Andrew - Devlin's
Devlin's is NYC-based Audio/Visual Production Company.
EMMA: Ok. From this point on, don’t say anything incriminating. You’re on the record.
ANDREW: Noted.
EMMA: First question: Do you think I’m less legitimate for not having a mini mic?
ANDREW: No, I think you’re very legitimate. Lots of great art gets made on iPhones.
EMMA: Thank you. Let’s talk Devlin’s. I heard you used to work in Finance?
ANDREW: Haha no. Who told you that?
EMMA: I don’t know, I saw a video once…
ANDREW: Sorry. No VC money here. I did have some internships on Wall Street in college. Did not enjoy them.
EMMA: Okay, so, Devlin’s.
ANDREW: Devlin’s started in 2020. I was working at another sound company for eight years. When COVID hit, they laid everybody off (as did most live event companies). So by August 2020, it was just me, consulting on my own. It’s officially “Devlin’s Consulting” because it was supposed to be just me consulting people on my own. And that’s what I did for a few years. But here we are, five years later, and things have snowballed a bit.
EMMA: Is consulting still a big part of the business?
ANDREW: I think so, but I would love to do more. We’re starting to describe ourselves more as a general contractor. We don’t just rent gear. We come to a new or existing space, evaluate it in its entirety, and try to solve any problems. We’re a place where you’re going to receive personalized attention.
EMMA: I’m about to say something triggering… but it’s not just a bunch of “sound guys.”
ANDREW: No. It’s a bunch of “sound boys.”
EMMA: Sir sounds?
ANDREW: Put little respect on their name.
EMMA: All jokes aside, what’s the actual term? Tech?
ANDREW: Depends. Also, I absolutely identify as a “sound guy.” I hope that people read that in a non-gender-normative way.
EMMA: Sound girl?
ANDREW: Sound person. Now you’re really opening up that can of worms.
EMMA: I’ve met so many people who work for you. Rank them from most to least favorite.
ANDREW: I’ll do my best.
EMMA: You can also just tell me: Is being a DJ a requirement?
ANDREW: I’ll do best dressed. Leke. He’s one of my favorite Techs. He also makes music, is a top-tier audio engineer, and wears the flyest gator skin boots. He takes show blacks to a whole new level.
EMMA: Always appreciate someone who understands the assignment. Who’s the tallest?
ANDREW: Stephan. Or Maybe Dan.
EMMA: I wanted to get Stephan into the mix. He’s an OG.
ANDREW: I’ve known Stephan for 10-12 years. In the early days, it was just me, a car, two speakers, and some mics. The first time I got a job bigger than I could handle myself, I called Stephan.
EMMA: Definition OG. You’re like, “I can’t live like this anymore.”
ANDREW: Yeah, and it’s been amazing really. We met through music and DJ’ing, then as an audio tech, and now he’s grown into basically running the whole operation. He’s the best. I love him. Also have to give a big shout-out to Joey and Annie, who have been grinding to keep everything behind the scenes clicking. Would truly be lost without them.
EMMA: I actually went with a bunch of PAs after work once and saw Stephan’s show at Mansions down the street. Incredible. Hasn’t Devlin’s had a staff party at Mansions?
ANDREW: We did our summer barbecue there. The outdoor space is awesome. My wife and I cooked burgers.
EMMA: Shoutout Kat.
ANDREW: Big shoutout Kat. I keep telling myself, I’m going to stop cooking burgers at that place. But… I just keep doing it, and we keep going.
EMMA: Another potential leg for the business.
ANDREW: Yeah, it’s Devlin’s Pub.
EMMA: That’s amazing. You’re pretty serious about your company parties, which I really respect.
ANDREW: Yeah, food and hanging out are a big part of the business’s culture.
EMMA: This is why you’re beloved.
ANDREW: From the beginning, I’ve always been like, “Oh, we’re working in Harlem today? Everyone’s getting Patsy’s.”
EMMA: So, besides burgers, pubs, and pizza… what are the other pillars of Devlin’s Consulting?
ANDREW: Originally: audio, visual, creative, install. The creative part really comes from Level, the party I’ve been doing for 11 years. I learned everything there: sound, lighting, vibes, music. I started that as a warehouse party way before Devlin’s was born. Back then, we’d just rent a woodshop in Bed-Stuy, schlep a bunch of leftover gear, set up a bar, and pray we sold some tickets. We went all out with the bookings, though. One favorite was Antal from Amsterdam, John FM from Detroit, and a young DJ Voices. We would call it “The Level House Party” because the DJ was in one room, but we’d do sound throughout the whole space, so it wasn’t DJ worship vibes. It was for people who are total music/techno heads, and for people who just want to have fun, party, chat, smoke cigarettes, whatever. So yeah, I did the DJ thing for a while, really cut my teeth. It’s definitely a young person’s game. I was risking so much money. Cops.
EMMA: Not sustainable.
ANDREW: If a party flops, you lose lots of money. I started doing Level at clubs, which was cool, but it slowed down around COVID. After 2022, it got a new life, and now we have five resident DJs, including myself, KFeelz, Nigelthreetimes, Yibing, Alien D, and No Sir.
ANDREW: I wrestle with the overlap sometimes. Of, “are people going to take me seriously if I’m a DJ?” Or, “am I getting too into the business to still play a party?”
EMMA: Slippery slope.
ANDREW: I think there’s room for better music and corporate events.
EMMA: 100%. It’s going to take some companies a while to get there, but all it takes is one person willing to try something new once. You’re such a side quest guy. That’s why I knew you’d be a good person to talk to for this. You obviously like to be busy.
ANDREW: I like to be busy. If I stopped doing Level, I’d get depressed. It’s not even a business thing. It’s the community. And honestly, if I die, no one’s going to say, “remember that experiential event he did the sound for?” But they might say, “remember Glen Falls House?”
