When I was told last November that kava bars are full of fabulous, yet delusional, disingenuous people, drama & chaos, I wanted to turn a third eye blind and sit back to watch a potentially great show. It took me a few months to observe the first kava bar I ever stepped foot into, but ultimately I met many crazy/beautiful characters daily and I began thinking of my previous boss I worked for in production, for shows on SPIKE TV, CW, Bravo and MTV, just to name a few.

I was a casting director for a well known company in Los Angeles, California, but I started at their satellite office in Boulder, Colorado. Believe it or not, I don’t announce or talk about everything I do behind the scenes. I know how this world works, so hey, I worked in development for unscripted programs and reality tv from 2013-2017. Some of the shows I casted for were Bar Rescue, Naked & Afraid, Barmeggedeon, Million Dollar Listing and Catfish. I eventually began traveling to LA to work there and be in the scene, learning a great deal surrounding the world of reality television.

I reached out to Jackson just a few months ago in March and told him all about the dramatic, tacky, sociopathic and wonderful people I met at the new kava bars I was doing social media & marketing for. He was beyond entertained and asked me to start sending videos to him of the bars I frequented to regularly. So not only was I getting paid to take pictures and videos for the company I worked and played at, but I was also getting fantastic B-roll for content for a possible reality show centered on me, the employees and my tribe. In addition to sending Jackson footage of my nights at the bars, I worked with him to determine who we would make the main cast members of the possible series, the stars if you will. A few of you know who you are. *anyone who I’ve spent many hours, nights, had numerous conversations and hangouts with over the past SE7EN months are not being referred to in this article. I don’t talk shit about my friends that I’ve developed relationships with, nor acquaintances who are warm & genuine* “what’s in the box?” Brad Pitt.

Since I naturally stand out in a crowd and am a tremendously social dude, I was starting to hear ridiculous rumors from random people talking mad shit about everyone I knew, especially people these naysayers called their own friends. Distributors not staying in their own lanes, strangers coming to me spewing their miserable life dramatics onto me as if I were seriously invested & “HR” trying to school me on what’s quality content, plus what smart decisions should be made. Those were just some of the circus theatrics I encountered everyday. I was a human resources director for Ralph Lauren for several years; I think I know what I’m doing, in addition to being the social media manager for Orangetheory Fitness for four years.

After getting really close to pitching my idea to several networks with Jackson, I was fucking fired for literally telling my supervisor to stop berating myself and my colleagues. I told her straight up how it was and I received a phone call the next day telling me I was canned. Constantly validating yourself in front of your peers out loud is not cute. Success and confidence is quiet, not vocalized daily.

From slow service and certain kavatenders always inventing charges to my tab of drinks I did not consume, fake, two-faced buffoons spreading lies and inaccuracies of people they claim to love and constantly being watched, makes me extremely grateful for the exit from that business. Could you imagine if what all I described here was captured on camera? This could have been a fucking goldmine. Drama, drama drama, huh? Such a shame, but trust you me, a second season is brewing.

📸 @tenor