Meet Marcus Gladney | Founder of the Venice Electric Light Parade

We had the good fortune of connecting with Marcus Gladney and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Marcus, do you have any habits that you feel contribute to your effectiveness?
Being consistent and disciplined. I grew up in a pretty strict household where the margin for error was pretty small. My parents raised my sister and I to fully understand and adhere by “Routine”. Example of that was every Saturday morning before baseball practice or after the grass had to be cut and edged. So well into my adult life Consistency is a habit I feel that’s helped me succeed with past businesses and the Venice Electric Light Parade.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Over the past 25 years I’ve owned many different small businesses from Carpet Cleaning, Janitorial services to Operating Tow trucks. When starting any business family and friends play a key role mentally and in some instances financially. Starting a business or Non Profit Organization such as the Venice Electric Light Parade is never easy, it takes a ton discipline and because V.E.L.P is 501c3 it has to be ran on the back end as a business. This seems to confuse a handful of people why I’m so serious about this cycling event. Well #1 it was created to serve the Venice community as well as the Surrounding Communities and World alike. So with New people coming weekly the experience of V.E.L.P needs to remain the same and unchallenged. So in keeping the core value of Velp in tact of a kid friendly sober event almost 10 years later is still aren’t that easy. Thankfully I have a team of sober individuals that help to facilitate the bike parade. One important lesson I’ve learned is to have patience with people, since my upbringing was somewhat strick, I’ve mastered and fully understand there are consequences for breaking rules. So I implemented some defining components that helped mold me into every business I started and feel they helped me excell business wise and those same components are used today in the Venice Electric Light Parade as well as our Sister Chapers in San Diego/Ventura and Hawaii

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Of course the epitome of fun is Venice Beach California. That’s always the first place I tell anyone visiting and to experience V.E.L.P on a Sunday at Sunset. All of Los Angeles has really great eateries my favorite is Thai cuisine so I would highly recommend Thai Town “Mango Sticky Rice Please”. Definitely a ride up the coast to Malibu and perhaps a rise South to San Diego. They also couldn’t leave LA without seeing Hollywood walk of fame and experiencing Disneyland or Universal Studios.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
People ask me all the time where did my inspiration come from in creating this weekly Led Bicycling event. My inspiration came from Sebastian “the lightman” Butler in 2015 when I met him in Venice California lighting up bicycle wheels for locals and celebrities at Sunset on the boardwalk. We quickly became friends in which he taught me wheel light installation. If it weren’t for him and his kindness and the way the community embraced him nightly who knows what I would be doing present day.

Website: https://veniceelectriclightparade.com

Instagram: @veniceelectriclightparade

Linkedin: veniceelectriclightparade@gmail.com

Twitter: @venicelights

Soundcloud: veniceelectriclightparade@gmail.com

Facebook: @veniceelectriclightparade

Yelp: @veniceelectriclightparade

Youtube: @veniceelectriclightparade