Latest / Vegas Revealed / Talking Las Vegas with Mark Shunock: F1 Racing, Live Entertainment Evolution, Stanley Cup, Favorite Off-Strip Restaurants, 10 Years of Monday's Dark | Ep. 195

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Talking Las Vegas with Mark Shunock: F1 Racing, Live Entertainment Evolution, Stanley Cup, Favorite Off-Strip Restaurants, 10 Years of Monday's Dark | Ep. 195 · Vegas Revealed

• 0:01
  Sean McAllister: It's episode 195 of Vegas.
• 0:05
  Dayna Roselli: Monday's Dark is celebrating 10 years of g live entertainment in Las episode we fill you in on at the Palms on Monday dark talk entertainment sports, las Vegas Places that's revealed, plus a big shout works in for red fitness app and shout out to our subscribers.
• 0:32
  Dayna Roselli: We appreciate each and every one of you, All right let's do it now.
• 0:36
  Sean McAllister: Spin that wheel.
• 0:52
  Dayna Roselli: Welcome everyone.
• 0:53
  Dayna Roselli: Listen, we're doing things a little bit different today, because we are interviewing our friend Mark Chinook, who has been here in Las Vegas for a very long time.
• 1:04
  Mark Shunock: We've been here a little longer than Mark, so we were here for your big arrival, like when you were born, into Vegas.
• 1:09
  Dayna Roselli: Yeah, so Mark was in Rock of Ages over the Venetian for a long time.
• 1:12
  Dayna Roselli: You have a resume that's like this long.
• 1:16
  Dayna Roselli: Right now you're you're the emcee for top rank.
• 1:20
  Mark Shunock: Yeah emcee the right title.
• 1:21
  Mark Shunock: It's a good word Host.
• 1:22
  Mark Shunock: Yeah, I do all the press conferences, weigh ins and all the ring announcing for top rank spoiled yeah and you do all the entertainment for the Golden Knights games.
• 1:30
  Dayna Roselli: You're great we see you up there and getting people to really crank it to open up the games and all the in.
• 1:34
  Dayna Roselli: You know the in house entertainment.
• 1:36
  Sean McAllister: The list goes on and, by the way, we are coming to you this week from a studio inside of the space here in Las Vegas.
• 1:46
  Sean McAllister: It's an entertainment venue that Mark created.
• 1:48
  Sean McAllister: Gosh, how long has it been now?
• 1:50
  Sean McAllister: We?
• 1:51
  Mark Shunock: are going to celebrate, I think, eight years of existence here at the space, and this is just something that started to come together as of late.
• 1:58
  Mark Shunock: It's a podcast studio in the back corner of the facility, so to have you guys here is really special for myself and our entire team at the space.
• 2:06
  Mark Shunock: Who's here helping record this episode?
• 2:09
  Mark Shunock: Yeah, you know, before we even get into it, like the way you started was actually made me feel like goosey, goose, bumpy, because Vegas is special and you guys have continuously supported everything that I've had my hand and whether it's, like you said, rock of Ages or the Golden Knights or top rank or Monday's dark the space you've always supported.
• 2:28
  Mark Shunock: You've always allowed me to come on your platform and talk about what we have going on, and so this is such a cool moment for me.
• 2:36
  Mark Shunock: So thank you, thank you, thank you for coming here and allowing us to talk all things.
• 2:41
  Dayna Roselli: It's special.
• 2:42
  Mark Shunock: You guys have been rock stars in the community since day one, and I've been here 11 years now, and so 11 years ago, when Rock of Ages opened, you guys were the first one to say come on, get over here.
• 2:54
  Mark Shunock: And this is awesome, so thank you.
• 2:56
  Dayna Roselli: Of course, Of course.
• 2:57
  Dayna Roselli: Yeah, I remember having Mark.
• 2:57
  Dayna Roselli: You know, and I'm sure you do too in studio when we were in full time TV and I remember being at the first Monday's dark.
• 3:04
  Sean McAllister: I mean we're going to talk Monday's dark.
• 3:06
  Dayna Roselli: We've got so much to talk about.
• 3:07
  Dayna Roselli: You're having a special 10 year anniversary celebration of Monday's dark and we want to get to all that and we're going to explain what Monday's dark is.
