Located in the heart of Denver’s booming River North Art District, ReelWorks is a one-of-a-kind independently owned event space with a rich history. During the Roaring ‘20s, Goldberg Brothers Tinners purchased the original three-story brick building, which was built in the 1890s by the Lindquist Cracker Company. The factory, which became known as the world’s largest manufacturer of movie reels, burned to the ground in the 1940s, but was rebuilt less than three years later as the one-story structure that still stands today. After Goldberg Brothers sold the property to The EXDO Group in 1999, the building was reborn as EXDO Event Center, then revamped again around 2020 under the new name ReelWorks, a nod to the site’s history.
“The space was just not utilized the way that it should’ve been,” recalls Stefan Hicks, the event director at ReelWorks. “The pandemic gave us a lot of time for creativity, and what we could do to edit.” Basil Osman, ReelWorks’s Director of Operations, suggested they pivot to a focus on live music, which brought a whole new audience into the space. Says Hicks, “A lot more people started noticing us when we were throwing bigger concerts rather than just private events. With that, we were like, ‘We can obviously upgrade the event space.’” Hicks had been working as a bartender with EXDO for years, and was promoted to event director during the transition to ReelWorks. The space got a facelift, including a new mezzanine and redesigned staging, just in time for in-person events to start happening again: “Everyone was cooped up for too long, so we had so many events, and especially when people started hearing about us, it just became this snowball effect. Anything and everything, I was getting asked to do. Not just fundraisers and galas like you’d expect.” “Anything and everything” ranges from dog fashion shows, bat mitzvahs, and music festivals, to vendor shows, corporate events, and roller skating parties (they have a handy storage closet full of roller skates and roller blade rentals).
ReelWorks is attached to the historic LGBTQ+ bar Tracks, its sister venue that can be rented either separately or in conjunction with ReelWorks. “Tracks is an entity on its own, but it operates under the same umbrella as us, and we’re all the same family,” says Hicks, who is the event director for both venues. Almost fifty years old, Tracks has its own iconic programming and events too, often happening while ReelWorks is rented out: “There can be scantily clad club-goers next door, and a yoga event happening right here, and they can both be simultaneously happening with no knowledge of each other until they exit the building. That’s the best, watching whatever crowd is in here mix with whatever crowd is in there as they’re all exiting.”
People can rent just ReelWorks, which has a capacity of 1800 standing or 650 seated, or the full facility including Tracks, which accommodates 3500 in total. “You can’t really find venues that are set up the way we are. It looks like a square, but there’s so much dimension, so many different levels including Tracks, and including the outside,” Hicks says of ReelWorks’s adaptable, multifaceted floor plan. ReelWorks’s patio, which has its own bar built from a storage container, is available as its own space for outdoor events, even if there’s something else going on in the building. “I’ve had full blown seated galas outside, while there’s a boxing match happening inside,” Hicks remembers. But they welcome more intimate gatherings as well, and can rent out just the lounge space in Tracks for smaller parties: “That’s the smallest room we have, and I’ve had very small quaint company meetings there, I’ve had vigils, I’ve even had vow renewals in here for ninety people.”
“It’s a very malleable space as well,” he continues. “You have to have a creative brain to be able to see the potential of what you can do here, but I’ve worked with clients who have walked in here and immediately lit up, because they didn’t feel pigeonholed by a normal hotel ballroom with a carpet floor and ugly chandeliers.” As executive director of the Japan America Society of Colorado, Claudine Locascio has held four fundraising galas at ReelWorks, and will be returning for the fifth this year, for that very reason. “The galas have all been multidimensional. They’ve included dinner, a silent auction, interactive activities, and more, and each was created around a unique theme,” she says. “Our most complicated and exciting event was a live sumo wrestling demonstration in 2019, for which we had a “dohyo” [wrestling ring] constructed in the center of the venue. With creativity and the support of the ReelWorks team, we’re able to craft a unique experience each year, blending Japanese cultural elements with our annual theme to create a truly memorable event.”
Nontraditional fundraisers and events with tricky logistics have become something of a specialty for ReelWorks. Dinah Sink has been working with ReelWorks on behalf of the Anchor Center For Blind Children for the past five years, specifically for their Sunset in The City annual gala. “It is like no other gala you will attend, as each and every table is decorated by the individual hosts and hostesses. We have asks sometimes from our hosts and hostesses that would be hard to accomplish in other venues,” she admits. These asks include securing centerpieces over six feet tall, providing a tableside power source for a functional water wheel, and even hanging a kid’s adaptive swing set over a table: “They made sure that particular table was placed in a spot where they could hang the swing directly over the table where it was stable and secure, with no danger to the folks sitting there. They totally go out of their way to accommodate our needs and make us look good each and every time we have worked with them.”
