Michael Reklis
Department: Sales
Etix start date: August 20, 2007
Favorite thing about working at Etix
“Relationships. In the office, I work with real people. The first day that I came to meet the rest of the sales team, I knocked on the door and waited. The guy who opened the door was wearing a t-shirt, shorts, and flip-flops. His dog was following close behind. That was the founder and CEO. It isn’t a place where everyone is a robot or where people come just to punch in and punch out. This is really reflected in the way we partner with our clients. Whether it is a fair, performing arts center, arena, or rock club, at some point, there’s an “oh no!” moment, and there is a real person at Etix who understands what is going on and how to change it to an “oh yeah!” moment. To me, that’s pretty cool. Oh, also, there’s company happy hours on the first Thursday of every month. :)”
First concert
“I’m going to pretend this is a slightly different question and talk about the first concert I ever promoted. It was a Gavin DeGraw concert on February 4, 2004. I had just sort of lucked into the timing of this, as his songs were becoming more and more popular on the radio. The show easily sold out a week in advance, and while I was settling with his tour manager, he realized it was the first show I had ever promoted. He told me, ‘don’t expect it to be this easy every time.’ Skip ahead to October 2005, and I’m settling a $35-40 show that missed the break-even point, by a lot, and I remember thinking “man, was he right.”
Favorite band/celebrity/sports figure
“He’s not technically my favorite, but can anyone other than Shaq claim to be all three: musician, celebrity, and sports figure? If I could create a new mash up of all three it would be to have my favorite band, Radiohead, be its own basketball team. I’m actually surprised that with all the different reality show angles, there hasn’t been a Rockstar basketball/baseball/football/something League yet. Just imagine how much fun it would be to see Lil Wayne talk smack to Bieber…”
Favorite live event of all time
“Full disclosure: I grew up a Duke fan, and I’ve remained a Duke fan (despite living in Tar Heel country). For the uneducated, the Duke vs. UNC rivalry is one of the biggest in all sports of all time. February 9, 2011. Duke vs. UNC at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Duke was down at the half, and then Nolan Smith took over and Seth Curry got hot. Duke wins 79-73. Largest halftime deficit comeback by Duke since 1959. Not only was seeing a Duke/UNC game at Cameron a lifelong dream, it has been one of the only times that I have been able to cheer for Duke like that in public since moving to Carrboro 10 years ago.”
3 things you should know about Michael Reklis
1. Loves living in Carrboro; a small town once described by The Daily Show as a “French Puppet Government.”
2. Owned his own entertainment company: ReklisEntertainment (2004-2010). He promoted concerts ranging from legends like Buddy Guy and Gregg Allman, to newer stars like Paramore and Panic! at the Disco.
3. Food lover (not a “foodie”). He has received a cookbook every year for his birthday for the past three years, and this year he received three! Favorite recipe? Bill Smith’s Green Tabasco (or Sriracha) Chicken. Next culinary adventure: Sichuan.