• 3:15
  Dayna Roselli: We had a couple things we wanted to talk to you about, though, before we get into that, just because, it is F, one weekend, when this podcast drops, and you are so heavily involved in the sports community, so we wanted your take.
• 3:26
  Sean McAllister: Yeah, I mean, what is your take on having?
• 3:29
  Sean McAllister: I mean, this is another global sporting event that will have the eyes of the world on Las Vegas.
• 3:38
  Sean McAllister: What is your perspective?
• 3:41
  Mark Shunock: It's pretty remarkable, in my opinion.
• 3:43
  Mark Shunock: What's what's happened over just the last six months, let alone the 11 years I've been here?
• 3:50
  Mark Shunock: Like you said, F one is global and it's a market.
• 3:53
  Mark Shunock: It's a fan base that I don't think has experienced Vegas in the way they're about to experience Vegas.
• 4:01
  Mark Shunock: Yes, there have been some hiccups and some I don't know how you call it.
• 4:07
  Mark Shunock: for us locals, some frustration, frustration, headaches but I think it's just another piece of the pie that makes this city so special and I am so excited for the week ahead.
• 4:21
  Mark Shunock: It's unbelievable like they're running out of room at the airport, yeah, you know, like as much as that's a headache.
• 4:28
  Mark Shunock: That's kind of a cool problem in my book.
• 4:31
  Mark Shunock: I always I'm an optimist right at heart, so I try to look at the positive of all the things.
• 4:36
  Mark Shunock: There's a lot of negative comments on social media right now about the F1 week ahead, but I think the reward will Significantly outweigh the negative and I hope that it will get easier and easier every year because this is a 10-year deal, so it's not going anywhere.
• 4:52
  Mark Shunock: So hopefully it gets easier on us who call Vegas home, yeah, and they work out the kinks.
• 4:58
  Sean McAllister: Well, I know Dana is of the same mindset.
• 5:01
  Sean McAllister: I am on Instagram the other day saying come on, all you naysayers.
• 5:05
  Mark Shunock: Oh, put it to bed, for a minute over at the glimmer of positivity.
• 5:09
  Dayna Roselli: Yeah, I think that's important every social media post is negative and I know it's been frustrating, especially for people who work on the strip.
• 5:15
  Dayna Roselli: You know I get it, they're in and out of work.
• 5:17
  Dayna Roselli: But it's like, okay, we're going into F1 week, let's see what happens, let's see what this is like.
• 5:22
  Dayna Roselli: I have a feeling we're all gonna have chills once this is over and we watch whether we're watching it on TV in Person and we watch this race at 10 pm Pacific time on Saturday.
• 5:31
  Mark Shunock: Yeah, you guys know better than anybody.
• 5:32
  Mark Shunock: Those who work in television Are just magicians, right, and they are going to make that race look Sensational in Las Vegas.
• 5:41
  Mark Shunock: So, yes, it may be a little cumbersome or a little clustery for us, but what we see on television for years to come, or just even the days Proceeding event or after the event, it's going to look incredible.
• 5:56
  Mark Shunock: And these cars whipping down the strip at 200 miles an hour and they're passing by the Bellagio and those grandstands that were built yes, they are ugly grandstands, but they will not be there forever and the strip will go back to looking the way we're accustomed to it looking, yeah.
• 6:12
  Mark Shunock: So I think it's well worth it and I can't wait to see the community of F1 supporters roll into town.
• 6:18
  Mark Shunock: Spend all that money, baby.
• 6:20
  Mark Shunock: Go to those restaurants, go to those shows, rent those rooms, book those rooms.
• 6:24
  Mark Shunock: Spend the money in Vegas.
• 6:25
  Mark Shunock: We need it, you know, and that trickle-down effect, I think, is going to we're gonna feel it yeah we're gonna have to give up.
• 6:31
  Dayna Roselli: You know, like locals are well, it's not for us, like well, we're gonna have to give up a weekend to have all these new people and get eyes on Las Vegas, and then hopefully others can go there, and I mean, I don't know.
• 6:39
  Dayna Roselli: Yeah, I think.
• 6:40
  Dayna Roselli: I think we'll just have to see how it goes, and I never even mentioned, when I did that post on social media, the amount of response I got in direct message.
