Interview with John Kiernan (Wrestling Entrance Theme Song Composer)

By Sonia Schnee | Posted on Thursday, January 13, 2022

I’ve known John Kiernan for several years now. (We originally connected when I needed a composer for some videos I produced.) What’s interesting about John — among many things — is that while he’s very much an artist/musician, he’s also a great businessman. He’s figured out how to take something that he’s passionate about (composing music) and make a career out of doing what he loves. He found an outlet as a pro wrestling entrance theme composer, and over the last two years or so he has written over 100 theme songs in a wide variety of genres. His music has been used by wrestlers the world over, and if you turn on your TV set (for those of us who still have one), you can see/hear his music being played during any number of pro wrestling events.

If you are a fan of the pro wrestling world, this interview is a must-read. If wrestling is “not your thing,” this is a still must-read for anyone who is trying to figure out how to make a living doing what they love.  

Scroll to the end to find out how to get in contact with John and to listen samples of his music.

(Video and transcript have been edited for time and clarity.) 

Do you want to give our audience a brief background of who you are and what you do?

JOHN KIERNAN: My name is John Kiernan. I am a wrestling entrance theme song composer from New Jersey. Right up to now, I've written over 100 themes for different wrestlers, for different promotions. I usually say “everybody except for WWE.” That's the only company I haven't worked with. I've worked with wrestlers from AEW, New Japan from Pro Wrestling, Ring of Honor, MLW. So, all around the gamut and various independent promotions. Over the last two years, it's been quite a ride, and before that I'd been doing performances, releasing instrumental music, scoring films, and performing my own music. So, a little bit of everything. But where I've been for the last couple of years has been in wrestling themes, almost exclusively now.

For people who aren't familiar with the wrestling world, can you give us a little bit of a background about how many different wrestling organizations there are and which one you're working with?

So, I usually work directly with the talent. I am the in-house composer for the United Wrestling Network, which under its umbrella has about four or five different divisions, such as Championship Wrestling from Memphis, from Hollywood, in different territories that they exist, as Championship Wrestling from (insert city here) — most notably and most recently, Championship Wrestling from Atlanta.

In terms of how many there are, oh man, there's so many. Now you have promotions out in China, you have promotions here in the U.S., you have Japanese promotions. I don't know how many countries my music has been featured in, but I'll tell you that they've been featured in a fair amount. Wrestling is a big thing, especially overseas. Wrestling's a big thing here in the States, too. 

It's interesting because there’s a little bit of a parallel between, for example, soccer, where you have the World Cup and everybody kind of falls under it. All the different wrestling promotions are kind of their own independent things. Wrestlers go from place to place, but it’s more like they're independent contractors that can go anywhere, unless their contracts are tied to a specific promotion.

Where I come in is — for those who might be familiar with combat sports like UFC — before the combatants hit the ring, you hear that piece of music that plays in the intro. That's usually where my music plays, and if they win, it plays again.

What's the composing process like? Is there a lot of back and forth?

I'll always put it like this. My individual experience may differ from a lot of people because if you are a composer that is contracted to a specific organization then the chain of command might change. Gratefully — and I've been speaking to different wrestlers and different people in the industry about this — I think I'm in a really good position because I get to work with talent, usually individually, even if it is me working with a UWN talent.

Usually, they come to me or the boss comes to me and says, "Hey, we're looking for a theme for this wrestler." I get connected with the wrestler, ask him/her a couple of questions. Usually, the main questions I ask, even if I know who the wrestler is, I'll say, "What do you want the audience to know about you before you even hit the ring? Like, if someone hears your music, what do you want people to feel about you? What do you want them to get before they even see you?”

From there, sometimes they have different references, and they're like, "Oh, I'd like the theme in this style" or "This is something I think would help portray my character in a different way." So realistically, the process differs wrestler to wrestler. Sometimes you'll hear me doing a fairly heavy track like I did for a wrestler named Masha Slamovich. It's very much like a Testament meets Arch Enemy kind of feel. Then there's another wrestler named Mercedes Martinez, and her theme is more of a reggaeton-style. So it's two very different contrasting styles, but it really is dependent on what the wrestler is looking for.

I have worked with organizations where they're like, "Listen, you're just going to kind of work with us, and we want to control that narrative." (For those who are in wrestling, wink-wink, "control the narrative.") But just in general, often if you're working independently, you get to work directly with the talent. If you're contracted to a specific organization, it could be either way. Gratefully, most of mine has been directly with the talent.

You mentioned that you had to dig into a lot of different genres. Do you have a background interest in different genres, or do you have to learn things as you go, adapt to people's requests, and bring on some new skills?

It's the combination of A and B. I think we all have that friend who doesn't hate much. You know? Like, there’ll be a general consensus around a movie where everyone's like, "Oh, this movie sucks" and there’ll be that one person who can find that redeeming quality in it. That's me with music, mostly. You would assume that for somebody who's so entrenched in music or someone who's gone to school for music that there would be this level of elitism, but I listen to basically all styles of music, and I find an appreciation for them, whether it's classical, metal, jazz, rock, anything really out there. I'm a big fan of country music, too.

When a wrestler comes to me and they ask me for something specific, it's an opportunity for me to sit down and go, "Okay, cool, let's really dive into this style."

Reggaeton I have probably have the least familiarity with, but when Mercedes Martinez was showing me, "This is what I was using before. This is what I really like," you try to find the things that really accentuate that style. Like, “OK, cool. It's very rhythmically-based. There's a lot of groove to it. So we'll do that.”  

So even if it's a style I haven't come in contact with, there's really not a style that's outside of my wheelhouse. Does that mean I've written in every style? Not necessarily, but I have written it a lot. If you give me something, I can make it happen. If you give me references, if you give me what your character is supposed to be, we're going to come up with something that people love and something that fits what you're looking for. I love all styles of music. Even if I haven't done it, I can do it.  

If there are any wrestlers out there who are listening, John can do it all! Whatever style you're looking for, he can make it happen.

When you talk about being a professional, whether it's a videographer, a composer, or whatever the case is, you have to figure out things in order to survive. How can you maximize all of the things that you do? 

Over time, I wanted to be an instrumental metal guitarist. That's very much my parents' style. If I pick up a guitar, that's kind of the stuff that I play, generally, but that isn't the only thing that you should be able to do if you're looking to create a career as a musician.

You need to branch into other styles. You need to look into other sources of income. You need to look into all of these different avenues that you might not have otherwise. Once you start branching off from one place, the seed is where the tree comes from.

Very well said, and very modest.

What kind of variety do you encounter in terms of your clients? When wrestlers approach you, is it largely those who need their very first entrance theme song, they’ve worked with other composers before, or they want to totally reinvent themselves?

Yeah, it's Column A, Column B, Column C. With entrance themes, when you have a wrestler who's starting to really brand themselves and take their character seriously, an entrance theme can be one of those things that helps bring it to life, but it could be the start of their career, right?

I have worked with talent where they're just like, "Hey, I just got out of wrestling school. I want to start hitting the road. I want to start putting down my promos and things like that, so I need something, just bear basics. Here's what I've always thought for my character." I think what's interesting about those is you get a completely fresh perspective.  

Also, wrestlers change over time. They go to different territories. They decide, "OK, this doesn't really suit what I want to do. I want to go in a different direction with my character." If they go to a different promotion, all of a sudden it's like, "Hey, you're now not this character. You're now trying to fit within this stable, this group of people or whatnot." You end up having reasons where they'll switch.

A lot of the talent that I've worked with recently has been talent that's been around, gratefully, for whether it's 10 plus years or even 7 plus years, but a significant amount of time, they’ve maybe been on TV or in the public eye for quite some time. So with those wrestlers, a lot of the times they have things they're still using, that sometimes are either a) copyright issues or b) they want to expand on that character. 

There are some wrestlers that have come from the big promotion, from the WWE, where that's kind of one of those things — and no digs on anyone that writes for WWE — but you're talking about a publicly-traded company, and they're trying to churn things out fairly quickly, so it's like, "OK, cool. Bullet point. Here's what this is. Go" and then you have to stick with that theme for a little bit of time. So, sometimes wrestlers coming from there that I work with, going out to AEW or huffin' it on the indies, they'll say, "This is what I used here. I like that vibe. Let's stick with it" or "You know what? I want to rebrand myself."

There's a wrestler who just debuted on AEW named Tony Nese. He was the ex-Cruiserweight Champion in WWE. He won the title at WrestleMania. His whole thing is that he's both a fast, high flier wrestler and a strong wrestler. His tagline is, "Move like a cruiserweight, hit like a heavyweight." So with him, when you hear his theme that he was using in WWE, it's very fast. It's uplifting. It's one of these things where you would hear it and you'd want to cheer. It sounds almost like a superhero theme in a way.

When he came off and we started working together, he wanted something that was a little bit more in-your-face, a little bit more driving. So it was a little bit slower, a little bit more methodical, and instead of it being, "OK, cool, here's this guy who can fly around," it focused more on his nickname, which is "The Premier Athlete." He goes in the ring, he poses. He does all these really cool, strong moves that look flashy, and he puts them away. So it was a really good opportunity for him to say, "You know what? Here's what I did like from that, but let's go ahead and make it more in this style. I think that's going to help me speak more in the ring." So it's a combination.  

Some people start bare basics. Masha Slamovich, she was actually the 4th theme that I ever wrote, a couple of years ago. We've grown to be friends over the course of time, and she's huffed it from everywhere, from Japan, back to the U.S., here in New Jersey. She recently got signed to IMPACT Wrestling and AXS TV, and the theme that we did originally for her, at first was kind of like a Sevendust-y, Russian Tchaikovsky-inspired theme where it was like, OK, she's really trying to push this narrative, so we had strings, we had all this stuff, and she goes, "Yeah, when I come back to the states, I don't want that." I'm like, "OK. Cool. So what do you want?" She's basically just like, "I drive people on their heads and I'm out to kill people." I'm like, "Alright. So here's what we’ve got to do." A complete 180 from that. Now, when you see her on IMPACT and you hear "The Art of Violence," which is the new theme, and you listen to "Russian Dynamite," which was the original, you kind of see the progression from, here was somebody who was trying to find themselves, and here's the person that knows who they are now. So, it's pretty cool. It's a big progression.

Do you ever get somebody who comes in and is like, "I'm not really sure where I'm going next" and you have to really dig deep to figure out what they want to be, what they're aiming for?

It's less so that they don't know who they are and where they're going. It's more so that they don't have — and I mean no disrespect when I say this — they don't have a defined character that reaches outside of "I'm a wrestler." To use some timely or evergreen examples, when we think of someone like The Undertaker, he was around for 40 years or so. His whole gimmick, at least until 2000-something, what that he was The Deadman. That was his whole thing. He was supposed to be a dead guy. OK, cool. That's a very defined character. You're not going to write an ice cream song for him, right? You're not going to write an indie-style song. You're probably going to write a funeral dirge, which is what lasted over 40 years.

But then you have someone like, for example, Bryan Danielson, who's in AEW. His themes have always been great, and they've always nailed them. They basically took "Flight of the Valkyries" and made rock versions of them and modernized versions.

Daniel Bryan's story was always: he's the best wrestler. OK, well, what do you do with that? What do you highlight? There's got to be a little nugget somewhere else in the character that you can pull from. A while back, I had actually spoken to Jim Johnston. For those who are familiar, Jim Johnston was the composer for 32 years for WWE. I messaged him one day on LinkedIn. I was like, "This guy's not going to answer. I'm just some schmuck," and he ended up responding. We had a little bit of a back and forth, which was cool, and I was like, "Listen, you're talking about how it's easy to write themes for The Undertaker, but what if you have a wrestler who's just a wrestler, or just a fighter, or something like that?" and he goes, "There will always be something that you can connect to, even if it's something that everybody else has. There's something that does make them a little bit unique, so you have to continue to dive to that."

So, for example, if someone's like, "OK, I'm an MMA fighter." OK, great. Well, what else are we doing with that? You could just stop there and be like, "Alright, cool, we're gonna make a rock track. That's great," but I think there's depth in saying, "OK, cool. So when you are an enemy fighter, are you more submission-based? Are you more strike-based? Do you feel that you have a chip on your shoulder? Is this something where you had maybe lost a lot of fights and you all of a sudden came around the other side, you trained, and now you're out to prove something?" There's little things that you can extrapolate from someone. Let's get those extra nuggets and pull those out because that's going to make not just the difference in the music that I write, but it's also going to help you even define more of what you're going for.

I will say that a lot of wrestlers tend to have a pretty strong vision of what they're looking for. In some promotions, they have a little bit more freedom than others, but a lot of promotions now are giving wrestlers that freedom to be who they want to be and, in turn, to have the music that they want to have.

In terms of your personal background, how did you find yourself in this world? Tell us a little bit about your journey and how this became a career path.

It's one of those things, like, you never know what's going to happen. You never know where life will take you. I've been a believer in both sides of that. One door shuts, another one opens, and kind of conversely, what's the other side of that coin? You could be one step away or one move away from the next phase of your life.

I've been a professional musician on and off now for about 10-12 years or so, and I was running a wrestling podcast. (You actually got me in contact with Patricia Rogers. She's so cool. Everything that she and her team do for Those Wrestling Girls is so dope. Check them out! Highlighting female wrestling!)

So, some buddies and I had a podcast called The Armchair Bookers, and we were looking for different ways to maximize our visibility. We were like, "OK, cool. What skillsets do we have?" Well, one guy was good at interviewing. For me, one of my buddies went, "Well, you write music. Have you ever thought about writing music for wrestlers?"

When I was in college, the big thing I wanted to do was start writing music for commercials, films, and video games, and one thing that you find, especially in video games and films, it's more at the mercy of the project than it is at your own writing speed. A film could get put into backlog and a game could get put into development hell. 

Wrestlers are some of the nicest people in the world. Everyone's just trying to work together, generally. Everyone's trying to put themselves over, put each other over, so it's cool. Why do I bring that up? Because a couple of the interviews that we had done with The Armchair Bookers podcast, we had become friends with a couple of different wrestlers that were local or on the way up. A gentleman named Ricky Gibson, who now works for UWN under The Midnight Heat, was actually the first person that we interviewed and the first person I ended up doing a theme for. I was like, "Hey, I know how to write music, I know how to release it, but I have no idea how to even get into writing themes for people. There's no roadmap or anything for that." He goes, "Oh yeah, you could go ahead and make one for us."  

I don't think they were really expecting much because we were coming from the podcast perspective, and they heard the intro that I had written and it was kind of like a mid-2000s, Three Days Grace kind of thing. It was cool, but you wouldn't think much of it. It's like ten seconds at the beginning of a podcast. Then, I wrote this theme for them, which was this '80s inspired theme, and they were like, "Oh my God, this is really cool." So we started talking again. I was like, "How do you do this?" and he was like, "Well, basically, what you're doing now. Just start reaching out to people, talking to them." I was like, "Is that really it? I know there's copyright and things like that." They were like, "Dude, the wrestling industry is still so up in the air and so independent that there's so many floating ideas, so many floating laws."

So I kept reaching out to different people we had interviewed. Ricky Gibson and Eddie Pearl, to this day, I continue to be friends with. They've referred so many people to me over the course of time, and I'm super grateful for that. Masha Slamovich, same thing. Over the course of time, it just became that people started to learn my name. There were referrals.

I still do a lot of client outreach. For anyone running a small business or a big business, it doesn't matter how big or small you are. Always continue to network, always continue to communicate. Not everything is referrals, and you've still got to put in a lot of legwork, even if it's 30-40% of your business. 

Two years later, I'm sitting almost at over 100 themes, and I have probably about 20 in backstock now that I'm working with. So, it's a combination of referrals and reaching out. There were a lot of people that I never thought I'd even get to work with or that would even know my name. It's just crazy to see now.

