CLASSICALLY INFLUENTIAL: SUSAN MAGRINO DUNNING

Susan Magrino Dunning runs MAGRINO PR, her powerhouse public relations firm, with about fifty trusted and loyal staff, from corporate offices on Park Avenue South. She’s been Martha Stewart’s go-to public relations person since Martha’s second cookbook back in 1983, and has a bevy of impressive clients in lifestyle divisions including luxury consumer goods, travel, real estate, food and beverage, and special events. To name just a few, MAGRINO represents: Cuisinart, California Closets, Sur la Table, Drew Barrymore’s brands, Scout Bags, and Fortnum & Mason; Casa de Campo Resort, The Fontainebleau in Miami, The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, and other hotels; Moet Hennessy USA and Whispering Angel, and many other fine wines and spirits, including Bruno Mars’ SelvaRey rum; Christie’s International Real Estate; the Kips Bay Show House, Literacy Partners, the Alzheimer’s Association, the James Beard Foundation Awards, and Grace Farms Foods, and; MAGRINO even handles public relations for The New York Public Library! And they’ve started to venture into the CBD space with Canopy Growth products.

Susan was ‘leaning in’ before Sheryl Sandberg got out of college, and has been a major influencer since long before influencers were even a thing.

Susan shattered the glass ceiling of the previously male-dominated world of public relations, and she’s been the model of a powerful, positive, and successful business woman ever since. ...And Susan is a New Canaanite!

Magrino grew up and went to public school in West Orange, New Jersey, then went to Skidmore College, focusing on English and Art History. As Magrino recalls, “It was the beginning of the boom-boom 80’s, junk bonds were the new thing and the stock market was going wild, and there was a sense - or at least I had a sense - that a lot of the old constraints were off, and that you could do bold things and achieve great success. I’ve always been a big believer that you have to be yourself fully, and apply yourself fully...and you can make anything happen. I recognized that just about everything I would do in business would be a first-woman-this or firstfemale-that milepost, and that my generation of young women would be defining the new post-Gloria Steinem workplace, but I really have always just thrown myself into it - without really thinking about being a woman doing it.” Magrino landed a job at Crown Publishing, and spent nearly a decade there, learning the ins and outs of the public relations trade. “It was really a special time. Nancy Kahan at Crown was a true leader, and gave me tremendous responsibility right out of the gate. One of my first assignments, in 1986, was running the national book tour for Patti Davis’ not-too-flattering portrait of her parents, the President of the United States, Ronald Reagan, and First Lady Nancy Reagan. Patti had gone rogue and had no secret service protection, and we were swamped at every stop by eager reporters and an angry mob. I learned early on that a lot of the business of public relations was ultimately going to be based on the relationships I had to build and earn with book editors, the media, news rooms, and, well, just about everybody involved in getting out your message.”

Magrino with Martha Stewart Magrino reflects, “It’s all about knowing the right opportunity when you see it, and never looking back. I came to work interested and able. I had a real drive and a need to prove my independence. And I was all-in. But what I realized early on was to recognize the enormous opportunity I had at Crown, and then I did everything I could to make the most of it. I built relationships. And, most important amongst them, Martha, who has been my friend, supporter, mentor, ‘sister’ ...and client, since I started working on her very first cookbook tours at Crown.”

Committed to owning her own business before hitting the age of 30, Magrino took a $10,000 loan from her father, a successful Wall Street lawyer turned successful commodities trader, got her sister Allyn to join her, and started the Susan Magrino Agency - now simply called MAGRINO PR (with Susan as CEO and Allyn as President). “I had Martha, who gave me the plain-and-simple Martha-like advice about naming my business to ‘just call it your name’, and then we signed Charlie Rose, and Frederick Fekkai, and Chris Blackwell, and I was quickly pretty busy. I paid that loan back in less than six months! And the business has grown pretty steadily ever since; with about three-quarters of all our new business coming from referrals! We will be celebrating thirty years in business in 2022, and I couldn’t be prouder of what we can accomplish for our clients and the great people we have on staff making it happen! We continue to have amazing momentum in both PR and digital, and we are actively recruiting for a number of positions.”

