Review of the NYCGrind Part 2

We continue with our review of the NYCGrind.com here in part 2, and with our interview with founder Jerry Tarantola.

Growing up in NYC, I am not a big fan of labels or stereotypes.  NYC is a melting pot of cultures, style and creative expression, and it is a big part of what makes NY beloved worldwide.  Sadly, there is still a mainstream collective idea that pool rooms are almost all smoke filled back rooms, filled with hustling and shady characters.  While of course there are some pool rooms that are more rough around the edges than others, there has been a proliferation of groundbreaking pool rooms that offer the best conditions, and attract corporate parties from fortune 100 companies.

A perfect example of a pool room that is setting the standard for helping to break that old conditioning is Amsterdam Billiards in NYC.  Several of the living legends of the game frequent the pool room including 2x Consecutive Champion Mika "The Iceman" Immonen, Tony "The Silent Assassin" Robles, Danny Barouti, and George "Ginky" Sansouci.  It's also cool to see a lot of celebrities frequent the establishment, as that still remains the quickest way to attract new interest to the game.

The proliferation of leagues, has also sparked participation in the industry and Amsterdam Billiards has recently announced that they are adding $26,000 to their upcoming fall 9-Ball team league.  Their house pro Tony Robles has always been an idol of mine, and helped spark my interest and encourage me practice and push beyond what I believed was possible with my game.  While there are few known icons or idols known to the masses, Tony is not only a World Class player, but an underground legend who has contributed to the sport at a grass roots level.  Tony has started a new pool league called the NAPL (National Amateur Pool League) which is driving new interest in NYC bars and beyond.  This type of innovation is what the "NYC Grind" is all about.  Tony works hard to help grow the sport, and to drive new interest to the industry that we are all a part of.  If we as a society were to look beyond the ego and our own self gratification, we would be living in a more collaborative and supportive world.

It has been said that people fear what they don't understand, and it is taking a grass roots organic word of mouth effort to bring new people to what's great in the game.

I have been playing the game of pool since I was 12 years old (18 years), and I was blessed to be taught by a legend in the game who is unfortunately no longer with us… Gene Nagy.  Gene has been one of the most influential figures in my life, and has also helped touch the lives of many in NY with a personalized approach.  He was also one of Jeanette "The Black Widow" Lee's most influential teachers, motivating her to dedicate her first book "The Black Widow's Guide to Killer Pool" to him.  In his mentoring, he helped Jeanette learn the game of straight pool in a unique way.  Gene's high run is 430 consecutive balls without a miss, and has run over 200 balls over 20 times in his life.

While many people will say Gene who,  my intention is to help the living legends of the game today be acknowledged for their contribution to this sport.  This is one of the reasons why I am very much interested in helping keep the game of straight pool alive.  NY/NJ has a rich history of straight pool players, and it's awesome to see the game grow.  The Monday night straight pool league at Amsterdam Billiards boasts 76 players… which include beginners as well as Mika, Tony, Danny etc.

While my main focus is building NYCgrind.com, I have committed to the Amsterdam Straight Pool League and also its Team 9-Ball league, where I am 7-1 in the expert division/straight pool, and 6-0 in my team competition as an A+… helping our team reach 1st in our division.

My understanding and ability to play pool at a high level has helped me earn the respect of top players, as well as give me an intimate understanding of the landscape as a whole.

One of the most influential marketing personalities that has shaped my approach is Seth Godin.  I believe in the idea of "Tribes" and the power of a community of like minded individuals that are passionate about their unique talents, interest and groups.  With pool there are definitely insiders and outsiders… and that is the essence of a tribe.  Tribes are gaining influence, and I am proud to be part of the pool world.

It all comes down to basic needs… people want to be heard, seen and acknowledged.  NYCgrind.com is doing our part to acknowledge those who we feel are remarkable, and I admire all those who are keeping positive traditions alive, while also evolving with the times.