• 6:46
  Dayna Roselli: I was shocked.
• 6:47
  Dayna Roselli: Everyone's like the response was was I had dozens of messages of people saying I'm excited about it and I'm like well, where have you all been, unless you're just not my algorithm.
• 6:58
  Mark Shunock: Yeah, there's been a lot of naysayers, but that's okay, you know, there's always there's haters, right?
• 7:03
  Sean McAllister: Yeah, haters gonna hate always, and they're the loud voices to that's okay, yeah, and it's okay.
• 7:07
  Mark Shunock: I think it's a.
• 7:08
  Mark Shunock: It's a sensational thing for the.
• 7:10
  Mark Shunock: The city Pro sports has taken over.
• 7:12
  Mark Shunock: As you guys know, we are now known as the sports and entertainment capital of the world, and it's the best of the best.
• 7:19
  Mark Shunock: I was so proud to call Las Vegas home.
• 7:22
  Mark Shunock: I've been here 11 years.
• 7:24
  Mark Shunock: We have the best restaurants, the best shows.
• 7:26
  Mark Shunock: We now have championship winning sports teams with our aces and the Golden Knights.
• 7:31
  Mark Shunock: Hopefully the Raiders can get us a Super Bowl, and you know major league baseball and the National Basketball Association.
• 7:36
  Mark Shunock: They're right around the corner.
• 7:38
  Mark Shunock: So to have F1 come here and put it, put Vegas as a stop for the next decade, that says everything that you need to know right there about the city, and I've been a big proponent of.
• 7:50
  Mark Shunock: When I talk about Las Vegas, it's not the buildings, it's not the restaurants, it's not the resorts, it's the people, yeah.
• 7:56
  Mark Shunock: So the reason why F1 is here is because we have amazing people who call this city home and make it go.
• 8:03
  Mark Shunock: So forget being negative.
• 8:05
  Mark Shunock: If you look at it in that sense, f1 is rewarding this city because of the amazing people who make it go Right, the people at the top making these decisions.
• 8:13
  Mark Shunock: These are great people who call Las Vegas home, and they busted their ass for all these years now, and now we're getting a Premier sporting event that's not just North American based, it's global.
• 8:23
  Mark Shunock: This is global stuff, you know, so I'm really excited for it.
• 8:27
  Sean McAllister: Well, I'm curious.
• 8:28
  Sean McAllister: You grew up in Canada, yep In Ontario, right?
• 8:32
  Sean McAllister: Yes, sir.
• 8:33
  Dayna Roselli: Yeah.
• 8:34
  Sean McAllister: You were just north of us.
• 8:36
  Dayna Roselli: Yeah, in Rochester, from Rochester.
• 8:37
  Sean McAllister: New.
• 8:37
  Mark Shunock: York yeah.
• 8:39
  Sean McAllister: Was is car racing big in Canada?
• 8:42
  Mark Shunock: If you can get out and shovel the driveway.
• 8:44
  Sean McAllister: And throw some salt down.
• 8:46
  Mark Shunock: Yes, On the tire fortunately, I think the racing that I was privy to as a kid growing up was a snowmobile racing around a track that was around a couple trees.
• 8:54
  Mark Shunock: Yeah, you know.
• 8:55
  Mark Shunock: So no, we didn't have.
• 8:56
  Mark Shunock: We didn't have.
• 8:57
  Mark Shunock: Racing sports in Canada revolves around our Canadian pastime, which is which is hockey.
• 9:02
  Mark Shunock: Yeah you know you're born with skates on men and women.
• 9:04
  Mark Shunock: You know boys and girls.
• 9:05
  Mark Shunock: Everybody plays the game of hockey and don't forget.
• 9:09
  Mark Shunock: You know, I think sometimes.
• 9:10
  Mark Shunock: You know I've been in the United States 25 years now.
• 9:13
  Mark Shunock: People forget that the entire population of Canada is essentially the same as the population of California right.
• 9:21
  Mark Shunock: You know there are about 33 million people who live in Canada.
• 9:25
  Mark Shunock: Yeah, and they all live within a hundred mile radius of the US border.
• 9:28
  Mark Shunock: After that it's a little Tundra-esque, but hockey is our pastime man and that's why, you know, and when I was doing rock of ages and our owner, mr Foley, said, hey, I want to bring a pro team here, I cold called his office.