Magrino with her sister Allyn

Over the years, Magrino has keenly navigated the onset of the internet and the digital age of communications, and stayed at the forefront of social media and influencer marketing. She says, “I’ve always challenged myself to be a forward thinker. You just can’t compete with the reach. You have to make social media a part of every program and you almost always want to involve Instagram and influencers who can move huge audiences.” But, Magrino is also mindful that, “Ultimately, it’s really more about the message than the media. Clients have to appear real, and that’s all about credibility, trust and integrity. We assess each client’s objectives and study the long and short-term messaging that will get them there. We design an integrated media and communications plan, and we have the know-how, technology and relationships to get that message broadcast to the intended audience. It’s a tough business, there’s a lot of blocking and tackling, and yet there’s a bespoke nature to the communications machine. It takes a team and, I believe, a team incentivized with the opportunity of responsibility - like I was back at Crown. I love the process of mentoring all my people. I’m so happy when we can promote someone who starts as an assistant to move up through the ranks, or when someone who has grown up with us gets a desired position elsewhere or goes out on their own. I think it’s critical in business to quickly recognize your strengths and weaknesses, and build a team designed to help. My team at MAGRINO is the best in the business.”

But beyond MAGRINO’s methods and practices, Susan’s effectiveness is rooted in an almost unique ability to establish and stay on message. Susan knows how to set the narrative, avoid distraction, and deliver. It requires experience, confidence, perspective, preparation, patience, knowing the reaction before it comes, and, sometimes, self-sacrifice. As Instagram becomes more and more a vehicle for short blasts by and about people and products, Magrino remains the kind of traditional, no-nonsense, unflappable, one-stop-shop influencer, who never stops having your back, can best bring about epic long-term results, and who you want in your corner when the going gets tough.

On the personal side, Susan’s singular focus on business may have played a role in her waiting until 2004 to get married - to James Dunning Jr., a former investment banker and media CEO, and a youth focused philanthropist. James is a longtime New Canaanite and a long-time benefactor of the New Canaan public schools and of St. Luke’s, and a supporter of their athletic programs. James has two sons from a previous marriage, who were raised in New Canaan and attended the New Canaan Country School and St.Luke’s, before heading off to boarding school. (And, his son, James III, now lives in New Canaan, with his wife Katie and their 3 children.)

Susan and James have an apartment in New York City and homes in Jupiter, FL and Orient, Long Island, but spend as much time as they can at their home base in New Canaan. The New Canaan home is designed in a comfortable country style, with a pool and plenty of spaces for entertaining. Susan’s favorite space in the house is the sunroom off of her kitchen - that gives the feeling of being outside, while still being able to enjoy a supremely plush sofa. The entire house is designed for pleasure - open and airy, with one room flowing to the next, and the entire home being a grand entertaining space, perfect for the holidays or for time alone. The interior is at once perfect without appearing to be too decorated, and that mark of a great decorator is the work of New Canaan based Krista Fox Interiors. Every aspect of every room has been completely thought out and carefully designed and there’s an abundance of cozy places to sit - with friends or a good book. The house is minimal, clean and sleek, but also filled with momentos, prized items (each with their own story), and photos.

Susan pulled-out one such item and reminisced, “I went to a book party for Slim Aarons at Kaufmann de Suisse on Madison Avenue. I was invited by Sirio Maccioni, the famous restaurateur of Le Cirque, and I had purchased this vintage first edition copy of A Wonderful Time - Slim Aarons’ very first photobook after becoming well known as the photographer for Town & Country. His tagline was: attractive people, doing attractive things, in attractive places. I brought the book to the party and Slim signed it for me, and it’s one of the things that I really treasure.”

“Although we spent many months during Covid here, this home was intended, when we built it, to be a weekend getaway and a place of relaxation outside of the City. So we wanted the master suite to reflect that; and we completely reimagined the space to be luxurious and retreat-like.” And, it is indeed like something you’d find at the most luxurious Parisian hotel; an overly plush carpet, custom bedding, a travertine stone fireplace across from the bed, chaise lounges, an over-the-top marble and bathroom suite with Waterworks fittings, and an even-more-over-the-top closet. “Jim just didn’t have any space before, so we decided to do an addition onto the house to create my dream closet that I had always wanted - although, thinking about it now, Jim is still not getting much space!”, Susan explained. She’s a fashionista to say the least; although it’s clear that Susan values relationships far more than things, she has quite the impressive collection of couture and an abundance of clothes for any occasion or season.

