Nightclub Promoter

Nightclub Promoter

Xander

Hollywood, CA

Male, 32

I promoted at several of Hollywood’s hottest clubs during a period of unemployment, mainly to see what all of the fuss was about. While it was fun and definitely had its perks, it also confirmed quite a few of the suspicions and stereotypes I’d previously held about how the industry works.

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Last Answer on March 11, 2016

Best Rated

are you aware of any clubs that said screw it and tried an all inclusive approach. did it just bomb miserably ?

Asked by ca291 over 11 years ago

There are many. It can work under the right circumstances like if you cater to a specific audience, say Electronic Dance Music. Host a megaclub club, charge everyone a cover and spend for big name DJ's. 

Vegas is of course the ultimate all inclusive.

Thanks! One follow up. You said, "Discretion is not as important as if it's a bouncer." Why is that?

Asked by Smitty, M.D. almost 12 years ago

Edited the original to be coherent. Discretion is important with bouncers but not as much as promoters for a couple of reasons. One is that bouncers are actually employees of the club whereas promoters are quasi-contractors, usually informal ones. So the bouncer has more of a duty to the club. Another is proximity; the bouncer is usually standing right next to his boss so taking a grease looks bad. A promoter can wander around the club, the line, the parking lot, wherever. So you can actually grease him 40 feet away from anyone's prying eyes. And lastly, the promoter is responsible for his crowd so if he decides it's important that a few dudes gets in whether because they are friends or they paid him, the club will usually give him a little bit a slack. Bouncers on the other hand are paid almost exclusively to say no.

How DO you convince people to come to whatever club you're promoting at? What's the selling point beyond "It's gonna be crazy!"

Asked by brikhaus almost 12 years ago

Drugs. No I'm kidding. Kind of. It's really like any personal/concierge service. You get people coming by investing in their experience and cultivating personal relationships. This might mean getting them hookups in different cities, discounts on restaurants around town, invites to cool private parties, or just free drinks at your table. Also can mean hanging out with these people (gasp!) during the day.

Hey there...so I have bartending experience and went to school for bartending. I want to be a bartender or a bottle girl at a club in hollywood. Im 22 years old, and look the part. How do I get in?

Asked by Faith about 12 years ago

Apply in person. Dress well and look the part when you go. They are hiring you based on your look above all else. It helps if you have service experience (even at Applebee's) but not essential.

I'm thinking about just moving to Vegas and start promoting, any suggestions on how to get started and work my way up?

Asked by Al almost 12 years ago

Drugs. Lots of drugs. I'm half joking. Vegas is it's own animal. They have less of need for promoters because everyone is from out of town so they don't care that much about repeat business. As a result curating the crowd takes a back seat to packing 'em in. And the start up / capital cost of a Vegas club is so great that they couldn't do that anyway. They've got to run people through and charge them all cover. The promoters I know that have done Vegas do it for special events or have graduated to dealing primarily with ballers so they actually have something to offer a Vegas club that the club can't do on it's own, namely people to drop 20k in a night. I would suggest reading a recent GQ article called "The Best Night $500,000 Can Buy"

How often how often do promoters bring in underage (18-20 yr old) girls? Is it easy, and do you make more money that way?

Asked by nyc over 11 years ago

It happens. The ease depends on a lot of the things like how shady the owners are, how hot the girls are, and how believable her fake ID from Deleware is

Can an 18 year old be a promoter in the NYC area?

Asked by Ray almost 12 years ago

I believe just for 18 and over clubs. Unclear how strict they will be about it. I suggest doing something better with your life.