I have had many experiences up to this point in my life. Among many places, I have traveled to Italy, the Province of Venice, the Swiss Alps, France, British Columbia, and the San Juan Islands to hike, rollerblade, meet the habitation, drink coffee, meet family and do whatever the locals were doing.

I have also had the experience of skydiving, and have always told myself that I would love to continue, but have come to realize that I can get the same adrenalin rush producing an event. With skydiving, I can check my gear as many times as I want, fold my parachute in “three’s”, but the only time it really matters if everything is working or not is when I am dropping 15,000 feet outside of a plane. It is the same concept the day of an event. I can create contingency systems, test the sound and visuals of the staging, do a dozen rehearsals with talent- but the only time these elements really need to work is the moment they are needed for the event.

I began my career at only 15 years old in the restaurant industry. Within five years, my peers noticed I had a very organized way of operating in a very busy environment. I was recruited to be a part of a ten member corporate management team to open various new locations across the United States. I quickly rose to the challenge and exceeded what was expected of me by being able to train over 300 employees within a 12 week time period. With this experience, I honed planning, constructing profitable and productive environments, and designing facilitation skills that would have eventually facilitated a successful skill set for event producing. I was able to develop systems that worked, and created a strong supportive following of employees.

At the young age of 25, I decided to embark on a new endeavor. At the height of the band/live entertainment coffeehouse rendezvous, and with industry contacts, I saw the opportunity to be a booking agent for various talent in the Los Angeles and Orange Counties. In this capacity, I met quite a few bands and was seeking a VC to buy into a business model that created a venue for these bands (my clients) to showcase themselves in one arena. The idea was to bring producers and record labels to the venue to scout the talent, rather than the talent having to seek out such a rare encounter. (Perhaps American Idol ® was the spin that these VC’s put on my business model?)

Working with so many booking managers, I developed quite a few relationships that led me to my next ambition within the coffee circuit. I admit- I was one of the few that can truly attest that I had never had a cup of coffee up until that point in my life. Nevertheless, I opened my own coffeehouse in uptown Whittier, California. My current relationships with talent at the time allowed me to provide live entertainment twice a week. Our calendar was booked out months at a time. It was here that my event producing experience was rooted and where I learned most of my audio visual skills and stage aptitude.

I always had a strong talent for producing special events and a true desire to work with people. The knowledge and experience I gained from these endeavors leading up to my event career was invaluable. After 12 years, it has allowed me to possess a comprehensive knowledge and understanding of the industry and to develop incalculable relationships with many vendors and peers.

Outside of the event circuit, I spend time volunteering with the Junior League of Long Beach; an organization that has been the driving force behind the kinds of initiatives and institutions that make our Long Beach community a healthier, more vital place to live. This organization trains their membership for leadership and effective volunteer skills in management, communications, public policy, advocacy, and personal and professional development.

I also enjoy blogging, vlogging, being with family, car shows, any and all things outdoors, and watching all motorsports; drag racing, drifting, and Motorcross. I also still enjoy a good cup of coffee!

Even though the economy seems to be wheezing at the moment, I am still happy persevering and will not let the economic fear infiltrate my strategic plan and neither should you!

I am looking forward to meeting you!