The
Player's Ball is considered the ultimate
private party for businesses attending the Adult
Internet Expo. Past events have featured performers
including Snoop Dogg, Digital Underground, Ice-T,
LL Cool J and even porn legend Ron Jeremy as the
MC. It's all flash, lots of ass and just about as
off the hook as a party can get - And where better
than Las Vegas for this year's celebration. Publicity
Whore sat down to meet the man behind the event
and see just how it all came to be. One thing is
for sure, we will be there in January and suggest
you do the same. That is, if you like partying with
pornstars, celebrities and some of the biggest names
in Hip-Hop music. So kick back and let one of the
nation's top promoters D$ show you how it's done,
afterall this is the guy who created it all!
P.W:
So D$ how did the Player's Ball get started?
D$:
While working for Web Side Story I decided we should
throw a warm-up party for the Adult Internet trade
show. The first party was a success and because
I had a background in concert promotion, for the
next party I decided to pay for live entertainment
instead of the alcohol. Since the tickets for the
event are free to businesses attending the Adult
Internet trade show, the goal for the party was
to create the best V.I.P section possible for the
business owners. The only ones that are issued a
V.I.P pass are from my sponsors or myself. Imagine
that you hook-up a big money maker with a V.I.P
pass for a Snoop Dogg concert. Now, since you have
already stoked him out by giving him the opportunity
to meet Snoop Dogg and hang-out with pornstars,
it is a lot easier to conduct business with the
individual or do a deal with his website.
What's
better than Rappers and Pornstars?
P.W:
So you are using the event as a way to gain
leverage in business deals?
D$:
Exactly.
P.W:
Who are some of the businesses attending the
party?
D$:
For the last four years one of the biggest internet
companies supporting the event has been CECash.com
(they are most known for the site CyberErotica.com).
The founding father of the adult paysite game is
super wealthy and one of the only sponsors who can
help pay for the Player's Ball. The mini-sponsors
are gravy, they help pay for the sound system and
all the extras.
P.W:
In a nut-shell describe what the Player's Ball
is like?
D$:
Maxim magazine voted our party #3 in the world for
the best spot to meet and pick-up hot chicks.
P.W:
Do you think these Hip-Hop artists are crossing
over into the adult video side because they see
profit, or do you think it’s part of their
creative expression as an artist?
D$:
Well you are definitely talking to the right guy
about that subject. Rap music speaks openly about
sex, so it is just natural for hip-hop artists to
embrace the adult entertainment industry. Also,
you do not find too many clauses in their contract
where they cannot promote porn, so they are definitely
the right type of live entertainment for The Player's
Ball. The incorporation of the adult entertainment
industry and hip-hop artists has also created some
great projects. For example “Sex and the Studio,”
from Digital Underground, Snoop Dogg is now doing
“Girls Gone Wild” videos and Too Short
showed how hard-core he really is when he starred
in his own adult video.
P.W:
What was the original concept for The Player's
Ball?
D$:
The original concept was to fly out about one hundred
of the top players from my industry to Denver to
a high class strip club called “Diamond Cabaret”
and wine and dine them and call it the Player's
Ball. The event evolved into a live concert for
more than the original hundred players and the first
Player's Ball took place at Club Utopia in Las Vegas
featuring the band “The Long Beach Dub All-Stars.”
The next Player's Ball was in Miami and Ice-T was
the MC, Digital Underground and Eek-a-Mouse performed
live at the event.
P.W:
Did you ever think you would be putting on these
incredible parties looking back?
D$:
I never thought I would become a salesman after
graduating from Ohio State where I studied mostly
Philosophy and Communication. I became the Rush
Chairman of my fraternity in College, and I decided
the best way to recruit new members to the frat
was to throw the biggest parties imaginable. I had
seventy-five kegs on the lawn and hired Acoustic
Hookah to play. Over three thousand people showed
up. The party was such a success that after it,
the college outlawed keg parties - using my party
as an example! So naturally I saw a way to throw
great parties for the adult industry incorporating
in live music. Everyone thinks I am just into hip-hop,
but from previous experience I have booked Soundgarden,
Primus and other rock bands. Hip-Hop makes the most
sense because of the low overhead costs. Rock bands
require lots of equipment & gear and that all
adds up.
P.W: Which hip-hop acts cost you the most to
book?
D$:
Snoop Dogg, he also had the most requests for performing.
What I do to save on overhead is put a whole package
together for the performers. For example if the
artist were charging a certain figure to perform
I would close the deal at a higher amount and that
would include all their hotel and transportation
costs for the event. Then, really all I end up having
to spend money on are the drinks and food backstage.
The
O.G playa Snoop!
P.W:
What is a realistic figure if you want to book
a mainstream hip-hop artist?
D$:
It really varies on the artist, but if they are
on the charts and have a lot of hits it can cost
quite a bit. If you want to do an old-school Hip-Hop
show you can get off paying a lot less money. Old-school
hip-hop can be the best bang for the buck. The reason
I book Digital Underground as my house band is that
they were a predominant hip-hop act from an era
that my crowd can relate to. Everyone knows “Freaks
of the Industry” and dances wild to it. It’s
a great way to start off the Player's Ball.
P.W:
Is it tough to book Hip-Hop acts?
