wordplay by Samantha Donen
images by MLAPhotonix.com

“It is not easy to get 500 to 5000 people to do anything,” says JFly co-owner JJ Walker. “It is a lot of strategic planning. As a party promoter, it is not all fun and games. Your work day starts at 9 a.m. You handle all the back-end stuff and marketing that no one ever sees. Then you are out at your events running them.”

In the last 6 months, JFly Presents has grown from a once a month events company into one of the most in demand promotion teams in Denver. “It started in January when we were first approached by Tabu to do a weekly gig on Fridays,” says Walker. “After our success in running a weekly night at Tabu, we were approached by Hush, and then Jet Hotel.” Walker says that in less than two months they went from promoting one night a week to four nights.

While JFly was developing their weekly events, co-owner Jeremy Ostermiller kept his attention on booking national talent for their monthly events. “Everything has been done to some degree,” says Ostermiller. “You figure out what works best and do it better.” Ostermiller also handles the local talent buying and booking for national performance artists coming through Colorado. These Front Range and Colorado jaunts usually contain four to five club or venue appearances.

The recent success of their MTV Real World Party at Vinyl has prompted a Real World National Tour that will be run by JFly. “The concept is a live Real World Gone Wild Party,” says Ostermiller,” hosted by eight Real World cast members.” Real World Denver cast members on board include Jason from Laguna Hills, John and Lana from Key West, Casey from Fresh Meat, and more! According to Ostermiller, the fun will begin this fall at college campuses across the nation.

Another new development for JFly is the launch of Fly Vision Marketing. “Companies today are having a hard time reaching the 18 to 35 demographic we cater to,” says Walker. “Our demographic grew up with mass marketing and our eyes are trained to avoid it. Fly Vision offers alternate marketing solutions with non-traditional strategies.”

These two young entrepreneurs got started in Centennial, Colorado and although attending rival high schools, Walker at Eagle Crest and Ostermiller at Smoky Hills, decided they should be friends so they could go to each other’s parties. Entertainment and event coordination was always at the forefront of their mutual interests. “We were like Van Wilder in High School,” says Ostermiller asWalker laughs.  Their friendship continued into college, where they both studied Public Relations at Fort Collins’ Colorado State University.  “After we got evicted the third time for throwing a 1000 plus building party,” says Walker, “We decided that we can’t live together but we can still throw parties.”

Thus, their first business partnership was born, the Fort Collins-based 'Party Around Town'. “In the beginning it was all about naked girls, good DJ’s, and big house parties,” says Walker, “After we booked our first club gig, we realized that there was a lot of money to be made promoting parties.” Ostermiller added.  “We realized then that we were a legitimate business with the networks we had developed.”

By the time the duo graduated with their degrees, they had paid their way through college throwing parties, promoted successful national parties with national acts, and developed a network that far surpassed a start-up company.

In 2002, they relocated to Denver with the intention of “creating events that give people the opportunity to break free from their everyday life.” It was then that they created JFly Presents. “We named it J because both our names start with J and Fly,” Walker paused,” because you know when someone says you're ‘fly’?”

“Being a young company is not easy,” says Walker, “but this is our home. We grew up here. We liked high school. Our core group of friends goes back 10 to 15 years ago.” Even though JFly plans to branch out to San Diego and Vegas, they will always remain a Colorado-based company. “The nice thing we have here is the support of our friends and family. As we piggy back off people who are already succeeding in other cities, we will be able to offer the same support for them in Colorado.”

For the future, Ostermiller says, “We want to create a concert division that rivals Live Nation, promotions that will dominate the club scene, and have Fly Vision be the largest database in the nation for the 18 to 35 demographic.”  Walker added, "We strongly believe we can be the next Barry Fey and Chuck Morris promoters for Colorado’s next generation.”

JFly Presents is all about creating events that give people an opportunity to break free from their everyday life.

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