Guests gambled at the CEG holiday party.
Photo: BizBash
It’s corporate holiday party time, so we’re checking in with employees to see what they think about their company’s bashes. (That’s the point, right?) Here’s our first report of the season.
About 2,500 Comcast Entertainment Group employees and their guests converged at the Sony Pictures Studios on Tuesday. The event marked the first holiday party under the consolidated company CEG—which joins E! Entertainment, the Style Network, and G4—and treated attendees to casino games using fake money, margarita bars (featuring drinks made according to CEG president and C.E.O. Ted Harbert's personal recipe), and some star sightings (Snoop Dogg made an appearance and wished guests happy holidays toward the end of the evening).
Some guests shared their opinions on the party, as well as their thoughts on how it compared to their last corporate bash:
“It’s been very hard to get everybody in the Comcast company together at one time, so it’s great to have everybody in one room. Clinton Sparks is always a phenomenal DJ. We had him at the summer party as well, and he’s always awesome to have. We have Snoop Dogg in the house tonight, which is kind of random and fun and everybody seems to be really excited about that. The lights are pretty, the atmosphere is very festive, and the drinks are great. Everyone’s getting crunked.”
—Jacey Dupree, assistant to the producers/talent, E! News and Daily 10, E! Entertainment
“Oh, my god, this is about a bajillion times better than last year’s G4 party. It’s a large atmosphere with fun gaming, great drinks, and food. The desserts have been amazing. Pumpkin cheesecake is awesome. I have one negative: The Style Channel people are way too fashionable. All the people from the Style Channel are so hot. They make the people from G4 look like the nerds that we really are.”
—Chris Gore, host, Attack of the Show, G4, 32
“At the last holiday party we had for G4, they opened the doors to the public at 10 o’clock. We were there for a couple of hours and then the general public comes in and it’s like, ‘What happened to our party?’ It’s like night and day with this party. This is a real party and it makes you feel good because we deserve this. We work hard.”
—Robert Medina, G4 and E! Entertainment, camera operator, 37“I’m having a great time at the Christmas party. You can tell Ted Harbert I think he did a fantastic job setting it up. [Brown-noser. —Ed.] I don’t think he knows who I am, but I’m still having a great time. I lost all of my money at the casinos, so I’m not going to win whatever the raffle is for, but that’s O.K. I’m O.K. with that.”
—Andrew, associate producer, The Soup, E! Entertainment, 25
—Tim, flash developer, G4
“I’m really enjoying the ambience. It has a better feel than last year’s holiday party, which was more drab and dark. This year it has kind of a Bali feel, with a really inviting atmosphere. I guess with the introduction of G4 to the company, they kind of expanded the party—we didn’t have this carnival wing last year. I think it’s kind of like a way of welcoming everyone. It was a really friendly move.”
—Justin Juarez, administrative coordinator, E! International, 28
“We’ve been enjoying the food, and the ambience is amazing. Last year it felt more like a club scene. Right now I feel like I’m under the Saharan desert sky.”
—Katrina, merchandising assistant, How Do I Look?, Style Network, 24
“My favorite part about tonight’s event has got to be the fact that Snoop Dogg is here. But we’re not allowed to go talk to him, because he has security guards and police officers with him.”
—Ronnie, client services, E! Entertainment
“I like the different seating areas and the fact that the venue is so huge. I liked the different choices of drinks and things to eat and the fact that there’s gambling. I’ve actually lost my husband to the gambling—I’m sitting here waiting for him."
—Heather, E! Entertainment, Chelsea Lately, producer, 36
“The waitstaff is very friendly. They’re very attentive and keep coming up to me asking me if I want anything. It’s hard to say no when the food is so good. I’ve probably gained a few pounds tonight.”
—Delivery technician, E! Entertainment, 23
“I love the platforms that they have set up in the center. It was very cool sitting up there and relaxing with everybody. It’s like its own cool little world.”
—Anonymous, 38
“I’ve actually liked this party. It’s different than what I’ve seen before. It’s more spread out. Honestly, I’ve only been to a couple of E! Christmas parties, but I like that this one has different levels where you can sit down or stand up to see who’s here. I haven’t been to one of our holiday parties in a while, but my experience with E! is that they take a venue and then just redecorate it. This looks like they designed it from start to finish.”