Susan calls the dream closet, the ‘closet of all closets’ and her ‘fashion laboratory’. “I wanted everything to be open. If I can’t see it, I don’t know what I have and just don’t wear it. There are no bulky doors, I have closet sticks so I can easily move things around, and I get to look at all of these amazing pieces that each bring me joy. I worked with California Closets to customize every aspect of the space; they have such knowledgeable professionals and they customize everything and make it fit your needs and your wardrobe. Working with them was a joy, and all their work turned-out to be beyond my expectations. From the vintage Heywood Wakefield vanity painted a high gloss white, to the showcase hanging racks, the cupboards, and of course, the massive island filled with drawers for undergarments, casual clothes and jewelry - I love every inch of the room.” The closet is clearly one of Susan’s happy places, and every item in the closet has a story of its own just like the momentos around the rest of the house - from the Gucci skirt suit that Susan was eyeing at Roundabout in Greenwich for months, to the linen dress that she got on vacation in Italy with Jim, or the tweed Chanel coat that she says was her first major splurge piece after starting MAGRINO - Susan lights up talking about every piece. In fact, Susan is known for her fabulous clothes and impeccable looks. Her personal Instagram @susanmagrino7 boasts a following of almost 8k, where she regularly posts photos of her daily outfits - always styled to the nines from head to toe.

Susan and James are members of St. Marks Church, and Susan is a member of the local Hannah Benedict Carter Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. Susan sits on the Advisory Board of the Glass House, and is active in philanthropies supporting art, design and food. Her sister, Allyn Magrino Holmberg, also lives in New Canaan, and sits on the New Canaan Tourism & Economic Development Advisory Committee, and Susan’s niece and nephew went to the New Canaan public schools. Susan’s mother, Mary Cross, lives in New Canaan, too. Susan Magrino is, indeed, a local!

And, ironically, three of Susan’s top-four most admired people in business are also locals! Of course there’s Martha Stewart, about whom Susan declares, “Very few people get to grow up in business with a mentor like Martha. She’s been in my corner 30+ years and counting, and I’m eternally grateful for her friendship and support.” Then there’s Ralph Lauren, because, Susan says, “No one is more clear and disciplined in their vision than Ralph, and it’s been an honor over the years to have worked with him and his family.” And Philip Johnson, who Susan admits to admiring from across the dining room at the Four Seasons Restaurant, when she took her power seat at her power table and he took his, back in the day when lunch in the iconic dining room was the citadel of big movers and big moves in the business world. “Johnson achieved incredible success in business, and was lucky to live long enough to see most of his designs and projects realized. He changed our view of architecture and was the original modernist and minimalist. Although, I don’t think I could ever have the discipline to live in The Glass House! ...And I bought my table and chair from the Four Seasons at the auction when the restaurant closed, and now use it for my own power lunches and as my desk - where it sits in my office in New Canaan!” The only out-of-towner in Susan’s group of four most admired businesspeople would be Sacha Lichine, the Creator of Chateau d’Esclans and Whispering Angel Rose, who Susan admires for singularly redefining the meaning of rose wine - with the validation of LVMH acquiring a majority stake.

Though she’s nowhere near the end of her career, and in fact probably just hitting her stride as MAGRINO prepares to celebrate its 30th Anniversary, Magrino has herself reached a point of accomplishment which warrants comment. In 2019, Susan was honored by New York Women in Communications with their prestigious Matrix Award, recognizing women in the media in support of their mission of female empowerment. More recently, Squawk Box on CNBC dubbed Magrino, the ‘Queen of Public Relations’. And it’s important, and right, to take note of the barriers Magrino has broken as a female, her female perspective of the business community, the world’s view of her as a woman in business, particularly useful lessons particular to being a woman in business that she may wish to impart, and the great things Susan is doing to pay it forward with a focus on things she does for women. Magrino is indeed a vanguard of female corporate chiefs.

