YourHartford.com

YH Magazine Meets Bryan Spinelli

Q: Tell us about metrocrawl.com?

A: Quite simply, it’s Connecticut’s nightlife resource. It’s an online directory of the bars in Hartford, New Haven and much of the surrounding areas. It’s a listing of what is going on at each one, from live music to club nights to drink specials to karaoke. If there is something to do at a local bar, it’s got a place in the listings.

Q: What was the goal behind starting metrocrawl?

A: If you ask people what they think about Hartford’s nightlife, a common answer I’ve received is that it isn’t much, that “there is nothing to do in Hartford”. After returning to the area from college and spending a few years hitting the same bars each week I started feeling the same way. Around that same time, a friend moved here from out-of-state and asked my advice as to what to do. I didn’t really have a good answer for him, or myself for that matter, so I decided it was about time to do some research. What I found was that there is a lot more to do than most people know. While I don’t think Hartford is on the same level to compete with New York or Boston, it definitely has a lot more going on than it’s given credit for.

MORE AFTER THE PHOTO:

Q: So you decided to find out what is going on and share that information to help build the scene?

A: Exactly. What I’ve done is taken a lot of the leg work out of the equation. I’ve already scoured the area and consolidated everything I’ve found into an easy-to-view listing so when you are looking for something to do on any particular night, all you have to do is take a look at that night’s calendar. With a few clicks, you can browse by happy hours, nightly events and even sort the list of bars into pubs, clubs or restaurants.

Q: When you’re not searching the area for things to do at night, what do you do with yourself?

A: I am also the owner of Spin Media Productions, a wedding & event video/photo company. I’ve been working on that project on my own for over three and a half years shooting video and photos for everything from weddings to corporate seminars to high school plays. Once metrocrawl.com was started, I was able to work into the business model a way to shoot live music videos, where my real passion lies. Through metrocrawl I can shoot high quality video for local bands for a fraction of the price that it would normally cost them, which is usually the deciding factor if they can afford any video at all. It’s been working quite well for everyone involved and I’ve shot around 40 different local acts so far and look forward to working with more in the near future.