It took the passion of composing, which is my big love, of being able to write and put music together, and now finding that outlet for something that I enjoy from an entertainment side, which is pro wrestling.

It's a great story for anyone entering a new career, a new industry, to just talk to people. There's no harm in asking. 99% of the people that you'll meet will want to be helpful.

How does it feel to turn on your TV and see/hear your theme played? What’s that experience like?

It's been very humbling. I've always considered myself more of a composer than even a guitarist or a producer. I love the creation of music. I love being able to just take a blank landscape and all of a sudden, “Wow, now it speaks to somebody.” Right? Being able to hear it live, it's a very different experience.

When you hear that other people are resonating with your music, it's really humbling because it’s like, “Hey, I'm just in my studio, writing music for wrestlers.” It’s really cool that I get to work with them, but all of a sudden when you hear that person go live and you see that the music that you wrote is the first thing that resonates with the audience… Like they say in wrestling, it doesn't matter if they're cheering, if they're telling you go away, if they're booing you. If they're quiet and they're dead, then that's when you know that you're not being effective.

There have been a couple of different instances where a wrestler has come to the ring and the crowd gets up, they get really happy, sad, whatever is the case, really animated and the first thing they hear is, for example, The Premier Athlete's theme (Tony Nese), or Dani Jordan's theme when they were using it for AEW, or Darren Young's in New Japan. It's just really cool to see that the music takes on a life of its own because the wrestler is so in tune with what they're doing and in tune with that.

My wife and I run a music school here in Midland Park called The Piano Workshop at Bergen County. I always tell my students, "We all start wanting to be a professional musician." Or let me even scale that back. We all want to pick up an instrument because we see our favorite musician on stage, whether that's a Taylor Swift, a Machine Gun Kelly. For me, when I was younger, that was Blink-182. Even if it's Britney Spears.

For me, being able to come back around all these years later and be like, OK, this is where we’ve come from. All this hard work, all the blood, sweat and tears, so to speak, that you put in, you're all of a sudden able to see the fruits of your labor come to fruition in that way. So it's humbling to be like, OK, cool, we actually took something that we had a passion for and now here we are with it. I was 13, let's say, when I realistically started really getting into music. I'm 33 as of this interview, and I think that humbles 13-year-old me. I'm like, that's crazy. I was sitting in my bedroom in Key West, literally jamming on the guitar — it had an MxPx sticker and a Yamaha sticker and it was like 20 bucks, given to me by my brother — and then all of a sudden, we're here. It's absolutely crazy.

Have you found that social media and Instagram, in particular, have made it easier to connect with wrestlers, potential clients, and to network?

The majority of my business is done through social media.

I think we see a lot of negativity that happens on social media. Gratefully — and knock on wood — I've always had generally positive experiences. You'll get the people every now and again who have their opinions. I don't mind opinions. I mind if you're being a jerk about it, you know? But very rarely have I run into somebody who has genuinely been like, "I'm just a bad day every day.”

I think wrestlers use social media so much to connect with people. It's also the way that their name gets around so much. If someone does a cool move, has a cool match, they end up being able to connect and get it shared.

I feel like a really big way for me to connect with people is through DMs, through Instagram. Probably Instagram, Twitter and Facebook have been the biggest three. I have my YouTube, which I'm always updating with new music, and I have a playlist that I put up of the themes that I've worked on. I think that if if social media wasn't around, it would be much more difficult for me to grow my business, both from a referral standpoint and a communication side.

I always try to be as personal as I can with the wrestlers that I reach out to, and vice versa. I've seen people online that are like, "Oh, I just sent an email blast to 10,000 people and 10 people responded. What's going on?" My thing is I'd rather get 1/64th of the work but know that the person that I'm working with and I really do connect. I try to find out about as much of the industry as possible. I try to find out as much about a wrestler that I want to reach out to as possible. That way, when I do send a message or I do reach out on Twitter, it's not just "Hey, I write music, hire me." It's more like, "Hey, here's what I know about you. Here's what I really appreciate about what you do. I want to offer my services." It's not a tongue-in-cheek, "Hey, you're great. By the way, I do this. Maybe we could work together? Nah, I'm just kidding. But maybe...? I don't know!" None of that stuff because that's just ballocks. It doesn't get you anywhere. It just makes you look like a hack. It's legitimately, "Here's what I like about what you do. Here are my services. I'd love to work with you. Let's see if we can make something happen," and usually people resonate with that. Social media is definitely helpful. There's a tact to how you do it, but it's just how you'd speak to people in general, you know? People really resonate with that.

Excellent advice for any industry. You really want to be personable. Like you mentioned, it's easier now to mass email or mess message people, but if you write that extra little personal something that shows, "Oh, I actually took the time to look and see what you're about and what you've done,” that really goes a long way. 

I think every business person, whether they're in a big company or a small company, can look at it the same way. Know who you're reaching out to. There are definitely tools out there where it's just like, "Hi, (insert tag here)," and it adds the person's name, and you pray to God that they didn't put in their last name and their first name in the same thing because it's totally not personable to say "Hi, John Kiernan." Nobody says that. They just use the person’s first name.  

Sometimes wrestlers will have different accounts — some for personal, some for their stage stuff. So I always try to be respectful and go to their stage stuff. When I work with wrestlers, there are some that I refer to by their kayfabe names. There are some that I refer to them by their real names. It's always for me preference. There's one person, Lilith Grimm, who I've worked with. We did a theme that was very tribal, very much like a Heilung-style, and we were able to get the hurdy-gurdy player from the band Eluveite to play on it, too. It was really wild, really cool. I still call her "Lilith" to this day because that's what she prefers. Her real name is out there, she has a profile and all that, but I still refer to her as "Lilith" because that's what she wants. Other wrestlers don't care, but you always want to be respectful of that. So I think the more you can learn about somebody, the more you really try to connect with somebody, the more social media can work for you to help you grow.

I'd say, it's still rare to find someone who has both the creativity of an artist as well as a business mind, someone who can figure out how those two worlds work. You have the mind of a business owner and someone who knows how to grow their brand. Looking at your Instagram page, it's not just a whole bunch of random stuff. There's a thought process to what's being posted and how it looks.

Even if you are someone who enjoys, say, playing the guitar for fun, there are definitely some things that business do that you can look at as a model. Look at what businesses are doing. It doesn't hurt. It can only increase your exposure. There's always something to learn if you're just willing to listen and apply.  

Absolutely. I've been grateful over my life, whether it's been in or out of music, to work under people who were very strong leaders. Whether that was my time at previous places like Apple, or even just talking to people like Winifred Phillips who is a video game composer, and really just listening to what they do and how they communicate and really the respect that they put down.

It's really interesting. I think each wrestler is their own individual business, and you end up seeing that there are wrestlers who really take that brand seriously, there are others that kind of sit in the middle, and there are others that are like, "OK, cool, what work will come to me, will come." Like, they don't have much on social media, their email is difficult to communicate with. Just with a little bit of tailoring and a little bit of tooling, you can end up being able to connect with way more people.

One thing I try to do pretty frequently is, every day I'll post a story of one of the pieces of music that I've written for a wrestler. I'll tag the wrestler and it gives them traction, it gives me traction. It also gives people the ability to go right to listening to it, to subscribe, to follow, things like that. At least once a week, I usually get one referral from doing things like that because, again, wrestlers are following me, I'm following wrestlers. The industry is kind of like that ouroboros of learning about what's out there, right? So, from things like that, you may get a connection here and there. It's not about seeing someone like a Kardashian — and I'm not bashing them either. It's not like seeing a Kardashian who has 230 million followers and go, "That's my goal." The point is, you need to know your market. You need to know what you're trying to accomplish, and even getting your stuff sometimes in front of 10 people, if it's the right 10 people, then that's fine. You know you're able to grow.

I think what's been a really big thing for me is there are some wrestlers that I haven't heard of until they reach out, or I reach out. There are some wrestlers that all of a sudden reach out, and I look at my DMs and I'm like, "Why are you reaching out to me? I'm nothing! What are you doing?" And it's cool. It's all through the same channels.

I also think that there's going to be competition no matter what. Some people are like, "Don't give away your secrets." Listen, in any industry, there's going to be competition. If someone is successful in an industry, then they're going to duplicate and replicate. So the competition's going to exist, whether you want it to or not. So it's better to create an industry, than it is to just live on an island on your own. You know what I mean?

Right. There might be someone else who does what you do, but it's the relationship that you've built, which is also, of course, tied to your quality of work.

There's a gentleman who works for AEW, who's their main go-to composer. He is “The Guy.” His name's Mikey Rukus. When AEW started, he's the guy who had written all the music. He's the go-to. He's the composer for the company. When I was doing my podcast, I got the opportunity to interview him, and it was cool because we interviewed so many different wrestlers, but I had gotten the opportunity to sit down with somebody in wrestling that was also a musician. So instead of just asking about, "What matches are you looking forward to?" it's was like, "OK, cool, what's your rig? You're using a seven-string. That's awesome. What did you think of this and this?" It was really cool.

One of the first times I ever saw my music on a large promotion was in AEW. They were starting up this show called Dark, which is where they bring in some other talent. (It's a YouTube-exclusive show.) They were able to ask other people, "Hey, do you have music that you can submit for us to use?" I don't know how public they made that. There wasn't a website, but I remember I was sitting working one day, and Mikey Rukus was just like, "Listen, do you have any music you can send it to me? Anything just randomly that we might be able to use?" and I go, "Yeah, when do you need it?" and he's like, "Five minutes from now." I'm like, "Legitimately five?" He's like, "Yeah. I can send you the releases." So I'm like, "I'll send it to you in three! I just happen to be at my computer now." He didn't have to do that. All of a sudden it became the theme that Dani Jordan used for a couple of months while they were using music for the enhancement talent. That was a song I wrote back in 2011 that I had released on a record and things like that. So it was cool.

I think Mikey's always been gracious with me in terms of both being a friend and giving advice in the industry. Even Tony Nese, he came to me to write a theme. I guess there might have been somebody else who was working on something for him and maybe the guy didn't answer his messages, something like that, and so Tony Nese came to me. We worked on something. He ended up loving it, which I'm always proud of. He didn't tell me he was going to AEW. I don't think he knew he was going to AEW. (When I say "going to AEW," wrestlers often will work in different promotions. AEW is one of those promotions where once you're assigned to them, it's a little bit more exclusive, like you're usually going to work exclusively for their programing.)

So we finished up the theme. He did a couple of different shows, one actually for UWN, and then all of a sudden he goes "Hey, I'm going to AEW to work on the program Dark." (One thing about Dark is that they don't use music for the enhancement talent now. It's just quicker for them to get people in the ring. "Enhancement talent" refers to people who aren't, let's say, signed to the company and are just there to make the onboard talent shine.) So I go, "Yeah, no problem, I'll go ahead and I'll obviously give you the music, give you the release. I'll speak to my guy, Mikey Rukus over there. He knows me and he knows how I work." I send over the music to Mikey Rukus, and he goes, "Yeah, he's going to be on Dark. I don't know what they're going to do with him." What that means to me is they're not going to use this music for Dark, obviously. I go, "OK, cool makes sense." I kind of knew that going into it. All of a sudden, I'm watching Dynamite, which is their TNT show, and Tony Nese is sitting in the crowd. No music, but he's sitting in the crowd. I'm like, "That's weird for a Dark person" and he goes, "Yeah, they told me, like, 10 minutes before time, just go sit in the crowd." I go, "OK." So I reached out to Mikey again. I go, "So... What's going on?" He goes, "Oh yeah, they're going to allow him to make an entrance on Dark." I'm like, "OK, cool. Can you tell me anything?" "No." "OK. NDA." They start using his music there and he goes, "It's really up to Tony Khan if they want him to continue using music.” He's like, "I like it. It's cool" and then all of a sudden fast forward, and now he's using it on Dynamite. Tony Nese is signed to AEW officially now. Mazel tov and congratulations to him. He deserves it so, so much.

It's one of those things. You don't know where connections and how connections are going to go. I'm always grateful to have someone that dedicates that time, even to just speak on a friend basis, and continues that connection that way. It was something that I was like, "Oh, here's a piece of music that's going to be written for Tony Nese. Tony Nese is great. He's going to go around and do all this" and then all of a sudden, he's on AEW. and I'm like, "That's nuts!" and Mikey is cool with using the music. So, there we go.

You never know which way things were going to go, who knows who, and who's going to be connected with someone at some point.

have you actually gotten to go to wrestling events and physically be present while your music is playing?

Something always comes up when you have a child and you have a job. So, unfortunately, not yet. There might be a few things coming up that I will be going to, and especially now in Jersey, there are so many different wrestling events that happen, whether it's South Jersey, or up here in Bergen County, or down by the Shore. There's so much wrestling going on that I have to be able to get there one way or another. So hopefully soon I'll be able to see it in person. The most that I've seen it is on TV. My son is two-and-a-half. I don't have him watch wrestling, obviously, right now. When he gets older, cool. But, you know, when all of a sudden I was like, "Oh, Tony Nese is going to be on Dynamite,” I'm like, 'Watch the TV! This is crazy!'" So he got to see that. But I haven’t seen it in person yet.

Let’s somehow schedule all your clients and your life so you have a week off so it lines up exactly.

Exactly. It's one of these things where it's like, if you're the one that puts the kid to sleep, then you have to hope the kid gets to sleep by the time that the show starts. So you're like, "Alright, cool. Please go to sleep. Please. Please go to sleep a little bit earlier today."

"I'll write some sleeping music for you."

 Exactly!  Some dreaming entrance music.

Hey, there's a lot of kids that need to go to sleep. The next big thing. We'll get you on Shark Tank somehow.

Oh, man. In front of Kevin O'Leary? Absolutely! I'd be like, "Yeah, I work with wrestlers right now, but have you ever worked with babies?" and they're like, "Please make this quick. I don't know where this is going."

It might be the most-watched episode yet.

“Babies? I'm intrigued! Yes!”

I will say, we're joking about the baby music now, but even through wrestling, I've been grateful to get other work, too. Some light film work here and there for a short horror movie. I've done different podcast introductions, too.

One thing that I'm grateful for is that wrestling themes, I'm probably writing three or four entrances a week, on a good week. One or two, if I have a little bit more time. But in general, it's still so many different styles that if a wrestler says, "Hey, I need something in this style," I could send them a piece of music that I've written in style a, b or c. Even a podcast. There was a podcast I recently did where it was all about women in business, and they were like, "Do you have something that's a little bit more technology-focused but has a little bit more of an upbeat nature?" I was like, "Yeah, yeah, definitely" and I sent them one of the tracks that I'd done, and I got to work on a podcast intro there. Someone was looking for a synth-wave track for a gaming channel. I was able to do something there.

The wrestling themes, I'm writing them at such a ferocious pace in so many different styles that it's giving me a reel of content. It sounds wacky to say that in two years it's been over 100 themes in so many styles, but that's kind of the life as a professional musician. I've been able to say, "Oh, I'd love to be part of this project. Here is a collection of music that I've written so you know that I can write in a variety of styles." That's the other part I've been really, really grateful for.

Do you have anything coming up that we should know about? Any big projects that you're excited about?  I'm sure there are some things you can't totally reveal, but anything in the works that you can tease us about and we can follow up with you later?

 There's always so much music. I won't say I do these crazy break-the-budget videos, but I'll always do audio-visual art for my music. If a music video can be done, cool. I have an artist that I work with who's phenomenal, for the majority of themes that I put out. His name's Hiban Huerta. He's out in California. He works with NWA. He does a lot of great stuff.

Marina Shafir is a wrestler who just wrestled on AEW Dark. I just finished up a theme for her which is very different than what you would assume, for those who know Marina Shafir. She has an MMA fighter background. It's not rock, it's not metal. It’s classical, which is crazy. When she told me why, I was like, "This totally works. Let's do it. I'm here for it. We'll write something in a Romantic-style."