• 9:43
  Mark Shunock: I've been working alongside Bill Foley in some way for nine years.
• 9:47
  Mark Shunock: Our team is celebrating its seventh season.
• 9:49
  Mark Shunock: I was on that Vegas wants hockey committee nine years ago, helping bring a pro NHL franchise to Vegas.
• 9:56
  Dayna Roselli: And then you're part of a Stanley Cup.
• 9:57
  Dayna Roselli: I mean witnessing that must have been, and we know what it felt like, just watching it, I mean, and being a part of it.
• 10:02
  Dayna Roselli: But you being in there, I mean that must have just been incredible.
• 10:04
  Mark Shunock: Yeah, I was able to bring my dad out and my two of my older brothers.
• 10:08
  Mark Shunock: You know, I'm the youngest of five.
• 10:10
  Mark Shunock: My parents are still amazing in their early 80s.
• 10:14
  Mark Shunock: So my dad came down, two brothers came down and hockey's been a part of our family for as long as I can remember.
• 10:21
  Mark Shunock: My father was a dentist by trade but in the 80s acquired a hockey team in our hometown, the Sioux St Marie Greyhounds, which is a junior hockey franchise.
• 10:31
  Mark Shunock: He was able to save the team from being relocated and bought them from Phil and Tony Esposito, which are hockey legends who played in the National Hockey League but are from my hometown, and so hockey's been in our DNA as a family forever.
• 10:43
  Mark Shunock: And so to have that come full circle as a Broadway kid who then started working in sports, to being on the ice in game five and Having the chance to witness the Stanley Cup Be hoisted by a team you work for, it was a pretty special moment and it's something that we won't forget as a family.
• 11:01
  Mark Shunock: You know, having my dad there is something we'll never forget, that's pretty amazing.
• 11:05
  Mark Shunock: Yeah, that's remarkable.
• 11:06
  Sean McAllister: That's an amazing moment to be able to have, and then you were out there hoisting the cup on the ice too.
• 11:14
  Mark Shunock: It was crazy how it happened.
• 11:15
  Mark Shunock: I was on the ice doing interviews and producer in my ear just said hey, shanuck, you're wrapped.
• 11:20
  Mark Shunock: So I'm just standing out there like a kidney candy store watching players skate around with the trophy and wives and families and coaches and trainers.
• 11:29
  Mark Shunock: And then, sure enough, one of our trainers had the Stanley Cup and he saw me stand in there and he was like Shanuck, you're next I don't remember who I threw my microphone to, but there was that moment where I grabbed that cup and I'm like yeah.
• 11:42
  Dayna Roselli: Oh my gosh.
• 11:44
  Mark Shunock: It was amazing because I was facing where my family was sitting and I could see them and they could see me.
• 11:48
  Mark Shunock: It was just again.
• 11:50
  Mark Shunock: Like I said, it's a moment that you can't explain and it's something that I'll just remember for the rest of my life.
• 11:55
  Mark Shunock: I wanted to hoist it as a player.
• 11:57
  Mark Shunock: As a kid growing up in Canada, that was always my dream to hoist the Stanley Cup as a player.
• 12:02
  Mark Shunock: But this is pretty close, it's pretty cool.
• 12:06
  Dayna Roselli: I mean you've gotten a lot in in 10 years.
• 12:08
  Dayna Roselli: A lot has happened in your life.
• 12:09
  Dayna Roselli: I remember being at your party for your citizenship over at the Hard Rock.
• 12:13
  Dayna Roselli: That was a great party, by the way.
• 12:15
  Dayna Roselli: Yeah, that's right, that was a fun night, but I remember that happened, I mean, and just so much has evolved and you've made Las Vegas home.
• 12:21
  Dayna Roselli: You could have stayed in LA, right, but you decided to move here and make it home because you loved it so much and you've really just done so much for the community and charity.
• 12:29
  Dayna Roselli: Charity is something that's important to you.
• 12:31
  Dayna Roselli: So you're out there working, you're hustling, but we have a lot of organizations in this town of ours, outside of the strip, that do a lot of good things, and I know what was big for you when you started Monday Star was giving some publicity to some of the smaller organizations, right, yeah, you guys know better than anybody too that Vegas is red carpet.
