Category: 1The Next Level

Andy has Julie Novack as his guest co-host today on The Next Level. Listen as they speak about Steve Kemble, who is known as “America’s Sassiest Lifestyle Guru,” and how he brings his unique perspective to the events he plans. Julie is the CEO and Co-Founder of PartySlate. PartySlate is a photo-rich website where leading event professionals share their work, build their brand, and drive leads.

Steve has been the magic behind countless corporate events, weddings, and other ventures for over two decades. He is also one of the industry’s most visible, vocal, and unique personalities. Steve has appeared on numerous TV and Radio programs, and has received over 25 industry accolades.

Andy and Julie discuss how having a PR and Advertising degree helped Steve grow his business and why now is the time to reinvent yourself and your company. They also speak about the importance of getting your creative partners and team members on the same page, when planning an event, and how critical communication is with everyone. 

Is your company diversified? Listen as they share Steve’s insight into having diversification and how important it is to expand into different areas of your industry so that if one area is slow, you can use the others to keep the company running.

Steve is one of those brilliant planners that you can discuss for hours and never get enough of, but Andy and Julie dive in and pull out the golden nuggets from his interview. Get on Julie’s mailing list to receive PartySlates’ regular weekly newsletter.  

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Do you have a strong brand identity? Listen, as Andy and John discuss Wendy El-Khoury, her insights into a brand identity, and how she believes it starts before the ring ever hits the hand. John is Australia’s premier floral designer, and John was on The Wedding Biz on January 13th, 2020, so check out his episode if you haven’t already.  

Wendy lives in Sydney, Australia, and is the owner of Wedded Wonderland, which gives its followers exclusive on-trend and immediate access to the latest celebrity news, wedding advice, beauty tips, and lifestyle inspiration. Wedded Wonderland allows the audience to engage with creative suppliers, knowledgeable experts, and influential bloggers who set trends and create the benchmark for the bride and wedding community.

Listen as Andy and John speak about Wendy’s belief in brand identity and how she believes it starts before a couple even gets engaged. John shares how the pandemic has affected him and his business and how he now has people booking two years out for events because they do not know how long this pandemic will last.

They discuss Wendy’s idea of staying busy during this time, such as writing tasks down to keep yourself involved. John agrees with Wendy that a trend will be designing destination weddings at home venues and that celebrity weddings affect how brides look at their weddings. John is entertaining and insightful; don’t miss this episode of TNL.

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Picking a wedding dress is hard, and you need an expert to make sure you look and feel your best. Listen as Andy and Nayri discuss Monte Durham, his humble upbringing, his great success as a fashion expert and TV star, and his love of being a hairstylist. Nayri Kalayjian is a wedding fashion expert with Lovella Bridal, she is also a best-selling author, celebrity stylist, and she coaches and educates with a series of fantastic online courses.

Monte is a very successful fashion expert and one of the stars of TLC’s Say Yes to the Dress, Atlanta, where he had been the fashion director at Bridal’s By Lori, the south’s premier bridal salon. Monte is also getting ready to launch a new reality show and open a new hair salon.

Listen, as Andy and Nayri speak about her ability to gain a bride’s trust quickly, how location sets the tone sometimes but how she feels a bride should be able to wear the dress she feels most beautiful in no matter the place. They also talk about how the front of the dress is more important than a plunging back and train when it comes to wedding photographs.

Nayri shares who she believes brides should bring with them when picking out a dress and how excited she is for every good thing that is coming Monte’s way. Nayri has known Monte for a long time and has even worked with him. Listen as she shares some things about him that you might not know.

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“If you don’t have lighting, you can’t see the beauty you’ve created.” Listen as Andy and Darren discuss Norma Cohen, her elaborate designs, her attention to lighting and how it affects her vision and more. Darren Olarsch founded On The Move Entertainment in 1993, an event production company that specializes in entertainment, and appeared as a guest on The Wedding Biz on July 15th, 2019.

Norma started her company, Norma Cohen Productions, nearly thirty years ago. She is a powerhouse and has planned numerous events at New York’s most iconic spaces and Europe’s most luxurious destinations. Norma believes that you have to get rid of the negative energy in your life and the company to thrive.

Listen as Darren shares how involved Norma is with her events, from lighting to wardrobe and everything in between. She even makes sure the lights and music are choreographed and work together. He says that he has seen Norma stand by the Lighting Director and verbally make changes to match what she wants to see. 

Andy and Darren discuss Norma’s views on live bands versus DJ’s and how a great stage for the band can make all the difference. Darren speaks about wardrobe and how instrumental Norma was in his company having different looks from stock-looks to custom-looks depending on what the client wants.

Darren has worked many events with Norma and gives us a look into her events from the inside. Her attention to the smallest detail and the trust she has in her creative partners is unique, and it’s those qualities that make her the success she is today. 

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Listen as Andy and Lewis discuss Sofia Crokos and her love of fashion and beauty. Lewis Miller is the founder of Lewis Miller Design, a floral design company based in New York City. Lewis’s clients include the world’s leading industry professionals in fashion design, photography, art direction, and architecture. 

Sofia is a planner/designer based in New York City. She has also partnered with The Heritage Collection behind four exclusive private properties in Europe. She shows us her vulnerable side while explaining who she really is.

Andy and Lewis discuss who has mentored them over the years, their insight into what Sofia said about attracting who you are and what you put out and disconnecting from their businesses for a time so they can reconnect with more passion for what they do. Andy shares a story about being alone on Maui and what he found out about himself.

With all of us being instructed to shelter at home, are you taking this time to rethink your life? Lewis believes that right now is a great time to be fearless and take a chance in your business, do what you have been putting off, and don’t worry about what other people think.

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