Shawn Satterfield of Shine Music, which has hosted their annual accessible music festival at ReelWorks, echoes Sink’s glowing review. “What stands out most is their willingness to work alongside us to implement accessibility features and thoughtful event logistics that allow our diverse audience to feel welcome and supported,” she says of the ReelWorks team. “Their professionalism and positive attitude make even complex events feel manageable.” Christopher LaFleur of Colorado Health Network, which has held several events at ReelWorks over the past three years, recalls how the event staff handled a near-disaster right before their 2024 Red Ball HIV/AIDS fashion show fundraiser: “Our runway required a specially fitted piece of staging which we could not order from any supplier in Denver. Our infrastructure vendor also delivered the wrong rentals two days before the event. The ReelWorks team actually hand-made the required staging for us in under two days, coordinated with the vendor we were using, and ensured that the show went on without a hiccup. They’re truly that good. Without their help, I don’t know that we’d be able to raise nearly as much money or awareness for the work we do in the community,” he confirms. “Stefan, specifically, is a straight-shooter who gets things done, and gets them done with urgency. He is remarkable at improvising in the moment and thinking on his feet. When I need suggestions, he always has them.”
With an in-house team of expert staff, a large inventory of event furnishings, and world-class audio visual technology, ReelWorks is a one-stop shop for streamlining the event planning process. “The blank canvas [of the space] is so fun, but the tools and utilities we provide are even better,” Hicks says. Not only does ReelWorks have its own in-house audio-visual team, it’s also about to be the only venue in North America with an L-Acoustics DJ sound system of its size, and their sound technicians are currently taking classes specifically to master this groundbreaking immersive technology. “There are a lot of venues that don’t have an in-house A/V team, and they don’t have the sound system that we’re about to install. There is no venue in North America that has that. It’s not possible,” emphasizes Hicks. “We can provide A/V and sound staff so you don’t need to hire outside technicians. You don’t need to bring in an LED screen or that kind of equipment, we have that in house. Even something as simple as the wall mapping, sometimes people don’t even know something like that exists.” ReelWorks’s unique wall-mapping technology can transform the entire space via video projection, allowing clients to create their own truly immersive experience. “The ReelWorks sound and audio teams are top notch,” adds LeFleur. “What an event planner receives when they work with ReelWorks is a full-service A/V production staff who are accomplished and familiar with working with some of the most complex productions, and biggest names in entertainment, in the world.”
Most of what clients would need to rent from outside companies can be provided by ReelWorks, eliminating the need for them to transport, set up, and clear away the event staging. “We have enough in-house inventory to be able to seat a four-hundred person dinner without calling event rental companies at all. Anything we’re responsible for that you rent from us, we’re going to set up for you,” ensures Hicks. This makes it easier for clients to make last minute adjustments, says Sink: “They have tables and chairs available to rent, so that we don’t have to rent them elsewhere. That makes things so much easier for us and our team, especially if we all of a sudden need to increase or decrease the size of a table.”
Hicks acts as the event coordinator for all event clients, and is with them from their initial meetings through the day of their event. “There’s so much time and care we put into the client experience, because we’re a little bit of a smaller operation as far as being independently owned. I feel like I get to know pretty much everyone, and it’s way more personal than a team of thirty people, where you get a new person the day of your event who has not been with you for the past six months of planning,” he explains. Because ReelWorks’s extensive in-house staff is used to working together as a team and being in constant communication, they’re able to operate as a well-oiled machine. “Where sometimes hotels or other event centers outsource things through third party companies, we have our own bar staff, our own floor staff, and our own security,” adds Hicks. “I have a team that’s part of this whole process, and everyone is included from the beginning, so there’s really no strangers the day of your event. Things don’t fall through the cracks, because there’s really only twelve of us.” That being said, they’re also happy to collaborate with outside event planners: “A lot of the corporations that we deal with have in-house marketing and in-house event planning teams, and I love working with them. We play well with everyone.”
ReelWorks’s phenomenal customer service has earned them a loyal following of repeat clientele. “We keep coming back because the team consistently goes above and beyond for us. Stefan is someone I can count on to help us deliver a perfect event every time,” Locascio reiterates. “Working with the ReelWorks team has been exceptional from day one. Their staff is collaborative, responsive, and genuinely committed to making events successful,” agrees Satterfield. “For organizations that care about creating meaningful, community-centered experiences, ReelWorks provides both the space and the partnership needed to make those events truly memorable.” Contact ReelWorks today to find out more about how they can make your next event one people are talking about for years to come.
