You may have seen his work in Elle Décor, “O”, Oprah at Home, InStyle or The New York Times. Or perhaps you’ve seen his entertainment and lifestyle segments on NBC, ABC, Fox, MTV or WB. If this still doesn’t ring a bell…well, I implore you to come out of hiding, dust off your computer and get to know Matthew David. I’m delighted to have had the chance to speak with Matthew and ask him a few questions about his success and creative development proces. Just in case this isn’t enough for you, go ahead…stop by his blog, browse through his website or stay tuned for his upcoming surprises.
The Interview
What are your secrets to success?
Well, I have built my entire career on one big premise: We are all just people. At Matthew David Events, our product is actually memories. Every event that we do (whether a birthday party, launch of a new product or huge corporate event) is designed to make an impression on the guests. It’s actually a lot of fun to get to know my clients & their goals as well as whom their guests are. Each party is then created for THAT client at THAT time for THEIR guests. Add to that, tons of creativity & surprises & each guest remembers the experience for a long time.
What advice would you give to someone new in the industry?
I started my company by doing flowers at a restaurant. I was already waiting tables and asked the owner if he would give me a shot at flowers (I had never worked in the event industry or in the floral industry at the time). He said yes and gave me a one-month trial period. I focused all of my effort & energy on doing the very best job I possibly could. At the end of two weeks, he offered me a second restaurant (his premier location). That was in January of 1994. By 1996, we grossed over 1 million in sales & have maintained sales in the millions ever since. My point is this…When you get started (in any industry), find ONE thing to do and do it better than anyone else. Then use that as your foundation & build, build, build. Oh, yeah…and make sure you absolutely are passionate about that one thing.
Where do you go to find creative inspiration?
First, I keep my eyes open for absolutely EVERYTHING. I peruse magazines, go to art exhibits and attend as many events as I can (sure I look at competition…remember…absolutely EVERYTHING). I watch movies, read books and listen to music (like you). I take new routes to work, ask a friend to pick out new clothes (sometimes) and try all kinds of food. My goal is to be open to almost anything. I study the classics and try to find what’s cutting edge too.
Then, when I have a design challenge, I have a huge library from which to edit down. That’s basically how I find the perfect design solution to so many different kinds of events. We create about 100 events a year and all of them are under my creative direction so you can imagine how challenging that is!
What’s next for Matthew David events in 2008?
My blog, my parties and my upcoming book!
My blog, www.matthewdavidon.wordpress.com is brand new and full of my ideas for parties, pictures and descriptions of the events I produce for clients. Plus a hilarious video when I was interviewed by a Dutch design show.
And then 2008 is definitely about my own parties! I designed my own home to be the perfect spot for all kinds of parties, and believe me I’m trying them all! We are creating themed parties, which promise to be lots of fun, check the blog for more information on these.
The most exciting thing I am working on is my book, which will be a fresh way of looking at parties and event design based upon my “secret philosophy” (for now!) More to come on that.
Well, Matthew, I for one can’t wait to read about your secret philosophy and look forward to seeing more parties on the blog!
