FOUNDER & DIRECTOR

Originally from Houston, Texas, Yael has extensive knowledge of all aspects of the hospitality industry. Yael specializes in boutique cocktail bars, high volume establishments, fine dining, live music venues as well as private experiences, all on an international level.

In 2005 she moved to New York City to attend New York University. During this time, she worked alongside some of the world’s best bartenders, most notably as the youngest female bartender behind Audrey Saunders’ iconic Pegu Club. In 2012, Yael moved to Los Angeles after accepting a position with Proprietors, LLC where she assisted with beverage development and operations management for the Los Angeles based hospitality company, while simultaneously running Hollywood’s Harvard & Stone.

Yael is the marriage of style and substance: a buttoned-up, sleeveless teen wolf jamming front flip dunks above the unsuspecting heads of her precious cocktail bar rivals. Beware her secret weapons: whimsy and humor; she is a fecund mother to nearly 5000 blinking lights and googly eyes which are staples of her bar’s mise en place.

 In addition to her work behind the bar, Yael also holds a number of titles with Speed Rack – the National charity bar competition that honors female bartenders and helps to raise funds for breast cancer research – including the 2012 National Champion, the 2013 Champion of West Coast Rematch, a 2017 National Finalist for Diageo’s World Class, 2018 American Bartender of the Year, and 2020 Best American Hotel Bar at Tales of the Cocktail. 

Prior to founding her company, Rum4Twenty4, Yael worked as the Lead Beverage Creative for SBE focusing on 8 properties nationally for the Katsuya & S Bar brands in Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and New York. Yael is also the Director of Operations for a festival production collective called Stranger, Than LLC, and is the founder of Rum4Twenty4 - an initiative to align art, hospitality, and experience for trade, brand owners, and consumers.

LEAD BEVERAGE TRAINER

Holden has worked in a spectrum of bars from intimate cocktail to tiki to divey music venues. Yael and Holden found each other working a small music festival in Indio, CA called Coachella. After spending a weekend together serving cocktails to over 100,000 humans, Yael recruited Holden for her work in the festival sphere with Stranger, Than for large productions like Mayan Warrior & Circo Loco.

Holden’s skillset in truth mirrors Yael’s, as a creative cocktail developer and lead beverage trainer, but he also brings a much-needed yin to all of the yang or vice versa on occasion. Holden has a mind for efficiency and logic both of which he executes with sympathetic structure and compassion. Holden is also an expert in zero proof offerings & programming.

Holden loves a good adventure and has longterm goals for his company, Great Job Cocktails Co. to evolve into a craft mobile bartending service that caters to the festival circuit, so he can effectively just be in the sun all day!

He enjoys long outdoor jaunts with his dog, Samantha and quiet evenings watching sci-fi movies with his cat Norman. His favorite spirit is R(h)um and he loves expanding people's appreciation of the category.

CREATIVE PRODUCER

Spencer Starnes is a commerical photographer, filmmaker and creative producer living in Los Angeles, California.

For the past ten years Spencer has worked as a producer across a broad spectrum of industries. With clients like The James Beard Foundation, Spotify, Comcast, Golden Voice and Ralph Lauren.

From 2014 to 2016 Spencer worked with The Wall Street Journal’s Custom Studios as a Director of Photography producing branded story content with brands like Samsung, GE Capital and WeTV.

In addition to video production, Spencer has worked heavily with industry leading hospitality groups in New York City like Altamarea Group, The One Group, and Patina Restaurant Group. In 2021 and 2022, Spencer served as the Senior Content Creator for the umbrella of SBE properties and brands including iconic personalities and brands like Alvin Cailan’s Umami Burger, Iron Chef Morimoto’s Sa’Moto and Dani Garcia’s Casa Dani.

With over ten years professional experience in the hospitality space, Spencer is uniquely positioned to create kickass F&B content.