The Drunk Unkles, a popular band that started playing together informally more than a decade ago and features systems integrators, manufacturers and marketing people, will bring its unique musical talents to The Bitter End club in Greenwich Village on Nov. 5, again for a good cause.
The special event, sponsored by the NSCA Education Foundation and several manufacturers, will raise money to send two women from Women In AV (WAVE) to the 2015 NSCA Business and Leadership Conference in Tampa in February.
“I’m excited to play at the Bitter End, but more importantly, I am looking forward to promoting the audiovisual industry, something that I have worked hard at doing for years,” says Steven Emspak of the Drunk Unkles. “It’s important to me that we encourage both women and young people to pursue a career in audiovisual technology. I’m happy that the Drunk Unkles can serve as a mechanism for fundraising and to provide a forum for people to gather with common goals.”
“My goal, and that of Shen Milsom & Wilke, is to raise awareness and to provide educational opportunities and access to people with an interest in working in the AV field,” he says.
The Drunk Unkles will take the same stage that has seen the likes of legendary artists such as Stevie Wonder, Bob Dylan, Lady Gaga, Jackson Browne, Neil Diamond, Gavin DeGraw, Woody Allen, Jon Stewart, Randy Newman, Billy Crystal, Tommy James and Norah Jones, all in the name of helping the industry and one of its marquee events.
“It’s great to get together with everyone and, thanks to our sponsors, I’m thrilled that we will be able to award two more scholarships to the BLC for female first-time attendees,” says NSCA executive director Chuck Wilson. “We couldn’t do this without the ongoing support of the Drunk Unkles.”
Gina Sansivero, director of educational sales for event sponsor FSR Inc. and head of WAVE’s NYC Metro Chapter, says the group is “excited to be the representative WAVE chapter” for the show.
“This fundraiser will help to promote the professional development of two women in our industry by sending them to NSCA’s Business and Leadership Conference,” says Sansivero. “This experience is meant to help support the women in executive roles or help them grow into executive roles within this industry.
“Women and men complement each other’s professional strengths and weaknesses, so it is important to the stability of the industry to ensure that both have opportunities to develop and excel. Thanks to the NSCA, Drunk Unkles and event sponsors, two more women will get that chance,” she says.
The event, which begins at 5:30 p.m. with the band starting at 7 p.m., is open to anyone who brings a copy of the promotional postcard or registers in advance.
