#CES2013: I can't believe this is real life (how im staying in a penthouse suite for free)

LifeCool Shit

Jan 8

Written By Jen Friel

It is with EXTREME gratitude that I show you all the loverly place I am calling home for the next three days ...

Yep, that's a stripper pole in the living room.

3 years ago at CES I slept in a chair, washed up in a sink and rode along with a Vegas taxi cab driver for 2 hours between 4 and 6 am.

Now, I have a jacuzzi in my bathroom and a chandelier.

Full sized dining room with views of downtown Las Vegas.

(That's our step and repeat for Thursday's sponsored party.)

I'm obsessed with juxtapositions. Even though we are in this BOMB ASS pad, I'm still making everyone at the party drink two buck chuck and PBR. I love love love the classy/ trashy themes. It's like if you're going to be posh at least still keep that shit real.

My bed is in the master suite. Yep, I have BED at CES ALL. TO. ME!!!

View from the main balcony.

And who else to share this with other than one of the loves of my life Ms. @StephBelsky

Alrite, now the story of how I got all this?

Gather round ...

Remember a few months back when I went up to San Francisco for a date with Bravo's Silicon Valley Start Up star Ben Way?

Well, at the premier party I met this chica Amber.

Amber is INSANE (She's the chick I hitchhiked on the private jet with.) and knows everyone.

One day in traffic she randomly stopped this dude with an Aston Martin and asked him how he got the car. They then became friends and somewhere along the way he told her about this idea for a start up that he had with a few of his friends.

Amber said something along the lines of, I have this girl you need to meet named Jen. She runs this site blah blah blah.

I then had a meeting with the two dudes and they told me their business idea.

IMMEDIATELY I was interested as it was totally disruptive and was definitely going to make a lot of people uncomfortable. (My personal specialty.)

I then signed on (but also signed an iron clad NDA so I can reveal nothing) and low and behold I was then told who the cast of characters were that were involved in the project and my jaw dropped. To call this person a celebrity is an understatement. Total legend. Total, total legend.

So then naturally, we all gathered around at this person's house to get vetted once again. My position in the start up is project manager and adviser. Basically I'm helping them not only build out their tech team, but establish their branding, and formulate their digital strategy.

We were in this person's house and one of the dudes turned to me and said, if you ever need a place to stay in Vegas will you let me know? We have a condo there and it's yours whenever you want it.

So now ... here I am.

Obvi the second I realized all of this was more of a reality and less BS, I hit up our senior adviser Ben Parr and said dude, if you need a place to stay LMK, I have this massive pad.

Stay? he said. I'm good. But party? We need to throw one.

A party, eh?? I said back.

I then made sure it was cool with the dude, but once I got the green light, I hit up my sponsor for CES Songza (amazing. amazing. amazing. APPLICATION THAT YOU MUST DOWNLOAD!!!)

<tangent>Remember a few days ago when I had that idea for a music app built off of spotify? Well come to find out (thanks to you guys YAY CHAD!!!) it already existed. The CEO of the company then found my post and asked if we could talk. We then had a conference call and I asked if they had brand ambassadors. They said no, but I freaked saying WHY NOT!?!?!?! You have this amazing. amazing. product and more people need to know about it!!!! At that point we were just a few days away from CES, but I said fuck it, I have an idea for you. So, I pitched them, they loved it, and THEN I told them about the party and they really really really loved it. </tangent>

So, now here we are. Ben, Steph, and I are hosting a party on Thursday with alcohol sponsored by Songza and Tapiture, and playlists blasted by the awesomely curated content that Songza has to offer.

I am extremely, extremely blessed and grateful for this opportunity. To have gone and see the uh, "seedier" side of Vegas to now being in the extremely posh side is truly unbelievable.

Thank you to our sponsors and thank you for this INCREDIBLE opportunity and trust you have bestowed me with in not only your start up but with this home.

(And to payback the karma I have a BUNCH of nerds staying here!!!)

I am humbled to be a host this year, and even more humbled to be able to spread the word of products that I love.

Thank you.

Now let's FUCKING PARTY!!!!!!!!!!

(Because it is a condo security is absolutely everywhere. We have to have everyone on a list, but if you want to be added just email me: JenFriel at talknerdytomelover d c or send me a message on Facebook.com/JenFriel)

This is some seriously epic nerd-unitage.

Lesson learned from this life experience: When you work really hard, and you have a pure heart, and pure intentions - AMAZING things will happen!!!!! Wilder than ANYTHING you could ever dream.