Mark Birnbaum had no idea when he was planning after-prom parties at The Wheatley School and managing a nightclub at Ithaca College, that it would lead him to be involved in one of the hottest nightspots in New York - Lobby.
Birnbaum is the CEO/President of Operative, Inc., a firm the consults for bars, nightclubs and real estate development. The 26-year-old Long Island native left a lucrative career on Wall Street to work his true passion, planning and promoting events.
Why did you leave your job in finance?
I was tired of it, not into it. I have always thrown parties, and always wanted to do that. When 9-11 happened, I lived right across the street, and then the economy took a nose-dive and I figured it's better to do what makes you happy, doing what you want to do and that will make you successful and happy.
Tell me a little about Lobby?
My partner, Jeremy and I, wanted to create a club with high-end service and nice dcor. In this economy, if people are going to spend a lot of money, you better give them proper service. It's sort of like a high-end hotel bar without the rooms above it. The whole theme is a hotel lobby bar but without the restrictions like noise levels. It's a high-energy lounge with all the amenities.
What is your typical night away from Lobby like?
I like checking out the competition, seeing what is trend setting, what everyone is eating and drinking. Staying in tune. Typical night might be going to a restaurant or an event. Going to the Soho House or whatever the next "new" thing is. I don't drink so what entertains me is pretty girls and how things operate.
If you could create your perfect woman, what would she be like?
READ MORE AT: http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/153214/lobby_mark_birnbaum_scores_success.html?cat=41
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Monday, August 8, 2011
Victoria's Secret Models celebrate Mark Birnbaum's birthday at Tenjune
http://www.eatstaydrink.com/christina-milian
It was a sexy celebration when VS supermodels Alessandra Ambrosio and Doutzen Kroes helped Nightlife impresarios Eugene Remm and Mark Birnbaum celebrate their shared birthdays at their NYC hotspot Tenjune. In honor of Remm and Birnbaum's birthday, partygoers were treated to surprise performances including Lil' Kim, who performed to beats spun by the world famous DJ Cassidy.
Loose Talk: Natalie Portman spotted having a glass of red wine with a male friend at Bardot. Actress Halle Berry seen drinking an apple martini at Whiskey Blue Los Angeles after shooting her Revlon campaign in the hotel.
It was a sexy celebration when VS supermodels Alessandra Ambrosio and Doutzen Kroes helped Nightlife impresarios Eugene Remm and Mark Birnbaum celebrate their shared birthdays at their NYC hotspot Tenjune. In honor of Remm and Birnbaum's birthday, partygoers were treated to surprise performances including Lil' Kim, who performed to beats spun by the world famous DJ Cassidy.
Loose Talk: Natalie Portman spotted having a glass of red wine with a male friend at Bardot. Actress Halle Berry seen drinking an apple martini at Whiskey Blue Los Angeles after shooting her Revlon campaign in the hotel.
Friday, August 5, 2011
MARK BIRNBAUM IN THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703775704576162720976027568.html
As the Meatpacking District club approaches its fifth anniversary in September, this weekend, Tenjune, on Little West 12th Street, will unveil a $400,000 facelift. The culmination will be a live performance Saturday by the rapper Fabolous.
![[TENJUNE]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_u5R2LKMWcgPOEiZFjtYTKp8NjYr_DGnVpNHsa-8OykyPj2fDWn4br4zzDq_FkyCjCTW9I__WHl-F-TcV6ViZ4KT58BbpE0xsOHclHrTZrCLRnZdmFfaYssOKTxL5F69C1EDBs-f8A8UJKWgwtUp-9M_Q=s0-d)
"January and February are the slowest months of any business," said Eugene Remm, one of the owners of the EMM Group. "It's the perfect financial time to make renovations."
Tenjune was the EMM Group's first venture in September 2006. (EMM is also Michael Hirtenstein and Mark Birnbaum.) Now they own, among other locales, Abe & Arthur's, SL and a new venue, Lexington Brass, which will open this spring. Five years ago, said Mr. Remm, "I was just psyched to have a job."
As for some of the changes you'll see at Tenjune: the entryway has been completely redone, "so you'll have no clue you're walking into the Tenjune you've been walking into for the last five years." A feature wall that wraps around the room which used to have images of waves now shows lions, gorillas and semi-nude women. An advanced LED lighting system has also been installed via hanging panels above the dance floor. (Like the original Tenjune and the rest of the EMM Group properties, the refurbishings were designed by iCrave.)
