Going out, once the hallmark of celebrity, has taken a huge hit over the past year. Amid strikes and global turmoil in the entertainment industry, many of those who previously sought to see and be seen seemed to be sweating it out and staying at home.
That is, unless you cross the velvet rope that separates the commoner world from the world of H. Wood, John Tarzian's gilded nightlife empire. Just like The Chronicles of Narnia and Oz, different rules apply to h.wood.
There will also be martinis. There are also art deco style candlesticks. The lighting is so dim that even those who consider themselves young may find themselves reaching for their smartphone flashlights to double check how much the famous chicken tenders actually cost ($25).
Finally, and most importantly, there will be no photo shoots. Well, there is no flash photography, surely These aren't the regular people who run this world, like the Biebers, the Kardashian-Jenners, or the Drakes.
“Of course, people secretly take pictures all the time without flash,” Terzian said over lunch at the Polo Lounge at the Beverly Hills Hotel on a recent afternoon. “We know it happens. But the idea is that you should sit comfortably without flashing, and what we're responding to is that we want everyone to feel safe.” That’s it.”
“I'd rather it be more realistic,” he added. “It's like you just happened to be together one night and you saw that person. It's really cool. You were there. But does it spread all over social media? No.”
Tajian, 43, is the founder of the group, officially known as the h.wood group, which oversees 18 bars, restaurants and nightclubs around the world, many of them in Los Angeles. Unofficially, he's the mayor of the traveling party circuit favored by A-list stars. He plants his h.wood flag wherever there is an event where a celebrity would want to raise a glass.
There he was at Art Basel Miami Beach, celebrating the opening of Miami outpost Delilah, H. Wood's answer to the supper club of old, with Diplo, Leonardo DiCaprio, Janelle Monáe and others. There he attended an F1 race in Las Vegas, escorted Justin Bieber to the finish line by day (Mr. Bieber waved the checkered flag), and worked at Delilah's VIP booth in that city (Wynn Las Vegas) by night. was. . (Among the very important figures are Jon Hamm, Sofia Vergara, and Messrs. Bieber and DiCaprio, the latter two as endemic to Mr. Terzian's venues as tequila and soda.)
How does he cultivate their trust? Partly by cutting back on what he says.
“My place is a safe haven,” he said. “If they want to talk about themselves, that's fine.”
And, in part, by holding the hand of his prestigious clients, sometimes literally, to ensure their every need is met and that they don't walk into his venue astray. Let's call this the comfort food of nightlife. When you enter the world of h.wood, you know what you're getting. Brilliant lighting. Upholstered chaise longue. The aforementioned chicken tenders.
On special nights, Mr. Terzian himself, wearing a Dolce & Gabbana tuxedo, runs around the room and with a phone in his hand, drinking very little and patting people on the shoulder as they pass by, asking for something. Dew. To know “Are you okay?”
Kendall Jenner, who hosted a party for her tequila brand 818 at Los Angeles' Delilah in August, said, “Every one of John's stores is special.'' “They have an intimate feel that I love.” “He's the perfect host,” she added.
always host
The son of a lawyer and a piano teacher, Mr. Tarzian grew up in Los Angeles, playing soccer and hosting house parties. (“Not at my house,” Terzian clarified. “At a friend's house.”) As a fourth-string quarterback at the University of Southern California — “maybe a fifth-string,” Terzian said — he was tasked with the following tasks: Eliminate potential new employees. “After the first few guys signed, the coaches said, 'We've got to keep this going,'” Terzian recalled.
He wanted to become an entertainment lawyer but didn't pass the bar exam (“Those were terrible times,” Tarzian said), so he decided to work with the late Adam Michael Goldstein, known as DJ AM. I got a job working below. “I was everything to him,” Terzian said. “As his assistant, I held records and helped with legal matters and branding. I helped him open his own nightclub,” she said by phone at LAX.