I'm back-stocked on about 20 themes right now to release, and I'm back-stocked on probably about 20 themes that I have to start. So, there's always something coming.

There is a wrestler named Jase Osei who I worked with recently, and hopefully in the next couple of weeks I'm going to be releasing his track which features Josiah Williams on it. Josiah Williams was the backstage vocalist for WWE NXT. He’s a great guy and phenomenal rapper, so that one should be coming out soon.  

I will say, there's lots of stuff, surprisingly, that's planned for 2022. Just follow me on all the things — Facebook, Instagram, Spotify, YouTube. Sometimes I end up releasing things without a release plan — and that's the worst thing after we just talked for 20 minutes about independent business shit, but that's where we are sometimes! But there will always be something cool in the pipeline, is what I'll say.

What's the best way for people to reach out to you? Do you have one particular platform that you seem to check more?

 I think Instagram and Facebook have probably been the two that are the easiest to check and communicate. Instagram and Facebook follow the same handle, @JohnKiernanMusic. I'm on Twitter also, but it is the black sheep. It's @JKiernanGuitar because of character limits. JohnKiernanMusic@gmail.com is also where I am fairly communicative.

So Instagram first, I would say. Email second. Facebook third or whatever. I check all of them fairly consistently. JohnKiernanMusic.com is updated fairly frequently, too.

~ 

WRESTLING ENTRANCE THEME SONGS BY JOHN KIERNAN:

JOHN KIERNAN: This is Masha Slamovich. She's fantastic. The first video is how she looked when we did her first theme, and the second is how she looks now. She’s really elevated her brand. Originally, she was just a person that had a Russian background. Then over time, she started working in Japan. Japan is more of a rough style, versus WWE, they're very careful. She came to me basically being like, "I want to kick people's heads in." I'm like, "OK." (Masha Slamovich debuted with her new theme on IMPACT on AXS TV last night, January 6th!)

This first theme we did, I called it "Variations on Marche Slave" because it is actually a Tchaikovsky piece. Back then she was like, "I really want to dive into the Russian thing,” but then when she came back over to the States, she was like, “I want people to know that I'm violent.” So, it became a different thing. If you're familiar with Kill Bill, we inserted what we call the "Masha Death Whistle." That's the first thing that you hear. Like when think of Stone Cold, you think of the glass breaking. That first thing that you hear. So the new theme is way more in your face.

This one is very “Heilung." Heilung is a band, and they're very world-based. You see them and they have the tribal headdresses, they have the deer heads with the antlers. This is the one that has the hurdy-gurdy player. Already, you see the person has that presence about them. She's tatted up, she's got the purple hair, she's got the mask. I don't know how she got the mask. It's so cool. It's like a skeleton mask that when she moves her mouth, it moves. I'm like, "That's fucking wild." They gave her death metal entrance theme music, and she was like, "That's not what it is. My gimmick is not that. My gimmick is like a bone collector demon. It should be something that feels like I'm being summoned from somewhere" and I'm like, "I agree."

This one is for a Jersey-based team called The StepDads. They were using this total '80s, '90s cheese ball stuff, like "Pour Some Sugar on Me", that kind of thing, but they did want to be tongue in cheek. They were sending me the Family Matters theme and things like that. They were like, "We want that." Like, total sitcom. The wink and the nod. You'll hear when that comes in. This one, I had to bring in a saxophonist.

This gentleman here is named Effy. He's a guy who's very big on the independents. He's very much a wrestler of the LGBTQ community. His thing is also about kind of bucking the corporate media. His theme, usually, is "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" by Elton John, but when he works with promotions that have TV, you obviously can't do that unless you get the rights. So the company I work for, UWN, was like, "We need something that's kind of like that." Effy himself said, "The theme needs to be gay. It needs to be super gay. And if it's not super gay, I'm going to cry. Big gay tears." His words, not mine, but you know, you ask and we deliver.

This was kind of my first time going into dubstep. I don't really know much about the style, but we did it. This was for Rowdy Roddy Piper's daughter. Her name's Teal Piper. Their gimmick is called House of Heathens, which they kind of say is like The Purge. They don't do the whole purge thing, but they kind of see themselves as that. So the point with this was making it almost post-apocalyptic in a way.

The voice that you hear at the beginning is hers, and the voice that you hear throughout is mine through a vocoder that I don't know how to use. I say that because I knew that I wanted something very robotic and I was just like, "I don't know how to do this." I was messing around with a vocoder, and if you change your voice up even like a semitone, it does this jump so it sounds like this kind of apocalyptic radio. Teal Piper sent me her vocals, which are her saying, “House of Heathens.” I said, “Have you ever seen Resident Evil? She goes, “Yeah.” I go, “Do you know the Red Queen? She goes, “Yeah, the little girl.” I go, “You know when she says, ‘You're all going to die down here’ and it's just this complete robotic monotone? Give me that.”

This is for Marina Shafir. It starts kind of big and grandiose, and then it shrinks down to an Edith Piaf kind of thing. I had no idea what she wanted at first. She kept giving me that period piece sound and I'm like, “Are you sure?” and she's like, “Yeah, I'm totally sure.” So I kept giving her these pieces that has a little bit more drive. I was like, “How deep do you want me to go?” Eventually it got to a point where it's what you hear here.

This one here is very much a straight-ahead rock track. This one I wrote with my buddies in It Lives, It Breathes. They are a band that wrote a couple of different themes. They had such success with one theme they did, that they got other wrestlers asking them for stuff. The singer of It Lives, It Breathes, Kevin, was like, “We want to bring you in on this one.” I ended up writing all the guitars and basically everything that is a string. This theme was the first one of mine that got onto TV.

This is for a wrestler that hasn't debuted yet. Her name is Airica. She's like 16. They're out in the Midwest. Her thing is like being an anime character basically come to life. So if you're familiar with J-Rock and K-Pop, this is very much in that style. I actually brought in a vocalist who I found on Instagram from Malaysia to sing this one. It’s very much like My Hero Academia.

This one is for a wrestling group (referred to as a “stable”) called The Division. This one is probably one of my favorites for a few reasons. Number one, the people in the group (there's like six of them) are all the nicest guys and girls in the world.  

“An Angel’s Song” and “YAKATA” are both basically revolving around the same theme. As one of my buddies put it, “I like how you're taking liberties with wrestlers.” What he meant by that was, this is kind of a stable theme. If you listen to each of these, you're going to hear that the thematic material is the same.

“We Are Change” is kind of like the parent theme from which all the others exist. Rico de la Vega is very proud of his Puerto Rican heritage. His theme’s a little more reggaeton. Notorious Mimi, she wears angel wings to the ring. I wanted to have something with the group that even if you leave, you can have a theme that stands on its own, but you could also have something that ties you back into the family.

This theme was released on December 30th, 2020. Mercedes Martinez debuted on AEW on December 29th. She is now signed with the company.

Interview with Crash Doll Vintage

By Sonia Schnee | Posted Saturday, December 18, 2021

For those who don’t know Nancy Cook — you should. Whether she’s rocking out with her band Megasparkle, putting together art shows and events, making dresses by hand, or uncovering fabulous vintage items, one thing is for certain: Nancy is always on the go. Her vintage clothing and accessory business, Crash Doll Vintage, is the place to go if you’re looking for that rare, stylish vintage piece to add to your growing wardrobe. (If you’re in NYC, check out the Crash Doll Vintage pop-up at 340 E 64th Street, now through January 16, 2022.) Learn all about Nancy’s fashionable beginnings, what it was like to start a business during COVID, and how to shop Crash Doll Vintage online, in our interview below.

What inspired you to start Crash Doll Vintage?

Nancy Cook, modeling a sweet 1940’s pink knit shirt sleeve top. Available on Etsy.

I started Crash Doll Vintage one week after COVID started, in March of 2020. What spurred me into starting a business was the fact that I couldn’t keep any of my jobs in small business or do event planning, and I've always loved vintage clothing.

I've been collecting vintage clothing since I was 15-years-old. I used to ask my mom to drive me to stores that I liked, and I used to be like, "There's this really great store in Montclair, I need to go check out the vintage clothes." I was also really fascinated with flea markets and estate sales, stuff like that when I was a kid, all the little treasures that you could find that all had a previous story. I think the first little antique things that I got were from my next-door neighbor, Mrs. Earl. When I was four-years-old, she invited me into her attic and she gave me a little tiny rubber ball and a little spider, and I was like, "Oh!" I kept that little rubber ball and spider forever. Recently, I learned that she did this numerous times and in fact gave me her diary. I wish I still had it.

I had decided to start the business one week into COVID because I wasn't going to be working at Maplewood Mercantile. I couldn't work there (due to the pandemic). I had gotten a job as an event assistant in floral design helping out at weddings, but I never actually got to do that because all the weddings got canceled. I put on music shows and I couldn't do that and all these pop-ups and event planning. I was like, "OK, what the heck am I going to do? I can't just sit around and do nothing." So I started Crash Doll Vintage seven days after the pandemic hit!

📣 Crash Doll Vintage now has a logo! Thank you to Kelly @studiopamplemousse for working with me to create this pop art logo! It’s come full circle now with my theme! ♥️ #design #graphicdesign #crashdollvintage #logodesigns #logo #style #vintageseller #chashama #nycexhibition #unionsquare #newyorkcity #textile #vintagestyle #studiopamplemousse

Where does the name “Crash Doll Vintage” come from?

The name "Crash Doll" was actually something I considered for our band name, Megasparkle, but Thea (Kearney) really didn’t like Crash Doll, and so we didn't use it. We had a really hard time picking a band name. It's actually kind of humorous how much of a hard time we had picking a name that we all could agree on. So yeah, that's how it started.

I used to have these pajamas that had "Babydoll" embroidered by the heart, and I always liked the word "babydoll" and I love babydoll dresses and fashion, so "Doll" kind of came from that. I also had a baby doll when I was little, called Baby Tender Love.  I just liked the word "doll.” I think of dolls as something you dress up and I liked the idea of, "I pick out these clothes to dress people up." And "crash", I don't know. "Crash" is just like... I liked the way it sounded together, and I guess it kind of made sense when the whole world sort of came to a halt in the beginning of COVID, so it was like "Crash Doll." It just came together like that.

In the beginning, I used a room divider and then I changed my mind shortly into it and decided to go with the Sonic Youth poster. I just love that album and I love the art behind it.

I like themes. Like, I have these black shorts and I wear the black shorts all the time with a top. Oftentimes, I'll wear the black shorts, which are part of Crash Doll's look. I just think it's really funny and cheeky. I do it seriously, but I also find it a little bit of a comedy/actress sort of thing. It's like I adopt a personality. I put on the sunglasses, which are made by this company called Crap Eyewear, and I'm just like, "OK. I'm Crash Doll now." My mom jokes that when I get famous, the sunglasses are going to be worth like a million dollars.

I like it! Great branding. Everything comes together. The logo.

My logo was designed by Kelly Weiner in Montclair who works at Parcel, and she got it so spot on. I was like, "Holy shit! That's so good!" At first, I was like, "Oh, I'm not smiling" and then… No, I like that I'm not smiling. I look like a tough chick."

Right. It goes with the persona. It's got its own cool thing. It's definitely a recognizable vibe.

Yeah, and it fits in with the Pettibon, the artist who did the Sonic Youth poster was Raymond Pettibon, and so she made me into one of those characters. So it goes with the whole theme.

So I was doing that out of the house, and then in the spring I started doing markets in town, and then I went and did the Springfield Avenue Market in Maplewood. I did the Baker Street Market. I went out to Brooklyn and did the Greenpoint Terminal Market. I got an opportunity at this organization called ChaSaMa. I applied for this space, and I got a pop-up with my art and Crash Doll on 14th Street on December 8th through January 6th, and then they called me up and asked me if I was interested in popping up in Bryant Park, so I did that and I got "The Dolls."

How did you find your models?

The two girls that model for me, one is named Sophie. I met her at my market on Springfield Avenue. She came running up to me and she was like, "Oh, my God, I want to see if this dress is still here. It's still here! I'm so happy!" and we just started talking and I was like, "What are you doing later?" We became really good friends. She was an au pair in Maplewood for a year, and I was like the first person she met. She's from Manchester. She's the one with the long red hair.

The other girl, Charlotte, her and her mom have always shopped in all the small businesses I've worked out of, and I've always liked them. They're really cool. I asked her to model and she was like, "Yeah, I'll do it." I'm like, "Cool!" So, yeah, they're my dolls. They like being called "The Dolls." It's funny.

How far in advance do you look for a market or an event?

I try to get a month or two months ahead. I'm looking into some different places in the city. I think now that things seem to be improving as far as people going out, we feel comfortable going out and shopping. I think they'll be even better attended, and definitely the ones outside. I think that people are getting more comfortable going indoors, so it's good.

I think some people were nervous about coming into my kiosk, so I would say, "Oh, you know, I can step outside and you can go in by yourself if you feel more comfortable" and some people were like, "Oh, yeah, OK." It was kind of a smaller space, whereas 14th St was a 3,000 square feet.

💋Crash Doll Vintage tees $20, crystal necklaces, ice 🧊 blue and clear $40 each , murano glass cuff $95 with swirl and white floral brochure $25 plus 40s purse 👛 from previous post DM to purchase/details #crashdollvintage #crashdollvintagetshirts #muranoglasscuff #brooch #40sstyle logo #logodesigns #boots #gogoboots #loefferrandall

How easy or hard is it to find vintage items? Do you sell clothing only, or jewelry and other things as well?

Clothing, jewelry, shoes, purses. The focus right now is the 1920s through the '90s. I probably have most of my pieces from the '60s to the '90s. There's a few things that will pop up from the '40s and '50s and the '20s and ‘30s.

I source it from all different places. I also have a few people who I consign with. There's a woman I met, Eileen. She came into my pop-up and she has a huge studio full of vintage, and she just lets me go in there and select whatever I want and if someone purchases it, then we split it. She's been a real asset to my business and she is just really wonderful.

I feel like I've had a lot of luck, and I feel really blessed with the opportunities that have come my way and the people who I've met along the way. It's been a lot of fun.  

I think, "What if I didn't decide to do this, what would it have been like for me?" I think I really would have gotten down. I need to be active and out there and engaging with people and have projects. I tend to kind of be a multitasker. I guess I like to have my hands on a lot of creative things. It makes me happy. This has been a really great focus for me.

You have multiple interests (art, music, clothing). Do you find there's any overlap or interaction? Does one area inspire another?  

I sew and knit. So if I get a vintage piece that needs mending, I can mend it, so I can use my sewing skills that way. Sometimes when I do the markets, I'll bring my handmade items because I have handmade clothes and knitwear. I do that, too.

I'm doing a capsule collection for this company called Hearth in Australia, knitting sweaters and hats and scarves for her. Where do I find all the time to do that? I don't know. On the train. Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night, it'll be like four in the morning, I'm like, "I'll do a few stitches now."

I had another small business called Wool and Violets that was handmade kids clothes and women's and children's knitwear.

When people walk into your store or pop-up, what kind of reactions do they have?

Usually, people are very excited and they're like, "Oh my God! I really like the stuff that you've curated!” People have told me that it's very "me" and that I have my own kind of approach to it.

At one point I was just like, "Oh, you know, there's so many people doing vintage clothes. I don't know how I'm going to compete with all them" and someone said “You don't have to compete with anybody. You bring your own style to it and your style is different than everyone else's." So that's absolutely 100 percent true. It's my brand and carefully curated. I would wear most of the pieces in my collection.

I've gotten some really, really glowing reviews. Like this one girl in NY told me, "You're the coolest girl I've ever met." I was like, "What?!" Haha. 