• 12:50
  Sean McAllister: happy They'll roll out a red carpet for the opening of Apple Bees in summer.
• 12:55
  Mark Shunock: Team behind the window is like Chinook.
• 12:56
  Mark Shunock: If you use that joke one more time, we're going to turn the lights off.
• 12:59
  Mark Shunock: But it's the truth and as a performer at the time when we first got out here, we were in rock of ages.
• 13:05
  Mark Shunock: I'd have to go to the dressing room at 5 o'clock, put the mullet wig on the goofy t-shirt and they'd drive us to a charity event.
• 13:12
  Mark Shunock: And because we had a show at 8 o'clock every night, all we would do is walk the carpet, take a picture and leave, and that was my introduction to sort of the giving scene in Vegas when we first got here and I was like this is bizarre.
• 13:25
  Mark Shunock: I can't even stay for your party or your event, your gala.
• 13:28
  Mark Shunock: I have to go back and do a show.
• 13:29
  Mark Shunock: So why am I doing this?
• 13:30
  Mark Shunock: To be honest, I hated getting the costume on, having to go to work so early and go to this event that I didn't even know anything about.
• 13:37
  Mark Shunock: So that's why my wife and I started Monday's Dark.
• 13:41
  Mark Shunock: The name comes from the fact that it's traditionally dark on Monday for the Broadway shows, so we didn't have a show on Monday night, and so I just started meeting all the entertainers in town and saying hey, if I threw a party on Monday night, would you come and do what you do, which is perform.
• 13:54
  Mark Shunock: I don't need you to walk a carpet or put on a goofy.
• 13:57
  Mark Shunock: Put your costume on.
• 13:57
  Mark Shunock: You're going to come and sing something that you never have done before or something new that's not in your show, and let's raise money and give it all away.
• 14:04
  Mark Shunock: And here we are celebrating a decade of doing that.
• 14:08
  Mark Shunock: We've thrown 181 parties.
• 14:11
  Mark Shunock: We've never repeated a nonprofit.
• 14:14
  Mark Shunock: Each charity gets $10,000.
• 14:15
  Mark Shunock: We've raised over $2 million with various events that we've hosted outside of Monday's Dark here at the space.
• 14:22
  Mark Shunock: But Monday's Dark, specifically, has partnered with 181 nonprofits and they've all received $10,000 in a bunch of awareness like you said, the smaller groups and today we have a wait list of over 300 waiting for a Monday's Dark party.
• 14:37
  Mark Shunock: So it's crazy.
• 14:38
  Dayna Roselli: Yeah, it really Crazy how it's grown.
• 14:40
  Dayna Roselli: It really is.
• 14:42
  Sean McAllister: And I remember when you first had your first Monday's Dark and I've been over here for several shows Over the last 10 years.
• 14:55
  Sean McAllister: What are some of the standout moments for you?
• 14:58
  Mark Shunock: Because I know things can get crazy up on stage, that's a great question, and what's awesome is our entire team has been going through archives and we're brainstorming ideas for our 10th anniversary of what to share.
• 15:10
  Mark Shunock: One thing we will share at the 10th anniversary and I think this will resonate with you guys Our first or second Monday's Dark ever was at the Hard Rock.
• 15:20
  Mark Shunock: Robin Leach was a big supporter of.
• 15:23
  Mark Shunock: Monday's Dark and we miss him dearly, just like you guys.
• 15:27
  Mark Shunock: He was so supportive of everything entertainment based in Vegas and just wanted everybody to be successful.
• 15:33
  Mark Shunock: He understood that if you had the drive and hustle in Vegas, the city would embrace you and support you, and he just lived that.
• 15:41
  Mark Shunock: So when Monday's Dark started, I asked Robin.
• 15:44
  Mark Shunock: I said hey, would you do something for me?
• 15:45
  Mark Shunock: I got this idea for a segment and we don't do this segment anymore, but Craigslist was very popular when we first started Monday's Dark, and on Craigslist there's a missed connections posting place where you can go on and say hey, dana, I saw you on the bus last Tuesday.
• 16:03
  Mark Shunock: I'm not sure if you're going to see this, but I really should have asked you out and I didn't have the nerve.