EMMA: We need community. You have the best community from Level.
ANDREW: So many of my friends and a lot of people who work with me come from Level. It’s also a way to just keep people sustained and support them as artists.
EMMA: What are some memorable events for you or the people you work with?
ANDREW: This summer, Devlin’s did Nike’s “NY vs NY” summer basketball tournament. Our job is basically to make it as lit as possible, so we just bring like the loudest speakers, the best DJ gear. They have these amazing announcers and DJs.
EMMA: Literally my dream summer scenario. Post up by a basketball court and listen to someone yell into a mic. Free entertainment.
ANDREW: You can trail with us next time. We did one at Dyckman, up in the Heights, legendary Streetball Court. There was a Jordan 1-on-1 tournament, and they wanted the whole park red. So we had to rig this crazy lighting design with hundreds of lights that was insane. Luca Doncic showed up. Big day at the office.
EMMA: Legendary for the portfolio. I also want to talk about the limited-edition merch you drop. I once had someone ask me about getting a Devlin’s shirt… for almost a year.
ANDREW: My friend Mauricio has done all of our branding. He’s been a friend of mine for 10 or 15 years. He’s incredible. I dabbled with another designer and took six months of meetings, and I was just like, ‘This doesn’t feel like us.’ It was a good learning experience. It was really hard to bail, go back, call Mauricio again, and be like, “let’s do it.” The name was never going to change. My dad passed in 2019, and Devlin’s felt like a tribute.
EMMA: The family name lives on.
ANDREW: Exactly. We refreshed the brand two years ago. That’s when Mic Guy was born. But design is funny. With the truck, for example, like we obviously know the term “creative director” is played out…
EMMA: Even the word “creative” is very triggering for me.
ANDREW: But it’s been cool learning how to do that for the truck. What do we want the brand to be, what is our vibe, and what does the future look like? It was a really fun project. I’m also colorblind, so choosing the blue… yeah.
EMMA: I love him. It’s genius. It’s perfect. Does Mauricio do the website, too?
ANDREW: Mauricio built the brand, but my friend Jenn handles the website now. I feel super lucky to have access to these very pro, very creative people. And now we’re doing video content, so it’s all steering in the creative direction. To keep doing that in addition to the gear rental.
EMMA: Is the gear your star menu item? High popularity, high profitability? The “coffee.”
ANDREW: The “cheeseburger.” Every week we might do 4-5 DJ activations or panels, and we can do that on our own. But for the fun projects, like the Dyckman thing, we’re bringing in people like Chris Robinson, a lighting designer who works on Hamilton. This company, Crossfire, does a lot of the rigging and gear support, and we’re bringing in video people and sound experts. That’s what I’d like to be doing more of. But yes, the gear rental pays the bills, and I love the clients we do it for. So it’s not dull to me at all.
EMMA: There’s always the projects that come once or so a year that you’re particularly amped on.
ANDREW: Of course. Like, we might do the [REDACTED] afterparty.
EMMA: So sick. Or that one time you worked on the Mercedes-Benz and [REDACTED] shoot…
ANDREW: Yeah! We just did the sound for Blood Orange in September during Fashion Week for a show. We brought in the whole system.
EMMA: WHERE?! [I ask, pissed that I did not hear about it…]
ANDREW: Above the Supreme store. It’s this legendary building on Bowery. There’s a crazy New York Mag article about the last tenants there. That building is gorgeous.
EMMA: I can only imagine.
ANDREW: So that’s another mode we can get into, rather than just a DJ set or a panel. Different questions. What does Dev need? He needs a piano? How does he want the piano mic’d? What monitors? He brought in his own audio engineer to mix his show, then we provide really high-level people who can have that conversation with those engineers. On a side note, that’s a huge focus for us – finding techs with the technical knowledge and ability who can also work on a team and be friendly under pressure. I always tell the team it’s closer to bartending than a tech job, and to approach it as you would any job in hospitality.
EMMA: Selfishly, because you know I love going to shows, I want to hear some of your NY venue takes.
ANDREW: Hmm, that’s a tough one. I do not go to as many shows as you do. These days, I sneak out to see a friend DJ, or I’m cooking at home. But on a business tip, we’ve been working with Boulevard Carroll for L-Acoustics gear and training lately. I was super impressed by their install at Knockdown Center. That’s not an easy room to tune, and I thought they did a great job. And as far as places I just enjoy being in, I do think Mansions is just the most comfortable space. I love the way the sound is dispersed there. You can have a great vibe in the backyard, bar area, or dead center on the dancefloor, and the music always sounds great. Big shout out Jason and Sean for all the work they put in.
EMMA: Are they paying you?? Anyway, anything new (besides the truck) for Devlin’s coming up that you’re excited about, or anything you want to manifest so we can put it out there?
ANDREW: For sure. It feels like next year is going to be a really good one for us. We’re talking about some things in Miami. I’m a big Miami guy, so that’s exciting. I’ve done Miami in small doses, but we’ll see what it’s like for a longer stay.
EMMA: A residency, if you will.
ANDREW: Yeah, Devlin’s South. Maybe South America… I want to do Level DIY parties again.
EMMA: Devliñ’s.
ANDREW: Exactly. Alright, should we go see the truck?
Andrew and I jump in to finish the rest of the interview, Carpool Karaoke style.
Andrew and I bring the truck back to the lot and chat with the attendant. He lets us know that Afrojack came and surprised his daughter by performing a three-hour set at her wedding as a gift. He says she’s only 27, but she’s in charge of everything at large-scale shows and performances. I don’t know who this man’s daughter is, but if you’re reading this, hire Devlin’s.
Amazing read