Magrino’s table from the Four Seasons

But as and when Magrino’s real measure is taken, it may be that she has so smartly and successfully performed, as to transcend being judged as a business woman versus a business man, and instead become one of the first of a newest generation of women who’ve come to be seen only as a business person, and evaluated absent gender-based criteria. And it’s interesting that Susan’s champion, Martha Stewart, would be one of the other premier women who might be similarly viewed. By any and all standards...it should and must be simply said that Magrino is a giant, a titan, on top of her game, and does it all with confidence and grace.

Jewel Box Weddings

COVID CUTS THE COUNT

Covid has required that all events are limited in size and held with social distancing guidelines. Weddings have been limited, at different times and in different places during the pandemic, to 100, or 50, or even those in a ‘bubble’. Couples with existing wedding plans have scrambled to adjust, and tales of cancelling wedding invitations sent to hundreds of guests - who are, by definition, the couples’ families and most valued friends - are the norm.

Amidst ongoing Covid restrictions, and continued uncertainty with when things will change, or if it will ever ‘go back’ to normal...it’s difficult to plan for something big!

Even before Covid, the trend was to more intimate affairs. Partly because of the sheer expense of weddings, and probably also in part to a growing social decorum amongst those who can afford anything surrounding the propriety of the kind of lavish spending that’s involved.

Wedding after wedding, couples are reporting to B&NC Mag that they’re thrilled with the smaller ceremonies and celebrations that they’ve managed to pull off during Covid. Though the fairy tail of a wedding like Princess Diana’s is deeply embedded in the nuptial psyche, the reality is that getting married is really one of the most important, personal and emotional days of life, and it may be best shared with only the best and closest of family and friends. Everyone included will feel the day was that much more special. Anyone excluded will or should understand the new normal, is probably themselves at least a little bit relieved not to have to attend, and can be better served with marital celebrations arranged to fit the association (eg. a trip to Austin to visit the group of relatives there; a tasteful dinner party for the work associates that were going to get invited to the big wedding and not really fit-in, or; a raucous weekend with all the friends from college). At least some of the people who were going to be invited to the big wedding will no longer be friends ten or twenty years later anyway. And every couple will later treasure the first home they were able to purchase sooner, the vacation house they get ahead of schedule, or going on the trip they always dreamed of, with the nest egg they save cutting things down to size.

The smaller wedding is a positive opportunity! René Hue, the founder and owner of Murmuration Ltd. of Brookfield, CT, calls the new ideal a ‘Jewel Box’ event,

and says, “You can have a small footprint and still be extravagantly luxurious. It’s a chance to have more intimacy and really get to spend at least a bit of time with each of the special people invited. To make it most meaningful, I think each event should include a narrative unique or special to the couple, that weaves through the entire occasion. A storyline that reflects the couple’s personality or interests makes for warm and lasting memories.” Rene has been designing, planning, and managing bespoke weddings and events for over a quarter century, and adds, “Smaller weddings allow couples to concentrate funds on sometimes overlooked parts of the wedding, such as elaborate tablescapes, luxurious furnished vignettes, decadent décor, and even diverting activities and gifts for guests… all of which, again, help tell the couple’s story.”

As an example, Hue recently designed a Gatsby-themed micro-wedding, held at the enchanting Abbey Inn and Spa, along the Hudson River in Westchester, NY. The magnificence of the venue is the very essence of turn-of-the-century opulence, and the couple wanted to reflect the highsociety charm of the roaring ‘20s. The bride wore a vintage-inspired ebony and ecru sequined gown and carried a bouquet of burgundy heart garden roses, crimson calla lilies, and pale pink peonies, offset by exotic blooms, eucalyptus, curly willow, and peacock feathers. That floral design was repeated on the sumptuous tablescape, which was laid out on top of an ivory crushed-velvet linen, smothered in a blanket of moss and farm-fresh berries, with antiquarian leather-bound copies of The Great Gatsby, and extra-long white taper candles in a vintage candelabra. The dark chocolate bride and groom’s cakes were positioned atop antique enamel clock faces, a nod to time being a precious commodity and how, with time, what’s old often becomes new once again.

