JONATHAN FITZPATRICK
TALENT BUYER/VP OF ENTERTAINMENT
WENTE VINEYARDS, LIVERMORE, CALIF.
HOMETOWN: Vallejo, Calif.
UNIVERSITY: U.C. Santa Barbara
FIRST JOB IN THE INDUSTRY: I got my start booking shows at this small mountain winery in Bonny Doon, Calif. Eventually I headed up north and worked as an independent booker before going fulltime with Wente.
FAVORITE PART OF YOUR JOB: Combining people’s two passions — live entertainment and music. It’s rare to see someone unhappy when they’ve got a full glass of Merlot and they’re watching a great live band. If they don’t like the band, I just pour them more wine. If they don’t like the wine, I turn the music up.
HOBBIES: I head over to the coast and go surfing whenever I can. I just bought a custom Lance Collins fish-tail gun, which means it has split fins and is designed to go fast, like a bullet. It’s good for big waves, and getting away from sharks.
MENTORS: My dad, who always told me, “Whatever you do in life, have a plan in place. And have a backup plan, too.”
BIGGEST GUILTY PLEASURE: Chef Boyardee in a can and cartoons on my TV. One night it might be Ren & Stimpy with a dinner of SpaghettiOs with Franks, the next, a rerun of Speed Racer and a bowl of Beefaroni.
(925) 456-2450
RALPH HOLDERMAN
EXECUTIVE CHEF
HOUSE OF BLUES, MYRTLE BEACH, S.C.
HOMETOWN: Gulf Breeze, Fla.
UNIVERSITY: College of Charleston, S.C.
FIRST JOB IN THE INDUSTRY: I worked at several restaurants after college before taking a job at the Renaissance Charleston, which is owned by Marriott. I spent 12 years with the company and worked at several of their properties on the East Coast. In 2011, I took the job with House of Blues.
FAVORITE DISH: We were very fortunate to have celebrity chef Aaron Sanchez from the Food Network design our menu. I always recommend the lobster mac and cheese — we add panko bread crumbs to give it a nice crunch. Another good one is our Voodoo shrimp, served with a side of jalapeno cornbread.
BEST ADVICE: My former manager at Marriott told me, “You can push people’s tastes, but only so far. No one ever got a bad review for giving people what they want.”
FAVORITE SONG ON YOUR IPOD: Right now I’m digging “99 Shades of Gray” by JJ Grey and Mofro.
ONE THING PEOPLE WOULD BE SURPRISED TO LEARN ABOUT YOU: I used to compete in midget racecars when I was in high school. Great fun, but a very expensive hobby that didn’t seem to help me meet girls.
(843) 272-3000
LAUREN ROMERO
TOUR MANAGER
CAMPUS CONSCIOUSNESS TOUR
UNIVERSITY: Dartmouth College, Hanover, N.H.
HOMETOWN: Quincy, Mass.
FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOUR JOB: Connecting with college students and getting them excited about environmental issues in their community. This year we’re working with Reverb and Articulate Entertainment to promote several university dates for Brantley Gilbert. He’s really passionate about sustainable agriculture and helped to arrange a day of service on a farm in Central Pennsylvania with the help of students from Loch Haven (Pa.) University.
WHAT WOULD YOU BE DOING IF YOU WEREN’T AT YOUR CURRENT JOB: I’d probably be working in an office on Capitol Hill. Public policy is my other passion.
ONE THING PEOPLE WOULD BE SURPRISED TO LEARN ABOUT YOU: I can’t snap my fingers. I don’t understand why, but I just can’t do it.
HOBBIES: My husband and I just had our first child, so I don’t have a ton of free time, but I always love a nice picnic.
(207) 221-6553