Looking for a good time? Dynamic duo Flash Hansen and Matty Boy Hazelgrove have raised the bar in entertainment events here in Hawaii. From upscale events at the Sheraton Waikiki’s Hanohano Room to Cancun-style festivities at Señor Frog’s, these boys bring a certain vibe to the nightlife scene.
Their company, F&M for Flash and Matty Boy, handles promotions, marketing, and production for nightlife events. It may be a socialite’s dream job, but there’s a lot of hard work that goes into making sure the party stays hot. “People seem to think we have all this time during the day, like we wake up at 2 p.m. or something. Actually, most of what we do happens during the daytime. When we get to one of our events at night, a majority of the work is done,” states Hansen.
Hansen and Hazelgrove average anywhere from two to five meetings a day and their job duties entail everything from conceptualizing an event to booking venues and entertainment, getting sponsors, and cutting radio scripts; not to mention a massive amount of guerilla marketing. “We’re big believers in customer service,” says Hansen. The partners always try to make time to shake hands, and mingle with the crowd. “We’ve made a lot of friendships this way” adds Hazelgrove. If you choose to book a table, or are ordering a bottle, one of them is sure to check in with you to make sure everything is up to par.
So how did this power team come about? Hansen, having worked in the club industry for years and born and raised in Hawaii, was already well known around the community. Hazelgrove had just moved to the Islands from Georgia and was looking for work. His brother was the one who got him in touch with Flash. “The first job he offered me was selling hot dogs outside the Wave,” Hazelgrove chuckles, “I was way to shy to be the hot-dog boy though. I turned the offer down.” Hazelgrove kept pursuing extra work with Hansen and from very humble beginnings was promoted to Hansen’s assistant, and now, partner. The pair seem to balance each other out: Hazelgrove being the more creative partner and Hansen, the more detailoriented. They bounce ideas off each other all of the time, constantly looking for ways to top the last event. “You end up spending a lot of time on something that doesn’t ever see the light of day. Whether it be that we don’t have the budget or the venue postpones it,” says Hansen.
The creative ideas for new events are inspired by what they, personally, would really enjoy. They’re always looking to do what no one else has done before. This past New Year’s Eve, they took over the entire W hotel! It went so well that plans for next year are in effect and will probably be even more elaborate.
Working long, hard hours, and not being afraid to fail, has paid off for these young professionals. Hansen offers that, when an event doesn’t go well, they try to not dwell on the failure. “Take it well, have a good time with friends and see what you can do better next time, but always expect to have a success.”
So where is the party at? Their most popular event would have to be the famed Skyline, which is on the first and third Saturday of each month at the Sheraton Waikiki’s Hanohano room. It’s about to hit its four-year anniversary on Saturday, June 7. They will be celebrating this success with the annual white party. All who attend must wear white to get in. New to Flash & Matty is Candy Bar every Friday at Pearl, and Oceanfront every 2nd and 4th Saturday at Rumfire. They’ve also expanded the F&M party scene to Kauai where they present “Release” every Friday at The Point at the Sheraton Kauai; flying gogo dancers and DJs to Kauai as they bring the Honolulu party vibe they’ve created outer-island.
