Board Member
Ronnie Madra brings people together and keeps them together.
His life story enhanced his innate sense for selecting, evolving, and retaining lasting and giving relationships. They enrich both sides equally. He generously gives and masterfully supports professional as well as social friendships. That is his secret sauce. He gets people and relates to them in all their complexity with subtlety. Therefore he attracts many. He cross-pollinates. He delivers. And Ronnie’s talent provides beyond hospitality. His way is an art form of social interaction. He is a master facilitator of social connections and networking at its finest. His parties and gatherings end up being platforms that influence people afterward. You leave wanting to meet with those same people again. That is a patented trait.
Ronnie’s formative years, mentors, and exposure.
Ronnie Madra’s humble beginnings in the NYC fashion and nightlife scene as a promoter, DJ, and male model in the early ’90s positioned him to build a strong network, enabling him to host and execute events under his newly formed company Playhouse Productions. During this period, Madra befriended Eric Goode, a restaurateur (owner of the famed early 80’s nightclub Area frequented by Andy Warhol, Keith Haring, and Basquiat.), playing pick-up basketball. Goode took Madra under his wing. The two worked together to produce soirees at Bowery Bar (B Bar) and The Park, PH. Eric Goode is well known for his Turtle conservancy activism, most recently as the creator of the Netflix sensation The Tiger King.
Hands-on education between sounds and beauty.
Between N.Y.C. and Miami. During the time Madra moonlighted in the nightlife industry, he was also working a day job as a set designer in the fashion and commercial video print space in Miami and New York with the IT Production Company M.A.P.S. (Mobile Arts Production Services), owned by Paul C. Lardi and Tom Pace III. In the evenings for several years, Madra promoted and DJ-ed at Bash/Nikki Beach Miami nightclub Sunday to Wednesday and LIFE Thursday to Saturday N.Y.C. nightclub flying back and forth weekly. A hustler and a ravenous love for music eventually paid off when he partnered with Richie Akiva and Scott Sartiano.
1 OAK, the cultural landmark of an era and the many offsprings to follow.
Madra was instrumental in developing the 1 OAK brand from a conceptual, promotions, and business development, the One Of A Kind experience opened its doors in west Chelsea organically on December 15th, 2007. As co-founder, he steered the business in the corporate social responsibility route before it was a trend. His dedication to the workers and service was second to none.
Following the success of 1 OAK, Madra and the team opened 1 OAK in Las Vegas, Mexico City, Los Angeles, Tokyo, Maldives, and Dubai under the umbrella company Butter Group. In 2011, Madra and the team opened the supper club The Darby, with Iron Chef Alex Guarnaschelli from Butter and Chopped, in the space formerly known as Nell’s.
The Darby phased into the new Up & Down at 244 West 14th street a few years later. Up&Down continued to run hosting events with partners, including CFDA., The Met Ball, MTV, VMA’s, and Dior. The Group opened the speakeasy bar and lounge NeverNever directly next door catering to a more hip and edgier downtown art crowd.
Madra became acting CMO and was responsible for imagining and realizing legendary pop-ups during the Monaco Grand Prix, Paris, London, and Milan Fashion Weeks, Music Festivals, Tech Conferences, Cannes Film Festival, and Art Basel.
At the height of the success of 1 OAK, Madra started angel investing in various start-ups ranging from pre-seed to series B. He also built a Consumer Packaged Goods tech company called EAROS Inc. The company launched its first invention Sept 2018, EAROS One, a high-fidelity hearing protection product to protect individuals in loud social and recreational environments while allowing the wearer to hear the full spectrum of sound frequencies.
On June 2020, during the Pandemic, Madra rolled up his sleeves when the world shut down and developed an app called SAVOUR. This experience marketplace connects talented hospitality personnel such as chefs, sommeliers, bartenders, cleaners, dishwashers, servers, hosts, captains, specialty acts, consumers, and brands. The app is Live in New York City, The Hamptons, Miami Beach, and Los Angeles.
A consummate entrepreneur, Madra also lends his expertise, database, and perspective to multiple non-profit organizations such as The World Health Organization, The Center for Hearing and Communication, and The New York Office of The Nightlife Mayor, events producer luxury brands such as IWC, Moncler, Stone Island, Fleur du Mal as well as hospitality brands like The Sixty Hotel, Butterfly and Bistrot Leo, Mercer Street Hospitality, Lola Taverna, Spring Place, and Spring Studios to name a few.