Episodes
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In today's special episode of Movers and Shakers, I speak to friends in industry icons, Chris Lowder and Micaela Piccolo about life in Shanghai during Coronavirus. They share what they're doing to stay positive and productive under quarantine, what you should expect if your market is not yet adapted for the virus, and what bars and restaurants are doing across China to persevere.
Please note, this was also the first video interview for Movers and Shakers. The video is available here.
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Follow Chris and Micaela's updates on Instagram
@getlowdernow
@micaelapiccolo
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Connect with April on LinkedIn
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Shoot us questions, comments, or requests for specific content at [email protected]
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Dearest listeners, In light of the impact Coronavirus is having on our industry, we will be adding coverage, interviews, and professional development opportunities to our regular programming, intended to help our community get through these next few months. Please stay tuned for tomorrow's interview with Chris Lowder, the General Manager of Proof & Company in China, on how bars and restaurants have been coping during the quarantine. Also, if you have more time on your hands than usual, and are looking for ways to build your professional online presence I created a video tutorial on building your personal brand through LinkedIn, creating a website, buying a url, and setting up a professional email account. Please shoot us a note at [email protected] with any questions, comments, or requests for specific content, and stay safe out there.
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Episodes manquant?
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Todayâs guest is Jen Batchelor. Jen is the co-founder and CEO of Kin Euphorics, an alternative beverage company intent on revolutionizing the future of social drinking. Launched in December of 2018, Kin has sold over 1 million servings of their three products- High Rhode, Dream Light, and Kin Spritz. Raised in Saudia Arabia, Jen built a decade long career in strategic innovation at the intersection of tech, wellness, and hospitality, and now brings her unique perspective to her work with Kin.
Find Jen
On Instagram as @jenofkin
Find Kin Euphorics
On Instagram as @kineuphorics
www.kineuphorics.com
Find Movers and Shakers:
On Instagram as @moverssshakers
www.moverssshakers.com
Find April:
On LinkedIn
www.aprilwachtel.com
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Today's guest is Hugh Thomas. Hugh is the CEO and co-founder of Ugly Drinks, a flavored sparkling water brand founded in the U.K. Hugh and his co-founder, Joe met while working for Vita Coco coconut water before deciding to start their own business, disrupting the soft drinks industry.
In the podcast today, we discuss:
How Hugh and Joe went from Googling how to build a business in their apartment in London, to having distribution in nearly 10,000 stores across Europe and the United States What makes a truly sticky consumer brand How Hugh defines success as a founder, and so much moreHugh was such a wonderful guest and I hope you enjoy the interview as much as I did.
If you do enjoy the interview, please share the podcast and we'd really appreciate if you can leave us a review in Apple podcasts. It really does help. Without further ado, please enjoy my interview with Hugh Thomas.
Find Ugly Drinks
On Instagram
On Twitter
On TikTok
www.uglydrinks.com
Find Hugh
On Instagram
On Twitter
Find April:
On LinkedIn
www.aprilwachtel.com
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Image Credit
Todayâs guest is Paul Gabie. Paul is an investor, former lawyer, and co-founder and CEO of The Proof Collective, a portfolio of companies dedicated to spreading fine drinking around the globe. If youâre in the cocktail world and you donât know their name, you definitely know their work. Their companies include:
Proof & Company; a leading independent spirits distributor and consultancy with offices in five countries across Asia Pacific 28 HongKong Street, JERRY, EC Proof, True Believers, Junior, and ecoSPIRITS And last year alone, six of their projects were included on the list of Asiaâs 50 Best Bars, including Manhattan, ATLAS, 28 HongKong Street, Charles H, Bar Trigona, and The Pontiac.In the podcast today we discuss
The forces shaping the industry in Asia Pacific The "Hendrickâs moment" as a sign of market maturity Cross-pollination as an accelerant The challenges of managing growth, and so much morePaul was such a wonderful guest, and I hope you enjoy the interview as much as I did. If you do enjoy the interview, please share the podcast- and we would really appreciate if you can leave us a review in apple podcasts- it really does help.
Find Proof and Company:On Instagram
www.proofandcompany.com
Find April:On LinkedIn
www.aprilwachtel.com
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Todayâs guest is Mariena Mercer Boarini. Mariena is a second generation Las Vegan and a ten year veteran of the industry. Excelling in alchemy, and with a focus on experiential cocktails, Mariena oversees cocktail creation for The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas. Mariena has been featured on The Food Network, Esquire Magazine, Saveur Magazine, Tastemade, and various other media outlets. She has been named âTop Bartender in Las Vegasâ and one of the âTop 10 Female Bartenders in the World.â
In the episode today we discuss:
The power of yes Balancing creativity and business in a high volume setting Being a mother working in the bar world What Mariena looks for when hiring staff,âŠand so much more.
It was such a pleasure having Mariena on the podcast and hope you enjoy the conversation.