NEW CANAAN FLORIST

I DO... WEDDINGS & VOWS The

Burnham

Wedding

Martha Lee Civitillo and David Hunter Burnham were married in a beautiful ceremony at the Asylum Hill Congregational Church on September 19, 2020.

Martha and Dave met in August of 2016 when they were set up by a mutual friend. Martha tells the adorable story, saying, “ I almost cancelled, but Dave somehow convinced me to at least stop by and meet him at Stamford’s Alive at 5 concert series, where Cee Lo Green was supposed to be performing. A horrific rainstorm, with trees down in the road and electricity going out, made driving to Stamford pretty dangerous, and then when we met there, the concert was cancelled. Apparently, Mother Nature didn’t get the memo that we were meeting the future love of our lives that night! Although the date seemed doomed, we found relief from the storm in a nearby bar and talked, drank and danced the night away. And we discovered our mutual interests in travel, summering on Fishers Island, sailing, and spending winters skiing at Stratton. And the rest, as they say, is history.”

After dating for more than two years, Dave had secretly been designing a custom ring with a family diamond from his GreatAunt Hazel. He had asked Martha’s Father and Mother for their blessing at Christmas, which, of course, they gave with happy tears of joy. Dave proposed on a beautiful weekend, with both the Civitillo and Burnham families present, in the rose garden at Martha’s parents’ home. “It was so incredible to be able to celebrate with both of our families right there, cheering and popping champagne!” Dave said.

“From the moment Martha and her mom walked through the door, I knew I wanted her as an ALSW bride. Equal parts sweet and beautiful, we connected over a mutual love of the world of bridal and about her upcoming wedding. We styled her gorgeous Suzanne Neville gown with a matching lace topper, and think she looked absolutely stunning on her wedding day.” -Ashley Krauss

(A Little Something White)

Then Covid got in the way of the couple’s plan for their big June wedding party at the Hartford Golf Club. ...And that’s when the about-to-be Burnhams came up with a novel solution...As Martha recalls, “Connecticut issued Covid restrictions that made it impossible to have more than 100 people in one place. We had about 250 guests who originally RSVPed ‘yes’, and although that was going to shrink a bit with some folks not being able to attend, we were still looking at over 150 people - and we wanted to celebrate with all of them! So...instead of just one party…we had two! We had two different seatings under a beautiful tent at The Club. I had memories of playing golf and tennis there with my Dad, and it’s just four doors away from the house I grew up in… so there were many wonderful memories for me there - and it was the perfect place to make some new ones. We had a memorable first-dance - and then a memorable second first-dance, two rounds of speeches - with tears both times, and two dinners and two parties - and what seemed like ten times the fun. Having two wedding parties made it possible for us to celebrate safely with everyone we love!” Martha’s father, Bill, passed away in January 2019, so Marth’s brother, Wiggs (William), walked her down the aisle, and the couple had multiple elements to honor Bill throughout the event, including that two of Martha’s friends wore neckties from Bill’s collection, and that a layer of Bill’s favorite flavor of ice cream was added to both of the wedding cakes.

Martha and Bill are living in New Canaan and loving married life.

LIZ & JD

WILLITS

Elizabeth (Liz) and Jefferson Dillard (JD) Willits became Mr. & Mrs. Willits on October 17, 2020. The ceremony was held at the St. Matthew’s Chapel in the Woods, a romantic spot with wooden benches that fits about 30 people comfortably, followed by a reception at GlenArbor, and their wedding night at the Roger Sherman Inn. “We were just so thrilled to get to celebrate with our families. It was a perfect weekend in my hometown, and we’re just so happy to be married,” Liz says glowingly.

The couple were engaged on March 11, 2020. Covid cut-in on JD’s plan to propose to Liz in Paris, surprising her on her way back home from a trip she was on to London for her MBA. Calling a pretty cool audible, JD took Liz to Sea Island, where JD’s family spends a lot of time, and JD popped the question - and got the right answer - on a beautiful day at the beach.