• 16:08
  Mark Shunock: So if you see this, I was the guy in the baseball cap and the black t-shirt Message me, and so it was this whole thing on Craigslist called missed connections, and so I would read a missed connection as part of the show.
• 16:20
  Sean McAllister: I would find really either raunchy ones or no, and so we would read them.
• 16:27
  Mark Shunock: And so one show was like the first or second show.
• 16:29
  Mark Shunock: I said, robin, would you do me a favor, in your beautiful accent, in your most famous lifestyles of the Rich and Famous, will you read this missed connection for us?
• 16:38
  Mark Shunock: So up comes Robin Leach, on stage sits in a stool.
• 16:42
  Mark Shunock: We hit him with a special spotlight.
• 16:44
  Mark Shunock: He's in the dark, kenny Davidson is playing beautiful underscored music and he goes on to read this missed connection of a guy who accused a woman of breaking wind or farting as you will in the bread section of Trader Joe's and she's wafting ciabatta bread.
• 17:04
  Mark Shunock: I'm not doing it justice because I don't have Robin's beautiful accent.
• 17:07
  Dayna Roselli: Oh yeah, that's great.
• 17:07
  Mark Shunock: But we have that footage and we've pulled it and we're going to re-air it at the 10th anniversary event in honor of Robin helping us establish what is now household in the philanthropic community.
• 17:20
  Mark Shunock: We might not be household to the general public but if you work in nonprofit or charity work in Las Vegas, you've heard of Monday's Dark and it's those little moments that, when I look back on 10 years to see how far the show has come, first of all like just the structure and format and the crew and the amazing people who volunteer their time to make it happen.
• 17:39
  Mark Shunock: There have been some pretty funny moments.
• 17:41
  Mark Shunock: There's been some I've you know listen.
• 17:43
  Mark Shunock: I've had too many drinks at various.
• 17:45
  Sean McAllister: Mondays darks.
• 17:46
  Mark Shunock: We've had guests get up on stage unannounced, we've had puppeteers show up.
• 17:51
  Mark Shunock: It's just been awesome to look back on the decade of what we've done.
• 17:56
  Mark Shunock: But that's one moment that you know is special to us, especially in the industry that we're in here in Vegas, as you know entertainers and hosts and personalities.
• 18:04
  Mark Shunock: Robin was such a big part of that and we're excited to put that back up on the screen in December.
• 18:10
  Dayna Roselli: Well, in the episode I was just saying, I mean when somebody might be listening to this and I just want to backped a little you know Monday's dark.
• 18:15
  Dayna Roselli: It's on Mondays when shows are dark.
• 18:18
  Dayna Roselli: You have performers come and put on a show.
• 18:20
  Dayna Roselli: You usually have a theme, what it's?
• 18:22
  Dayna Roselli: 20 bucks to get in the door, just because we kind of never went over.
• 18:24
  Dayna Roselli: And then if anyone doesn't know that and maybe you're visiting in town and you're here on a Monday, I mean just saying Robin Leech to us, we're like oh, robin Leech was our buddy, right, he's known all over the world.
• 18:34
  Dayna Roselli: I mean you could rub shoulders with Robin Leech, but many other people just hop in, so it's an event where you never know who's going to show up to.
• 18:43
  Dayna Roselli: Yeah, you're speaking the language.
• 18:45
  Mark Shunock: That's awesome because you've got it right and that's just us, 10 years in town doing it.
• 18:49
  Mark Shunock: It is essentially for people listening who have never heard about it.
• 18:52
  Mark Shunock: It is a 90 minute variety show every other Monday.
• 18:55
  Mark Shunock: You never know who's going to show up.
• 18:57
  Mark Shunock: It's 20 bucks.
• 18:58
  Mark Shunock: 100% of the ticket proceeds and the silent auction go to a different nonprofit every other Monday and we've had the likes of Shania Twain, Brad Garrett, Louis Anderson is another one who's no longer with us, who did comedy for us, Geetje Guy, who's a local entertainer who just recently passed.
• 19:15
  Mark Shunock: It's unfortunate that I've referenced three amazing entertainers who no longer with us.
• 19:19
  Dayna Roselli: We've lost a lot of people over the last three years.
