37: Michael Antonia, Owner of YEAH! Rentals / The Flashdance / Office Party
On this Episode:
Michael Antonia, owner of YEAH! Rentals, The Flashdance, & Office Party joins Baily to talk about:
Why he avoids keeping tabs on and partnering with people in his industry
Doing collaborations for long-term potential rather than short-term gain with people who bring a different perspective but a similar vibe
Maintaining a sense of curiosity about a variety of topics to meet interesting people and keep new ideas coming in
Listen:
Show Notes:
Follow Michael , YEAH! Rentals, Office Party, and The Flashdance on Instagram
One of Michael’s most influential reads: Setting the Table: The Transforming Power of Hospitality in Business
Michael’s favorite collaboration tool: SMS
Submit a question for the Collaboration Q&A segment at the end of the show
About Michael:
Michael Antonia has never stopped hustling. He was the kid who mowed every lawn, shoveled every driveway, rode 3 paper routes. He was the teenager who built bikes out of junkyard parts and sold them to his peers. He was the wunderkind who started DJing by night, while booking and producing shows in night clubs, theaters, and festivals by day. He was the college graduate who was swept up in the energetic orbit of Alex Calderwood, founder of Ace Hotels, a collaboration which would launch him into the design world. He was the young father-to-be who started an event production company from his dining room table during the 2008 recession, and over the next several years cultivated it to become The Flashdance, one of the most highly regarded brands in the wedding and event industry. He was the producer who, even in the midst of success, continued to see holes in the industry, such as the godawful furniture at the events he produced. He launched YEAH! Rentals, a boutique furniture rental house in 2011 to runaway success, his most recent endeavor is called Office Party which is a showroom, recording studio, event space in Highland Park which was transformed from an abandoned auto body shop into an award winning studio.
Antonia stays closely involved as the creative director and marketing expert for his brands, while also finding time to keep his DJing sharp as ever, and get his music obsession fix working as music supervisor for Ace Hotel.
Antonia has been featured in Paper Magazine, NPR Marketplace, Reverie Magazine, Apartment Therapy, Remodelista, Herman Miller's blog, Refinery 29, 100 Layer Cake and Martha Stewart Weddings and has made appearances on E! & Bravo.