Find Mariena:
On Facebook
On Instagram
Find the Cosmopolitan:
www.cosmopolitanlasvegas.com
Find Movers and Shakers:
On Instagram
www.moverssshakers.com
Find April:
On LinkedIn
www.aprilwachtel.com
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Todayâs interview is with Hillary Hughes from Foster Garvey. Hillary is a business, food, beverage and CPG, sports & entertainment, fashion & apparel and technology attorney. She represents sports & entertainment talent, entrepreneurs, start-up businesses and established brands as well as angel, venture capital and private equity investors. She's the Chair of the firmâs Sports, Arts & Entertainment practice and coleads the Food & Beverage practice.
Given what we know about our audience, I think this episode could hold the most bang for your buck of any of our episodes, as Hillary gives great insights about a range of legal matters that took me years to understand as a first time entrepreneur.
We discuss a range of legal topics including
Entity formation How to split equity between founders How and when to think about raising capital Preparing your business for acquisition, and so much more.I absolutely loved this conversation with Hillary, and hope you do too. As always, if you did enjoy the interview please like, subscribe, and share the podcast and give us a review in apple podcasts. It really does help.
Find Hillary on LinkedIn
Find Foster Garvey at
www.foster.com
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On this Christmas Eve, instead of a regular show, I wanted to do something a little different, and share a few things I'm personally grateful for from this year.
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Effie Panagopoulos is a 15 year veteran of the alcoholic beverage industry, and is founder of Kleos, the super premium Mastiha spirit.
Effie earned her stripes as a bartender and brand ambassador in Boston, later working for major spirits suppliers like Bacardi and Remy Cointreau, most notably as the US National Brand Ambassador for Metaxa, and as the first dedicated marketing manager for Disaronno in the US.
In the podcast today we discuss:
Effieâs path to Kleos Selecting a name for your brand Why you should trademark everything How to turn off the internal gremlins And so much more.Although we didnât get to discuss it in the interview, I also wanted to mention that I witnessed Effie totally crush- and win- the Enthuse Foundation Pitch competition last month in New York City. If youâre interested in seeing a flawless pitch performance, check out the video here.
As always, if you enjoyed the interview please like, subscribe, and share the podcast and give us a review in apple podcasts. It really does help.
Without further ado, please enjoy my interview with Effie Panagopoulos.
Find Kleos: www.drinkkleos.com
IG: @drinkkleos
FB: https://www.facebook.com/drinkkleos/
Find Effie:
IG: @greekspiritmuse
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Shilen Patel is co-founder and non-alch lead for Distill Ventures, the worldâs first accelerator for the spirits industry.
Shilen started in drinks by leading a team at Guinness that turned around over 20 years of brand decline. He then started his own business and has helped dozens of founders realize their potential. He loves asking provocative questions, helping develop brilliant propositions and compelling strategies and coaching high performing teams to deliver great results.
In the podcast today we discuss-
What DV is looking for in potential investments The evolution and future of the Non-alch trend The importance of stoicism in entrepreneurship The biggest challenges facing food and beverage entrepreneurs today...And so much more.
Find Distill Ventures
https://www.distillventures.com
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Jeffrey Morgenthaler is an award-winning bartender working since 1996 in everything from neighborhood taverns and college nightclubs to fine restaurants and upscale lounges.
Jeffrey has been writing about bartending and mixology for years at his website, jeffreymorgenthaler.com- which is still one of the most respected blogs in the cocktail world. He is a regular columnist at Playboy.com, and his recipes and wisdom have appeared in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Wine Enthusiast and Wired, among many others. He is the best-selling author of âThe Bar Book: Elements of Cocktail Technique,â and Drinking Distilled.
As always, Jeffrey tells it like it is, and we cover a range of topics including:
Why the craft cocktail movement is due for change Why everyone should strive to contribute Why bartenders should stay behind the bar What drinking Manhattans at breakfast signals to others...And so much more.
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Nick Papanicolaou is a former investment banker and MBA graduate turned entrepreneur, who launched his own spirits brand which eventually brought him to Pernod Ricard. He led the M&A and Strategy team for the USA and helped build the New Brand Ventures unit as Head of Business Development. He was also CFO of New Brand Ventures and CFO of Smooth Ambler Spirits. He currently sits on the Board of Directors of Del Maguey Mezcal, Smooth Ambler Spirits and Our Vodka as well as on the Investment Committee for a venture capital fund.
In the podcast today we discuss:
Why large companies struggle with innovation Relationship building with investors What Pernod is looking for in potential entrepreneur partners The importance of timing in growing your business And so much more.Nick was such a generous and insightful guest, and I hope you get as much value from this conversation as I did. Without further ado, please enjoy this conversation with Nick Papanicolaou
Find Nick on Instagram and LinkedIn
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Robert Simonson writes about bars, bartenders, cocktails, spirits and travel for The New York Times.