Bedford Village Flower Shoppe Bedford Village Flower Shoppe

641 OLD POST RD 641 OLD POST RD BEDFORD, NY BEDFORD, NY 914.234.7180 914.234.7180 www.bedfordvillagefl owershoppe.com www.bedfordvillagefl owershoppe.com

The couple were originally planning an April 2022 wedding, to be held at the Duke Chapel. Liz went to Duke and JD went to nearby and rival North Carolina Chapel Hill - but the couple did not meet then. They met in Boston in 2016. Each had moved there after graduating from college, and on Liz’s first night in town, she went out with her sister, Lindsay, who also lived in Boston, to what Liz describes as “a gross dive bar,” called The Red Hat. JD was there... the two sparked...and they began dating. Two years later, Liz got into the Business School at Duke, and the couple were long-distanced...but JD got into the Business School at UNC a year later...and the couple were reunited in North Carolina - although again at rival schools. ...As Covid continued, the couple realized their 200+ person plan for the Duke Chapel was, at best, a distant possibility and, having been together for over four years, they decided they just didn’t want to wait anymore.

Liz grew up in Bedford in a big white house just off the Bedford Green, went to school at Rippowam Cisqua, and her family are members at Bedford Golf & Tennis. So, on a weekend trip to Bedford in the Fall of 2020, about six months after they were engaged, the couple decided to change their plans and put together a much smaller, family-only wedding at the Walker’s family congregation, St Matthew’s Church. “I came up to Bedford and my mom and I basically planned the entire thing in the course of a weekend!” Liz recalls with a smile.

Summing up the whole experience, Liz remarks, “Marrying JD is a dream come true and our wedding was like in a fairy tale. Ironically, I feel like Covid changed our experience for the better. I wanted the big affair - and will still celebrate with each and every one of the friends we had on our 200-person invitation list - but the more intimate gathering we had was truly special. We were thrilled with every aspect of our wedding day, and I’m tickled that Bedford & New Canaan Magazine is featuring me as a ‘Bedford Bride’.”

Now is a time for connection! Set up a tour and see what we’re all about...

For information about temple membership please contact Alli West, Executive Director awest@templest.org 914-666-3133

Celebrate your lifecycle events on our beautiful grounds or in our majestic Sanctuary...

TIME FOR A

VACCI-BRATION!

He looks like every soccer dad and he’s probably one of the most unassuming, soft-spoken, even demure, guys around; but make no mistake, Dan Pearson is the life of the party! Always has been - and when people start partying again - always will be! Chances are, you’ve partied with him - and don’t even realize it!

...Remember the affair you went to, before Covid, when everyone got up to dance and the whole production seemed so perfect, and how the music was just right, with a sweet mix of all kinds of your favorites...that’s when you partied with Dan. ...And you’ve checked the pictures and you still don’t recognize him!?...

To explain...until Covid hit, Dan’s Lakeside Productions was supplying the DJ or live music, the MC, lighting, magicians and other diversionary activities, and everything else necessary for about 50 affairs a year, mostly local, including all varieties of bar mitzvahs, sweet-sixteens, weddings, fundraisers, and other celebrations

...Now you remember him!

He got started as a kid growing-up in Island Park, Long Island. Dan recalls, “When I was only 12, a friend of mine who had a pair of Technics turntables in his house turned me on to the idea of mixing. I remember going there for hours after school every day and learning how to mix and blend all kinds of music. We’d pretend we were hosting and throwing parties in his parent’s basement. Eventually, we managed to convince a dad in the neighborhood to have us DJ his daughter’s sweet-sixteen. It wasn’t anything big, but it was a paid gig and the referrals we got from it launched our first business. I was really into music, I really liked the feeling of making a party move, and having a pretty entrepreneurial way to make some cash was pretty cool. We started to get a lot of work, and actually built one of the biggest party businesses on Long Island. When I started at Adelphi and wanted to focus on school, we sold the business to an even bigger company - for enough to cover my own partying for a while! And I still DJed for that acquirer, and did some work in local bars and restaurants, while I was in college.”

