How long have you lived in Atlantic City?
I moved to the area from Bucks County, PA in 1981. Some musician friends of mine were living in an 8-bedroom home in Ventnor and threw a great Super-Bowl party (Eagles/Oakland). I met a lot of great people there who were new to the area and drawn to AC because of the gambling boom and the work opportunities. The excitement of being part of something brand new was very appealing. After many beers (yes, and shots) I committed to renting one of the bedrooms before the party was over and never looked back. I currently reside in Smithville.

Are you married? Children?
Married for 18 years to a beautiful and talented vocalist, Lori Dobson. She’s an incredible wife, mom, friend and artist.  The house also holds great boy’s, Colin (18), Ian (14) and Evan (6) (my Irish mafia). They’re incredible kids and make me proud every day.

What do like most about Atlantic City?  
The restaurant, entertainment and retail choices the city now has to offer. The growth, particularly in the past couple years, is absolutely amazing and it gets better everyday. We are witnessing a once-in-a-lifetime transformation. Enjoy.

Describe your perfect day in Atlantic City.  
An early day on the beach, followed by an Imax movie with the family, dropping the kids off at a friend’s house, and my wife and I joining some friends at one of the Beach/Deck Bars (love them all), followed by a great dinner (ditto on the restaurants) and ending up in the VIP section of the Casbah Club.

What originally brought you to AC?  
Looking for work in the entertainment business. I was fortunate enough to work with Michael Pedicin Jr. who had a company called Bayshore Music in the 80’s. Mike provided me with a great opportunity to really learn and understand Atlantic City’s entertainment scene. It was very different from the original music scene that I had come from.

Where do you see the city in 10 years? 
I see the city reaching it’s goal of being a true destination resort (by Atlantic City standards). I don’t think it will be the 7-day/week-long customer, but it will be a solid 3 or 4 days over the weekends, with convention business having a greater impact on the weekdays. The quality of the overall gambling resort experience will be hitting on all cylinders and the city will be offering a tremendous escape for its customers. This is a very exciting place to be right now with the opening of The Quarter at the Tropicana, and the upcoming opening of The Pier at Caesars, the expansion of Harrah’s properties and the Trump property renovations and expansions in the work. This is an exciting time, but it will be even more exciting in ten years.

What is your part in getting there?  
We take great pride in delivering quality entertainment that truly makes an impact on the energy and excitement meter of any casino hotel. We say no to a lot of entertainers looking for opportunities in Atlantic City. If it's not something special or doesn't stand out, it's not for us. This discretion has served us well. Your cover story last month was "Burlesque is Back". We believe this is true and are currently shopping a Burlesque style review that we found in New York called Wondergirlz, choreographed by Emmy nominated choreographer (Michael Jackson) Brian Thomas. We believe it fits our criteria of being very special and will be a good Atlantic City attraction. Continuing to bring new and exciting entertainment products to Atlantic City is our contribution to the City reaching its goals.

What's your favorite casino and why? 
This is simply impossible to answer because there are so many choices today and I like each one for different reasons. It’s simply impossible to come into this city and not have a great time. The crazy thing is the choices are growing every day at an incredible pace. That’s a big win for everybody.

What three words describe Atlantic City best?  
Here’s two: 'Something For Everyone' or 'Lots of Possibilities'

Dealer shows 17 you've got a pair of 8s - how do you play them? Split them and order a drink.

What’s your favorite part about being in the entertainment business? 
The people on both sides of the table: the talent and the buyers. When I watch a performer like magician, Jeff McBride work his craft on stage, it’s impossible to not be awed by his talent. But when you hang out with this person after the show you realize they’re equally impressive off stage. I have a tremendous amount of respect for anyone that can make a living as a performer. It’s never an easy road. I have found that the one’s that survive have a lot to offer on and off the stage.

The buyers are interesting people as well. I think you have to be a little crazy to work in this business. I always say we work hard and we play hard too. We all got to this place taking different paths, but we often have some common history or experiences. It’s a great club to be a part of and I respect and appreciate the friendships and working relationships I have. To me that’s really what it is all about.

What makes the Casbah dancers so special? 
They’re everything you want in a dancer: beautiful, sexy and exceptionally talented with tons of personality in their style. There’s also this intangible that we call the 'it' factor. When they step on stage, you can’t take your eyes off them. There’s a spark, an energy and attraction that draws you in. You know instantly the one’s that have 'it' and the one’s that don’t. Steve Gietka, the Vice President of Entertainment for the Trump Properties has been very instrumental in the success of this program. Steve was very particular about what he wanted for the club and he set the standard very high. Our job is to simply maintain that vision. With the help of my coordinator, Victoria Shubayeva, we hold auditions throughout the year in New York, Philadelphia and Atlantic City as well as scouting in other markets on a regular basis. Eighty-five dancers showed up at our audition in New York last month and we walked out of there with 3 new dancers that we will try out in the club. Hopefully 2 of them will make the program. Were back to quality again, and those are the kind of odds when discovering exceptional talent. One last plug for our dancers: every traveling DJ that comes to the Casbah goes way out of his or her way to let us know that they have never performed with this kind of dance talent in any of the clubs they have performed. These are DJ’s who perform all over the U.S and abroad. Many of our dancers have toured or continue to tour with artists like Madonna, Michael Jackson, P. Diddy (or is it just Diddy now), Ashanti, Sean Paul, Ciara, Eve, 50 Cent and many others. Nobody in the city can make that boast! they’re simply the best.