Planning a primo party

It's Saturday night and you've decided to accompany a few of your friends to a party. The shindig is being held at a friend's house, and by the time you arrive the place is hoppin' with drunken revelry. After muscling your way through a shoulder-to-shoulder crowd and nearly falling on your face after tripping over a piece of furniture, you finally make your way to that permanent party staple: the keg. But after downing several cups of the golden brew, you find yourself waiting in a bathroom line so long that you begin to worry about either seriously damaging your bladder or finding the nearest potted plant that needs watering.\nWe're all familiar with this typical party scenario, but what if we could throw our own parties in the nightclubs of Bloomington where there's room for everyone to really let loose? James Feeley, an IU junior who has experience in promoting big-time parties, proves it is possible for anyone with the right ideas, who knows the right people and has enough money, to create his or her own night of crazy partying that will have people talking for weeks.\nFeeley, the self-proclaimed "Van Wilder" of IU, says he has thrown more than 2,000 parties in his hometown of Chicago, Bloomington and at many other Big Ten campuses. He got his start in high school and has continued through his college career, finding his party niche in Bloomington after transferring from DePauw University two years ago, throwing parties at Vertigo, Kilroy's Sports, Axis and the Bluebird.\n"I would never have expected it to get to this level," he says. "You just take it one step at a time and it keeps getting bigger and bigger." \nOn Dec. 7, Feeley, working under the name of Obsession 5, will bring his talents to Axis. He says he hopes to transform the club into a trendy lounge atmosphere where students can dance, but also have places to sit and get to know people. \n"Axis is a great venue, but no one's really using the space properly," Feeley says. "I'm excited to give everybody something different on this campus. I want to give them something that they're going to be in complete awe about."\nKen Nickos, general manager at Axis, says he thinks this party will be a winning situation for both his club and for Feeley. Nickos says Axis hasn't had a very good reputation with students and hopes Feeley can bring something fresh to his club.\n"He knows a lot of people on campus and has a lot of connections with the greek population," Nickos says. "He's got a really good idea of what it takes to make the night run smoothly and draw people in."\nSo maybe you've got the ambition, but you'll need money to back it. Feeley says it can cost up to $10,000 to rent a club for a night, so just like any business, there is a fair amount of risk involved. Feeley fronts the money for the rentals from his personal savings, but says that every party he's thrown has been profitable.\nAs one might imagine, the clubs are going to be pretty scrupulous with who they let take control of their venue for an evening. After all, their reputation is at stake. Knowing this, when Feeley moved to Bloomington, he met with the managers of all the major clubs in town and formally introduced himself to help get his foot in the door. The next step was to convince them that he was the man they were looking for to bring great parties to their clubs.\nNickos says he is willing to work with people who can bring new elements to his club, but he needs to have reason to believe the collaboration will be good for business.\n"You have to have people that have connections, know the right people and have good ideas," he says.\nGetting the word out about a party is key, and Feeley says this is the most important part of his job. Since he is a member of the student body, Feeley says that he has a good idea of what the students are looking for when they want to party. To promote his upcoming party, he met with social chairs from many of the greek houses and spread hundreds of flyers throughout campus. He also says that having a good reputation for throwing great parties is essential to getting people at your event.\nNickos says he has seen parties bomb because the promoters didn't do their job properly.\n"I've seen people spend $10,000 on a DJ before and 100 people show up because word just didn't get out," he says.\nMusic is another crucial piece to the party puzzle. After all, what is a party without good music? Feeley, who has five years experience under his belt, will be manning the turntables at his party along with longtime partner, Eddie Silverman. Silverman has been with Feeley from the start, but has since graduated and moved to Chicago as a financial advisor. He says he is thrilled to be returning to the scene with Feeley.\n"It's like we're one DJ with four hands," Silverman says. "We just know how to read each other's thoughts. I love nothing more than getting behind the turntables with him and doing what we do best. We just flow."\nFeeley had it easy when selecting his DJ, since he'd worked with him for years. For those of us who don't have DJ friends, there are certain things to look for in selecting the right DJ for the job. Feeley says that when interviewing prospective DJs, he asks them what three songs they would play to really get the crowd pumped. If they convince him that they have extensive knowledge of the current club scene, they've got themselves a gig.\nSo why does he do it? With all the time and effort that goes into promoting his own party coupled with his schoolwork, Feeley has a lot on his plate. But when he talks about his parties, there is an unmistakable fire in his eyes. Feeley says that the thrill of giving people the chance to really let loose and have a good time is worth the effort, even if there were no profit to gain. He says that the success of the party is rewarding enough for him.\n"When people leave, I just want then to be like, 'Wow! That was incredible. I had a great time,'" he says. "I want them to walk out thinking that they had a great time and eager to know when the next one is"