You know HBO’s hit series Entourage, right? If you don’t, ask somebody or just check it out. The one about these kids tryin to make it into show business in Hollywood, having to deal with publicists, obnoxious actors, picky movie producers and directors. One thing that makes the tv show so interesting is the fact when something seems to go really well, everything falls apart because of one little thing that someone overlooked. And in the end, someone steps up and makes things go the way they were supposed to. Anyway, I think Austin’s nightlife business is like a miniature version of Hollywood. It’s about who knows, how well you know him/her, is he/she going to hook you up with something, do you get to skip the line or get cheaper drinks or even have your song request played in the club.

As you know, TheFeedBak is still fairly new to the city and trying to make a name for itself. I am also a novice when it comes to event coordination and planning. Having to deal with general managers, DJs, event coordinators at a venue, and more is something that I didn’t think would be so hard as long as the line of communication is clear between all parties involved. (I haven’t dealt with liquor sponsors just yet but that will come soon). I guess I underestimated the task at hand. I can safely say that the past month has been the busiest I’ve been since my college years around finals. But if I want this venture to succeed, I gotta put in the work, time and effort.

However, in this business you gotta be realistic. As perfectly as you think you may have planned your event, something is bound to go wrong. You may not get the best deal. Your party may be cut short for whatever reason. A fight can break out. The crowd may not even show up. The DJ can be late or his equipment may fail. Your team members may not get along that particular night. Or, in my case, you may have to change venues the day of the event. Shit happens, I’ve come to acknowledge that. Misunderstandings and miscommunications are generally main causes of shit hitting you in the face. Someone didn’t make a fully informed decision or just plainly assumed things. There’s only so much you can control. Anything past that, you can just hope that other stakeholders will do their part. And if things fall through, pointing fingers and complaining are definitely not the appropriate courses of action here. You just gotta keep your head up, be practical and figure out what the next best move is. What matters in this business is that you promised something to people, people who were looking forward to your event, people who supported you throughout the process so you have to deliver. period. Somebody gotta play E. or Ari Gold and make shit happen.

Of course, this is not quantum physics. Anybody with a little bit of common sense knows this. I guess I’m just glad I got to experience it first hand and more importantly early in the game. It really felt like an episode of Entourage. This was only the 2nd official FeedBak party. I know this is going to happen again. At this point, I’ve learned a lot within the past month about how this whole party planning works and I’m sure there is still plenty of stuff I have no idea about yet. But I’ll find out soon enough. We’ve thrown/sponsored 5 parties in 6 weeks and we’ve pulled it off somehow everytime so I’m thankful for that. At the end of the day, I gotta keep my head up like Vince Chase but be as confident and resourceful as Ari or E.

As always, thank you for support and stay tuned for more…