• 19:21
  Mark Shunock: But you never know who's going to show up.
• 19:23
  Mark Shunock: It's adult, it's off the cuff.
• 19:25
  Mark Shunock: It's Carol Burnett meets Jimmy Kimmel, meets Saturday Night Live with a full band, and that's what's cool about Vegas, right?
• 19:34
  Mark Shunock: People are coming through this town all the time so you never know who's here.
• 19:37
  Mark Shunock: And we're just, I feel, even though we're like 10 years old, we are 10 years old.
• 19:42
  Mark Shunock: I feel like we're just scratching the surface and there's so much more we can do to help this great city, because to have 300 nonprofits on a waitlist and have already supported 180, that says a lot about how many amazing people in Las Vegas are committed to a cause of some sort.
• 20:00
  Mark Shunock: Right, that's a lot of great giving people living in Vegas.
• 20:04
  Dayna Roselli: And a big need.
• 20:04
  Dayna Roselli: I'm like 180 charities.
• 20:07
  Dayna Roselli: We have them for a reason.
• 20:08
  Dayna Roselli: There's a need out there, that's for sure.
• 20:10
  Dayna Roselli: And tell us about the 10-year anniversary for folks that want to buy tickets and go to the Palms.
• 20:15
  Dayna Roselli: You're going to kick it up a little bit.
• 20:17
  Dayna Roselli: It's going to be a little bit more special than normal, but kind of normal it's always, we try to do the best of the best for the 10th anniversary.
• 20:25
  Mark Shunock: There's a lot of business that has to get taken care of, but it is a true variety show.
• 20:28
  Mark Shunock: We're leaving the space because obviously we want to celebrate and get as many people into a room as possible.
• 20:34
  Mark Shunock: So the amazing people at the Palms who run that organization, run that resort, have opened up the Pearl Theater for us, which is a gorgeous it's one of my favorite venues in town the technology in there, the intimacy of the feeling.
• 20:47
  Mark Shunock: We're going to have 2,000 locals in the building.
• 20:49
  Mark Shunock: 42 local nonprofits will be represented.
• 20:52
  Mark Shunock: So we partner with 21 charities a year.
• 20:55
  Mark Shunock: We're going to celebrate the 21 charities from 2023 and we'll announce the 21 charities for 2024 that night.
• 21:01
  Mark Shunock: For the first time ever, it's 20 bucks and all of the money will go towards the productions of 2024.
• 21:09
  Mark Shunock: So this is the only time of year where Monday's Dark does a fundraiser for itself.
• 21:14
  Mark Shunock: So we partner with 21 charities a year.
• 21:17
  Mark Shunock: We give away over $200,000 in cash every year a bunch of awareness.
• 21:21
  Mark Shunock: But this is the party every year where we celebrate Monday's Dark, celebrate the team, the volunteers, all the charities.
• 21:29
  Mark Shunock: There's a huge auction.
• 21:31
  Mark Shunock: There's a live auction component, which we normally don't do, and the show itself will be bananas.
• 21:38
  Mark Shunock: We have some of the best shows on the strip represented.
• 21:40
  Mark Shunock: We can talk about a few that folks from Cirque du Soleil have committed to be present.
• 21:47
  Mark Shunock: The folks from Spiegel World are going to have a presence, two amazing shows that you know.
• 21:52
  Mark Shunock: One that I was a part of for a little while Magic Mike Live will be there.
• 21:55
  Mark Shunock: A brand new burlesque show called Ladylike, from Virgin will be there as well, and then a ton of entertainers that have donated their time and talent time and time again here at the space.
• 22:07
  Mark Shunock: They'll be there.
• 22:08
  Mark Shunock: We started with Rock of Ages.
• 22:10
  Mark Shunock: I've got a little Rock of Ages surprise up my sleeve.
• 22:14
  Dayna Roselli: Oh, is the mallet making a comeback?
• 22:15
  Dayna Roselli: Oh, Tom Cruise was coming.
• 22:18
  Mark Shunock: Let's give him a call.
• 22:20
  Mark Shunock: Hey, Tom, if you're watching, if Tom Cruise is watching or somebody knows Tom Cruise, we want Tom to bring a motorcycle to the furl, jump off the building.