I had another girl that bought a dress from me that she's going to wear for her wedding. So that was a big compliment, that she found to dress in my collection that she wanted to wear to get married. I was like, "Oh, my God, this is so exciting." She was telling me that and she doesn't really care that about the guy seeing the dress, this whole myth, like, "Oh, he shouldn't see the dress. That is bad luck." She brought the dress home and she had my business card, and her fiancé went and looked at the dress and texted me and he was like, "Hey, I couldn't help it. I peeked. I found the dress. I absolutely love it." I was like, "Oh, my God. You guys made my day! You have to send me a photo when you get married in May" and he's like, "I absolutely will." That was like a huge compliment.

Then there's people that keep coming back, the repeat customers, that just keep supporting me, the people that are every day showing up for me on Instagram. They're always liking my posts and being my cheerleaders and supporters. Some I know, some I don't know. Some are really good friends of mine, some acquaintances, some are strangers. So, I mean, it's really nice to see that and have that kind of support.   

You mentioned that you've been wearing vintage clothes since you were fifteen.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I used to go into these shops. Two of them were on Bloomfield Avenue and then there were a couple on a side street near the record shop. I forget the name of the street, but they were mostly in Montclair. Then in my college years, I started driving out to the Newark Salvation Army. I would go to Red, White and Blue in Paterson. I started going to flea markets more around that time. I've been thrifting and vintage shopping for years and I always loved clothes.

In fact, when I lived in my parents' house, I had two really huge closets, but then that wasn't enough. It's really a problem! So then I had my friend Arnold, who has passed away, but he built me a clothing rack because I needed more space for clothes.

Now, it's pretty much the same. My upstairs closets are filled to the brim and the attic, my bedroom closets are filled to the brim. I have an armoire and then I have four racks of vintage clothes. Two of them are at the store and two of them are in my hallway here. But, you know, everybody seems to roll with me, so no one's kicked me out of the house quite yet. Ha!

When I was in kindergarten in Bloomfield, I was adamant about what I would wear, and I would have little dresses and skirts on all the time, miniskirts and minidresses, and my tights would be falling down and I'd be pulling them, pulling and tugging at my tights and fixing my skirts and dresses and telling my mom that she had to walk, like, six feet behind me. She wasn't allowed to go with me. I had to do everything myself. It was going to be my way.

My mom likes to tell this story. On my first birthday, she had three different dresses that she put me on throughout the day, and one I ripped, crawling, and one I got chocolate cake on, but she said she was really happy that happened because then she got to change my outfit and I got to wear three pretty dresses. She's not into fashion, my mom, but she liked dressing me when I was little. But then she didn't have any say by the time I was, like, three probably.

How do you prepare for different pop-ups and markets? Do you pick the best 100 vintage pieces and then leave the rest at home?

I kind of curate for the individual pop-up. For Mada, it was the spring-summer capsule collection, so it was just pieces that would work for spring and summer, and there were bathing suits and cover-ups and a couple of vintage t-shirts.

Most of my pieces I think are on the dressier side because that's who I am. I don't do vintage jeans. I have like maybe two pairs of pants. I don't really do pants because I don't really wear pants myself that much. So the clothes that I pick and carry are representative of the style I am, for the most part. It's like skirts, dresses, tops, vintage bathing suits, jewelry, purses, the Crash Doll Vintage logo tees.

Another thing I like and this is sort of catching, I think more people are doing it, I like wearing slips out not under. You can take a vintage slip dress and wear it with a t-shirt or put a cardigan over it. I did that when I was in college. I used to wear a vintage slip with a blazer. So I haven't changed since I was 20, so. Haha.

Hey, it's sharp. It's fashion. It works.

It works! I mean, Marc Jacobs makes slip dresses, and the '90s were all about slip dresses. Courtney Love wore slip dresses. I think most people my age are kind of, like, stuck in that time period, in the '90s.

 It was a good time period.

 Yeah, and I love the '60s. I LOVE the ‘60s. Not like the hippie-dippy. I'm too much of a punk to accept the hippie. I can't. I like punk music and hardcore music and indie and new wave and all of that stuff, but no Grateful Dead. None of that. No, no. Ha!

It's a different type of vintage.

Yeah, you're not going to find anything like that [at Crash Doll]. But I love Godard, you know, the French [filmmaker]. That style, like mid-'60s and Twiggy minidress and that kind of stuff. That's me. I love miniskirts and minidresses. That's never going to change. I think I'll like them when I'm 80. I don't know if I'll still be wearing them when I'm 80, but if I look good, I might be.

Go for it! Why not?

Everybody can laugh at me. Haha. You know, there's people who say, “You can't dress a certain way at a certain age.” I don't believe that. I think if you feel good and you look good in it, then you should wear it, absolutely.

Very true. Words to live by, for sure.

It's important. It's important to me because I feel more comfortable dressed up. Like today, I was actually in my gym clothes for a long time, but I really hate being in gym clothes. I don't really like going out and doing things in gym clothes. That bothers me. Even when my kids were little, I was dropping them off at preschool and I would have my gym clothes underneath a nice outfit, and then I would like take it off when I got to the gym, [and then] put it back on. I just don't like it. I just don't feel comfortable, you know? But I won't wear a dress to the gym.

There used to be this guy at the gym that would wear his button-down shirt and fancy pants, and he'd exercise like that before he went to work and I was like, "Wow, my gosh." I was kind of like, "What a weirdo. I can't relate," but now that I think about it and what I'm saying to you right now, he really wasn't comfortable in that! Maybe he's not a weirdo after all! We should accept that guy.

I hope it was like a light run and not like a 5-mile jog.

He was just on the exercise bike, which was funny.

He was pretending, "If I were in the city, I'd be biking to..."

People are characters.

That is true. But hey, characters make the world interesting.

The more wacky a person... Like, I tend to gravitate towards other artsy types, and I have friends that aren't all my age, which I also think is really important, to keep life exciting. Like, if I only hung out with people my own age, I think I would go crazy.

When I was younger, I was in a poetry group and it was five of us and there were two 22-year-olds, two women in their 40s, and one 80-year-old, and out of everybody, the 80-year-old was the coolest. She was the best. She was cooler than any of us. For real.

With Crash Doll, I've sold to young kids and up to women in their 70s. One of my repeat customers, I don't actually know her age, but I am going to guess that she's in her 70s, early-70s, late-60s.

I have had models shop and buy my things in the city.

And then little kids will come up and buy a silk neck scarf and I think, "This is probably the first vintage piece they bought" and I just think, "Am I starting a whole new thing for them?" That's exciting, too.

In terms of you getting interested in vintage when you were a kid, was it something like, "Oh, the store was there, so I went in and explored just because it was there?" or was it something about the pieces being different or feeling different, a curiosity?

I probably saw the store, was just really curious about it, and cinema may have had some part in it, just being drawn to movie actresses and looks. Probably fashion magazines, too, because I was always buying fashion magazines as a teenager. Music, too. Music and fashion kind of go together.

Finding unique pieces. It's like, you didn't just get this at the store and somebody else could be showing up for the same thing. It's something different that nobody else can get, unless they can, because sometimes you'll find the same vintage thing and sometimes you'll find it three times, which is really bizarre.  

Do people ever reach out to you on social media and say, "Hey, I have something" or "I found something in the attic or through a relative"?

Yeah. People will connect with me about things that they have, that they want to see if I want to buy. 

People do ask all the time, and it's cool. It's fun. I like hearing people's stories, and people are always telling me their stories, like, "Oh my God, I had a purse just like that and I lost it and it was just so sad. I'm so glad you have one because now I can have it again!"

Are there any particular items that you have your eye on, that you like to bring in for the spring and summer?

I think I might bring in some sunglasses and some other kinds of accessories. I definitely do want to try and get my hands on some vintage sunglasses because they work really well for me, and I was thinking about trying to do a few more casual kinds of pieces because most of my stuff is really dressy. I noticed lately that skirts are selling really well. So I want to try and find some cute vintage skirts and tops and gauzy cotton dresses. I might try to do some jean shorts, too.

I think maybe it would be kind of cool if I designed something. I have t-shirts, but I was thinking maybe of taking the logo and doing something else with it, but I'm not quite sure yet.

Do you do personal styling?

I did my first vintage styling. That was a lot of fun. I turned this actress into a singer-songwriter that's really obscure from the 1950s. Her name is Connie Converse. My friend is a photographer and asked me to style her. So I did the wardrobe and props styling and it was really fun. I had to pick out all the outfits and everything fit her perfectly. It was amazing. She was just like, “I can't believe it. This fits me perfectly!” I'm like, “Yep. I know what I'm doing!”

I really enjoy it and I thought it was a lot of fun. I like the challenge of finding the pieces that would work to create this character. I had pretty much all the props. It was like the night before. “Do you have a suitcase from the 1960s?” I'm like, “Yeah.” “Do you have a telephone that would have been used in the ‘60s and ‘70s?” I'm like, “Yeah, yeah.”

We started in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, and we went all the way up to Nyack to this guy who had all these Volkswagen Bugs, and we borrowed one of the Bugs for the last part of the shoot because she disappeared in 1974 and drove away in her Volkswagen Bug and nobody ever heard from her again. So that was the last thing we shot.  

Is there anything else you’d like people to know about you?

I have some selected items on Etsy under “Crash Doll Vintage” and on Facebook and Instagram.

If people have any questions for me, reach out. Even if it’s just about things like repairing vintage, because I do that, too. That’s part of the job, cleaning it or repairing it. I don't necessarily offer it [as part of my business], but I mean, as I collect pieces, sometimes they'll be missing a button, and sometimes I think that something will look better if it's hemmed or just tweaked a little bit. Mostly a lot of the alterations I've been doing are on my own pieces.

I’m also open to people if they have something in their mind that they can't find. Like, I have a little list going on. Michelle from Bone Pool Radio, she was like, “Oh, if you ever come across a red kimono with a dragon on the back, let me know.” I like knowing what people are looking out for. 

CC Minton Interviews a Beautiful Person, Comedian, and Actor Kevin Hart on Financial Success

By Gregory Burrus | Posted Tuesday, December 7, 2021

When it comes to creativity, some folks get creative, like driving fast within a lane. Others get creative driving fast down a 6-lane highway on the Autobahn, and they keep it moving fast, too. CC Minton is one of those people who runs hard and fast as the Founder of CC Minton’s I Love Beautiful Spaces. She is an award-winning lifestyle advocate, social impact-executive turned real estate pro and, oh yeah, she is also a book author. This former housewife that I profiled before, has secured a portfolio of homes, investment properties and recently purchased land in the hot Southwest Dallas market. As a celebrity interviewer, she has conducted interviews all over the New York, New Jersey Metropolitan area, sometimes on site and at other times from the comfort of her beautiful self-renovated 1889 historic Newark office studio. In general, she stays true to her mission of spending her time in beautiful spaces, beautiful places and with beautiful people. See CC Minton: Loving Beautiful Spaces And Making A Difference While Creatively Living Life.

Chase Bank, 55 West 125th Street, on November 4, 2021

This time, she happily traveled into Harlem, New York to a beautiful place to conduct an interview at a building that was chosen by former U.S. President William J. Clinton to house his personal offices after leaving the White House, in February 2001. Nowadays, the building houses various high-profile office and retail tenants, including The Clinton Foundation, and one of those high profile tenants is JP Morgan Chase Bank. CC Minton seems to be connected to the White House in more ways than some.

Watch True Story | Netflix Official Site

Her interview, as she found out, was with a well known, very creative, also fast moving multifaceted and beautiful person, Kevin Hart. Kevin Hart has won numerous awards like the People's Choice Award for Favorite Comedic Movie Actor, 2016, the Hollywood Award for Artist of the year in 2014, the 2012 BET Award for best actor (IMDB) amongst many other awards. And here, I am watching Kevin Hart in his latest Netflix series “True Story,” a seven-episode thriller starring Hart as a celebrity who is racing to cover up a death he may or may not be responsible for because of his brother Wesley Snipes. 

Needless to say, Kevin is widely known as a Comedian and Actor, but he is also an Entrepreneur and Investor. The Financial Health and Leadership Forum: Hart of It All chat event is a part of the JP Morgan Chase Advancing Black Pathways initiative. Kevin was there to share his financial tips and information surrounding his key message: Financial Knowledge.

Being selected by Harlem World Magazine, which has over 2.5 million influential fans around the world, to interview such a huge Hollywood personality is obviously a huge honor. We caught up with CC Minton and asked her how she felt about interviewing such a big celebrity. 

1. Who contacted you to conduct the Kevin Hart interview? 

Danny Tisdale, the Founder of Harlem World Magazine, contacted me regarding the Kevin Hart interview.  I worked with Harlem World Magazine for a number of years.  I had the position as an event ambassador, lifestyle editor and curated the Healthy Lifestyle initiative. We have a great relationship, so from time to time I handle special events and high-profile projects for them.

2.  Did you do any type of preparation for the interview?   

Absolutely! I did extensive research on Kevin Hart and the JP Morgan Chase Advancing Black Pathways initiative.  I used articles and other conversations to get a feel for Kevin's financial experiences and his desire to give back.  With a better understanding of Kevin and JP Morgan Chase, I was extremely excited about the interview and the event. Through the partnership and on their own, both are doing great things in the community.  As a servant leader, I currently serve on the Board of Governance with the Junior League of Montclair-Newark, Inc. and I am a trustee with Friends of Thomas Edison National Historical Park and the residence of Glenmont.  I totally identify with supporting the community.    

3. What did you like or find interesting about meeting a celebrity like Kevin Hart? 

I've met and interviewed a number of celebrities and public figures.  I knew it would be a little different because I've never had a conversation with a comedian so I wasn't sure what to expect.  I thought to myself, God, what if he starts making jokes about me....ha ha ha, I'm just kidding.  I felt comfortable being a little silly during the event and, of course, he was really funny.  

I enjoyed meeting Kevin because he was authentic, down to earth, had a plan for himself that increased his net worth tremendously, and he didn't mind sharing. Of course, he was funny but his jokes were on a totally different level. In my prior interviews with Judge Mathis, Olympian Kristi Castlin, Chef Carla Hall, and Melvin Van Peebles, they were funny, too, but not like Kevin.  Kevin's journey from his hometown of Philly to becoming the highest-paid comedian to entrepreneur to an investor is even more impressive to me.     

4. Kevin Hart is one of the highest-paid comedians in the world. Aside from his celebrity, is there any commonality between his investor story and why you founded I Love Beautiful Spaces?

Yes, absolutely!  I believe that by investing in real estate, you know where your money is.  As Kevin says, "It's in the ground."  The last time I checked, land is no longer being created so therefore land and what is built on it is like a commodity.  He is spreading the message about building wealth with real estate on a larger scale.  For me, I love spreading the same message to everyday people like me and you.  I believe that everyone deserves to own real estate and that lifestyle begins at home. 

5. What's your takeaway from Kevin's talk about finances?

Kevin shared his recipe for success and I believe it is a simple model to follow.  Make sure you pay your taxes first.  Invest and live on the rest.  I believe his strategy not only works for celebrities, entertainers, or high-income earners.  We live in a gig economy, so his words of wisdom can be applied to many other, too, including those with a side hustle.    

6. Why do you believe that everyone deserves to own the real estate that they love?

Although I was a stay at home mom for many years, I have always been a free spirit and risk-taker.  Due to a lifestyle change in status, I stepped out, downsized, and began creating a portfolio of my own.  If I can do it, I believe that those who have the desire to do it can own the real estate that they love as well.  It takes commitment and desire and taking some risks.  I love sharing my experiences and knowledge with men and women and, to be transparent, I love empowering others to do the same. 

7. Do you have any future interviews planned? 

I do, but I'm unable to discuss the details at this time.  I'll be traveling for the next one, so stay tuned.

