as I made a ton of calls.

"Holy shit," he said. "Promoters really DO work."

Yes. We do. Below I will show you just a TASTE of what a gay nightlife promoter does. 

THE WEEK BEFORE THE EVENT

The majority of a promoter's work occurs BEFORE the event happens. That's why you see us smiling and glad-handing and chilling at the party. We're celebrating a (hopefully) job well done. It's the 7 days BETWEEN parties that we are working our asses off. Every week myself and my business partner, Alan Picus and our team of BoiParty employees do the following:

1. Come up with the theme for the party (consists of multiple brainstorm phone calls)

2. Art direct the flyer (no less than 5 back-and-forth revisions with the designer)

3. Create multiple versions of the final flyer (for social media sites, websites, etc.)

4. Hire the DJs (more phone calls, scheduling, budgeting)

5. Schedule the go-go boys (three at each party

6. Arrange for any giveaways or party props (this includes shopping, finding, purchasing, delivering)

 

7. Update the BoiParty website

8. Schedule performers (meetings, budgeting, any requirements for performance)

9. Social media push (Facebook events, tweets, Instagrammed photos, Google +, Pinterest, etc.) This occurs every day, on over 20 different accounts and sites, sometimes multiple times a day

10. Submit a budget to the club (for all expenses)

11. Email promotions (creation, revision, sending out)

 

12. Text message promotions (creation, revision, sending out)

13. Host relations (calling our hosts, planning the bottle service, compiling lists)

14. Party updates (nightlife is a dynamic creature, we are constantly adding to and modifying the event, usually up to the night before... this of course requires updates to the previously listed 13 items)

THE DAY OF THE EVENT

Ahhhh it's go-time! But not just yet. The sun rises, and we know that when the sun sets, our event will be under way. And our job is still far from done. On the day of the event, we:

1. Run sound check on any performers or acts for the party

2. Run through any tech needs for the event (microphones? music?)

3. Giveaway transport: bringing any prizes or props to the space... sometimes even in a rented truck

4. Final promotional blast. It's pedal to the metal... we're blasting on all cannons everywhere for that final push.

5. Tech check - ensuring that any lights or items needed for the event are set up properly in the space

6. Last minute updates. Again, nightlife is dynamic. We've had acts get sick on the night of. We've had go-go boys break their ankles. It's basically Murphy's Law: any complication to a party happens THE DAY OF THE PARTY.

DURING THE PARTY

And we're off! The doors are open. The Open Bar is under way. The guests are piling in. Is our job done? HELL NO! We are:

1. Meeting and networking with the guests.

2. Checking lighting and sound and set-up.

3. Getting our performers and dancers and everyone into the club and set up.

4. Customer Relations: ensuring that any complications are dealt with and that everyone is having a fun time.

5. Social Media: now that the party is kicking, we want to let everyone who's not there know what they're missing

6. Photography and videography: we're capturing every moment of the party for potential future use

7. Corralling. If our performers or guests have to hit the stage, we're determining what time, what they're doing, and then making sure all of them are ready to go. We usually have between 3 and 5 special acts or additions to the party. All of these have to hit at just the right time, which is determined by gauging the crowd and energy every minute.

8. Host relations. We need to make sure our bottles are going out to our hosts, and that any VIPs in the house are being taken care of.

9. Giveaways. We need to lug boxes and prepare. We need to make sure they go out at just the right time.

10. Go-go shifts: We're rotating our dancers, ensuring they do wardrobe changes, and that all of them get enough breaks through the evening, and that they're all dancing when they should be.

11. Hosting. Sometimes we have to take the microphone. Sometimes we have to go on the stage. We usually have a two-minute warning before this happens. Very important to be able to speak without gasping after having sprinted across the club and to the stage.

12. Breathing. We have to remember to do this, or else we'll die.

THE KEY

Yes, we're doing a LOT of work during the party... but another part of our job is NOT looking panicked or stressed or pissed. As a promoter, we are one of the faces of the party. We need to reflect the excitement and energy with none of the attitude or worry. Even if we are doing twenty things, we need to also stop, kiss hello, chat and have a good time. If the promoter isn't having fun at his own party, why the fuck would YOU want to be there?

THE DAY AFTER THE EVENT

Back to the grind, boys! We've got seven days to do it all over again, and hopefully bring out even MORE people than we did last night.

PLAY IT AGAIN, SAM

Oh, one other thing. What I just listed (ALL OF IT) is what we do for EACH weekly party. Currently BoiParty throws TWO weekly parties (Saturdays and Thursdays at XL). So take everything here, and do it twice. And should we decide to take on a third or fourth party, multiply it by three and four. And this of course does not include our annual events that take place in other states (we're working on Fairgrounds at Six Flags in September and Southern Decadence in NOLA in August right now as well)... so fold those in, too. You dizzy yet?

Hopefully I've shown you just a glimpse of what it's like to be a gay nightlife promoter. The secret behind-the-scenes jockeying that you don't quite get when you see me talking to some cute boys and sipping my citron and soda.

Is it a hard job? Yes. 

Is it high-octane? You bet. 

Is it super stressful? Almost always.

Would I ever want to do anything else besides this? 

No fucking way.

xo 

Justin Luke