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Today\u2019s guest has been a partner and friend to GBH for years. He\u2019s a former GM for 16 on Center, a restaurant and venue group in Chicago known for its Michelin Star restaurant, Longman & Eagle, as well as music venues like The Empty Bottle and Thalia Hall.

If Thalia Hall sounds familiar, that\u2019s because it\u2019s played host to our Uppers & Downers festival basically since its inception. So much of what the festival has become has been substantially shaped by the physical space of Thalia Hall\u2014it\u2019s history, and Will Duncan himself.

In this conversation, we\u2019re going to talk about some of that, but also how Will has risen through the ranks over the years, from a part-time door guy to GM, to multi-venue manager across the growing empire of bars, restaurants, and venues, and finally launching his own venue as he takes over the historic FitzGerald\u2019s venue in Berwyn, Illinois.

He happened to sign the papers for that venue\u2014venturing into his life-long dream of being an entrepreneur in his own right\u2014about a week before COVID-19 turn our world upside down, and places like FitzGerald\u2019s shut down.

A dream interrupted. But still kicking.

I\u2019ve learned a ton from Will over the years. Sometimes explicitly, sometimes just by following his example and experimenting with his kind of team-based leadership. I often describe Will as the most optimistic man in America. But one thing I know is that sometimes optimism comes easy and natural\u2014and sometimes optimism is damn hard work. This conversation is about the work.

This is Will Duncan of FitzGerald\u2019s and 16 on Center. Listen in.