His work has also appeared in Imbibe, Food & Wine, Saveur, Bon Appetit, Punch and many other publications. His books include âThe Old-Fashionedâ âA Proper Drinkâ, and â3-Ingredient Cocktails,â and his newest book, âThe Martini Cocktail,â was released earlier this fall. His writings have been nominated for a total of eleven Spirited Awards; and two IACP Awards. He is the recipient of the 2019 Spirited Award for Best Cocktail and Spirits Writer, and he is the co-author, with Martin Doudoroff, of two apps, âModern Classics of the Cocktail Renaissanceâ and âThe Martini Cocktail,â
In the podcast today we discuss:
Robertâs early writing career The role of instinct in creative work The evolution of the celebrity bartender The book someone should write on hospitality And so much more.Robert was such a thoughtful and entertaining guest, and I hope you enjoy the conversation as much as I did.
Find Robert online at
Robertsimonson.net
Or on Instagram at @robertosimonson
Find Robertâs latest book, âThe Martini Cocktail,â at fine booksellers everywhere, or on Amazon
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Charlie OâDonnell has been an active member of the NY startup community for over 15 years, with a reputation of being the most accessible early stage investor in New York. His fund, Brooklyn Bridge Ventures has made over 60 investments since it was founded, often leading or co-leading investments in a wide variety of startups including The Wing, Petal, Clubhouse, Hungryroot, and Ample Hills Creamery, among others.
In today's podcast we discuss:
Misconceptions about angel investment versus VC. Reasons to avoid raising money from friends and family. Why raising small amounts of capital is as difficult as raising large amounts. Who should pitch him for investment. And so much more.If youâve listened to previous episodes, youâll notice thereâs a recurring theme around what it takes to bring an idea into the world. I think many of the principles are universal- you have a great idea, you see a need, you find your audience, and so on. However, what I think is not very clear to the average person is how money affects the business you build, how quickly you get started and grow, the culture of your company, and so forth. If you listened to the last episode with Ryan Chethiyawardana, he says at the end that money is NOT the barrier to launching your idea, and I couldnât agree more. So, in todayâs episode, we do a deep dive into financing, and look at some of the questions startup founders may have as theyâre trying to launch and grow their businesses.
Social handles
Find Brooklyn Bridge Ventures
http://www.brooklynbridge.vc
Follow Charlie
At @ceonyc on Twitter and Instagram
Read his blog âThis is Going to be Bigâ
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I am so excited to present my interview today with Ryan Chetiyawardana, aka, Mr Lyan. Ryan is an Internationally renowned bartender, businessman, and author, and he and his establishments have won heaps of awards- from International Bartender of the year to Worldâs Best Bar, to Best Bar Team, to Worldâs Best Bar Menu, and so much more. Currently his venues include Lyaness, Cub and Super Lyan (re-located from London to Amsterdam), and he's launching another venue, Silver Lyan, In Washington D.C this winter. In the podcast today we discuss Ryanâs early days in food & beverage Challenging the status quo Rethinking sustainability Opening and closing successful bars Creativity & growth, and so much more A quick note to our listeners- the audio is a little shaky for the first minute, but please stay with us, because Ryan is brilliant, gracious, and you'll kick yourself if you donât. Find Mr Lyan www.mrlyan.com Follow Ryan on Instagram @mrlyan Follow Ryanâs businesses on Instagram @lyan.cub @lyanessbar @super.lyan @mrlyanstudio
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Iâm so excited to present my interview today with Ben Branson. Ben is the Founder of Seedlip and Ăcorn Aperitifs, the worldâs first distilled non-alcoholic spirits and aperitifs, intent on changing how the world drinks. With offices in the Chilterns, Los Angeles and Sydney, Seedlip is now available in over 25x cities including New York, Barcelona, Shanghai & Singapore and served in many of the worldâs most awarded bars, restaurants and hotels. In the podcast today we discuss Seedlipâs evolution from a kitchen project to a globally recognized brand How Ben thinks about culture creation Wellness as hygiene Advice to aspiring entrepreneurs, and so much more. Ben is not only an incredible founder, but he is humble and generous as well, and I hope you love this interview as much as I do. Social handles Find Seedlip www.seedlipdrinks.com @Seedlipdrinks on IG
Follow Ben on IG @seedlip_ben -
Iâm so excited to present todayâs interview with Claire Warner. Claire has worked in the drinks industry for over 20 years, starting her career as a bartender and moving into brand advocacy and education, and later liquid development and innovation.
Claireâs career trajectory The importance of knowing yourself and following your authentic path Risk taking in the startup world
Claire joined Belvedere Vodka and LVMH in 2003, and was appointed Head of Spirit Creation and Mixology in 2009. In this role, Claire led the development of all new Belvedere expressions, as well as creating the global educational programs for Belvedere.
Claire joined the alcohol-Âfree world of Seedlip in 2018 as Head of New Brands, and is currently managing director for Seedlipâs sister brand, Aecorn Aperitifs.
In the podcast today we discuss:
The importance of coaching and mentorship And so much more...Honestly I canât tell you how much I loved this conversation with Claire, and I hope you get as much value from it as I did. Without further ado, please enjoy my interview with Claire Warner.
Find Aecorn Aperitifs:
www.aecornaperitifs.com
@aecorn_aperitifs on Instagram
Follow Claire on Instagram:
@helloclairewarner
