Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Misty Mansouri. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Misty, thanks so much for taking the time to share your insights and lessons with us today. We’re particularly interested in hearing about how you became such a resilient person. Where do you get your resilience from?
My resilience came from making my way in life young. I didn’t have a lot of guidance, and I didn’t Really even have a plan. or a clear path. I started in Hospitality for survival and found my passion and a way to thrive in many forms of Hospitality along the way. When I started in Hospitality 30 years ago there weren’t really many woman in the space. For years I felt like I was going to a knife fight on a daily basis. However I somehow managed to get back up, find my power and go back to battle.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
Misty Mansouri is a native to Los Angeles and a mother to one son. With more than two decades of experience in nightlife, experiential marketing, design and hospitality, Mansouri is recognized as an industry leader. She has been part of the footprint of LA nightlife, events, and hospitality, establishing herself in venues such as Club Lingerie, Nacional, The Palm and H.Wood. In 2004, Mansouri opened the first MEGA venue in Los Angeles, the VANGUARD, and she was the driving force behind it being the biggest and most successful venue in the Los Angeles area at that time – Making it become known for being a pioneer of electronic music, paving the way for some of the biggest DJ’S in the world, while also offering patrons a first class experience. Misty spearheaded multiple design changes during her 9 years at Vanguard. Vanguard ultimately became recognized as a premium event space as a result of Mansouri’s efforts, hosting events for clients like Disney, T-mobile, Fear factor, E3, Grammys, City Galas, Red Bull, Flaunt Magazine, Vice, Hennessy, Absolute… Just to name a few. In 2010, she launched the boutique, high-end and exclusive venue, AGENCY. With nearly 20 years of experience in day-to-day operations, familiarity and established relationships with city officials, marketing and promotions, she was an invaluable part of the team’s success. In 2013, she founded Xperiment along with Gilles Amallam and Jake Saady, where they partnered with Sofitel Hotel driving Riviera31, & Esterel, as well as THE BASEMENT Hollywood. Their work included redesigning the hotel’s lounge and restaurant, menus, marketing and PR, in addition to all operations, programming events and talent daily, making Sofitel a 5-star destination. In 2015, Mansouri launched Opus76 – A full-service hospitality company, providing consulting, event production. design, staffing and venue partnerships. Opus 76 has managed events for clients such as: Uber Eats, Red Bull, Happy Socks, Get Out, Snoop and Martha’s PotLuck, Sports Spectacular, Adidas. Other notable projects and clients included, but were not limited to: the launch screening of # US , Zero gravity Coachella, Avicii’s private events, social nightlife Beacher’s Madhouse, DKNY, Grammy events, EDC, Oscar events, Golden Globes, Starz Network, VIDA Premier, AMAZON Rap Rotation, the design launch of HBO’S EUPHORIA, and other countless high-end private events. Mansouri grew up in restaurants – Her father was a restaurateur, her step-father an executive chef, and her mother also worked in restaurants throughout her lifetime as well. That said, Misty spent her childhood submerged in the restaurant business. Owning a restaurant had always been a dream for her. After living on the east side for the last 15 years, she has successfully launched her first solo project in the neighborhood of Echo Park – Right down the street from where she lived for years… Lady Byrd Cafe!
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Communicating affectively. Not allowing your emotions to control your decision making in the moment. Give yourself time to zoom out and look from a wider lens. The Most important thing is having passion and love for anything you do in life. My advice for folks is to do the work. Really focus and develop your skills early on because it will help in the long run to handle the curveballs as they come. Once you own you’re skills, no one can take them from you.
To close, maybe we can chat about your parents and what they did that was particularly impactful for you?
I was always able to be my most authentic self.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://ladybyrdcafe.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ladybyrdcafe/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ladybyrdcafe/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/misty-mansouri-ab46827b/
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/lady-byrd-cafe-los-angeles