In reading the interview, I found this advice from Kevin Hart poignant for entrepreneurs and, of course, all artists about building their business and their brand:

“When you’re investing in something (like your art or your live music business), the goal is to bring value, to raise awareness within a brand, and get the brand to a point where it is not only profitable but on the bigger stages around the globe.” 

Read the full CC Minton Interview here on Harlem World Magazine and don’t forget to leave a comment.  

About CC Minton

CC Minton is the Founder of I Love Beautiful Spaces. She is an award-winning lifestyle advocate, celebrity interviewer, social impact exec turned real estate pro. She began her journey in the kitchen of her home and created a path that led her to one of the most beautiful homes – The White House.  It’s where she covered Former First Lady Michelle Obama’s White House Kids’ State Dinner. CC is a member of the Board of Trustees at Friends of Thomas Edison National Historical Park and residence Glenmont and the Junior League of Montclair-Newark, Inc. Board of Governance.

About the Organizations Mentioned in This Interview

Advancing Black Pathways

JP Morgan Chase Advancing Black Pathways initiative provides a mentoring program for undergraduate students.  Selected students have been paired with mentors that are 3-5 years out of college and are currently working in the fields of finance, business development, marketing, public relations, and human resources.  Many of the mentors and mentees identify as BIPOC and first-generation.

Junior League of Montclair-Newark, Inc. 

The Junior League of Montclair-Newark (JLMN), Inc. is a volunteer organization of women committed to Promoting Volunteerism, Developing the potential of women, and Improving the community through the effective action and leadership of trained volunteers.  “Our purpose is exclusively educational and charitable. The Junior League welcomes all women who value our Mission. We are committed to inclusive environments of diverse individuals, organizations and communities.”

Friends of Thomas Edison National Historical Park 

The Friends of Edison National Historical Park and the residence of Glenmont are a passionate group of creative, historically-minded and innovative folks dedicated to keeping generations loving the legacy of Thomas Edison. “Together, we help raise funds to preserve artifacts in his West Orange National Park and share his ideas.”

About the Writer, Gregory Burrus 

Gregory Burrus is a Passionate Community Advocate, Live Music Producer, Reporter, and Writer about local events and happenings In and  Around Essex County, NJ. Showcasing, photographing, videotaping events and creative people as they occur around town while living life every day to the fullest.

My mission is to help people, live music bands and local nonprofits reach their goals and accomplish their missions while enjoying the day to day process of life. Are you ready for your interview? Let’s connect! http://gregoryburrusproductions.com

Interview with Stephanie Sackerman (Wellness Coach)

By Sonia Schnee | Posted Wednesday, October 30, 2019

“Motherhood can be challenging” is an understatement. For those who are new moms themselves, or have friends who are new moms, empowerment, wellness, and mindfulness are important things to remember to embrace. That’s where Stephanie Sackerman comes in. Stephanie is a Certified Wellness Coach and Certified Mindfulness Teacher and Founder of LiveLoveBeWell Wellness Coaching, LLC, and she’s on a mission to help moms “reduce stress, practice self-care, increase their self-love, and live life mindfully.” Check out our interview with Stephanie, below, to learn about what inspired her journey and how she’s making the world a better place by helping one mom at a time.

What’s your name and where are you from?

My name is Stephanie Sackerman, and I am a proud Jersey girl, living in Morris Plains. 

What inspired you to become a Wellness Coach?

I became a Wellness Coach, focusing on Mom empowerment, after I became a mother and realized just how challenging motherhood can be.  To be honest, I felt really alone-especially the first few months of motherhood.  Everywhere I looked, it seemed like moms had it together, and I wondered if maybe I was the only one struggling.  Turns out, we all struggle—at different times and about different things—but many of us feel like we’re the only one going through it.  As you may have surmised, moms—oftentimes new moms but also veteran moms—are the people I love to work with! I provide one-on-one coaching sessions which are completely individualized and focused on whatever challenge that mom is facing and whatever goals she has for herself.  Additionally, I co-lead a weekly MindfulMoms™ meet-up group at The Avalon Wellness Center in Morristown, and I also love teaching moms at my various workshops.

What has been your personal journey been like so far?

My background is actually in Education.  I taught middle schoolers to read and write for ten years before having my son.  After becoming a mom, I struggled with postpartum anxiety and had to go on my own journey to get healthy.  It’s funny but at 32, I’m the healthiest and happiest that I’ve been, but my definitions of both have changed.  Motherhood was the catalyst for me to learn some of the most difficult but also the most important lessons about life, happiness, and myself, and after I learned them, I wanted to teach others.  We can’t change our past, but we can share our journeys and what we’ve learned in an effort to help others. 

What does a Wellness Coach do?

I think that what sets a Wellness Coach apart from other coaches is how we view overall well-being, which is 360.  What I mean by that is that everything is connected.  If we’re stressed, it’s impacting so many other areas of our lives: our relationships with others, our relationship with ourselves, how we’re sleeping, how we’re caring for ourselves, maybe our spirituality…the list goes on!  When I was at my lowest, every part of myself and my life was impacted, and when I started to nurture myself and love myself, everything shifted.  I love working with moms because we are literally connected to everyone.  When we’re not at our best, everyone feels it, but when we’re flourishing, the whole house feels good. 

Who is your target audience?

Every Wellness Coach has their own niche.  Mine is to empower moms to find a balance in their lives, so they can care for themselves, love themselves, believe in themselves, be their authentic selves, and ultimately enjoy their motherhood and their lives because they deserve to!

What words of advice would you give to someone who has similar interests as you, or has faced similar challenges/obstacles?

I would say, figure out your why.  When you’re feeling defeated or doubting yourself, say it over and over again.  Let it rebuild you.  Let it motivate you.  Let it open the door for you to create the life you love. 

Is there anything else you’d like to add?

I’m truly honored to have the chance to share a little bit about myself with you, so thank you for this opportunity.  For any moms out there who are going through a tough time, please know that you’re not alone. As mothers, we can experience a wide spectrum of emotions and symptoms—especially postpartum.  Always be sure to share what you’re experiencing with your doctor. 

Finally, how can people connect with you online?

You can learn a little bit more about me, what I do, and how to schedule your complimentary Connection & Reflection phone session, and read my blog by visiting my website: www.LLBWC.com.  I’d love for you to follow me on Instagram @livelovebewell, and you can find LiveLoveBeWell Wellness & Mindfulness Coaching on Facebook!

Interview with Alex Giordano (Bishops Cuts & Color, Denville, NJ)

By Sonia Schnee | Posted Monday, September 30, 2019

What's your name and where are you from?

 My name is Alex Giordano. I'm from Wharton, New Jersey, and I've been in the hair industry for about 20-something years. I can't tell you really how old I am. That's a secret!

What’s your position at Bishops Cuts & Color?

I am the Salon Manager, overseeing several employees here, making sure everything's kept nice and clean and making sure that the customers who come in are completely satisfied when they leave.

Salon Manager Alex Giordano (left) with Owner Scott Pringle (right).

How did you get interested in doing hair? Is it something you loved as a kid?

I've always loved it as a kid. Literally I used to take my sister's Barbie dolls and cut their hair. I would take Kool-Aid and try to dye their hair and everything and be like, "Look I created a new style!" I remember when I was about 7-years-old we had a family friend over, and I told her I was going to cut her hair and make her look like Kermit the Frog -- don't ask me what I was thinking! -- but her parents could have killed the both of us, and my parents of course could have killed me. I've always loved doing hair.

When I was a freshman in high school, my parents sent me to South America because that's where they're from -- Montevideo, Uruguay.  I studied cosmetology there. So, I got my license first in South America when I was 15-years-old, and then I came back here and continued my education.  Unfortunately, they didn't accept my hours from another country so I had to go back to cosmetology school here. So I pretty much have been licensed twice already.

You never stop learning in this business.  Every day you learn something from everyone. All different walks of life and everything. It's a great business.  I love doing what I do.

What drew you to Bishops?

What drew me to Bishops was empowering people to be whoever they want to be, judgment-free.  I think that in this day and age, in order to go places and make it further in life you have to look straight ahead and not worry about what your neighbors are doing as long as they're not harming anyone.  Just be proud of who YOU are individually and focus on yourself and you'll make it to better places in life. That's what drew me into Bishops, as well as letting people express who they are.

In this business, people fail to realize that when you're a cosmetologist, when you're a hair stylist, when you're a barber, self-expression is definitely key because it's an art.  We're not robots.  We don't come here and say everyone's going to get the same exact haircut and this how we're cutting it.  No.  We use our art, and we have a vision.  Most people who do hair are very artistic.

I tend to look at us as hair doctors.  You don't go into doctor's office and say, "Hey, my tummy hurts, I'll take like 20 Advil prescription, and I'll take some antibiotics, and I'll come back when I feel better or I'll come back if I don't feel better.”  No.  You go in there.  You get your consultation like we do.  What's the problem (we want to know what's going on), followed by your prescription after you're being checked out, so we perform the service (that's you being checked out by the doctor), then you're given a prescription.  When you're given that prescription, that's us giving you or recommending you products to make sure you upkeep or recreate the look.

How many times do you go to a salon, you get a fabulous hairstyle, and you leave and the next day you're like, "Oh man, what did I do? Why does it not look as good as yesterday?"  So we teach you to recreate that style.  We teach you how to take care and upkeep your hair, and then we give you a date to come back, just like a doctor would, so come back and see me in about three to four weeks and we'll follow up and see how everything's coming along.

How would you describe Denville, NJ (for people who aren't from the area)?

I think Denville is very family-oriented, but it's also very trendy.  It's beautiful out here.  I think that everyone's cheerful and happy.  It's definitely a great place to visit.  Especially the strips.  Come out, check out all the mom and pop shops or the businesses around here.  I think it's a great place to be.  People are amazing around here.

What words of advice would you give to someone wants to follow a similar passion?

I say, never give up.  Like any job, you're going to be faced with hardships.  There's going to be some days that you wish you never did what you did, but don't lose that passion ever because as soon as you lose that passion or you stop enjoying what you do, you kind of lose the momentum or the hope in growing within that career path.  So don't ever give up, just always keep looking forward.  We're not perfect and we all make mistakes.  Don't let that be your judgement call of where you'll be standing tomorrow.

How would you like people to feel when they come in?

I've always said that I wanted to deliver "a million dollar style on a budget," and that's my personal theory.  It always has been.  I know that not everyone has tons and tons of money to get their hair done, but that doesn't mean that I shouldn't give them the same style they would if they would have went to 5th Avenue in New York to an upscale salon.  I'm going to give you an amazing style, an amazing hair color, an amazing fade or a beard trim or straight razor shave, and I'm going to make you feel like you were just pampered in somewhere that you paid a million dollars for that style even though you're paying on a budget.  No one has that money this day and age to just go and throw out all this money.  A lot of people are doing their hair themselves, getting boxed colors at a store, or trimming their hair themselves.  I feel like you shouldn't have to do that.  Everyone deserves to be pampered. You owe it to yourself and you deserve it.  We all deserve to kick back and have a break every now and again.  I want people to feel amazing. I want people to walk out of here and feel like a million bucks.

Interview with Janet Ryan (SpectraSpray)

By Sonia Schnee | Posted Friday, September 20, 2019

If you are conscientious about your health and are worried you’re not getting the vitamins you need, if you have a fear of swallowing pills, or are curious about what “CBD” is all about, meet Janet Ryan, Founder/CEO of SpectraSpray Global which specializes in oral spray vitamins. Check out our interview with Janet below to learn more about her business, the inspiration behind it, and how you can get a hand on a variety of spray vitamin kits.

What’s your name, where are you from, what do you do?

My name is Janet Ryan, I am from Montville, NJ and I own a spray vitamin company called SpectraSpray Global.

How did SpectraSpray get started? 

SpectraSpray got started as a result of my passion to help others feel their best and live their best lives everyday. After supporting health professionals with various supplements, I met a naturopathic doctor who introduced me to the unique ‘oral spray’ delivery.

What inspired you to build your company? 

I have always been in tune with living a healthy lifestyle, but my dedication and determination to share cutting edge wellness information with others sprang from my family history. My mom, who had early onset Alzheimers, and my son, who suffered with ADD and had learning disabilities, have been the main driving factors behind my vast education, research and passion to educate and empower others. It’s still almost impossible to “TREAT” Alzheimers, but they are finding we can prevent it if we understand how our bodies work. Also, my twins were about 10-years-old when my son needed serious support for ADD, anxiety and focus which lead me to learning more about natural solutions rather than medications.

What kinds of products do you offer? 

My company SpectraSpray offers oral Spray Vitamins that support wellness. We call them “foundational and functional” since they are typically nutrients that are deficient due to our poor food quality and stressful lifestyles.

If you take vitamin pills, your body could well be STARVING. People don’t realize that their bodies do not absorb 90% of any vitamins they take by pill, or even from some foods they assume are good for them. Their bodies are running on EMPTY, yet people wonder why they’re exhausted and not able to focus. Due to the high-tech nano-emulsion delivery system, our spray vitamins and supplements have the highest absorption of any competitor on the market today. The only higher absorption is through intravenous delivery. It’s not what you take, it’s what you ABSORB!

Our unique product formulas help people increase their mental focus and energy, reduce stress on the spot and sleep better to recharge. As a result, they increase their longevity by fueling their body with depleted baseline nutrients that naturally reduce as we age, or when we have genetic, digestive or environmental (epi-genetic) challenges.

Who’s your target audience? 

Anyone can use our sprays. We find those who travel, work a long day, don’t sleep well or have digestive issues particularly love the convenience and effectiveness of our products.

https://www.spectraspray.com/why-spray-vitamins

How do you help people? 

We help people by providing them with THE MOST CONVENIENT wellness spray they can carry with them anywhere they go. Most people have a cabinet FULL of vitamins and supplements that they forget to take. Our sprays GO WITH YOU and can be sprayed anytime, anywhere since they do not require food or water to absorb. The nutrients are already in a “ready to absorb” form that goes right into the bloodstream via the oral cells (buccal cells).

https://www.spectraspray.com/cbd-products

You’ve recently started offering CBD Spray. What does “CBD” stand for?

CBD stands for Canna-BiDiol, which is the oil extracted from the hemp plant.

What are some of the benefits of CBD?

It has been proven to help regulate the homeostasis (general functioning of all systems) of your body in many ways; especially supporting anxiety, sleep, pain and immune health.

What are some commons myths surrounding CBD?

People still think it will get you high, like Marijuana. CBD, especially the ISOLATE from, which we use, has no THC, the psycho active ingredient that gets you high. We provide a COA (certificate of analysis) to prove that, which is super important. CBD is not regulated YET, and there are many brands with toxic qualities, or not as much CBD in the product as advertised.

What might people be apprehensive about, and how would you dispel their fears?  

They are apprehensive for good reason. It’s new, its everywhere, and it’s just beginning specific research. It’s important to buy from a company you can trust, one that provides a COA, uses Isolate form so that you are not drug tested positive for your job. You can start with a low dose, just a few milligrams once or twice a day, and see how you feel, then increase as needed. It takes time for your body to achieve homeostasis, but in time many functions will be supported because your body is able to work “in sync: much better. That’s extremely simplistic, but you can read our recent blog on the science behind CBD, or search the internet for reputable sources and studies. Like anything else, educate yourself. I did.

Where can people purchase your CBD sprays, as well as all the other sprays your offer?

Online at www.SpectraSpray.com. First time purchasers can use code SAVE20 to save 20% on their first purchase! They’ll love them. Our Success Kit and Travel Kit are very popular and can be used everyday, not just while at work or when traveling. Sleep Support, Stress Support, Immune Support and B12 are all must haves! 

Finally, how can people follow you on social media?

 We are on Facebook as SpectraSpray and Instagram as SpectraSprayVitamins.

Is there anything else you’d like to add? 

