Persona: Biz Martinez

August 10, 2008 12:19 PM
by

Name: Biz Martinez

Age: (sigh) My real age? (laughs) 31.

Occupation: Wow, Marketing, Promotions, Event Productions and Host extraordinaire.

Where do you come from? I was born in Cuba, I came to Miami when I was three and I've lived here ever since. I've lived everywhere. When I was a kid I lived in Coral Gables for a while. My Dad had the bright idea to move to Hialeah after his cousin became the Mayor of the city, so I ended up going to Hialeah Miami Lakes...not Hialeah High (laughs). The last five years I've lived on the beach and I've just moved Downtown.

What’s your favorite place in Miami? I really like the Standard because I can forget about the world when I'm there. That sounds so cliche though. Outside of that, I'd have to say my apartment.

What do you wish Miami had more of? I wish Miami had more culture. I wish that we were more open to learning new things about people, as a city.

Less of? I wish people were less eager to turn a profit.

Name a good place to eat in Miami: I love to eat. Caffe Di Mauru on 15th and Washington.

What's the best thing to eat there? The lasagna or the salami platter (laughs). For Spaniard cuisine - Casa Juancho that's on 25th and SW 8th street. It's off the beach, more in the downtown area. Besides that, there's this great little place I just discovered called Wine 69, it's on 69th and Biscayne.

Where do you go to get a drink? Segafredo on Lincoln.

What’s your favorite party right now? Sundance (laughs). Actually, no scratch that. Pure Behrouz. It really is.

What do you think is lacking if anything from the party scene right now? Soul.

What party do you miss? I feel like this is a game show and I'm on a timeline (laughs).

Not at all. There's no buzzer. Alright, great (laughs).

Another question, What was the first party you ever promoted? The first real party I promoted for was Lunar sessions on the old Space terrace back in 2001. I was with Space for three and a half years. I really got to grow with it. It was very exciting at the time. That was where I got my big break, I went on to host so many different parties and produce my own as well. It was college for promotions.

Name a few of your proud moments: Well I'm really forgetful, I tend to forget anything that happened more than a year ago. I'm really proud of my first Pure Behrouz party at Suite. The warehouse party for charity downtown with Danny Tenaglia was another really proud moment. All the money that we raised was donated to Children's Cancer Research.

Name a goal of yours you've achieved recently: Well in 2007 I achieved a lot of goals and 2008 has been more of a transitional year for me. It's kind of been an up and down year, mostly up but I have my mind set on a goal but I haven't achieved it yet. When I get there I'll let you know.

What other job would you have if you weren't a promoter? I would probably end up in advertising.

What did you wanna be when you were a kid? I was always into sports. I thought I was going to be a basketball player but I'm a little too short (laughs), it didn't work out. Baseball was an option but I'm not much for steroids and soccer...well I was never really good enough.

Sundance just had it's four year anniversary. How do you feel the party has changed or evolved over the years? The party has really changed and evolved into what it is today. At Amica it was a little more free spirited and at SET it's really evolved with the time and it's actually grown into something really special. I think today the product is way more refined, it's stronger, it's better than it was in the beginning. It's cultivated it's own identity. The party has adapted to it's environment. SET isn't Amica and we've evolved through that into a product that is better than ever.

So you do consider your parties a product? Oh yeah, absolutely. If it wasn't a product it wouldn't be fun. It needs to be thought out.

Describe the Sundance crowd: It's just fun loving people who love to dress up, dance, smile and look sharp.

What about Pure Behrouz, how did you develop that relationship? I've known Behrouz for a long time, since the old Space actually so some time since 2001, 2002. He moved to Miami about a year and a half ago, nearly two years ago and we've been working together for the past year. I couldn't be happier. We have very similar energies, he's a very deep guy, he's like a brother to me. I love his music and I think it shows. I act like a kid when I'm in the DJ booth with him.