Mr. Remm said that the layout of the room hasn't changed, "it's still the perfect hybrid nighclub. It's big enough, but small enough." Investors in the original Tenjune, he added, "have been paid back 400 percent. If someone invested in Tenjune, they are very happy people."
As the Meatpacking District club approaches its fifth anniversary in September, this weekend, Tenjune, on Little West 12th Street, will unveil a $400,000 facelift. The culmination will be a live performance Saturday by the rapper Fabolous.
Tenjune was the EMM Group's first venture in September 2006. (EMM is also Michael Hirtenstein and Mark Birnbaum.) Now they own, among other locales, Abe & Arthur's, SL and a new venue, Lexington Brass, which will open this spring. Five years ago, said Mr. Remm, "I was just psyched to have a job."
As for some of the changes you'll see at Tenjune: the entryway has been completely redone, "so you'll have no clue you're walking into the Tenjune you've been walking into for the last five years." A feature wall that wraps around the room which used to have images of waves now shows lions, gorillas and semi-nude women. An advanced LED lighting system has also been installed via hanging panels above the dance floor. (Like the original Tenjune and the rest of the EMM Group properties, the refurbishings were designed by iCrave.)
Mr. Remm said that the layout of the room hasn't changed, "it's still the perfect hybrid nighclub. It's big enough, but small enough." Investors in the original Tenjune, he added, "have been paid back 400 percent. If someone invested in Tenjune, they are very happy people."
Thursday, August 4, 2011
MARK BIRNBAUM'S CLUB - TENJUNE
TENJUNE
Neighborhood: Meatpacking District
Type of Place: Night Clubs
Description: Tenjune is the latest nightspot set to open in the still hot Meatpacking District. Urban Daddy reports this subterranean den, from nightlife gurus Mark Birnbaum and Eugene Remm, will be a shade of purple with pre-opening parties already drawing in the celebs!
Tenjune
26 Little West 12th St
at 9th Ave
New York, NY
(646) 624-2410
Neighborhood: Meatpacking District
Type of Place: Night Clubs
Description: Tenjune is the latest nightspot set to open in the still hot Meatpacking District. Urban Daddy reports this subterranean den, from nightlife gurus Mark Birnbaum and Eugene Remm, will be a shade of purple with pre-opening parties already drawing in the celebs!
Tenjune
26 Little West 12th St
at 9th Ave
New York, NY
(646) 624-2410
Mark Birnbaum in Gothman Magazine
Every morning, nightlife impresarios Eugene Remm and Mark Birnbaum face a to-do list that would leave most quivering in their boots. “Yeah, it’s pretty intense,” says Remm, staring at the dozens of tasks that await him. “There was a time when we had only one club and I could remember everything in my head, but now there’s just too much going on.” Too much indeed. Since 2006, when they started the EMM Group, a lifestyle and hospitality company, Remm, Birnbaum and veteran businessman Michael Hirtenstein have amassed a stable that includes the club Michael Hirtenstein, Eugene Remm and Mark Birnbaum Night Moves Tenjune, the W Hoboken’s lounge, Chandelier Room, and The Estate, a mansion in the Hamptons that doubles as a clubhouse for the jet set during the summer season.
In the heart of the Meatpacking District is where you’ll fi nd the group’s latest ventures, the restaurant Abe & Arthur’s and the downstairs 2,200-square-foot club, SL. In less than a year, the venues have quickly become two of the city’s most popular hot spots. Sean Penn, Rihanna, Natalie Portman, Ashton Kutcher and Jay-Z are just a few of the A-listers who have sampled Abe’s classic contemporary American fare.
The partners were in the middle of building Abe and Arthur’s when the global fi nancial market collapsed. “We had already broken ground and all around us people were losing jobs, banks were being bailed out, people were expecting the Great Depression,” says Birnbaum. “And it’s not like we were selling something secure like gold. We’re lucky that we have good customers that stood by us.” But the trio has never shied away from risk. Birnbaum, once a financial planner, quit his profession after the events of 9/11 forced him to reevaluate his future. “I lived right across from Ground Zero, and that same month I lost a friend to cancer,” he says. “I figured life was too short. I needed to do something I loved.” Remm, meanwhile, worked his way up from the mailroom at the PR firm Harrison & Shriftman to become director of promotions at the B.R. Guest Restaurant Group. His success with the restaurant Vento Trattoria and its subterranean lounge, Level V, put him on the nightlife map.
