This week, I am bringing you an interview with a very important person in Las Vegas and a good friend of mine, Mr. Brian Kip. Brian is a true jack of all trades, dabbling in the fields of photography, swimwear, television and event promotion. He has worked with Las Vegas’ best promotion and entertainment company, Showcase Events, and has hosted events at venues such as Tao, Tabu, Voodoo Lounge, Playboy Club, Moon and, of course, Tao Beach. Currently, Brian is the COO of the largest production/sound stage facility in Southern Nevada called “Cin City Studios.” With all that’s going on in his busy life, it’s amazing that he had time to sit down and chat with us. Now let’s find out what he had to say…
Marc Jay: So I’m here at The Wynn Hotel inside Blush Boutique Nightclub for Brian Kip’s event tonight with One Model Place, the largest modeling networking site. So, Brian, obviously I’ve known you for a very long time, but I don’t even know how you got here – tell us, how did you get to Vegas and what brought you here?
Brian Kip: Well, I actually grew up here in Vegas. I graduated from high school and decided that I wanted more, so I ventured out and ended up in Miami Beach. While I was there I picked up photography, got into the casting world, got into the TV world, produced some TV and even had my own swimwear company for three-and-a-half years. After a while I wanted to bring it all home. Vegas was where everyone was coming to and where it was happening so I came back here about five years ago when Vegas was on the up and up, you know, when all the nightclubs were popping off. I decided to jump in the pool, and see where the stream took me.
Marc Jay: So you mentioned that you were into photography, and I’ve seen some of your work and it’s incredible! Tell me, how did you get into photography and what sort of stuff do you normally like to shoot?
Brian Kip: Actually, I kind of fell into photography. I was working part-time at this restaurant and one day this beautiful girl comes up to me and says, “Hey, I want to be in Playboy, do you know how to do it?” I was like, “No” – I had no idea about that industry. So I got on the internet, researched some things for her, and ended up meeting a great photographer named Paul Miller. After watching him shoot beautiful, beautiful models for about six months, I decided to pick up the camera myself, realized I had the eye and got the blessing from him. After he tweaked me a little bit, I was off to the races shooting beautiful women just like he was.
Marc Jay: I thought my life was good when I was hanging out with girls, but you were hanging out with girls in lingerie, models and bikini girls – what is the secret to your success?
Brian Kip: I would probably say, keeping it professional. I think a lot of people go wrong in the industry when they take advantage of what they have and abuse it. I think I excel by keeping everything professional, keeping everything legit and whatever I can promise I deliver and whatever I can’t promise, you know, I hope to still deliver.
Marc Jay: Now most people who know me in Vegas know this, but for the people who don’t know, Brian and I started Tao Beach together with Sunday Sunset Sessions, an incredible party. What do you have to say about the Tao Beach days, Brian?
Brian Kip: Well, first of all, I have to thank you, Marc, for bringing me into such an amazing event. Tao Beach, three years… wow, it’s been three years since we’ve been doing that party! Anyway, I would have to say working with you and learning the politics of dealing with the #1 club in the U.S. at the time was amazing. Sundays aren’t the same without Tao Beach, and I think Vegas is going in that whole direction. There are a lot more pool parties opening up, a lot more opportunities and a lot more room for expansion. Hopefully we’ll be back at a top pool this year and bringing in all the beautiful bikini girls.
Marc Jay: It’s funny when I think about it because the staff has changed so much at Tao Beach, but the only two people who have stayed the same are me and you. We were like part of the furniture almost [laughs].
Brian Kip: Absolutely, tables 20 and 21 [laughs]. You know what’s funny, is that the only other person who has always been there is little Ashley. She used to work the door, wasn’t even old enough to go into the club the first year, and poor girl, she wanted to go in so badly. But yeah, I hope that reputation we built there over the years sticks around. I mean, the branding alone, the Tao-tinis and the strawberry mojitos, is the thing that Tao Beach is known for – along with Marc Jay and Brian Kip – and I think it should stay that way.
Marc Jay: And if you ever come to Tao Beach and look in the corner and see it packed with gorgeous girls jumping up and down with two guys, that would be me and Brian, week after week, come rain or sunshine… mostly sunshine, obviously. So, I’ll stop reminiscing and get back to your event tonight with Blush Boutique Nightclub and One Model Place. One thing that people might not know about One Model Place is that it’s the world’s largest online modeling agency, is that correct?
Brian Kip: I wouldn’t say modeling agency, I would say more of a modeling networking site; they have the largest number of portfolios to be viewed for models, photographers, and also agencies and makeup artists. There are even TV producers and set designers on there now, but One Model Place is by far the largest in the world, I believe. They’re actually expanding and they’re hoping to launch a new product here shortly. Hopefully I keep them on as a client and we can keep bringing out beautiful models and do the same thing we did for the launch party at Tao Beach last year. For that party, we brought out several beautiful models and I believe that was one of our best days for numbers. We actually did better than the Saturday party because of that great launch party. So, yeah, great client, great people to work with, and that’s pretty much all I have to say about that.
Marc Jay: So as I sit here outside of Blush, I keep seeing all these cute girls waving at you – there’s been about 50 in the last five minutes. I suppose I should let you get back to your party, but quickly, what’s on the horizon for Kip in 2010?
Brian Kip: Kip in 2010, I’m basically going with the flow. I’m hoping to land myself in a top pool party, hopefully at Tao Beach and if not there, then it’s going to be at another luxurious pool party here in town. I also run the largest production sound stage in Las Vegas, and hopefully I’m going to be getting some good concert tours over the summer.
Marc Jay: Do you actually have time to sleep or date any of these girls you get to hang out with or is it just work, work, work?
Brian Kip: It’s pretty much work, work, work; but I think, just like you, we always find time for the beautiful ones.
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