You've developed a reputation for breaking things in the DJ booth. Oh wow, I didn't think that was gonna come back to haunt me (laughs). I've broken quite a few things inside the DJ booth, I just get so excited at times. Eventually you're gonna break something. Roland I think has suffered the brunt of that behavior. He isn't the only victim though. Oscar has taken a few hits, but mostly it's been Roland.

What's your history with the Local Celebrity party? It was a party we started when Nocturnal first opened, Roland and I. We were really proud of it, it was a great product. The party lasted two and a half years. Over time, I'd say in the last six to eight months or maybe the last year of that party, things started changing. The venue itself wasn't doing much in terms of quality control and upkeep. It was something I was really proud of at first but towards the end it just went to shit, if you don't mind me saying so. Today Roland and Space use the product and the brand. I totally don't mind, I'm all for it.

What's the hardest part of your job? Wow, should I say this? (laughs). This business or my job, it really challenges you. I try not to lose myself in this, I think a lot of people do. The hardest part is to not forget who you are.

If you could change anything about this lifestyle what would it be? I wish I had more time for my family.

You recently moved from the beach to downtown. How do you feel about that area and it's growth and how do you feel you'll be able to contribute? I'm really excited about the neighborhood. It's part of the reason I moved over there. I think it's new and fresh and it's got so much potential. It's still a little premature but there are a lot of great new venues and parties and it's headed in the right direction. That area really affords people to be influenced directly by the art and the culture in the neighborhood, hopefully something real comes out of it.

What's a lesson you've learned working in nightlife? You should never disrespect or talk down to people. Don't think that you're going to be on that pedestal forever, because one day you might need somebodies help that you never thought would be in a position to do so.

What's exciting musically to you right now? I think that electronic dance music is trying to find it's way again. It had its commercial exposure through guys like Bob Sinclair, David Guetta and then some. Now I think it's digging deeper and what's exciting is that it's so hard to label a genre these days because it's all bleeding together. Everything from techno to house, it's all bleeding together. It's nice to see it evolve into something like that.

We're thinking of launching a new site called Scooterjunkie. I think you could be a pretty big contributor. I love my scooter, (laughs). The most amazing thing happened to me yesterday. I had parked my scooter on Lincoln Road next to Segafredo and I was doing a thousand things - saying hi to someone, I was on the phone and I was jumping off of my scooter. I ended up leaving my keys in the ignition and walking away. I came back about an hour and a half later and there was this homeless guy waiting with my keys across the street. He stood there all day long waiting for me to get back. He could've just pawned my scooter for a hundred bucks, but he chose to sit there in the hot sun waiting for me to get back. I didn't even think my scooter was going to be there and I just gave him everything I had in my wallet.

Name some of your heroes. Magic Johnson and Muhammad Ali as far as the idols go. My grandfather really taught me a lot and my Mom is an amazing person.

Where do you run away to? Anywhere but here in my head, (laughs).

What are three things you can't function without? Wine, my dog Choco and my cell phone.

What's more important to you, fashion or comfort? Both actually, (laughs). Fashion is more important but sometimes you just gotta say fuck it and throw on some flip-flops with your collared shirt and tie. I guess the balance is always good.

There are a lot of new venues opening up on the beach and downtown. Could you name one that you really admire? The Vagabond. I think it's a cool place, it's a real place. It's got personality, it's nothing like what's on 11th street, it's nothing like the Beach, it's nothing like the Design District, it's got a little bit of everything. It's cool, hopefully I can work with Carmel on some projects there in the future.

What is your personal philosophy when it comes to producing an event? It's gotta be real, I have to believe in it. If I don't, I want nothing to do with it. Anything I produce or anything that I host, I believe in. I wouldn't sell it to you if I wouldn't buy it myself.

What's on the horizon for Biz Martinez? I like to keep things a mystery (laughs).

Click here to read and see more of Sundance and Biz Martinez. Check out Sundance this and every Sunday at SET nightclub.