At 46, Hirtenstein is the oldest and most accomplished of the trio, having made his millions in the communication industry. He decided to take a chance on the young upstarts and invested both time and money in Remm and Birnbaum’s fledgling company. “When I made my investment approximately 18 months ago, the company had a little more than $10 million in sales in [Tenjune],” says Hirtenstein. “Within three years of my investment, I wouldn’t be surprised if the venues we either own or have management deals for may hit the $100 million mark, and [that figure is still] growing.”
The partners say they are now focused on developing a boutique hotel. “We want to take care of your lifestyle needs from beginning to end,” says Remm. “We want to be your one-stop shop.”
In the heart of the Meatpacking District is where you’ll fi nd the group’s latest ventures, the restaurant Abe & Arthur’s and the downstairs 2,200-square-foot club, SL. In less than a year, the venues have quickly become two of the city’s most popular hot spots. Sean Penn, Rihanna, Natalie Portman, Ashton Kutcher and Jay-Z are just a few of the A-listers who have sampled Abe’s classic contemporary American fare.
The partners were in the middle of building Abe and Arthur’s when the global fi nancial market collapsed. “We had already broken ground and all around us people were losing jobs, banks were being bailed out, people were expecting the Great Depression,” says Birnbaum. “And it’s not like we were selling something secure like gold. We’re lucky that we have good customers that stood by us.” But the trio has never shied away from risk. Birnbaum, once a financial planner, quit his profession after the events of 9/11 forced him to reevaluate his future. “I lived right across from Ground Zero, and that same month I lost a friend to cancer,” he says. “I figured life was too short. I needed to do something I loved.” Remm, meanwhile, worked his way up from the mailroom at the PR firm Harrison & Shriftman to become director of promotions at the B.R. Guest Restaurant Group. His success with the restaurant Vento Trattoria and its subterranean lounge, Level V, put him on the nightlife map.
At 46, Hirtenstein is the oldest and most accomplished of the trio, having made his millions in the communication industry. He decided to take a chance on the young upstarts and invested both time and money in Remm and Birnbaum’s fledgling company. “When I made my investment approximately 18 months ago, the company had a little more than $10 million in sales in [Tenjune],” says Hirtenstein. “Within three years of my investment, I wouldn’t be surprised if the venues we either own or have management deals for may hit the $100 million mark, and [that figure is still] growing.”
The partners say they are now focused on developing a boutique hotel. “We want to take care of your lifestyle needs from beginning to end,” says Remm. “We want to be your one-stop shop.”
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
MARK BIRNBAUM: MOST ELIGIBLE BACHELOR
Eugene Remm and Mark Birnbaum Named 'Most Eligible Bachelors'
by Clubplanet
01.28.2010
It's hard to find a good man in this city, unless you know where to spot them. If you want to snag one of the most eligible bachelors in New York City - well, at least according to the New York Post - then you may want to start looking in the trendy Meatpacking District.The paper named Eugene Remm and Mark Birnbaum (co-founders of the EMM Group and main men behind Abe & Arthur's, Tenjune and SL) two of NYC's "flirty dozen." The article divulges the company's revenue last year - a mere $30 million. Um, can you say awesome Valentines day and anniversary gifts? But don't get your hopes up just yet, the two have an outstanding track record when it comes to past girlfriends that's pretty hard to compete with. "Birnbaum’s been linked to a string of Victoria’s Secret models, including Adriana Lima and Miranda Kerr," reports the NY Post. "And Remm dated actress Shannen Doherty."
MARK BIRNBAUM AND EEM GROUP - IN THE HAMPTONS
EMM Group To Bring SL To Lily Pond This Summer
This summer the Hamptons will get a taste of SL nightlife at Lily Pond!
Mark Birnbaum and Eugene Remm, the geniuses behind Tenjune, SL, and Abe and Arthurs, are bringing the party to the Hamptons for summer 2011. Along with Michael Hirtenstein and Top Chef's winner Hung Hyun, this new EMM Group club/restaurant is sure to be the hotspot in Montauk. The team tested the Lily waters a few Saturdays this past summer but now they've taken the plunge into ownership. The new venue has yet to be named, but there's no doubt that a slew of models, celebs, and all of the pretty people will be in attendance. Known for its indoor/outdoor design with massive VIP-lounge and patio terrace featuring bed-style cabanas, Lily Pond is already buzzed from a successfully star studded season this past summer, and it will only get bigger from here.
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