The Newport Buzz Brings NYC Music Scene to City By The Sea

Last winter, fifth-generation Newporter Christian Winthrop said he discovered a gap in the Newport online entertainment publication market. The realization was the birth of the idea behind thenewportbuzz.com, an online source for entertainment, events and Newport "scene” information.  

“My goal for thenewportbuzz.com is to bring the Newport experience to life for residents and visitors alike,” Winthrop explained.

Following the same political ambition as his father, Councilor Henry F. Winthrop, the younger Winthrop began his career by running congressional and senate campaigns.  He said the skills he learned by managing those campaigns parallelled the responsibilities of a producer, which in 2007, led to his introduction to his mentor and soon-to-be boss, J Moses. 

At that time, Moses was the CEO of UGO.com and division of Hearst Corporation and president of MTV Russia. That same year, Winthrop left the world of politics to work for Moses and was quickly immersed into the exciting and creative world of online entertainment publications and production.

“Moses would take me into his office weekly and give me a lesson on the economics of the Internet through the lens of a media publisher," he said.  “He gave me a graduate level education in media and publishing.”

At Hearst, Winthrop did celebrity interviews, movie set visits and red carpet interviews which helped establish the personal relationships with entertainment personalities that he hopes to bring to Newport with thenewportbuzz.com.

Winthrop said the popularity surge of social networks, such as Facebook, drastically drove down the price of online advertisement, which led to the decline of the online publication industry.  Content that was once generated only by the industry was now provided by users at a massive scale, and the influx of content supply sent the industry into turmoil. By the end of the summer of 2009, Hearst was no exception and downsizes left Winthrop without a job.

Winthrop, not left discouraged, saw his new relationships in the entertainment industry and his knowledge taught by Moses' weekly lessons as an opportunity for Newport, which Winthrop described as a niche market that would thrive inside the web 2.0 environment.
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He spoke with friends in the industry and contacted Newport native Bob Edenbach, a web developer living and working in Tokyo, to pitch the idea of thenewportbuzz.com.  Edenback said "let's do it!" and they immediately immersed themselves in the project.

On May 28, they went live with thenewportbuzz.com and so far Winthrop said the response has been overwhelmingly positive.  

The site will host a launch party this Thursday at The Dockside, and will feature performances by DJ Lady Starlight and Hank and the Cupcakes, with an opening performance by Newport’s own, The Skinny Millionaires.

DJ Lady Starlight, a hard rock DJ, who has been credited with the discovery of Lady Gaga, performed with Gaga at a weekly party from 2006 through 2009 in the lower East Side of New York City.  

“Starlight has been a dear friend of mine for a couple of years. I’m so honored that when I called and asked her to be a part of this event, she immediately agreed,” said Winthrop.  

Hank and the Cupcakes, originally from Tel Aviv, is now based out of Brooklyn and has recently signed with BMG to produce their first major album in August.  The two-man band will be featured in September’s issue of Italian Vogue.  

“Hank and the Cupcakes is one of the first bands in a really long time that I’ve been positive will be a major force in the world music scene.  I’m so happy that I get to showcase them in Newport,” Winthrop said.  

The event will also feature a Newport go-go troupe, headed up by Katie Egan.

The 21+ event begins at 8 p.m. Tickets are available at the door for $20.  Winthrop suggests to arrive early, as the show is expected to sell out. 

Before the event, there is an invite-only VIP cocktail reception on-board a 128' yacht.  Two tickets will be given away in a contest on the Newport Buzz Facebook page. The contest ends at 6 p.m. today.

Hair and Makeup for the event will be done by . Wardrobes will be provided by .