D$:
It is not easy to book any of these guys because
rap stars are very prone to be used in the movies,
even more than rock stars. They are usually waiting
to see if a movie deal might be going through, so
it is hard for me to try and book these guys two
months in advance. Since the rap stars can get million
dollar deals for movies, it makes more sense for
them in a business perspective to take a movie deal
over the Player's Ball.
P.W:
Do you go straight to the artist or do you have
a middleman broker the deal?
D$:
It is important to have middlemen for these artist
management companies to take you seriously. First,
I found a website that had great industry contact
info and looked up every artist I could on it. Snoop
Dogg, Redman, Busta Rhymes, etc. After I collected
the information, I found a company to help book
the acts that had done a lot of deals with the hip-hop
world. I met a guy out of Nashville and I use him
for every Player’s Ball. He hammers the deal
with these acts. It's definitely worth it for me
to pay the extra costs for a broker and get their
help with the talent booking.
Yo dog,
Nashville?
P.W:
How much money do you make off of the Player's
Ball?
D$:
Right now I break even. I have a problem making
money off the party from my industry and keeping
it. This is a private party for the adult industry,
but in the future I would like to package the Players
Ball as a concert tour. Also another idea is to
create a “Girls Gone Wild” type of video
from the footage we shoot.
P.W:
How long do you want to keep putting on the
Player’s Ball?
D$:
I do the event for exposure in the adult industry,
I am not really a concert promoter. I enjoy doing
the Player’s Ball and people come up to me
all the time and say that was the best party they’d
ever been to. But it is a lot of work (a lot of
work!) and can be a real pain in the ass, but it’s
worth it. But in the future to keep the Player’s
Ball going it needs to make me money.
Plenty
of Hot babes at the Players Ball!!
P.W:
How do you advertise the Player’s Ball?
D$:
I have never done a press release. It really is
a great story, and I always ask how people find
out about the party if there is no advertising.
But every year bigger celebrities and stars show
up. I have had heavyweight boxers, a member of That
Seventies Show, and even the creators of a popular
animated show on Comedy Central. You never know
who will be in the house.
P.W:
Isn’t there a Pimp and Ho party already?
How is this different?
D$:
I really respect the real pimps that paved the way
for me, and I don’t want them to think I am
making fun of the idea of being a pimp. In fact,
I have gotten the respect of such legendary pimps
as Don 'Magic' Juan for putting on the Player’s
Ball. When I dress 'pimp' I don’t wear funny
hats, to me the idea of the pimp has changed and
I look at the 'pimp' as "representing".
In the adult entertainment industry, the girls are
getting paid to have sex. The only difference is
they sign model releases and it’s in front
of the camera. But the game of the pimp is not dead
- it’s just changing. My saying is “Pimping
ain’t dead, it’s on the mother fucking
web.”
Two real
players!
P.W:
What advice would you offer another promoter
to pull off a major event?
D$:
Leave yourself a buffer. Whenever I put on an event
I allow for extra money that may need to be spent.
Something will always come up and you'll be screwed
if you cannot cover extra expenses. Throw the party
that you’d want to attend! I have always been
able to prove myself by doing the party I wanted
to do, and now that I have booked Xzibit, Snoop
Dogg & lots of major acts nobody doubts me anymore.
Most importantly, make sure the act you book is
the vibe you are looking for the party.
P.W:
What books are you currently reading?
D$:
Well, my reading entails bettering myself so mainly
marketing techniques, influencing people or about
advancements in technology.
P.W:
If you could meet one person from history dead
or alive who would it be?
D$:
Russell Simmons, because he is so known in the hip-hop
world and has been able to cross-market very successfully.
Everything he touches turns to gold.
P.W:
So what improvements do you see needed in the
future for The Player’s Ball?
D$:
I spend time trying to evolve it and getting the
party to next level. As far as the performance goes,
that does not need to improve. I have had Snoop
Dogg, and this year I am featuring great acts including
Xzibit, Digital Underground, and Ice-T as the MC.
What I see that needs to improve is the organization
of the party - how you get the passes out, how you
get the V.I.P’s out, the operations of it
all. This needs to become a smooth, well-oiled machine.
P.W:
When and where is this years event?
D$
The Player's Ball is on January 8th in Las Vegas
at the Venetian Hotel.
P.W.: Can anyone attend it? What are the costs?
D$: Since the event falls on the last day of the
Expo, most of the attendees are adult industry players.
Anyone can attend, but they'd need to buy a ticket.
There is more info online at http://www.theplayersball.com.
I like it when people who are not in my industry
check it out.
P.W: And lastly, what do you think of those
Crazy Publicity Whores who put you up to this interview?
D$:
Great name. I like the edgy articles and
people who call it like they see it. Just get out
to Vegas, it's gonna be off the hook.
PW: Hey, you can count on that D$. Just don't
get pissed if all the girls are hanging onto Josh
"J-Boogie" Banks. You know, he always
scores all the chicks!
FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE
PLAYER'S BALL & TO ORDER TICKETS VISIT: http://www.theplayersball.com
&
READ THE EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW
WITH MONEY B AND CLEE FROM DIGITAL UNDERGROUND -
PERFORMING AT THE PLAYER'S BALL:
http://www.publicitywhore.com/pwblast27/OTW/ss.html