Yes, your health is in YOUR hands, not your doctors. Learn, read, talk to people who understand nutrition and functional medicine. It is growing fast, and helping people live their best life, while aging positively into the future. Most chronic health issues are based on inflammation. Eating right, understanding your gut health and supporting your system with the right supplementation (not too much!) will help your very intelligent body to take care of you for a long time. Here’s to your health and a wonderfully energetic life!!

Interview with Scott Pringle (Bishops Cuts & Color, Denville, NJ)

By Sonia Schnee | Posted Monday, September 23, 2019

On April 27, 2019, Bishops Cuts & Color, a new hair salon/barbershop, opened its doors in Denville, NJ. It is LGBTQ-led, and charges based on hair length, rather than male vs. female pricing. Bishops is a franchise that has been steadily expanding from its home base in Portland, Oregon. The Bishops shop in Denville is run by Scott Pringle, who is originally from South Africa and was drawn to Bishops for its inclusive philosophy and culture. Learn more about Bishops in our interview with Scott, below, and do visit the shop at 33 Broadway in Denville!

What's your name and where are you from?

Scott Pringle. I'm the Co-owner here of Bishops Cuts & Color which is a new hair shop in Denville, New Jersey. I'm South African originally and my wife, who's the co-owner, is born in Hong Kong but she's Irish. So a very interesting combination. We've travelled the world. We've lived in 13 different countries between us, so I know a lot about different experiences, different levels of customer service, etc. That's one of the many things which interested us in joining Bishops and opening a hair shop.

Owner Scott Pringle (far right) with salon Manager Alex Giordano (middle) and Co-owner Siobhan Pringle (left).

How did you end up in New Jersey?

We both have lived here for at least 10 years, and we wanted to open up our own business, so we looked at franchise opportunities. Bishops is a franchise. We worked with a franchise consultant to get the best fit for us. After like a year of negotiation, we settled on Bishops, which is a franchise originally from Portland, Oregon. It started in 2001, started franchising about three years ago, and now 50 shops are open in about 17 different states, and in two years time there'll be about 200 different shops. So it's small but growing rapidly.

What drew you to the Bishops?

A couple of things. First of all, it's more than just a haircut. It's an experience. And that's what sold us. It's the people who are there, in terms of their style, the way they lead the team. It is LGBTQ-led, and because of that it's very open and inclusive. The whole environment is something that we really enjoyed -- accepting for everyone, judgment-free, etc…

Who is your ideal target market?

It is a unisex hair shop, so we don't differentiate on male vs. female. It's more mindset and the inclusive mentality of someone who wants a great hair service at an affordable price. Part of the philosophy originally was "a cheap haircut was bad, and a good haircut was expensive." We tried to change that in terms of affordable hair services. Great service, great product at affordable prices.

How much does it cost?

All our pricing is based on length of hair and how long it takes to do the service rather than male vs. female pricing. It's based on buzz cut, short cut, long cut. So if you're a lady with a pixie cut, you'd probably get away with a $29 short haircut. The other different thing about Bishops is it's a-la-carte pricing, which means you pay for each thing that you choose . If you just want a haircut, it's either $29 for a short or $35 for long, and then if you add a shampoo you add $5 as an add on, and if you add a style you add $20 as an add on. So a-la-carte pricing, you choose what you want and you tailor the experience.

What other services do you provide?

Apart from all the haircuts, we do color, highlights, style blow outs. For the men, there are straight razor shaves. Just about everything except extensions is offered at Bishops.

Tell us about the arts and culture of Bishops.

Bishops is founded on arts and music. It's about the whole great experience, not just a transaction. There are music speakers in the shop. There's actually two murals in the shop. It's regionalized for the region. One is "You Look Good" and the other one is "Different Together," which is a 3D-style effect of spray painting. A guy based in the city has come out and done it especially for us.

How has Denville been treating you so far?

We think we'll have a wider circle of appeal than most shops just because of our philosophy about "being for everyone." "Everyone is welcome" is linked to our philosophy. We are also linked to "safe in my chair" which means that everyone is accepted and welcome. We belong to an organization called Strands for Trans, in which all trans people are made to feel welcome, and everyone is.

How do you want people to feel when they walk in?

We want people to walk in and feel at home, feel the vibe, feel the energy, and just immediately feel at home and comfortable. Beyond that, they need to walk out with a great hair experience, great haircut, great color, great highlights, whatever it is that they want. If they get the great products at an affordable price together with experience, we feel that's the sweet spot for us.

How can people connect with you online?

We are on Facebook and on Instagram. We have a small but growing digital presence. We also do a lot of more conventional advertising in print media through coupons, and we are doing a lot of what we call "boots on the ground," handing out cards to potential customers, trying to build loyalty, offering a lot of 50% off discounts for your first hair service or your first blow out or style. So, trying to build loyalty and awareness and showing people what a great experience and a great service we can offer.

When are you open?

We are open seven days a week. We're here whenever you need us. Most days we are open 10am-8pm Monday through Friday, Saturday 9am-7pm, and also Sunday 10am-5pm. So there'll hopefully be a time that suits everyone.

Do you have any words of advice someone who might want to open up a franchise or business?

Find something that really appeals to you, from a values point of view. It is a lot of hard work. There's a lot of investment in time and money. The philosophy and the values and what Bishops stands for -- and especially what we need in this area, in this country right now in terms of openness and acceptance for all -- THAT’S what drives and inspires me. So, find something that's linked to your values, primarily.

Interview with Elisa Udaskin (Caring Organizer)

By Sonia Schnee | Posted Monday, September 23, 2019

Have you ever known someone who has experienced a tragedy, or maybe is recovering from a surgery, or just simply could use a helping hand? Have you ever wanted to step in and help them, but weren’t sure what was the “right” thing to do? Meet Elisa Udaskin. Elisa is the Founder and CEO of Caring Organizer, a website that lets friends, family, and strangers coordinate schedules so they can send meals to those in need.

What’s your name and where are you from?

My name is Elisa Udaskin. I'm originally from Toronto, Canada. I was working for Kraft Foods. They moved us to New Jersey 11 years ago. I didn't really know anything about New Jersey, and I was just amazed by how beautiful it is. I moved to Morristown, and I was just amazed by the trees and the parks. I love it here. Then, four or five years ago, Kraft Foods asked me to lead a team in Singapore, and so we moved to Singapore for two years and had a great experience, and then we moved back to New Jersey.

Tell us about Caring Organizer. What is it about?

Caring Organizer is a website that I developed.  We have free online tools and helpful tips to make it easy for people to help other people in times of need. There are practical tools that you can take advantage of to help others when someone has either passed away in their family, or they've recovered from a surgery, or they're sick, etc.. 

Who is your target audience?

The target audience are people who generally help other people. There's always going to be that person -- maybe it's also that person who organizes barbecues or the family gatherings or volunteers at the school -- people who know to get out of their comfort zone and reach out to help other people.  

What inspired you start Caring Organizer?   

I worked at Kraft Foods for 20 years in marketing leadership roles, and while I was working I always volunteered on the side and did a lot of side gigs within the company. Whenever there was an opportunity to organize the employees to volunteer at a food bank or a food pantry, to do things to give back, that was always my passion. I decided that after 20 years, I really wanted to incorporate that into my everyday life. I've always had a dream to start a social business -- I read a lot about social businesses -- and I just always wanted to do something, so I finally just took the leap.

What is it about food that people find comforting?

What I found from my experiences is that food is actually universal in bringing comfort. It transcends all cultures and religions. People like to bring food when you want to support someone else, and especially when you're going through one of these types of situations that are difficult. For example, a neighbor of mine just had a double hip replacement, so we neighbors all got together and organized a schedule of sending in food because that's one less thing that she has to think -- cooking for her family. Another neighbor lost her brother and has two small kids. By us sending in meals, it was one less thing that she didn't have to think about. Sending food provides comfort and also just really helps alleviate all the stress that comes along with all the other things going on.

https://caringorganizer.com/vendorListing

How easy is it to use Caring Organizer?

Anyone in any city can use the website. We are working on rolling out our directory into different cities. It's all mobile-friendly. 70 percent of people are using a mobile device when they sign up to send in meals. It actually only takes a few minutes to set up the Meal Scheduler. You can then share it on social media. You can text it. People find a date to send in a meal (they can pick a place from our directory, or any other place that they want), and sign up. You do have to call the restaurant yourself to make the order. We're just the scheduling/organizing piece of it.

The local directory is simply suggestions for places, but you can really order or send a homemade meal from anywhere you want. For example, we just had a family whose son is ill, and I would say about half of the people who are sending in meals are making homemade ones. So, it's a very, very flexible website, with flexible tools.

The intention is to make it easy for people. It eliminates all of that back and forth of the text and the e-mails and the phone calls about, "Should I bring chicken or bring salmon? Should I send it on Tuesday or Wednesday?" It takes out all of those logistics questions, so that when you want to talk to the person who's experiencing difficult times, you can just say "how are you" and focus the conversation on that. You don't have to ask them all the details of what you can do to help them. It helps to streamline all of that.

What words of advice would you give to those who are hesitant about reaching out a helping hand to someone in need?

My advice is always if you're thinking it, don't hesitate.  You're going to know the situation, and if you're feeling uncomfortable or hesitant about know bothering the person, which we hear a lot, send a message. Don't expect a reply right away because the person may not be in the right frame of mind your reply but they surely will feel loved and supported. And often it's when people you don't expect to hear from that when you do, it's an amazing feeling. So, I would just say that you're never going to do anything wrong. You just have to have the courage and be brave to reach out and do something, even if it is just sending a card in the mail or sending a private message on Facebook, or texting. Do something to show that you care.

What words of advice would you give to someone who is thinking about starting his/her own business?

The first thing is that it's incredibly scary. Changing your career completely is always scary, and also going from financial stability to doing a startup is extremely scary. My advice is, you look at ways that you can cut back your expenses and get yourself ready to do it. It's just really important to understand that you're going to have tradeoffs. When you're going on an entrepreneurial journey there's going to be a lot of tradeoffs, and there are going be so many ups and downs -- like, so many ups and downs. But if you're truly passionate, you are just going to be happier and, hopefully, successful will follow.

Is there anything you'd like to add? What’s next on the horizon for you?

Public speaking is definitely something that I want to start doing. My whole mission is to encourage people to help other people. I would love to be able to have a speaking opportunity to be able to relay my message. I could talk about things, like, why do we hesitate to reach out to others? I'm starting to think about writing a speech for that. Things you can do to support people. I have a whole bunch of topics.

~

You can also follow Caring Organizer on Facebook and Instagram. 

Interview with Steve Guttman (Mind Body Dynamics)

By Sonia Schnee | Posted Tuesday, September 17, 2019

What is your name and where are you from?

My name is Steve Guttman. I was born in Newark, NJ and live in Morris Plains, NJ now.

What do you do?

I am a Mind Body Health/Wellness Life Coach, Integrative Personal Trainer, Massage/Energy Therapist. I am the owner, CEO of Mind Body Dynamics, a personal wellness company. I help shift/transform the mental, physical, emotional health and wellness of my clients for the better through my various fitness wellness services.

One-on-one personal training with Steve.

What kinds of services do you offer?

My services include Personal Training, Yoga, Qi Gong, Meditation, Mindfulness Training, Clinical Hypnotherapy, Stress Management training, meal planning, nutritional guidance, massage, energy therapy and more.

Who is your target audience?

My clientele range from the busy business professional, to the stay at home mom or dad, to a teenager, child, baby boomer or senior adult. My client might be an athlete or a person with disabilities.

Meditation session with Steve.

What makes you different from other people in your profession?

My versatility and varied experience. Given the fact that I have my education as a Personal Trainer as well as that of a Yoga, Qi Gong, Meditation teacher, clinical hypnotherapist, NLP and E.F.T. practitioner gives me a wide range of modalities to use for their overall health, fitness, wellness. When we add in my background of 35 plus years as a Massage Energy therapist, and as a professional trained in weight management and sports nutrition combined with my overall fitness background, I can serve people in even more ways. Finally, with my experience of 40 plus years working with children, people with disabilities and senior adults I am really blessed with the opportunities to make a positive impact on many people.

Tell us a little about yourself. Who inspires you?

I am a 59-year-old single father of 16-year-old son, Dylan — best kid in the world! My inspiration is my late mother, Elaine, who was very involved her whole life with her dedication in making a positive impact through selfless service with the people around her.  As a child with numerous learning disabilities as there were thoughts of me being possibly developmentally disabled, I think I learned the qualities of empathy and compassion early on.

Along with that, I had other early influences in reference to health, fitness. As a 12-year-old in sleep way camp I was exposed to Yoga and loved it. At age 16 my older sister got me to trade shoulder massages with her and loved the idea of making her, other family members, friends and girlfriends feel good. My older brother got me into working out, so this all became a way of life.

I am inspired through my son Dylan to be the best dad and role model that I possibly can.  

Additionally speaking, I can think of fitness icons such as Jack Lalanne, Joseph Pilates, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and many others who have helped shape the landscape of fitness.

Beyond that, I think of leaders such as Henry David Thoreau, Ghandi and Martin Luther King, Jr. who held very high ideals in making an impact on society.

Finally, I am inspired by such positivity people as Tony Robbins, Werner Erhard, Dan Milliman and Dr. Wayne Dryer among others.

Is there anyone you’d like to collaborate with one day?

As far as collaborating with, I seek out other wellness professionals that I can be complimentary with such as Chiropractors, mental health professionals and acupuncturists, among others.

What words of advice or encouragement would you give to someone who wants to follow a similar passion, or maybe facing obstacles similar to what you’ve faced?

Be sure to love what you do and the positive impact it can make on people. Learn as much as you can, from as many people that you can, and of course read as much as you can. Knowledge is power!  Be confidant and yet humble and realize that what you know is just the tip of the iceberg! Enjoy life, learn from mistakes and in fact welcome them. Lastly, come from a place of gratitude, acceptance and appreciation.

Finally, how can people find you online?

My website is www.mindbodydyn.com. They can find me via Facebook, LinkedIn, and just recently Instagram. 

Interview with Ken Kaplan (Quantum Floats)

By Sonia Schnee | Posted Monday, December 3, 2018

Has anyone ever asked you, “Do you want to go floating?” If so, you’ve probably asked, “Well, what do you mean by ‘floating?’” Quantum Floats in Bedminster, NJ is a place where you can do exactly as it sounds — float, in a warm, dark, quiet place. If meditation, relaxation, and getting in touch with your innermost thoughts are your kind of thing, it’s worth checking out — and probably different than any other experience you’ve had so far. Enjoy our interview with Quantum Floats owner Ken Kaplan. Learn about what inspired him to start a float center, the various benefits of floating, and enjoy some holiday discounts in the links below.

What's your name, where are you from, and where are you based now? 

KEN KAPLAN: I’m Ken Kaplan.  I was born in Flushing, New York.  My wife Maria and I have spent the last 30 years living in Bridgewater, NJ. 

You run both a law firm and a floatation center. Which came first?

I’ve been a corporate (business) lawyer for 30 years.  In 2013, my partner Glenn Williams and I co-founded the law firm of Kaplan, Williams and Graffeo – a business law firm based in Morristown, NJ.  Shortly after that, my cousin Brian Graffeo joined the firm as a partner. 

It may sound cliché, but our law firm is unique in the way we interact with our clients to help them achieve their goals and objectives.  As a breed, lawyers are taught to be risk adverse.  Lawyers tend to be good at spotting issues, but often shy away from proposing solutions.  Lawyers often think it is not their province to step into the role of solution provider, especially when the solution requires that they leave the comfort zone of issue spotting and take on the role of business advisor.  That kind of lawyer is a rare breed.  The lawyers at Kaplan Williams are solution providers. That search for solutions is the same driving force that led me to open Quantum Floats in 2015.  Quantum Floats is a floatation tank center located in Bedminster, NJ. 

