Our Story
Energy. You can’t describe it. You just know when it’s there. Something’s happening. A moment. An event. An experience. Company 20 knows that feeling. The power of live events. The impact they can have on your brand. The change they can effect in your customers. The impression they make. In the end, it’s not what you say or do. It’s how you make your customers feel.
That’s our passion. Our strength. Our mission.
Herstory
Lil Amatore, Michele Lasky and Karen Caccese were the driving force behind the Hospitality and Event Management division at Clear Channel Entertainment/SFX Sports Group. After five solid years producing high profile special events together, they struck out to form their own business in 2005. Company 20 started in a Starbucks – the day after Clear Channel “laid them off” along with a good portion of the sports division. But there are no villains in this story as shortly thereafter, Clear Channel hired them back to produce some outstanding contractual events. And thus, Company 20 was born. Named for the accounting unit Lil, Karen and Michele were a part of at Clear Channel,
Company 20 is proud to be a women-owned business certified by WBENC.
Lil Amatore
Co-Founder/Account Director/Visionary
Originally from Hartford, CT and now proudly representing the great borough of Brooklyn, Lil handles the overall strategic direction of the team. With a career that includes concert promotion, marketing, PR, and production credits on some of the world’s greatest events, Lil brings an arsenal of experience in event management and production; philanthropy and cause-related marketing; communications; and entertainment sales and marketing. Yet still, “wife” and “mom” are considered her greatest production credits ever. Hands-down.
Karen Caccese
Co-Founder/Program Director/Ambassador of Fun
Karen is a New Yorker, through and through. Born in the great city of Albany and a proud alum of SUNY Cortland, Karen has gone from school mascot (Go Raiders!) to producing charity events for high profile athletes such as David Ortiz and Kerry Wood. And her personality can match their star-power. Karen does it all, fusing fun into everything she does, when she’s not greeting guests, she’s entertaining them – by request. She is truly the straw that stirs the drink at all our events, producing fabulous experiences for both clients and guests alike. Forever a city girl at heart, Karen reluctantly made the move to the ‘burbs with her husband, Scott, and two boys. And Long Island hasn’t been the same since…
Michele Lasky
Co-Founder/Senior Event Producer/Eagle Eye
“Plans are nothing. Planning is everything!” She probably didn’t make that saying up, but we may as well attribute it to Michele as she lives it. A force in the event planning world, Michele brings her creativity, keen attention to detail and expert-follow through to each project. No detail goes unnoticed, no list unchecked, and if she can save the client a buck, she’ll uncover the savings. She’s definitely got an eagle eye and a passion for planning! We credit her hard working spirit to her Jersey roots, but she knows to make room for down time, too. Whether running with her Airedale, Bogart; paddle boarding; traveling the world; hitting the beach; or just relaxing in her Jersey home with her husband and daughter, Michele’s got it all planned out.
Khalif Miller
Partner/Creative Director/Designer/King of Branding
Little known secret?? Khalif can sing. No – like, really sing. If he wasn’t such an amazing designer, we’d say he missed his true calling. But he is an amazing designer and just all around creative genius. As creative director for IMG and now for Company 20, Khalif directed the creative for televised and non-televised events, experiential marketing solutions, numerous brand identities, logos, and collateral pieces working for renowned brands and programs such as the NCAA, Visa, Olympics Expo Beijing, Sports Illustrated for Kids, the Pittsburgh Steelers, Beats by Dre, IHOP, United Healthcare, Wyndham Worldwide and more. Hailing from the Garden State (NJ), Khalif lives with his wife and forever karaoke partner, Tennille.
Tatiana Kneer
Operations Director/Production Manager/Whiz Kid
The fact that she graduated Magna Cum Laude should have given it away, but we’re not as smart as she is, so that didn’t clue us in. However, it didn’t take us long to realize Tatiana (aka TK) was on the ball and a total whiz. As comfortable wielding a chainsaw as she is formatting a spreadsheet, TK can do anything. She’s a “go to” for clients as well, integral to the JetBlue Soar with Reading program, and a master on our Wyndham program initiatives. A country girl at heart, TK happily commutes back and forth from her home in Westchester County where she lives with her rescue dog, Oliver, and lump of a cat, Bear.
Jaclyn Rini
Sr. Event Manager/The Natural
We are convinced that fires could rage around her (figuratively, of course), and Jaclyn wouldn’t break a sweat. She’s just as cool as a cucumber, always. And she has a knack for remembering faces and names, as well as a genuinely hospitable nature. She’s an event pro. A natural, in fact. That’s why she’s a lead on our client hospitality programs and a master of our event registration system. Born and raised on Long Island, growing up Jaclyn explored her artistic side through painting and art, focusing on landscapes and scenes in nature, of course. (Apparently, there are some gems still on display at her Grandparents home.) Not convinced she could make it as a career artist, she explored other creative outlets, and through her hospitality classes at UMASS, realized events was a way to nurture her inner creativity, while developing her natural ability.
Oliver
Chief Cuddle Officer
As a rescue, we’re not sure where Oliver’s from or much about his history, although we do know he’s a turn-around artist going from a shy, scared, quick-to-growl pooch, to a love bug who now operates as our office dog and chief cuddle officer. Amazing what some good classes and lots of love can do. Despite his size, he loves a good adventure, whether hiking Acadia National Park, exploring the Adirondacks or traveling as far as Portland, Oregon. And traveling he does, joining us at events wherever he’s welcome. Ignore the occasional pink glitter toe-nails (his best friend is a 5-year old girl), and try to keep up with Ollie’s adventures @OliverAdventurePup.
