Luke Nero, the founder and CEO of Strut Nightclub, chatted about his latest endeavors and the digital age.
On his job description as founder and CEO, he said, “Think of the CEO of a nightclub like the lead designer of a fashion house. My role is to create all of the experiences, be the brand spokesperson, evolve Strut for every season, as well as quality control.”
When asked what makes Strut unique, he said, ” It’s a queer space not just for queer people. It is for everyone. It’s an adult playground with more to do than just dance and get wasted. STRUT offers one-of-a-kind Instagram-worthy moments, i.e., our light tunnel and infinity mirror room (areas where people can just talk and hang out).”
The digital age
On being a CEO and founder in the digital age, he said, ” I love it. I have ridden the digital wave my entire nightlife career. I always used social media guerilla style (aka Kylie Jenner style). Social media makes promotions more personal and that is key to bringing people through the door.”
Regarding his use of technology in his daily routine as a businessman and founder, he said, “I get my world news from Twitter and my social news from Instagram as they are my favorite – as soon as something new drops I know about it.”
Future plans
On his future plans with Strut, he said, “I would love it to be in multiple cities. The goal is to have so many that when the queens arrive the first thing they ask is, ‘is there a Strut here?’ The Strut brand works in underserved markets just like Orange County.”
Nero shared some of his proudest professional moments. “The 50 x 20 ft Dolly Parton mural was a massive undertaking and we pulled it off and it brought the community together. The Trevor Project charity night where we raised $25,000 was also one of my proudest moments,” he said.
Success
Regarding his definition of the word success, Nero said, “Success means the completion of a goal. However easy or hard, I am a person who does what they say they are going to do. Believe me, sometimes I wish I didn’t make certain goals so hard.”
“Strut is designed so you can escape. Turn your brain off for just a few hours; the space is very liberating,” Nero concluded.
