• by Kelly Samardak , May 14, 2010

Madhouse Inc. Tiki Party, 240 Madison Ave, New York
May 11, 2010

Tuesday night I was at a Tiki party up there yonder on the hill of Madison and 39th ish. I've become addicted to "9 By Design," (because really, I need more TV to watch) so now every time I set foot into a unique NYC space I compare it to the show. The Madhouse and Mediatronica digs could also use a zip line up to the Empire State Building. Read on, friends!

I arrived to discover that this shindig was spread across three floors. The 12th would later play host to a performance by music+video mashup dj duo Eclectic Method, who seem to be appearing at every digital media event known to (wo)man. They must be the only DJs with a publicist like Jeff "jahfurry" Newelt, who, if you've ever met him, bleeds short, hot pitches. The 13th floor hosted hot plates, which barfed out delicious pulled pork sliders, wings of the clucker, and something else. The 13th floor is also where I met comic book nerd and PR tornado at Mark Batty Publisher, Adri Cowan. She's constantly slinging book parties and signings and hosts Comic Book Brunch.  

I also ran into writer Michael Malice up in the pulled pork area, who is always good for snarky belly laughs about everything from summer camp, to Harry Potter, to unnamed foot/toe disorders. We headed up on the 14th floor/penthouse, where a delicious fire was blazing near a huge lit-up electronic board of buttons. Out the doors was the wood-floored deck space that basked in the light of the Empire State Building, which, thanks to the magic of Google, we discovered was purple for either premature babies or NYU commencement, depending on which web source you use.

Lee Sharfstein, Executive Producer of haroldgroup.com, was hurriedly (but with quality, I'm sure!) wrapping up his workday, but stopped by to talk my ear off about the hosts of the party. I also met Madhouse housemoms Rob Tortoriello and Craig Warnick, as well as Greg Deocampo, head of MadLabs, which must be in the basement surrounded by burbling green beakers. 

I also met Anthony Lappe, one of two guys behind graphic novel "Shooting War," a "satire of the occupation in Iraq," according to Publishers Weekly. Anthony ran away quickly after AttentionPR's Karen Ram and I drilled him tirelessly about the future of it (book to movie, etc). Curiosity only killed one of the cat's lives, you know.

While lingering near the Brooklyn Lager keg that was nesting by the tiki bar, I met Eli Chapman of Mediatronica, who captivated us with the story of their occupation of offices that were once home to an email marketing company. When they investigated the conference room, a whiteboard still stood littered with formulas and guidelines. Scrawled across the top were the words, "THE MODEL DOESN'T WORK". Eerie, considering that, when the company left, they evaporated leaving behind bikes and probably their email marketing souls. It was only fitting that it was in that room we were party to a super secret Absinthe tasting. I still don't like it, but when mixed with ice cream in a float sort of way, it isn't as putrid. 

Up on the roof, I accosted voiceover talent Jeff Bottoms, who was kind enough to read a script for me. He's the voice of the "next on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives!" guy who gets you all lathered up about fat dudes and burritos. Of course he was hanging out with Food Network Engineer of Awesome (this is what I wrote in my notes, people), Neil Perry.

With a few sips of Absinthe in my belly, a small dose of Eclectic Method in my eyes (next time, face the speakers out to the guests, not to the livestream camera!), and only one encounter with a party downer, who rather than stepping out of a photo, made a big deal about not wanting to be in the photo, I headed out into the night. The goal was for a good night's sleep before OMMA Mobile and the MediaPost Digital Out of Home Forum and Awards, whose photos you will find over in our official events Flickr collection in the coming days.

Larger photos are up in Just An Online Minute's Flickr, with more to come!

Send party/event invitations to kelly@mediapost.com!