Lawyer Tunes Up Silver Lake Home

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When entertainment attorney Jordan Bromley bought a house on Effie Street in Silver Lake in 2010, he realized that a half-dozen musicians he represented lived within a few blocks.

So he decided to open the house up to friends and clients in the local music scene. He bought a few thousand dollars’ worth of recording equipment and invited musicians to record and live there as roommates.

The result is what musicians dubbed the “Effie House,” a social and professional gathering place for them. The house’s inhabitants include singer-songwriter Rocco DeLuca and Christian Letts, a member of the indie rock band Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros. Those known to drop by include U2 producer Daniel Lanois, who recorded a performance video on the balcony in December.

“Some days it’s like a hippie commune; some days it’s like a youth hostel,” Bromley said. “People come in and out all the time.”

The setup benefits the career of the 33-year-old Bromley, who negotiates contracts for entertainment industry clients as a partner at the West L.A. law firm Manatt Phelps & Phillips LLP. But many of those who come by the house are not clients or don’t need legal work, and he doesn’t charge for recording.

“It’s nice to have a place that everybody in the community can feel is a common ground,” he said. “It’s fun. I feel part of something.”

Drawing Line in Sand

Keith Sultemeier grew up in the beach community of Corpus Christi, Texas, and now lives and works in Manhattan Beach.

But don’t call him a beach bum. Sultemeier, the 45-year-old chief executive of Manhattan Beach’s Kinecta Federal Credit Union, said he enjoys all manner of outdoor activities – but avoids the beach.

“I’m glad I live in Manhattan Beach because the community is fantastic, but I only stepped foot on the sand twice last year,” he said.

What gives? Sultemeier said it’s all because of his childhood in the Gulf Coast town where humidity and sand create an annoying combination.

“I’ve had enough sticky sand all over me,” he said. “Sand on my skin drives me nuts.”

Breaking Away?

Is there no end of business owners getting pitched by other states? Usually it’s Arizona, Nevada and Texas. Of course, Gov. Rick Perry made news lately for trying to lure California businesses to his Lone Star State. But PR chief Carl Terzian got a pitch recently from an unexpected place.

Terzian explained that an old acquaintance, Mitch Daniels, the former Indiana governor, sent Terzian his latest book. Daniels wrote a note in the book that said, “When you get tired of California, come to Indiana!”

Terzian, who was raised in Hollywood and has always been an Angeleno, has no intention of leaving. But, he said, he can at least understand those who might be tempted by the desert beauty of Arizona, say, or the boisterous music and tech scene of Austin, Texas. But Indiana?

Terzian, employing his PR skills, put it thusly: “Let’s just say that you don’t think of people being recruited to Indiana.”

Staff reporters Alfred Lee and James Rufus Koren contributed to this column. Page 3 is compiled by Editor Charles Crumpley. He can be reached at [email protected].

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