What is the mission of Quantum Floats?

Our mission is to relieve stress in the community, especially the business community.   At first glance, the law business and the float business may seem unrelated.  In fact, floating can have a profoundly beneficial impact on business.  People engage in the same behavior patterns over and over again.  Those patterns are driven by thoughts below the level of conscious awareness.  Yet, those thoughts are the primary contributors to whether or not we achieve our goals and objectives.  Floating allows a person to examine those deeper thoughts, and the workshops and seminars we offer at Quantum Floats take the floating experience much further by showing our clients how to change those patterns so that they can better express who they are. 

How do you want people to feel once they've used your service? 

What we try to do at Quantum Floats is help our clients understand that whatever emotions, feelings or thoughts come up for them is self-generated and not caused by forces outside of their control.  While we do have to constantly navigate the outside world, we’re in the driver’s seat in terms of how we react to those external experiences.  That’s a great thing because once people start to see that, they can start to change their patterns of behavior and get rid of the anger or stress or anxiety they experience.  Quantum Floats exists so that people can do just that. 

What’s the link between floating and stress-relief?

Floating relieves stress.  Our clients often comment that they are more relaxed and that they bring that relaxation with them outside of their float experience to their jobs and personal lives.  From a scientific perspective, the relaxation our clients experience has to do with the adjustment of thoughts below the level of feelings.  Those deeper thoughts are the ones that generate the stress people experience in their lives.  The ability to access and adjust those thoughts is what makes floating such a powerful modality for relieving stress. 

For our clients who want to take the experience further, we offer one-of-a-kind workshops and seminars where clients learn how to improve the way they think and communicate, which helps them accomplish the professional and personal goals they set for themselves.

How did you first discover floating? What kind of impact has it had on your life?

My experience with floating has made a huge impact on my life.  I first heard about it in 2011 at a business networking event.  I figured I’d give it a try.  Up to that time, I had tried an assortment of conventional and non-conventional modalities to deal with stress.  Most of them helped, but they seemed to fall short of getting to the root cause of the stress.  There weren’t many float centers around at that time, but I found a woman who had a float tank in her house.  It seemed strange at first because I had never even seen a float tank, and my first reaction was “why would I ever want to spend an hour floating in water?”  Yet, after just a few sessions, I knew I was on to something. 

Floating is like meditation on steroids.  It’s like taking an elevator down to the depths of thought – the very place where our stress arises. 

I remember coming out of the float tank very relaxed, and I also remember taking that relaxation with me home and into work.  But the experience was still vague to me.  I didn’t know what the experience was about, much less what I could do with it to address the stress I was experiencing all the time.  I lacked an understanding of how thought works. 

Around that time I met John Worthington, who in the early 1970’s opened up one of the very first float centers in the country. John’s an interesting guy. He knows as much about thought as anyone I’ve ever met, and he’s taken that understanding and put it together in a series of workshops and seminars where people can change their lives.  I know, that’s a big statement, but it’s true.  We hold ourselves back by thought patterns we’ve been running since a very young age.  We offer these seminars now at Quantum.   I’ll tell you this with absolute conviction that while anyone can learn skills to modify thought, not everyone wants to.  It’s work, and the work often involves comes face to face with evasions and denials. 

What kind of people are you looking to connect with?

I’m looking for businesses and people that have the conviction and tenacity to make profound changes in their lives.  

What words of advice or encouragement would you give to someone who wants to follow a similar passion, or is maybe facing obstacles similar to what you've faced?

I’d tell them that most of the good things in life require hard work and that hard work pays off in rewards.  The work we do here at Quantum pays off in rewards in the form of better relationships and in the form of being able to better express who you really are.  Sometimes we assume that the people we admire most had an easy path to where they are now.  Most often, that is not the case.  Successful people have the drive to pick themselves up when they fall, no matter how many times they fall.  Those falls are just lessons.  It is useful to keep this in mind if you’re the kind of person who wants to improve your life by changing the way you think about things.   

What's next on the horizon for you? Do you have any special deals, sales, promotions going on?  

We’re running a holiday promotion at Quantum Floats to introduce people to floating.  We’re offering single floats and gift certificates at $65 (reduced from $85) and we’re offering a 3-float package for $175 (reduced from $255).  We’re also offering $100 off our Introduction to the Art of Rewriting workshop – now $499 (reduced from $599).

Finally, how can people find Quantum Floats online?

You can find us in any of the following ways:

By stopping in at our facility: Bedminster Medical Plaza, 1 Robertson Drive, Suite 13, Bedminster, NJ

By calling to book an appointment or schedule a tour: (973) 782-3227

On Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/quantumfloats/
On Twitter: @Quantum Floats
On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/quantum_floats/

Or by downloading the “Quantum Floats” app in the App Store or on Google Play.

Ventanas Restaurant & Lounge (Fort Lee, NJ)

PRESS RELEASE | Contact: Katherine Curkin | Senior Director, beckermanpr.com

Ventanas Restaurant & Lounge, Led by Restauranteur Alex Duran and Celebrated Chef David Burke, to Open at SJP Properties’ The Modern in Fort Lee

New Cuban/Asian/American-Inspired Fine Dining Establishment
to Serve as Destination Along the New Jersey Gold Coast

FORT LEE, N.J. (July 30, 2018) — SJP Properties today announced that restauranteur Alex Duran will bring a new fine dining experience to The Modern, the premier luxury development anchoring the revitalized downtown district of Fort Lee, N.J.  World-renowned Chef David Burke will join Duran in the role of Culinary Managing Director.  The kitchen will be overseen by Chef Ricardo Cardona.  Named Ventanas Restaurant & Lounge, the restaurant will serve an eclectic menu of Cuban/Asian/American-inspired fusion fare, with a picturesque setting amidst the new central park that is being created between The Modern’s two iconic 47-story, all-glass residential towers.

Duran, who owns the highly successful Son Cubano supper club in West New York, immediately recognized the opportunity to bring a new dining and entertainment concept to the flourishing Fort Lee community.  With Ventanas, Duran will capitalize on the restaurant’s unique indoor-outdoor setting to create a modern, energized dining experience for guests that blends Asian flavors with Cardona’s cutting-edge Latin cuisine and the farm-to-table American gastronomy of Burke, a Fort Lee resident.  Cardona is the executive chef of Lua, Sofrito and Hudson River Café in New York City, and serves as the chef for the New York Yankees during home games.  Burke, who regularly makes appearances on the TV show Iron Chef America, lays claim to one of the industry’s most accomplished resumes as both a chef and restaurateur, including numerous ‘Chef of the Year’ awards, and restaurants such as Tavern 62 and Woodpecker in New York City; Drifthouse in Sea Bright, N.J.; and the recently announced The King Bar and Red Salt Room in Garden City, N.Y.

Offering a spirited sense of buen gusto (good taste), Ventanas’ décor will evoke a seductive feeling of Havana’s nightlife past, with a modern twist.  Guests will have access to three main venues within the restaurant: a tapas lounge, a cosmopolitan bar, and a full-service dining room complete with chef’s table.  On the patio, guests can relax at the outdoor bar and lounge, or enjoy a meal with family and friends under a sweeping pergola.  Live music and a DJ booth will help to create a celebratory atmosphere for after-dinner entertainment.

In total, the 7,000-square-foot restaurant will be able to accommodate 150 guests in the dining room and seating for 50 people at the bar, with a private event space that can welcome another 75 patrons.  The outdoor terrace will offer seating for 75 to 100 guests, with a location that offers stunning views of the nearby George Washington Bridge, providing the ideal venue for special events.

“Latin dining is intended to be an immersive experience, with the ambiance just as important as the food itself,” stated Duran.  “Chef Cardona is recognized for his fusion of Latin, French and American cuisines, and his creativity and dynamism will set the tone in providing guests with an inspired dining experience.  When coupled with Chef Burke’s unmistakable influence, and the lively, yet elegant environment we have created with our décor, we know Ventanas will quickly become a favorite destination along the Gold Coast.”

The planned opening of Ventanas is the latest milestone to be heralded by SJP at The Modern, where leasing for the property’s second phase of luxury rental residences recently began.  A mirror image of The Modern’s first tower, the second tower completes Fort Lee’s iconic new skyline, signaling the borough’s arrival as a coveted residential destination.

In total, The Modern’s two phases comprise 900 luxury rental residences and an incredible 150,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor lifestyle amenities that is unparalleled among rental properties in the region.  The property was designed by Elkus Manfredi Architects in collaboration with SJP.

Adding to the ultra-luxurious, resort-style experience afforded to residents of The Modern will be the availability of room service and poolside food service at each of property’s two outdoor infinity pools, courtesy of Ventanas.

“Welcoming Ventanas to The Modern will not only create an exceptional new dining experience for the region, with two renowned chefs, an inspired menu concept and a stunning park setting.  It will also serve as an incredible amenity for residents of The Modern, who will soon be able to order room service and poolside food service as if they were living in a five-star hotel,” stated Steven J. Pozycki, CEO of SJP Properties. “We pride ourselves on providing our residents with the very best in lifestyle services, and this latest amenity makes it clear that The Modern is the true standard for luxury living in the region.”

The new, nearly two-acre public park that will house Ventanas is currently underway, with the park and restaurant expected to be open by the end of the year. Inspired by Manhattan’s Central Park, the park will enhance walkability and connectivity, offering residents of The Modern and Fort Lee alike a vibrant green space for recreation and enjoyment. In addition to the new restaurant, plans for the park include integrated water features, landscaped walking paths, a public pavilion and a walking bridge.  Outside the park, SJP is donating the funds for a 13,000-square-foot building to the Borough of Fort Lee for the creation of a large public theater and a public museum referencing Fort Lee’s historical ties to the film industry.

SJP Properties is developing The Modern in partnership with PGIM Real Estate and Northwestern Mutual.  The Bozzuto Group is The Modern’s exclusive leasing and management firm.

For leasing inquiries or more information please visit The Modern at www.rentthemodern.com or call 201-461-2888. Follow The Modern’s social media pages on Facebook at www.Facebook/rentthemodern and @rentthemodern on Instagram. 

About SJP Properties

Founded in 1981, SJP Properties is a privately held, vertically integrated real estate company specializing in the development, management and operation of luxury residential and Class A commercial properties in the New York Metropolitan region.  Well known for the creation of unparalleled lifestyle-focused developments, SJP’s residential arm is committed to meticulous SJP’s leadership has established relationships with many of the industry’s leading investors and financial institutions, as well as world-class architects, consultants and construction firms to ensure precise delivery of properties that incorporate the latest amenities and technology advancements for today’s discerning residents.  For more information, please call 212-335-2200 or visit www.sjpproperties.com.

About Chef David Burke

Blurring the lines between chef, artist, entrepreneur and inventor, world-renowned Chef David Burke is one of the leading pioneers in American cooking today.

He is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America and a student at Ecole Lenotre Pastry School in Plaisir, France.  Burke’s mastery of French culinary technique and his unique American creativity were confirmed at the age of 26, receiving 3 Stars from the New York Times at the River Café. Burke won France’s coveted Meilleurs Ouvriers de France Diplome d’Honneur, and is the only American to ever achieve this honor.  Burke also won the Nippon Award for Excellence from the government of Japan for overall skill and technique. 

As a culinary pioneer, Burke received the ultimate honor: A United States patent awarded to him for the unique process by which he uses pink Himalayan salt to dry-age his steaks for up to 100 days, which led to the citing of Burke’s Primehouse as the number one steakhouse in Chicago and the U.S.

In 2016, BLT Prime by David Burke in Washington D.C., and Tavern 62 by David Burke in New York City opened.  In 2018, Burke launched the David Burke Catering Company; Drifthouse by David Burke; King Bar by David Burke; Red Salt Room by David Burke at the Garden City Hotel; the revamped The Blue Hen; Salt & Char and Morrisey’s at the Adelphi Hotel in Saratoga, N.Y.; and now Woodpecker by David Burke in New York City.

Over the years, Chef Burke has become one of the most recognized chefs on television, with appearances on Top Chef Masters, Rachael Ray, NBC’s TODAY Show, Celebrity Taste Makers, and Elvis Duran and the Morning Show.  Currently, he can be heard on AM970 every Tuesday morning with Joe Piscopo.  In addition, Burke has published two cookbooks, Cooking with David Burke and David Burke’s New American Classics.

 

Interview with Anthony Cartinella (Black 35 Guitars)

By Deaglan Howlett | Posted Wednesday, July 11, 2018

Anthony Cartinella is a bit of a legend in the New Jersey punk scene.  Starting Dark Horse Percussion in 1996, he helped foster the NJ punk sound, even though he did not play on the records.  However, his drums were featured on groundbreaking Jersey punk albums by bands including The Gaslight Anthem, The Bouncing Souls and Streetlight Manifesto, just to name a few.  These days, he does not make drums anymore but instead has turned his passion for music into building custom guitars for the working class, which happens to be Black 35 Guitars’ mission statement.  Black 35 Guitars has grown exponentially since his first guitar was made, and his roster of players grows every single day.  Anthony was kind enough to let me ask him a few questions about his company, and I am more than happy to spread the word of the incredible work he is doing in my hometown of Red Bank, New Jersey.

How did you first get involved with making instruments?

Anothony Cartinella:  I founded Dark Horse back in 1996.  Dark Horse Percussion originally started with my father and I making snare drums at our house.  My father would help me, but I just wanted to make snares for fun, and then I started Dark Horse as a real business.  Dark Horse actually started from me being into marching and orchestral percussion.  I was getting sick and tired of going to music stores and asking about marching or orchestral gear and the guys working there having no idea what I was talking about.  I basically came home one day after going to a music store, and I went to my mother and told her I wanted to start my own business, and I asked her what I could do.  She actually ended up helping me with a sole proprietorship business, which was Dark Horse Percussion.  I originally started out by just selling accessories, like sticks and drumheads out of my parents’ basement.  I had a lot of schools that were buying stuff from me which was really cool.  Eventually, I got set up with a Pearl dealer and I was selling drum sets and marching gear.  Then I started building drums for fun, mostly one-offs, that I would put on eBay.  I would sell it, then someone would ask me to make them a set.

What is it like owning a business that sells products that are always in such high demand?

Most people tend to think that having your own business is glamorous, but it is the furthest thing from that.  What most people do not see is the Orange County Choppers side of things.  You see that end product and you think ‘Wow! That’s friggin' awesome!’  But what most people do not see is how the builder was up until 12:30 in the morning before the day the drum set was supposed to arrive to the client.  Then, realizing last minute he is short two lug cases to complete someone's drumset and it needs to be shipped out in the morning in order to make it to Germany for the show.  Most people do not see that kind of stress.

What got you into making guitars and retiring from making drums?

I used to make guitars for fun while I would be waiting on drums, like waiting for shells to come to finish up a kit.  I started Black 35, since 35 is my favorite number and that’s Mike Richter’s number on the Rangers -- I am a big Rangers fan -- and because black 35 in roulette being my favorite.  So, I figured ‘Hey! That’s my guitar company!’ but my goal was not to start a guitar company.  My goal was to basically make guitars that I like, make them and sell them at a price point that sits around a thousand bucks a guitar, and if someone wants it, cool, they can buy it.  If not, I'll just keep it and keep playing it.  I got out of Dark Horse and I figured I learned my lesson from business and did not want that anymore so I would focus on other hobbies.  Needless to say, I started a big cartel page and an Instagram account, posted a guitar I made, said it was for sale, and the next thing I knew, everything I was making was selling, and selling fast.  Even crazier than that, I was shipping these guitars out all over the world.

What keeps you going?

