We were lucky to catch up with Jamie Minotti recently and have shared our conversation below.
Jamie, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?
It was a music festival at sea, produced with my business partner, blending a variety of music genres and worlds that featured everyone from The Flaming Lips and G Love to Slightly Stooped and beyond that actually began to start the idea behind My Yard Live Beer Co. This was before festivals blended genres and communities so it was a bit before its time as was My Yard Live Beer Co. From that event, we dove into event production and ultimately started Alternative Power Productions (APP), which specialized in solar powered staging, sound, lighting and event production services. We worked with everyone from ESPN and Disney, to Vans Warped Tour. We found that younger families were looking for things to do together and beginning to integrate into the event space. As the larger event production industry transitioned, we realized there was an opportunity for a project that encompassed all the things we love and care about most—family, community, live entertainment, food and, of course, beer.
Jamie, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
My background and education is actually in teaching and working with community-based organizations that serve people that have traditionally been underrepresented. Straight out of college, I enrolled in a program called Americorps VISTA—a yearlong volunteer program similar to the Peace Corps, where I found myself in California. Years later I began to work in the entertainment and event industry where I founded artist management and event production companies. With My Yard Live Beer Co., we set out to create an experiential, family friendly, community-based concept that would change the way people had known breweries and restaurants previously. My Yard Live Beer Co. has afforded me the ability to blend my personal and professional interests that had seemed to live in isolation in the past.
How’d you meet your business partner?
Mark McLarry, my business partner, and I met in 2005 surrounding an event that we ultimately produced together. Xingolati, was an event well before its time that blended various communities, demographics, genres of music and interests in a 3 day festival on a cruise ship. A friend of mine and I had been working on the concept loosely but after meeting Mark the event took on a life it didn’t have prior. From that point Mark and I worked together in the event industry opening what ultimately became the largest solar powered even production company in the World, Alternative Power Productions.
Can you talk to us about how your side-hustle turned into something more.
As I mentioned previously, my background and education are actually in teaching and working with non profit and community based organizations. While I also had a passion for music I was never a great musician. I did however know how to manage people, book, promote as well as produce events. While working a full time job I continued to follow my passion in events and entertainment, and eventually started an artist management company. The Madero Group—loosely named after my grandfather’s favorite word, “moderation” in Italian—managed a variety of national and international bands and DJs. From there I transitioned into event consulting and production full time as well.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.myyardlive.com
- Instagram: myyardlive
- Facebook: myyardlive
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamietminotti/