Gary Vaynerchuk brings “The Thunder” to Boston
Last night, wine aficionado and video blogging Internet superstar Gary Vaynerchuk brought “The Thunder” to Boston in a big way. The sold out book tour stop brought 200+ “Vayniacs” to the Hotel Commonwealth for a one-of-a-kind wine-themed entertainment experience that only Gary V. can deliver. The evening’s schedule consisted of a live taping of WineLibrary.TV (aka The Thunder Show), a Q&A session, a book signing, a wine-tasting and an after-party that capped off the six hour marathon event.
Watching a live taping of WineLibrary.TV is a rare treat, and it truly captures the raw and seemingly endless energy that Gary brings to each and every show. Gary has taken a traditional business – a retail wine store – and expanded its community and fans beyond its New Jersey origins to a worldwide audience – all through the power of the Internet, online community and social networking. Gary now spends the majority of his days communicating with and building his online community.
The antics got off to a fast start when host Dmitri Gunn presented Gary (a die-hard New York Jets fan) with a Patriots-branded spittoon to use during the taping. The hilarious moment set the tone for the show, and Gary continued to entertain throughout the night. Even with the large numbers in attendance, Gary has the amazing ability to keep constant focus on the camera at all times while still being able to make the entire audience feel included in the experience.
After the taping, the wine tasting began – sponsored by Boston’s Wine Gallery – while fans lined up for a personal meet-and-greet book signing. A short while later, the night rolled smoothly into the after-party at the Commonwealth’s Foundation Lounge where the digerati and wine enthusiasts continued to mix and mingle.
Special thanks to Dmitri Gunn and our own PerkettPR team for organizing the event and securing the sponsors who included: Barnes & Noble – Boston University, Mzinga, Matchmine, Pour Favor, Select Wine Imports, and Beautiful Things by Charise.
For those who couldn’t attend, here’s a recording of the live stream (pardon the audio quality) compliments of Laura Fitton:
Also be sure to check out Gary’s appearances on Nightline, Conan O’Brien, Ellen DeGeneres, The Big Idea with Donnie Deutsch and Mad Money with Jim Kramer.
Photo credit: Steve Garfield