I was told I am basically making the workingman's custom guitar.  I have the ability and technology to make stuff, and that why I can turn around and make someone a guitar and I can make them however the buyer wants. A LP style with two humbuckers and a tele pickup in the bridge?  I can do that, and in a way where I can make it affordable for you!  I'm currently over 260 orders in eighteen months, and now I have ten thousand, organic Instagram followers.  It’s crazy how something that wasn’t supposed to be a business turned into a really cool business.

What makes you different from other custom guitar-makers out there?

Being that I teach fulltime, and that's my bread and butter, doing this on the side I can work with you and be like, ‘hey, man you want this guitar? I can work with you and be like, well how much can you put down?’  And someone will say they can put $200 down, and I say cool!  I get the $200, I put the order in my book, start working on the guitar and the player can chip away at the price while I am making the guitar.  Most importantly, players appreciate that because that gears myself towards these DIY-ethics [that] musicians stand by, as well as I do.  I make it so it’s very personable and accommodating in order to work with everyone.  I understand everyone is in a different financial position, and I make sure I am able to work with you financially to get you to the end result.  It’s not all about money, it’s about building a relationship.

Interview with Graphic Designer/Printmaker Tin Vu

By Nicolas Palermo | Posted Friday, May 25, 2018

Art and sports are not often discussed together.  However, creating art and playing sports share many similarities.  Sculptors and painters have studied the human figure for centuries.  There is a great deal of grace and beauty in the movements involved in a sport.  Similarly, artists utilize the human body’s physical capabilities when creating.  Look no further than Jackson Pollock wildly (yet equally methodically) flinging paint onto a naked canvas.

With this being said it is no surprise that Tin Vu, a graphic designer and printmaker from Cherry Hill, NJ  is able to blend his love of sports so easily with his art.  I spoke to Tin to get a better understanding of his influences and where he gets the concepts for his work.

Where are you located in NJ?  Do you like that particular area, or are you eager to move out?

I’m from Cherry Hill, NJ, born and raised.  I do actually enjoy this area and don’t mind living here, but I’m willing to explore other possibilities for my career as a graphic designer.

What mediums of artwork do you work in?  Which one is your favorite?

I have experience in painting and charcoal, but I primarily work digitally for my illustrations.  Occasionally, I also turn those illustrations into screen prints. Digital has quickly become my favorite medium because I have a flat color style that is much easier to fill in with on a computer than by hand.

I’ve noticed that you often blend themes of your love for sports (basketball) and music (hip-hop) into your creative output.  Is this something you’ve always done?  Does incorporating sports and music into your work come naturally or is it a conscious decision?

My love for sports and hip-hop leaking into my artwork is definitely something that I have always done just because it feels so natural.  When I’m given a blank canvas to create a piece that I’m passionate about and am truly invested in, my mind always drifts to the subcultures that I am a part of—which also involves breaking, urban dance, esports, and skating.

As a musician, I often gravitate toward certain albums more than others based on the album cover artwork.  Are there any particular album covers that you have always loved?

Some of my favorite album covers of all time include: Unknown Pleasures (Joy Division), The Devil and God Are Raging Inside Me (Brand New), The September Wind (Naoya Matsuoka), Coexist (The XX), Acid Rap (Chance the Rapper), Madvillainy (Madvillain), Wolf Deluxe Edition (Tyler the Creator), All American Trash (BROCKHAMPTON), Currents (Tame Impala), The Low End Theory (A Tribe Called Quest), and My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (Kanye West).  I could go on forever because I love album covers as an art form so much.

I really enjoy your screen printing work.  I believe that printmaking is an underrated method of creating art.  Is there a particular reason why you often choose to work with screen printing?

I work with screen printing so much because it makes so much sense to add the flat colors of my work layer by layer.  It really is an underrated medium that can go much further than just t-shirts (shout out to Dave).

Where can we find your work and follow you online?

You can find my work at tinvudesign.com, @tinvudesign on Instagram or facebook.com/tinvudesign.

Thanks for the interview, really enjoyed these questions!

Interview with Artist Jenna Corso

By Nicolas Palermo | Posted Friday, May 4, 2018

Jenna Corso is a visual artist from Belmar, NJ who channels her love of all things Mother Nature into hand-made jewelry and paintings. 

Art truly does imitate life, but in Jenna’s case, “life” isn’t used to define “life events” or “existence” but rather “life” in its most literal sense.  That is, things that are living, such as insects, snakes, and vegetation. 

There is a great deal of beauty in Jenna’s work.  Her eye for detail allows her insect-inspired jewelry to glow with a quality that resonates with art and nature-lovers alike.  I spoke to Jenna to get an insight into her inspirations, childhood and artistic process. 

Tell us about where you live in NJ.  Do you enjoy the environment you live in?  Do you think it has an effect on your creativity?

I live in Belmar, NJ.  I grew up 5 minutes from the beach.  Living in New Jersey has had an immense impact on my art since most of my subjects focus around nature.  You can go from hiking in the mountains to watching the sunset at the beach in the same day.  It’s the vast scenery and landscapes like this that continue to inspire me every day.

I have absolutely no experience with jewelry-making and very little experience with sculpture.  I am very curious to know what the process is when making your insect-shaped necklaces and rings.  What is the first step?  Where do you go from there?

Once I have my insect, I start by making a mold of it using a Jeltrate substance.  Once I have the mold, I can begin to pour melted wax into it.  When that hardens, I can cast the wax insect into any metal using the lost wax method and from there it becomes a piece of jewelry with some cleaning and polishing and final details.

I remember as a little kid I was obsessed with nature.  If I wasn’t outside catching bugs I was watching Animal Planet on TV.  I think that very young kids often gravitate toward things related to insects and animals because it sparks curiosity, and I find it inspirational that your love for living creatures is still a part of your life, as demonstrated by your artwork.  Did you have a similar experience growing up?  Has the general aesthetic of animals and insects always been something you take inspiration from?

Yes.  When I was younger I loved being outside.  I used to catch crickets in my backyard with my brother and turn over bricks to find roly-polys.  I always had a fascination with nature.  As I grew older I lost that interest in bugs until one day, while I was walking to work, I found a dead cicada.  I remember standing on the sidewalk with a dead bug in my hand thinking how underrated its beauty was.  While most people are repulsed by bugs, it became my mission to show just how beautiful they can be.  I thought, “how can I repurpose this and give it a new life?” and that is how it all got started.

Do you own any pets?  Have they been the subject of any of your works of art?

I do.  I have a pug who is the subject in many of my photos.  He sits so patiently in front of the camera.      

Where can we find your artwork online? 

My website is https://thelemunhed.wixsite.com, and I’m selling on Etsy @thelemunhedjewelry.  I post photos of what I’m currently working on @thelemunhed on Instagram. 

Interview with Stylist Pamela Etzin

By Sonia Schnee | Posted Wednesday, April 25, 2018

Northern New Jersey wardrobe stylist Pamela Etzin is the owner of An Eye for Detail.  Pam dedicates herself to helping women and men look and feel their best, through clothing choice and closet organization.  To learn more about Pam's services, her personal journey, and words of advice, see our interview below. 

What's your name, where are you from, where are you based now? 

Pamela Etzin.  I am from Buffalo, NY, and I live in Morristown, NJ. 

Tell us about your business. Who do you serve? How would you describe your approach? How do you want people to feel when they've used your services? 

I am a Wardrobe Stylist, and I offer closet edits.  I dress and teach women and men how to feel more confident in their clothing by learning what styles suit them best, based on their lifestyle, body type, comfort level and budget.  My approach is very simple and not fussy: we all want to feel the best we can when we put ourselves out there, and of course, 1st impressions matter a lot. 

I also believe in having the right clothing in a well-organized stress-free closet, so I begin with editing closets to bring into vision what a client truly likes and feels good in, and we create from there.  The things we never wear are negative messages to ourselves, so I believe in getting rid of and creating the new.  There is no need to keep stuff that is never worn. 

We live in a visual world and how we present ourselves speaks volumes in terms of strength, confidence, tidiness/details and self-esteem.

How did you get started? What's been your personal journey?

My story with clothing started as a child in a household that always dressed well and looked professional.  Even as a little girl, I learned how to gain respect and admiration by always being neat and properly dressed (sometimes even too much. However, my father knew the "power of perception and the role clothing played.)  I moved to NYC to work on 7th Avenue in the garment center at age 20 and knew how much I loved fashion and seeing what a role it played in people's lives.  I worked in many showrooms with all different clothing types, but my favorite parts were the relationships I created with my clients and customers when I performed trunk shows throughout the country.  My passion has always been style and empowerment, so doing this I was able to bring both passions together.

Are there any other businesses, artists, entrepreneurs, or style icons who you personally/professionally look up to? 

I adored Natalie Wood and Audrey Hepburn for I think obvious reasons.

What words of advice or encouragement would you give to someone who wants to follow a similar passion, or is maybe facing obstacles similar to what you've faced? 

My advice is to find your niche in your passion.  I am very different from most stylists because I truly sense who someone is through my exceptional intuition, and I want them to really grasp what works, and how to build a wardrobe from the bones to the body and always try something new because most often the only thing that is stopping them is fear.  You must be open and try things on.

What's next on the horizon for you? Do you have any events coming up? 

I have speaking engagements coming up.  Always looking for more!

Finally, how can people find you online? 

Website: eyefordetailnj.com 
Facebook: AnEyeForDetailNJ
Instagram: @AnEyeforDetailNJ
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/aneyefordetail1

Interview with Photographer Celestina Ando

By Sonia Schnee | Posted Monday, March 26, 2018

On Saturday, April 14th, NJ portrait and wedding photographer Celestina Ando will be hosting an art-opening event for her exhibit "EMPOWER - #TIMESUP" at the Trend Gallery in Montclair, NJ.  Learn more about Celestina, her work, and this empowering exhibit, in our interview below: 

What's your name and where are you based? 

My name is Celestina Ando, and my boutique studio is located in Montclair, NJ (7 Park St. Suite 202).

Tell us about your photography work.  How do you want people to feel during a session?  

My portrait sessions can take place either in studio and/or on location.  I photograph various genres of portraits, however, I specialize in contemporary beauty and love empowering women through my photography.  I offer and include pampering and professional make-overs which can be enjoyed on your own or with your loved ones. 

My clients often claim that they are not photogenic and are generally nervous and shy when they first start.  However, it is my job to take the pressure off of them by guiding, posing and artistically lighting them so that they can just focus on having fun.   By the end of the shoot, they are owning it!  I get to capture this beautiful transformation and create legacy portraits with luxurious portrait products that my clients and their families can treasure for generations to come.   

How did you get started with photography?  What's been your personal journey?

I was an accountant with a creative soul that hobbied photography for years.  Studies in New York City followed and now years later I'm fulfilling my passion as a contemporary portrait and wedding photographer.  I love collaborating with other photographers and am actually traveling to Italy in May with 24 other photographers for a special workshop with the internationally renowned photographer Sue Bryce.  

Tell us about your upcoming exhibit, "Empower."  What's the inspiration behind it?  What can people expect to see? 

The art opening event for the exhibit "Empower" is taking place on Saturday, April 14th from 7:00 - 9:00 pm at the Trend Gallery in Montclair, NJ.  I started planning this exhibit in January.  There were so many amazing movements happening and with the women's march and Oprah's speech at the Golden Globes, I was inspired to create this collection.  I posted a "model" call on social media and then closed the call the next day as I was overwhelmed and grateful with all the volunteers and emails received.  My goal with this collection was to combine my style of photography, capturing classic beautiful portraits of a diverse group of women and girls with a #timesup theme.  SAVE (Sexual Assault & Violence Education) of Essex County will be at the event and available to share more information regarding their nonprofit organization.  The suggested donation of $10 to attend the exhibit will all be going to SAVE.  

What words of advice or encouragement would you give to someone who wants to follow a similar passion? 

I would recommend that you set up a realistic plan with goals and deadlines.  There are a lot of great overnight or let's say 1-year success stories, however, for me, it was definitely a progression and process.  I was working full-time and started my business part-time while working.  I had put myself on this five-year plan before retiring my finance career.  This allowed me time to build a strong foundation for my business before letting go of a regular paycheck.  

What's next on the horizon for you?  Do you have any exhibits coming up after "Empower"? 

I'm looking forward to my Italy portrait workshop in May.  We'll be shooting at castle Cecconi an hour and a half north of Venice.  I'll be posting stories on social media if you'd like to see what we'll be doing...

Finally, how can people get in touch with you online? 

My website is www.celestinaando.com.  My Facebook page is 'Celestina Ando Photography' and Instagram - @celestinaando.

Interview with Artem Lomaz of NinetyThree Entertainment

Following his recent win as the Best Entertainment Provider/Performer in New Jersey (as voted by readers of NJ Meetings + Events Magazine), I had the chance to sit down with Artem Lomaz, Principal Event Host and Founder of New Jersey-based NinetyThree Entertainment.  NinetyThree Entertainment is a boutique private event entertainment company specializing in private events such as weddings, Bar/Bat Mitzvahs, and corporate events.

After delivering a seminar at the International DJ Expo in Atlantic City, NJ, Artem suggested getting together at The Park Ave Club, located in Florham Park, NJ.  “Atlantic City and the International DJ Expo are always a fun time, but I need to de-stress in the suburbs of Northern New Jersey,” Artem joked.  After an afternoon at the gorgeous venue, I was able to learn not only about Artem’s unique approach and luxury service, but also about the private events industry, in great detail.

Below are the videos captured that afternoon, as well as my key takeaways from my conversation with the well-dressed and charismatic event entertainer.

Artem serves as Master of Ceremonies, which, as he describes it, is “not only a representative of you to your guests, but also someone who drives the emotional factor of the celebration through announcements, timing, and pacing.  It’s a combination of entertainment direction, personalization, collaborative efforts with all other event partners, and guest inclusion.” Artem oversees event production elements, which include, of course, entertainment (he’s accompanied by a DJ, a band, or both, depending on client preference), as well as ancillary elements such as lighting design, photo booths, furniture and VIP areas, instrumentalists, and much more.  He also works directly with all of his clients during the pre-event preparation period to ensure that all details are covered.  His attention to detail (from the basic elements of which songs should be played at what moments, to his meticulous team-matching, tie-knotting, and pocket square placement) continues to keep him in high demand for his highly selective clientele.  He even jokingly attributes being “admittedly difficult” to his extreme focus on details, but believes that the appreciation level of his clients corresponds to his level of care and concern for “the small things that matter.”

When asked about the said clientele, Artem described them as “those who are usually accustomed to high levels of service, and the personalized approach, throughout all areas of their lives.”  A framework of positivity and an understanding of proper prioritization, whether it be for their celebration or their daily life, were also key factors that were discussed.  Artem shared his belief that when it comes to the most important days of their lives, his clients understand the role that entertainment plays and appreciate the level of service that he and his team offer.

How does Artem, and the NinetyThree Entertainment Event Team, maintain a “quality over quantity” approach and ensure that each client is beyond satisfied?  “10-12 weddings per year, 10-12 Bar/Bat Mitzvahs per year, and a handful of corporate events;  by limiting the number of events that we perform, we can be sure that we have the time to personalize each of them deservingly.” Each performance comes with a premium price, but as Artem’s clientele attests, it’s well worth it. 

To learn more about Artem, NinetyThree Entertainment, and their service, you can reference our video interviews below.

A special thank you to the Park Avenue Club for providing an always-elegant filming location. 

"We've developed a sense of family where our customers and our clients know that we're there for them, and at the same time they're part of something a little bit more special."

-- Artem Lomaz, Principal Event Host and Founder

"We're guiding everybody through each individual necessary element or milestone moment -- parent dances, bouquet tosses, cake cutting. The smoother it's done and the better timed and paced it is, it's like any other performance art."

-- Artem Lomaz, Principal Event Host and Founder

For Additional Viewing: 
An Introduction to NinetyThree Entertainment
The Process
Working with Bands
The Importance of Inclusivity
The Ideal Client