Meet Michele Bazin | Event Producer, Host & Graphic Designer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Michele Bazin and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Michele, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
The fluidity of the artistic field drew me in while I was a college student sitting in my dorm realizing the realities of choosing a major, a career, and ultimately a life for myself. I romanticized getting paid to play: creating with no regard to a 9-5 schedule. I chose to study while working a ‘9-5’ job and managing events. In that time I became a self-taught graphic designer, out of necessity to produce event flyers despite not having a budget. The events made a little less than my job did, but in half the time. I continued to juggle school, work & entrepreneurship until about three years ago, when I was released from my job because I did not “fit the company culture”. Now, I have replaced my ‘9-5’ with a 3 day graphic design schedule, and have dedicated more time into my events. Without the confirmative stressors, time restrictions, and silencing of my previous job(s), I have become my most creative yet: managing 7 events per month and a growing design company. (And that’s just the tip of my ice berg! More is soon to come!)

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Events ‘Round The Way is a hospitality brand highlighting entertainment, food & beverage, and community in every experience. What sets us apart? The FOOD! I realized that most events in my area would have amazing talent and completely miss the mark on the food. From flavor to plating to serving of dishes, the culinary moral was lacking in the South Florida event scene. My immediate challenges when trying to revive (or create, rather) the love and appreciation for culinary art was finding chefs who still had their flame for it. To overcome this, I featured their dishes on my website, promoting them just as much, if not more, than the artists I book to perform in their restaurants. Instead of promoting “free drinks”, I market “GREAT FOOD”. It is not always about discounting things for guests. It is sometimes offering full price and making sure it is worth every penny. I choose to operate based on the latter. South Florida event goers accustomed to having lower expectations for “outside” food have come to expect a certain quality of cuisine and 5 star service at an Event ‘Round The Way.

Other problems I have bumped into along the way mirror those of most entrepreneurs: finding and maintaining a work-life balance, budgeting despite financial instability, avoiding/coping with/enduring depression, flat out unavoidable mistakes, and so on. Overcoming began with creating a detailed schedule * to-do lists, similar to the ones you would receive from a superior at a corporate office. When trying to budget, discipline and sacrifice were required. When depression reared its head, daily affirmations, “no work boost” activities (activities that make you feel accomplished without requiring real brain power, ie going to the gym). When it came to publicly and privately making mistakes, I overcame the shame by reminding myself how I applied what I learned from the last error(s), realizing that every stage of my career will be a learning curve that will require an adjustment. To overcome that is to accept it and allow myself to grow as gracefully as possible.

I want people to know that when attending an event ‘round the way, they aren’t just buying a ticket to a show. They are feeding local chefs, restauranteurs, visual and performance artists, vendors, and ME. Without them, my ideas and efforts would have no effect. Food and music is what brings people of all backgrounds together. I am proud that my brand offers the best of both and look forward to seeing how great of an impact it will have on the hospitality world for years to come!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
We must brunch in the city and across the bridge. So our first top, will be a tourist’s taste of Miami at BarOne, a black owned venue overlooking the water on South Beach. On Sunday we’ll brunch with Gingerbay Cafe, enjoying bottomless mimosas and some good up Caribbean food! We would have to grab some Wet Willies, the iconic drink stop and visit other tourist favorites nearby, like Bayside, Frost Science, Perez Art Museum. For the REAL MIAMI we would for sure have a foodie tour: Chef Creole, Dutch Pot AND Donnas, LC Roti Shop, Any Cuban Cuisine in Hialeah, and fine chicken wing dining in The Office or a cabaret of the like. The hidden gems…well I can’t put in a publication! Shh!!! However some definite fun would include a catamaran cruise, jet skis, indoor skydiving, and other activities

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I dedicate my shoutout to my family. They are the trilogy of my creativity! My mother being the one who showed me how to be powerful, yet grounded and calm. It is what prepared me to be a black, female creative professional in a marginalized industry. My Nana planted the seed of hospitality in me. She is why I pay extra close attention to details, courtesy, class, grace, and decor. My grandfather instilled the power of education and how far it could (and did) take me. He is also my spiritual foundation who opened my eyes to various denominations of christianity and other forms of religion at an early age, which is why travel, culture, and people have always been so intriguing to me. I am and will always be curios to learn more about the world and how I can be more than just another person in it.

Website: www.eventsroundtheway.com

Instagram: @eventsroundtheway

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michele-bazin-298612215/

Twitter: @eventsrtw

Facebook: www.facebook.com/eventsroundtheway

Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/user_details?userid=JHDHzjY7FRZQP9EibM3L7Q

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCscITq9zE28jdCHBTS_4i0Q/videos

Image Credits
@omnikrome @almeadia.art @capture_da_moment19 @early_portrairts