It has been 3 years since Choozi Entertainment has pursued new contracts. Every so often, a past client will contact me to ask about Choozi, and whether we are still operational. The fast and easy answer is, “no”. Choozi Entertainment is no longer in business. I dissolved the LLC 3 years ago, so really, there is no more “Choozi Entertainment”. However, I am Choozi, so in a sense, yes, Choozi is still active in the world of arts and entertainment.

I started Choozi Entertainment in 2005 with $12,000. By the time I dissolved my LLC, Choozi had become a multi-million dollar company. Clients ranged from cruise lines, to Silicon Valley companies, to Broadway theatrical producers, as well as private event companies. I traveled the world with my company. I loved the work, but most especially, I loved being able to give work to so many people.

Over the years, Choozi gave hundreds of incredibly talented performers and creators high paying jobs, inclusive of my brother Christopher, and his husband David. The three of us made a great team, especially during presentations. My business acumen, coupled with my brother’s impressive resume, and then woven together by my brother in law’s talent for telling a spectacular story; was the reason why we impressed Executives all over the world. Our presentations were the key in Choozi getting a second look. But when it came to negotiations? I was “The Closer”. I had learned early on that negotiating contracts was nothing more than a numbers game. Finalizing these deals relied 100% on me getting the numbers right.

I honed my negotiating skills sitting next to the CEO of Farrington Productions, Blair Farrington. Sitting across the negotiation table from Sheldon Adelson was probably the biggest learning curve of my career. I learned if you wanted to play with the big boys, you must give them the final word. The skill I developed during those years was figuring out beforehand what that final word would be. I know that is why I was so successful at negotiating Choozi’s contracts, as I always saw the big picture where the numbers were concerned. How much did I need to deliver the product I presented in the first place? Those who negotiate for a living know, once you give your client final numbers, you are locked in for the term of that contract. If your numbers are wrong, you lose.

Being responsible for millions of dollars is a risk I learned to take, and I took that risk willingly for 13 years, as there was only one signature on Choozi’s contracts, and that signature was mine. In order to keep Choozi Entertainment working, I had to wake up each morning, knowingly accepting that risk. One morning, I woke up, and I knew I was done. I no longer wanted to accept the risk. I was done managing people, I was done with the long-haul travel, and I was done with the stress level it required of me. The thought of negotiating even one more contract made me cringe. My exhaustion had reached its saturation point. “The Closer” needed to find something else to do with her life.

I moved my operations from Nevada to Florida in 2017. When I arrived, I had full intentions of continuing Choozi, but only with an interest in small contracts, nothing larger than 5 figures. I had barely unpacked when I found myself in Mykonos, working for an old client. It was a costume contract. I was happy to be doing something creative that no longer required me to manage others, and the travel to Europe was a heck of a lot easier from the east coast. But I had a sobering realization that while I was no longer taking the huge financial risks that came with Choozi Entertainment, I was still “The Closer”. My numbers still had to be right, no matter how small. I had to deliver the costumes, work the event, and fly back and forth to Greece for the agreed upon compensation in the contract I negotiated. I guess I wasn’t done after all.

Two years ago, I accepted the position of costumer for a small community theatre, Surfside Playhouse, in Cocoa Beach. The Director, Bryan Bergeron, recently asked me a question that made me look once again at what I was doing with my talent, and whether it was enough to keep me engaged. He prefaced his question with a statement. He said, “I know you miss your old work associates”, and then he asked, “would you go back to it if you could?” I’ve been pondering this question for the past month. It made me remember something my father said a few years prior to his passing. He was a fighter pilot with the Army Airs Corp during WWII. He said everything in his life, since the war, paled in comparison. He had 6 children he loved, an excellent career … from the Air Force, to FAA, to Pan Am … but nothing came close to his WWII experience.

After all these years, I finally understood my Father’s sentiment. Nothing will ever compare to what I accomplished when I created Choozi Entertainment. The task at hand is to become comfortable with knowing this.

I’m still curious, however, as to what’s next.