Tazian teamed up with his friend Brian Toll from the University of Southern California, who was also organizing the event. In 2007, they opened their own place, “The Stork.” “It was ahead of its time,” Terzian said. “We took over an old Burger King. You had to recite a poem to get in the door.”
They closed it after six months, but reopened it in 2008 under the name h.wood. TMZ was on the rise. Celebrities needed a place to hide. “We had a small private room and learned how to keep that space really protected,” Terzian said. “The influx of paparazzi was a double-edged sword. Many people didn't enjoy going out.”
You would never guess from the expansion of h.wood Group in the 2010s. Mr. Tolle and Mr. Tarzian opened Bootsy Bellows, a dance club with actor David Arquette, and opened bars throughout West Hollywood and on the west side of Los Angeles. “They did a great job,” said Scott Sartiano, owner of New York hotspot Zero Bond and founder of 1 Oak nightclub. The store's Sunset Strip location will be transformed into a new h.wood venue, set to debut next year. “They have a track record of opening great venues.”
Opened in 2016, Delilah ushered in a new era of L.A. nightlife, based on the concept of dinner and a show rather than a parade of shots. (However, there's still a parade of shots available for those who want them, and there's a good chance they'll make such a fuss that Delilah's Los Angeles address became the title of a song on Drake's recent album.)
Sometimes the show features sequined burlesque dancers, and sometimes famous regulars like Jamie Foxx take to the microphone to perform impromptu sets. “Friends appear out of the blue,” Terzian said. “We generally don't know.”
Of course, for such a surprise to happen, you must count a Grammy Award-winning artist among your friends. To this end, a few years ago, inspired by Zappos' customer service “Ninja” team, Mr. Tarzian announced that his 10 members who go above and beyond for his VIP guests at h.wood We have established a brain trust X team consisting of staff members. “It doesn't mean they're celebrities,” Terzian said. “They could be friends, they could be businessmen. They could use his X-Team like a concierge, with transportation, housing, security, private planes, etc.”
Can you tell me the names of people who are drawing on the expertise of the X team?
“No,” he said.
Jenner and Bad Bunny have similarly remained mum about Bird Streets, a West Hollywood members-only club that opened last year, where she and Bad Bunny were spotted leaving one night in March. “This is for everyone who needs real privacy, who can't have it outside of their home,” he said. What does membership provide? “Next level handling,” he said. “It's a complete concierge.” What can he share about how members are selected, membership fees, and his insanely static website that's just Carl's B and S?
he laughed. “We get a lot of comments on the website.”
Not a normal tent
Just down the street from the Beverly Hills Hotel is the headquarters of the h.wood group. There, his 50 people out of the company's approximately 1,000 employees are brainstorming ideas on how to surprise and delight even more. On a recent afternoon, Mr. Terzian gathered around a long conference table with his five members of his X-Team and three more of his staff members, and the next area of the h.wood group he announced on February 11. We talked about Super Bowl LVIII, which will be held in Las Vegas on Sunday. The question is how to create the “intimate atmosphere” that patrons like Jenner crave inside the 35,000-square-foot tent.
“This is no ordinary basic tent,” says Jake Nussbaum, founder of Uncommon Entertainment, which h.wood hired to oversee the three-night party.
“It shouldn't look like a corporate event,” Terzian said. “Can we talk about setting the table?”
Posts, velvet ropes, and the number of guards were discussed. The idea of eliminating the 12 “regular” tables (each selling for $100,000) to give the VVIPs at the “whale table” more room to socialize was briefly floated, but quickly rejected. Ta. More importantly, how were these very important people going to get in?
“It's hard to have a VIP entrance because everyone in the world thinks they're a VIP,” said Tracy Manners, founder of Sequel, whom H.Wood hired to oversee advertising. Ta.
“Is it better not to have one?” Terzian asked.
“You have to have it,” Ms. Manners said.
Mr. Terzian nodded knowingly. “Unless it's a scene,” he said. Save them for in-party and off-camera use.
