A Conversation with Thomas Turner of East Meets West (EMW) and Relentless Beats

In advance of the upcoming Experts Only event in NYC over September 20 and 21, 2025, we spoke to Thomas Turner, founder of East Meets West (EMW) and Relentless Beats who is an integral part of bringing Experts Only to NYC and producing the eagerly-anticipated event. 

Thomas Turner has produced an assortment of well respected festivals from Phoenix Lights to Goldrush Music Festival, two independent brands that have built a national reputation for pushing dance music into new spaces. Turner was instrumental in not only conceptualizing the idea of a NYC-based Experts Only event but also securing the venue and initiating the collaboration between Summit’s team at Wasserman and Medium Rare (co-founded by Adam Richman and Joe Silberzweig).

Thomas discuss your role as the connector/catalyst that helped lead to this event. You’ve described yourself as someone who believes in “aligning the right people, the right spaces, and the right energy.” Walk me through how you identified that John Summit, Medium Rare, and your brands could create something bigger together than any could alone.

All of us bring something to the table. John Summit has an incredible fan base, Medium Rare has creative firepower, and we have a long-rooted history in dance music culture. Bringing all of these elements  together just made sense to create a powerhouse event in one of the largest entertainment economies on the planet.

What was the original conversation like when you first pitched the NYC Experts Only concept? Who did you approach first, and how did you build momentum?

The idea really took shape through a few overlapping conversations. My partners, Kevin Mitchell and Max Roseff at East Meets West, & I were already talking with Wasserman about doing something with Experts Only at Brooklyn Army Terminal. At the same time, I was speaking with my best friend Adam Richman—who co-founded Medium Rare with Joe Silberzweig—about their upcoming two-weekend run of events at Randall’s Island. The first weekend was locked in for Dave Portnoy’s One Bite Pizza Festival.

As the John Summit conversation started gaining momentum, I realized it would land on the same
weekend as their second weekend at Randall’s Island. I called Adam to give him a friendly heads-up,
and he let me know that they weren’t planning to use the second weekend after all. By the end of that
call, we had decided to pitch the idea of doing Experts Only at Randall’s Island to Ben Shprits at
Wasserman. Ben and his team brought the idea to Experts Only, and they were excited about doing it
together, so here we are!

You had already worked with John Summit on your NYE show in Arizona. How did that experience inform your vision for what Experts Only could become in New York?

We’ve actually worked with John across many shows from 400 cap clubs through to our 25,000 person NY party, Decadence Arizona. We’ve seen him grow alongside his fans and his connection with the audience is simply unmatched. We knew we had something special on our hands with this one.

On Independent Promoter Strategy: As an independent promoter competing with Live Nation and other majors, what advantages do you bring to artist partnerships that the big players might miss?

We move fast and we have a very nimble team of players working together which ultimately gives us the ability to be much more creative with the event, delivering on the product that all of us envision from the beginning. There is trust and real collaboration when you work under these circumstances.

How do you balance maintaining your regional brand identity (Relentless Beats in the Southwest, EMW
in New York) while scaling nationally through partnerships like this?

It’s important that we are staying authentic to each of the communities that we are building. Relentless Beats and EMW each have their own identity, but each of them also helps the other’s credibility. For both of them to come together on this event, you will really see the pillars on which each company is built on – quality, creativity & community.

What’s your philosophy on when to collaborate versus compete with other independent promoters?

If the visions align, collaboration makes for an even stronger final product in most cases. Ultimately, the
goal is to put on the best possible show that we can for the fans.

On Building NYC Credibility: You’ve produced major events like Black Book presents Chris Lake and Mochakk at Brooklyn Army Terminal. How important was establishing that NYC track record before pitching Experts Only?

In a market like NYC, you have to earn credibility, so in doing these events prior to Expert Only, we were
able to show the city that we meant business and really put out there that we can throw a premiere
party.

Randall’s Island is a significant venue get for dance music. What was the process of securing that space, and how did your existing relationships help?

Adam at Medium Rare has been throwing events at Randall’s Island for many years and they had the site secured for another event already on this weekend. I brought the idea of the festival to them and the rest is history.

How do you approach producing in NYC differently than in Phoenix or other markets?

NYC is rich with history and ultimately is a much different landscape than Arizona with different challenges. It’s more layered, but given the competitive nature of the city, it’s rewarding when it’s done right.

On the Multi-Year Vision: You’ve mentioned this is a “multi-year, multi-partner commitment.” What does success look like beyond September 2025?

We plan to bring the event back in 2026 and to continue to develop what it’s cultural
significance on the city, growing its scale, depth and impact.

How do you see artist-branded festivals evolving, and what infrastructure needs to be built to support
them long-term?

Fans love to connect with the artist and these types of events give them that. It allows fans to connect beyond the music and to get a better understanding of their vision with multiple facets of creativity.

What lessons from your other festivals (Phoenix Lights, Goldrush) are you applying to make Experts Only scalable?

It’s about building community. John Summit already has a very engaged community around
his brand and Experts Only which sets an immense foundation around this event, but that will only
grow as the festival takes on its own identity which we plan to foster in year one and build in
subsequent years.

On Industry Collaboration: What’s the decision-making process like when you have multiple strong brands (your companies, John Summit’s team, Medium Rare) all contributing to one event?

It’s about respecting where everyone comes from and the experience they bring to the table. We will grow and work better together than individually. Ultimately, the show is for the fans and we all remember that when we come together to plan this event.

Experts Only takes place this September 20 and 21, 2025 at Randall’s Island in NYC. More information is available at https://www.expertsonlyfest.com/.