A perfect example of a leader who I admire is US Open 9-Ball Championships promoter Barry Behrman. This year Barry and the event's loyal fans will be celebrating it's 35th consecutive year… which is the longest running professional tournament in the US.  In my opinion, it is also the most prestigious event, which continues to help the game be perceived as an actual sport.  Mika "The Iceman" Immonen has won the last 2 consecutive tournaments, and showcased that conditioning your body and mind like an olympic athlete helped him win 13 consecutive matches en-route to last years win.

While the 9-Ball Championship has many traditions that make up the mystique and prestige of the event, Barry this year has announced a historic change in its tradition.  For the first time in its history, they will be allowing Women to participate in the US Open 9-Ball Championships.  This is truly a groundbreaking decision, and a brilliant move in my opinion on many levels.

The Billiards Congress of America will also be hosting its Hall of Fame ceremony during the US Open, and Barry has announced another major change.  In the spirit of collaboration and synergy, CSI (Cue Sports International) will be introducing an Amateur tournament which may bring thousands of new pool players to the Championships.

It not only provides exposure for the players and strengthens fan support and conversation, but it also helps pro's feel like there is a light at the end of the tunnel, as they look at the stands and see more fans than they ever had before.

This is more important than most people realize, and inspired me to keep on grinding.

NYCgrind.com has emerged as official media sponsors for Pro events like the US Open-9ball, US Open 10-Ball and coverage of the Super Billiards Expo/Pro Event.  Staying true to our grassroots interest to grow the game, we also are media sponsors for the Mezz 9-Ball tour (Women/Men), Ozone Billiards Predator 9-ball tour, and the Tri -state tour.

Our goal is to continue creating quality content for the events that we cover, and we are working on some dynamic changes to the website.

While I can't go too much in detail at this point, all of our changes will be aimed at offering more tools, resources and opportunities for the artists, musicians, and billiard players, and for their fans.

We have a few dedicated contributors who have helped us get to where we are now, but it's going to take more of the right contributors and support to take our game to the next level.

NYCgrind.com will be doing a lot more to cover music and art in the NYC area in the near future, and we are also planning on releasing a lot of video that has never been seen.

I am thrilled with the progression of our website, and we are perceived as a credible dynamic source for compelling content.  We are well positioned for growth, and our site is completely scalable so the sky is the limit.  Let's see what happens, as I am excited at the prospect of greater growth, because that means that the underground talent that we are showcasing will have more exposure.  That is a big part of our goal... helping grow interest in new music, art, and billiards.

A recent project that was received very well, was the first web series in billiards history that I produced and directed called "Kiss of Death", sponsored by Amsterdam Billiards and Poison Billiards.

We just completed the final episode (ep 12), and I have a few other projects in the pipeline that I can't talk about at this point.

Lastly, be sure to stay tuned for a promo video of the Justin Tuck Billiards Charity Event (NY Giants), for the Rush for Literacy foundation.  The event took place at Slate, and the video will feature top NY Giants players, Celebrities and Billiard Idols.  Some of the people in attendance were Eli Manning, Justin Tuck, Anthony Anderson, Vivica A. Fox, Jeanette Lee, Tony Robles, Mika Immonen and a number of other stars.
My team worked in collaboration with the BCA (Billiards Congress of America) who approached us to put together a video and cover the event.  I am a big fan of the BCA, and it was an honor to help them out, and continue to work with them.  Events that bring celebrities around the game, and bringing awareness to the sport is what gets all of the industry leaders excited.

Not only was the Justin Tuck Charity Billiards Tournament a success, but it raised around a half of a million dollars for a the worthwhile charity.  Justin was able to raise more than double the proceeds for his charity than the previous year… proving that there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

Our style is to bring an artistic flair, with cutting edge music to the videos that we put together… helping us shape the sport of pool positively, while bringing new eyes to breakthrough music as well.

To find out even more on the NYC Grind, be sure to visit their website at:  NYC Grind

Part 1 of this interview and review can be found here:  Part 1