Niall Donnelly

Niall Donnelly

Niall Donnelly
Born Navan, County Meath, Ireland
Occupation Entrepreneur

Niall Donnelly is an Irish entrepreneur and principal of Mad In The USA LLC which is based in Los Angeles, California. He is known for Entertainment and Technology companies in London and Los Angeles has built a name for himself both sides of the Atlantic as a major force in the entertainment, technology, real estate and nightlife industry.

Early life and education

Niall was born in Mullagh, County Cavan and grew up in Navan, in County Meath, Ireland. He attended St. Patrick's Classical School in Navan, and went on to earn a degree in Geography and Politics at University College Dublin, where he served as the youngest ever Entertainments Officer in the history of UCD. He started his first business at age twelve, a tennis academy that earned him £30 per week.[1]

Career

Donnelly began his entrepreneurial career in real estate, buying and selling properties and converting houses into flats. In 2005, Donnelly purchased a building on London's Chapel Market and converted it into Anam Cocktail Lounge. Gaelic for "Life & Soul" Anam was nominated for the Time Out Best Bar Award in 2005[2] and also The Evening Standard Bar of the Year Award in 2006.[3] From this he went on to build a group of successful Rock n Roll bars and entertainment venues in the London area.

In addition to his bar and nightclub ventures, Donnelly has a number of investments and ventures in Entertainment, Media, Live Events & Festivals and Television in the UK and United States under his holding company Mad In The USA LLC, formerly Arrogant LLC.[4] In 2008, Niall acquired streaming video website Newsplayer, along with business partner Brendan Morrissey. The site provides web access to historical news footage, including the onscreen interview archives of former Newsplayer Chairman of the board Sir David Frost.[5] In January 2009 The Irish Entrepreneur and The Irish Times called Donnelly one of the top 10 "Irish Entrepreneurs to Watch" worldwide, citing his creativity and record of success both sides of The Atlantic.[6]

In Feb 2011 Donnelly opened the first-ever US Rolling Stone magazine venue at the Hollywood and Highland Complex in Hollywood, CA. Rolling Stone LA is a multi-level space encompassing more than 10,000 square feet (930 m2) in a blend of equal parts restaurant, bar, lounge and upscale private-event space.[7][8]

Donnelly launched the first online nightlife reservation business Bevvy.com in 2011[9] and he was nominated in the "Top five Irish Entrepreneurs" by Smarta.com the same year.[10] Bevvy was named in the "Top 100 Brilliant Companies in the US" by Entrepreneur Magazine in June issue 2011.[11] In Sep 2012 Donnelly was named by the ITLG in the "Hollywood 50", honoring the most influential Irish or Irish American entertainment and technology executives in Hollywood.[12]

In 2013 Donnelly launched the All-'Merican Festival Fustercluck for 10,000 people in Temecula, California. Fustercluck is described as a 5k adventure full of hilarious Hillbillies and Hipsters followed by an epic hoedown where many of the fellers from Deliverance and Duck Dynasty make an appearance. The first event featured a 5k adventure through wild Southern California forests being chased by crazed hillbillies (some with a history of kidnapping), followed by a fun Redneck Games competition and festival featuring the Honky Tonk Hubcap Hurl, Bobbin’ For Pigs Feet, Cornhole, Redneck Horseshoes, Mud Belly Flop Contest, White Trash Beer Pong, BBQ Cook Off, Live Americana, Bluegrass and Country Bands. It was billed as the most All-'Merican event in 'Merica.

References

  1. ↑ The Irish Post, "In Profile: Entrepreneur Niall Donnelly", December 2, 2009
  2. ↑ "Anam: The coolest Irish bar in London". The Irish Post. August 17, 2005.
  3. ↑ Campion, Charles (March 8, 2008). "Vote for your favorite drinking den". standard.co.uk.
  4. ↑ Roberts, Randall (December 4, 2009). "Rolling Stone Magazine to Open Hollywood Club/Restaurant in the Summer of 2010 (?!)". LaWeekly.com.
  5. ↑ Newsplayer (Newsplayer)
  6. ↑ "100 Greatest Self-Made Irish Entrepreneurs", Irish Entrepreneur, Volume 8, Issue 1, January 2009
  7. ↑ Burke, Roisin (December 13, 2009). "Builder ready to roll with Rolling Stone". Independent.ie.
  8. ↑ Vincent, Roger (December 4, 2009). "Rolling Stone to launch restaurant chain in L.A.". Los Angeles Times.
  9. ↑ SF Gate (Jan 12, 2011). "Rolling Stone LA Founder Launches Group Buying Website Bevvy.com for the Nightlife and Beverage Industry". The San Francisco Chronicle.
  10. ↑ Rebecca (March 17, 2011). "ST. PATRICKS DAY SPECIAL: The Top 5 Irish Entrepreneurs". Smarta.com.
  11. ↑ Amy Cosper (June 2011). "Top 100 Brilliant Companies in the US". Entrepreneur Magazine.
  12. ↑ ITLG (Sep 2012). "The Top 50 Irish Executives in Hollywood". ITLG.
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