As one of the brains behind CRUSH, Assembly and the new Saturday/Thursday, Paul Geller has been building a better club scene in Orlando for a while now. We decided to have a word with him about his master plan.
How long have you been living in Orlando?
About 2 years now.
What made you decide to get involved directly with Orlando's nightlife and culture scene?
That's actually why I moved up here. I was throwing parties in the FTL, MIA and OKP when one of our DJs came up here to go to school and on a whim, we decided to give it a shot. A few months later I moved up here to continue the party and work on my M.A. I'd be remiss to say that starting an indie dance night is a "cultural movement" but it certainly needed to happen here. Assembly is the more artistic of the events that I am involved with and that also was a fluke. I think because of the credibility I'd aroused from doing CRUSH a few good people were drawn to work with me. First Melissa Diaz and then Brad Breland. Melissa was involved in our very well received launch and then Brad and I built a relationship with a longer-term approach. Admittedly I shrugged Brad off at first but we turned out to be very compatible and we compliment each other very well. I have no artistic bone in my body (see first three Keepsake records) and Brad is more than just your typical genius artist. He's an organizer and a motivator. I can take credit for developing the broad strategies and founding Assembly -- maybe some promoting, but beyond that Brad and our team of insanely talented artists create the real culture per se.
How has Orlando changed since you arrived, and how do you think it's changed due to efforts you've been a part of?
First, let me say, if it wasn't me it would have been someone else. Orlando is ripe for growth. In the last two years, Orlando has had more growing pains than it has in the last decade. But as much as it's grown, it's also remained relatively immature. The politicians in this town still haven't learned that the later you keep bars open, the less drunk driving you have. They still haven't learned that small business development and inviting industry to an intellectual and entertaining city brings the people, not the other way around. So when I came here, indie and art hadn't crossed paths and the business of club promoting and party throwing had been left to the hip-hop scene and the frat houses. I'm going to toot my own horn here and say that the entire indie scene might still revolve around Thursdays at I-bar or more likely would have just fallen to the wayside if someone didn't give it a kick in the ass. That it was me has to do more with coincidence than anything else. Let me finish by saying that there is nothing wrong with good old-fashioned fun like Thursday's at I-bar, but I think we can agree that it takes independent promotion to create vision of a scene that extends beyond a single venue's interests. The relationships I've created with venues and their owners at places like BackBooth, Firestone, The Orlando Brewery, Element, etc., is one of independence. Some places capitalize on the opportunities and the crowds that we bring out and some view events as a one-time thing but they all know that my visison is one of creation that does not revolve solely around the venues interests. Like any good promoter, I must ensure that venues are profitable when I throw an event, but their profitability is always second to the construction and expansion of cultural awareness and playful entertainment in Orlando.
What are all the projects you've currently got your hands in?
Crush, Assembly, Saturday Thursday and something supa secret as well. My day job affords me quite a bit of flexibility in scheduling and I unwind by getting smashed three nights a week.
What parts do you play in each of them?
I am the promoter for all three. CRUSH is really my baby from top to bottom and you can ask anyone that works for/with me and they will tell you that I rule with an iron fist. I am told that is not such a desirable trait, but fuck it. Sometimes you have to make a kid try before the rest of them can dance. As for S/T, Dustin is my promoting partner for that event. It's truly a joint venture were we both share a vision of what's to come for the Orlando club scene. As for Assembly, see above. My fingers are getting weary of all this self indulgence.
What are the goals/ideas/fundamentals of each of these projects?
The facts remain the same in all cases. I like living in Orlando and as long as my friends stick around I'll be here. That being said, I use every second of free time to make this city an enjoyable place to live. Like Google, I'm trying to "Do no Evil" but at the same time, progress the state of Orlando's intellectual development full throttle. That means having fun (CRUSH), bringing artists, musicians and partygoers to the same table (Assembly) and injecting diverse entertainment into Orlando's ailing club scene (Saturday/Thursday). It's all a puzzle. The only people who seem to not care are our elected officials.
Saturday Thursday/the Loft at Firestone seems to be catching on. How does the success level compare to your expectations going in?
I'll tell you the truth. It has exceeded my expectations. That being said, I had very modest expectations. I thought we had a lot going against us and I prepared my staff for the worst. We have a giant club with decades of stigma in a not-so-regularly travelled area of downtown. However, we had one of the greatest minds in the "venue-renewal" industry as I like to call it and the most talented DJs and promoters in the city working on it. S/T is catching on. we have great shows and our favorite DJs and artists are telling each other not to skip Orlando anymore. Just the fact that we are drawing so many acts that would never come through here to Orlando is the biggest success of all.
What's your alcoholic beverage of choice?
I love all of my children equally.
What's the next step?
I have a few things in the works that I will announce to you when things start to come together. But for now, it's all about getting city and county government to understand the importance of art and independent thought in conjunction with reasonable operating hour ordinances.
Interview by Jack Cusumano