A Quizmaster’s Journey: The Road to Becoming a Professional Trivia Host in NYC

It’s NYU Commencement Day, and I find myself thinking back to exactly 9 years ago today, when I graduated from NYU’s Steinhardt School of Education & Stern School of Business, having completed a specialized master’s degree in Music & Entertainment Business. It’s been quite a long and adventuresome route I’ve taken since then to my current position producing corporate team building activities in New York City, and people always ask me: how did you get here?

9 years ago, with a bachelor’s in psychology already under my belt, I thought I was going to work in the music business. If you think the industry is in a tumultuous position now, however, just imagine what it was like in 2003: CD sales were plummeting as people turned to digital, with buyers heavily favoring downloaded singles over albums; record companies were consolidating; concert venues were starting to go corporate as well, with ticket prices sky high and tour dates being cancelled left and right. Oh, and we were in the throes of an economic recession to boot. Needless to say, my job prospects within the industry were bleak.

I certainly don’t want to bore you with the details of my career trajectory since then, so here is a quick snapshot of how I went from there, to here:

1. Spring 2003 – Winter 2004 – Helplessly unemployed, flat broke, and generally miserable

1. Winter 2004 – Spring 2006 – Falling back on previous experience within the sales/marketing, PR and concert industries, I worked for a number of large PR firms in Manhattan, where I received a crash course in the arts of time management and attention to detail, as well as providing excellent client service.

1. Spring 2006 – Winter 2012 – My passion for creating events & experiences led me to the 92nd Street Y, a major cultural & community center in Manhattan. Starting out as a program associate in the adult education division, I eventually worked my way up to director of all adult programs, developing and overseeing 500 annual events, classes & lectures offered through the institution.

1. Summer 2006 – Fall 2008 – While working full-time at 92Y, I also freelanced with a professional scavenger hunt company based here in NYC as both a hunt producer & guide (kind of random, I know – however, I used to write and produce scavenger hunts for my friends in high school & college, and figured there had to be a similar offering for corporate groups in NYC – and there was!). It was here where I really got a firsthand education in how to create & run team building events.

1. Summer 2006 – Spring 2011 – Not yet satisfied with a full time event planning job and a freelance corporate team building gig, I also found myself hosting a weekly pub quiz night at The Gael Pub, a just-opened Irish bar in Manhattan. To my utter surprise, it quickly turned into one of the best-attended, best-reviewed pub quiz nights in the city. I also eventually picked up another weekly gig at Social Bar & Lounge (which I still host), as well as a monthly gig at The Bell House in Brooklyn.

1. Fall 2007 – Winter 2009 – In the middle of all of this, I had the good fortune of being nominated by 92Y’s executive leadership to enroll in a special fellowship with Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA). Offered through the Picker Center for Executive Education, I received a graduate certificate in professional organizational leadership, as well as a firm understanding of the nature of how organizations work, management theory, and the driving forces behind effective employee motivation, recognition and reward.

1. Winter 2012 – Present – Now a self-employed entrepreneur, I have the unique privilege of operating NYC’s only corporate event entertainment & employee team building company specializing exclusively in live trivia.

Quite a journey indeed – and it all started 9 years ago today, when I, too, received my diploma from NYU.

Go Violet!