DJ Barbi

WEDNESDAY
8 pm Press Pass VI @ Press Club, 850 Dundas St. W. Lede: NADJA SAYEJ, Artstars* shitdisturber. NUT: Nathalie Atkinson from the National Post with a Toronto Comic Arts Festival inspired Super Hero drink. Quote: Zach Slootsky of Take More Photos fame will be there. Kicker: DJ Spitzie Spitz will play CanCon classics and indie dance. Wear your reportin' finest.

10 pm Vitamin G @ Gladstone Hotel Melody Bar, 1214 Queen St. W. Weekly queer-friendly neighbourhood dance party! This week with DJ Cozmic Cat & Nolan Natasha read more...

by Caitlyn Holroyd
Matt Sims has quickly moved up the ladder of success in the Toronto club scene from a mere flyer boy to one of the top club/event promoters in the city—all by the age of 21. Remember all that hype surrounding DJ Samantha Ronson spinning in Toronto and whether or not her then-girlfriend Lindsay Lohan would show up? Matt Sims was the person behind that party. With weekly parties at Circa, The Social, and the Barn, and many more in the works, chances are you’ve probably been to at least one of his parties. And if you haven’t? What are you waiting for?!

How did you get started in the event promotions business?
When I was 15-16, I started doing coat check at a gay bar in Kingston, and I also started meeting people on Faceparty and Myspace—a lot of them who live in Toronto. I became friends with a lot of club people on the internet and I started spending weekends in Toronto. I got a fake id and started interning for pr companies and worked my way from being a flyer boy to an assistant to organizing my own events and developing a brand. My first big party was Pixelrox at Fly in 2007; I booked internet sensation Jeffree Star, which kinda set the way for me to be a catalyst for the younger, more web-based generation.

What is a typical day like for you?
Typical day begins at 8am. I will check emails and Facebook messages, confirm meetings, all that jazz, then shower and I’ll be at my office for 10am. My assistant Matt and one of our interns Nadivia will get in and we’ll make to-do lists and start moving. I will then start doing bookings, phoning DJs, agents and club owners, and I’ll be jetting out to meetings while Nad and Matt are dealing with Facebook invites, messages, and doing store runs posting on message boards. I'll get out of the office by 6 or 7 (although sometimes Matt and I will work till like 3am on non-club nights). Then gym, more calls, I’ll practice for Velvet Code, play piano or write, and if it’s a club night, then Matt and I will start calling friends to have over—have a party, cab over to an event, open doors, and start dealing with DJ hospitality, payouts, promoters, all that kinda stuff. Usually I'll get to bed by 3-5am. If it’s not a club night, I’m in bed by 3am. I mean, I guess every day is different, and I travel a lot, but that would be a common day. read more...