CPBS: Party Boats for Private Hire on London's River Thames

12th June 2007

Who are you and what do you do?

John Brownlie, Managing director of BeGoodMusic and JohnCharlesMedia.

How did you get involved in the Ents industry?

Back at University,  the weekend entertainment provision on campus was just a mindless diet of chart music being pedaled week in, week out. You could literally set your watch by what time a record came on at. So, in 1996, I taught myself to DJ, started buying house records and began running the Saturday nights to considerable success. I've worked in large scale events management since 1998 organising events up to 4,000 capacity and £200k budgets. Latterly, I now also work in film production, which I love.

How long have you been having boat parties?

I started BeGoodMusic in 2004 with my business partner and long term friend, Ryan Taylor. We  had our first one off boat party in July 2005, to a fantastic response.

How many do you generally have per year?

We hosted three sell out events in 2006 and have another three this year, 2007.

Which of our boats do you use and why?

We originally used the Sundance, for it's larger capacity, although this year, we're aboard the MV Golden Flame.

How much planning does it take to have a boat party?

The CPBS office handle the nuts and bolts of the bookings very quickly, so in terms of getting an event booked in, you can turn that around in two 'phone calls. Having said that, our events tend to be a little more complex than that. This year, we have associations with international companies for co promotions, after party link ups with a major London venue, two film crews on board including Ministry of Sound TV, live musicians, décor and photographers, all of which I've been working on for more than seven months. After all that, we're also the DJs on board, so there's lots to sort out with getting the music just right, especially as that's the main focus of our business. It's a 20 hour day. After the event ends, I'll edit somewhere in the region of 400 photographs before uploading our galleries to various websites and editing our own video footage. Once that's done, I start working on the next event (!)

Why do you like partying on the River Thames?

Where ever you travel in the world, it's hard to beat a summer's evening in London.

What is the music style of the parties?

For our boat parties, our style is funky, vocal house music. Good music "for your mind, body and soul."!

What type of crowd do you normally get?

We've had people from as far afield as Sheffield and Plymouth attend so it's a high profile night with wide appeal. We've been lucky to attract a great crowd of mainly young professionals who know their music and enjoy a good party!

Do you have an after party?

Yes, we've hosted after parties at The Cross and Pacha in the past. This year, we're delighted to be hosting all three of our after parties at that most legendary of British music establishments, The Ministry of Sound. We're hosting one of the rooms in Ministry and we're working alongside an all star cast of DJs this year including Joey Negro, Kenny Dope from Masters at Work, DJ Spen, Simon Dunmore, Steve Angello, Mark Knight, Joe T Vanelli and many more.

Apart from the Thames, what is your favourite place to party?

New York City. Although the terrace at Space Ibiza,  Opium Garden on South Beach Miami and the Southport Weekender back in Blighty are all pretty high contenders for the title.

What is your favourite London spot?

Richmond Park.

What is your most memorable boat party experience?

I think most of them have been edited into our previous films! Probably playing one of our biggest tracks of the evening as we pass underneath the floodlit Tower Bridge.. Seeing everyone out on deck, and on the bridge, waving at each other. It's " a moment "!

What are the details of your next party with Capital Pleasure Boats?

BeGood on the Thames – The London Boat Parties with Ministry of Sound – returns on Sat 23 June 2007, Sat 28 July 2007 and Sat 25 August 2007.

How do we purchase tickets?

Full details are on our website at www.begoodmusic.com or you can go direct to TicketWeb

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12th June . This interview is copyright Capital Pleasure Boats and may not be copied, quoted or distributed without the express permission of the author.