NYC's 30 Under 30: Meet Gotham's Game-Changers
The Nightlife King: Matt Kliegman
If you've lived in NYC for the past three years, you've had a Matt Kliegman-sponsored good time. This nightlife impresario certainly knows how to orchestrate just the right vibe — as the owner of eatery/general store/takeaway joint The Smile, Kliegman, along with co-founder Carlos Quirarte, created an insta-downtown hangout, attracting hipster celebs like Terry Richardson, Kim Gordon, and Nate Lowman. The crowd (and Mary-Kate and Ashley) followed him to the The Jane Ballroom, where the buzz was so strong (and the music so pumping), a drama unfolded with disgruntled neighbors that dominated the blogosphere for months. Undaunted, Kliegman imported his disco chemistry set to Westway, a revamped strip club that's hosted both almost-naked exotic dancers and Valentino singing karaoke on the same seedy-chic disco stage. While we're not normally known to get happy with a brass pole, who else but Kliegman could give us NSFW-ish Facebook pics that we're hesitant to delete from our feed?
Hair by Sera Sloane Bishop, makeup by Erin Green and Tiffany Patton.
in NYC