While at Adelphi, Dan got an internship doing overnights at the radio station WLIR on Long Island, and was as enthralled with the business of spinning discs on the airwaves as he had been with spinning discs at private parties. That led to another internship, at Columbia Records, where Dan got an introduction to the label side of the business. “I landed a full-time job at Columbia in the Radio Promotion Department before I even got out of college. It was super-exciting! Columbia was the big time! I liked doing the business of radio promotion. It’s a really special feeling when you’re driving around in a city somewhere on a trip to call on the radio stations in that area, and you hear the tune you’re promoting playing on the radio. And then maybe even a second and third time later in the same day. You know that was you - and that you’re really doing the job for the talent you’re representing. And radio is what makes music famous, and is still one of the quickest ways to break a band - you can really make a difference in the artist’s life and career. After Columbia, I worked for Universal/Motown, and Virgin, and had a job at MTV for a while where I worked on the VMA’s. Then I landed a position with a hip hop label called TVT Records, my first independent label, and loved being able to work so directly with the artists. I was part of a small team that was able to cross some of Pitbull’s early music into the mainstream and was totally sold on the independent experience. I moved to Glassnote Records, where I was able to break their first multi-platinum artist, SecondHand Serenade. I drove around the Country for two years, visiting just about every radio station, getting their hit Fall For You played. Then I joined the team Steve Greenberg put together at S-Curve, and had success with artists like Andy Grammer, We The Kings, Duran Duran, and others. Somewhere along the way, I formed Lakeside Management Group and Lakeside Promotion, and I’ve been able to apply the same strategies and work ethic developing our roster of artists.”

“‘In 2014, with Lakeside Productions, I got back into the party production business as my primary focus.” Pearson explains. “The whole music production business is really complementary to my promotion and management business; I have a lot of top artists I can call on to perform at parties if people want to do something really fabulous - like when we had Andy Grammer perform at Mario Lopez’ wedding, or Paul Loren perform at J Lo’s birthday gala in Las Vegas. With my background, having been involved in the music promotion and record business, and having DJed at thousands of events, I have a really deep understanding of how and what music brings a party alive.”

The good news, now, for Pearson and Lakeside Productions, is that people are beginning to party again.

It will be dependent on what happens with the virus, and restricted by new and evolving rules for social distancing, but Pearson notes that the Covid drought appears to be coming to an end. “We’re finally starting to get events on the calendar. We’ve got a bunch of parties planned for this Summer for people who want to make sure they can have their celebration while it’s OK - even with a limit of 50 or a 100. And then people who’ve accepted that a smaller event is now the new normal, and who are ready to get their event planned now for next year - when there’ll be huge pent-up demand for every place you can hold an event. Whatever happens, we’re ready. We’re the best in the business and we’re reasonably priced. We can work with social distancing and still put on great events. And we’ve spent a lot of time during Covid picking some great new locations, inside and outdoors, and thinking about how to do the best post-Covid parties in all kinds of interesting places, and in all the new configurations people will be partying. Caramoor is a great example. I’d love to produce an event under the tent or in their fabulous gardens.”

Dan lives in Katonah, with his wife, Candace, and their three young kids, and admits, “I’ve been very fortunate that the management and promotion side of our business continued to do well during Covid, but I’ve missed being directly around and involved with playing music for people. I’ve assumed the role of Family DJ, and I’ve been blasting my favorite tunes around the house just about 24/7 - or at least whenever the kids aren’t sleeping. They usually want to hear their favorite show theme songs and anything that plays on Kidz Bop, but I sneak a few of my party favorites into the mix. When I’m feeling the ‘80s - I play Whitney Houston, I Wanna Dance With Somebody; ‘90s - Montell Jordan, This Is How We Do It; When I’m looking for a sing along - Don’t Stop Believin’ by Journey; Something for the girls, I go with - Beyonce, Single Ladies, and; If I want to get my wife’s attention, I play - Ed Sheehan, Perfect. Oh, and then for something that will get the whole family moving, I pull out all the stops - Signed Sealed Delivered, Stevie Wonder - works every time!”