—Lauren, producer, True Hollywood Story, E! Entertainment
About 2,500 Comcast Entertainment Group employees and their guests converged at the Sony Pictures Studios on Tuesday. The event marked the first holiday party under the consolidated company CEG—which joins E! Entertainment, the Style Network, and G4—and treated attendees to casino games using fake money, margarita bars (featuring drinks made according to CEG president and C.E.O. Ted Harbert's personal recipe), and some star sightings (Snoop Dogg made an appearance and wished guests happy holidays toward the end of the evening).
Some guests shared their opinions on the party, as well as their thoughts on how it compared to their last corporate bash:
“It’s been very hard to get everybody in the Comcast company together at one time, so it’s great to have everybody in one room. Clinton Sparks is always a phenomenal DJ. We had him at the summer party as well, and he’s always awesome to have. We have Snoop Dogg in the house tonight, which is kind of random and fun and everybody seems to be really excited about that. The lights are pretty, the atmosphere is very festive, and the drinks are great. Everyone’s getting crunked.”
—Jacey Dupree, assistant to the producers/talent, E! News and Daily 10, E! Entertainment
“Oh, my god, this is about a bajillion times better than last year’s G4 party. It’s a large atmosphere with fun gaming, great drinks, and food. The desserts have been amazing. Pumpkin cheesecake is awesome. I have one negative: The Style Channel people are way too fashionable. All the people from the Style Channel are so hot. They make the people from G4 look like the nerds that we really are.”
—Chris Gore, host, Attack of the Show, G4, 32
“At the last holiday party we had for G4, they opened the doors to the public at 10 o’clock. We were there for a couple of hours and then the general public comes in and it’s like, ‘What happened to our party?’ It’s like night and day with this party. This is a real party and it makes you feel good because we deserve this. We work hard.”
—Robert Medina, G4 and E! Entertainment, camera operator, 37“I’m having a great time at the Christmas party. You can tell Ted Harbert I think he did a fantastic job setting it up. [Brown-noser. —Ed.] I don’t think he knows who I am, but I’m still having a great time. I lost all of my money at the casinos, so I’m not going to win whatever the raffle is for, but that’s O.K. I’m O.K. with that.”
—Andrew, associate producer, The Soup, E! Entertainment, 25
“I think the music’s really been great. The DJ’s mixing it up a lot—some hip-hop, some dance music, some rock tunes.”
—Andrew, Chelsea Lately, E! Entertainment, 22
—Tim, flash developer, G4
“I’m really enjoying the ambience. It has a better feel than last year’s holiday party, which was more drab and dark. This year it has kind of a Bali feel, with a really inviting atmosphere. I guess with the introduction of G4 to the company, they kind of expanded the party—we didn’t have this carnival wing last year. I think it’s kind of like a way of welcoming everyone. It was a really friendly move.”
—Justin Juarez, administrative coordinator, E! International, 28
“We’ve been enjoying the food, and the ambience is amazing. Last year it felt more like a club scene. Right now I feel like I’m under the Saharan desert sky.”
—Katrina, merchandising assistant, How Do I Look?, Style Network, 24
“My favorite part about tonight’s event has got to be the fact that Snoop Dogg is here. But we’re not allowed to go talk to him, because he has security guards and police officers with him.”
—Ronnie, client services, E! Entertainment
“I like the different seating areas and the fact that the venue is so huge. I liked the different choices of drinks and things to eat and the fact that there’s gambling. I’ve actually lost my husband to the gambling—I’m sitting here waiting for him."
—Heather, E! Entertainment, Chelsea Lately, producer, 36
“The waitstaff is very friendly. They’re very attentive and keep coming up to me asking me if I want anything. It’s hard to say no when the food is so good. I’ve probably gained a few pounds tonight.”
—Delivery technician, E! Entertainment, 23
“I love the platforms that they have set up in the center. It was very cool sitting up there and relaxing with everybody. It’s like its own cool little world.”
—Anonymous, 38
“I’ve actually liked this party. It’s different than what I’ve seen before. It’s more spread out. Honestly, I’ve only been to a couple of E! Christmas parties, but I like that this one has different levels where you can sit down or stand up to see who’s here. I haven’t been to one of our holiday parties in a while, but my experience with E! is that they take a venue and then just redecorate it. This looks like they designed it from start to finish.”
—Lauren, producer, True Hollywood Story, E! Entertainment
