Are you a night owl? Are you looking for a job? If you answered yes to these questions, New York City may have the perfect job for you: director of nightlife, otherwise known as a “DON.”
Following in the footsteps of many European cities, New York City has announced the creation of a night mayor. The as-yet-unnamed person will head an Office of Nightlife. The city also plans to appoint a 12-member Nightlife Advisory Board. Rafael Espinal, a New York City Council member, first proposed the bill for a night mayor as a response to a growing trend of nighttime venues shutting their doors.
“Now more than ever, as we are seeing more and more music venues, bars and restaurants shutting their doors,” Espinal told the New York Times. “The city needs to stop the bleeding of its cultural hubs, or risk becoming corporatized and homogenized.”
With rising real estate prices, noise complaints, and licensing issues, 20% of NYC’s music venues have closed in the last 15 years. This includes iconic institutions like CBGB and Bungalow 8.
Looking to cities like Amsterdam and London as a model, New York City plans to revive nightlife and the nighttime economy—a significant contributor to a city’s economy. London’s nighttime economy is reportedly worth $34 billion, employing close to 50,000 people in the nighttime entertainment industry, and another 100,000 in night jobs across health and social care.
New York’s night mayor will be responsible for acting as a liaison between City Hall and the nightlife industry, resolving issues like noise complaints and crime, and for serving on behalf of night venues at risk of shutting their doors.
If this sounds like the job for you, resumes are being accepted at City Hall.