• 22:30
  Dayna Roselli: Whatever you got to do to get in there, parachute in.
• 22:33
  Mark Shunock: So we try to always, you know, present the best of the best, or not necessarily the best of the best, but just we try to heighten the whole overall experience, because a lot of people come to this one, more so than the smaller events throughout the year.
• 22:46
  Mark Shunock: So I always tell our team it's almost like a coming out party for us every December, because we get this opportunity to preach out to 2000 people and to those watching on the stream.
• 22:57
  Mark Shunock: So we live stream it for free.
• 22:58
  Mark Shunock: So a lot of eyes get put on it because it's a.
• 23:01
  Mark Shunock: It's a well publicized, marketed event.
• 23:03
  Mark Shunock: It's our 10th anniversary, so it's a big one.
• 23:06
  Mark Shunock: So we want to, we want to do some special things.
• 23:08
  Sean McAllister: So a decade in.
• 23:09
  Sean McAllister: You've obviously lived the experience of growing Mondays dark from the ground up.
• 23:15
  Sean McAllister: What is the next decade and beyond look like for you guys?
• 23:20
  Mark Shunock: I think it's just it's continuing on the mission of giving.
• 23:24
  Mark Shunock: Everything we do at Mondays dark and the space starts with the core value of giving back to the community.
• 23:33
  Mark Shunock: So nothing takes place at the space that doesn't have some sort of Give back to the community.
• 23:38
  Mark Shunock: I say this a lot in my meetings 50 million people come to Las Vegas every year and they have a wonderful time.
• 23:45
  Mark Shunock: They get the best service, the best experiences.
• 23:47
  Mark Shunock: Who's responsible for serving those who serve?
• 23:52
  Mark Shunock: And the space and Mondays dark wants that responsibility, even more so when the tourists leave and and there are pit bosses and dealers and servers and entertainers and wardrobe and professionals and first responders and Veterans, everybody who makes that strip go and actually has a say in how those 50 million are treated.
• 24:13
  Mark Shunock: The space and Mondays dark wants the responsibility of making sure we're doing our part in taking care of those who serve, and you guys fall into that category for what you do with your show and promoting all of the things you promote.
• 24:26
  Mark Shunock: Who looks after you guys when times are tough or if you need help?
• 24:29
  Mark Shunock: That's what the space and Mondays dark wants to do even more moving forward.
• 24:33
  Mark Shunock: So we have some things in the works that are expanding our programming, expanding our reach to our nonprofit partners that are, I think, going to be really well received by the community.
• 24:45
  Mark Shunock: But that's kind of our new sort of internal Conversation and dialogue.
• 24:50
  Mark Shunock: That's happening now is that the space and Mondays dark really wants to be at the forefront for serving those who serve and and that's a that's a wonderful thing to talk about in Vegas, because we are so service oriented and I think sometimes we forget about the two and a half million people who live here.
• 25:06
  Mark Shunock: They need help, just like everybody else, and when I was just doing rock of ages and I was just an actor on the strip, it was my job on stage to make people forget about their problems for two or three hours when they walked it well, not three hours in that theater, but when they walk into that theater and the lights go out.
• 25:24
  Mark Shunock: My job is to make them forget about the BS in their life.
• 25:27
  Mark Shunock: We need to do the same thing for people who live in and breathe Vegas, and that's that's really the next step for us, and we've got some cool things that we'll talk about In mid 2024 hopefully, fingers crossed, we get our our stuff together in time that we can make some formal announcements by mid to late next year.
• 25:45
  Dayna Roselli: We'll come back around yes and be waiting for those announcements 100% and we'll have links and everything in our show notes if you want to get tickets.
• 25:51
  Dayna Roselli: Please more information about Monday's dark in general, the 10th anniversary, any of any of that stuff.
• 25:56
  Mark Shunock: December 11th?
• 25:57
  Mark Shunock: I don't even know that.
• 25:57
  Mark Shunock: I said yeah, but it's Monday, december 11th.
• 26:00
  Mark Shunock: At the Pearl Theater doors at 7, show at 8, 2000 people in the room.
• 26:05
  Mark Shunock: Where am I looking?
• 26:06
  Mark Shunock: Right there.
• 26:06
  Dayna Roselli: Yeah come come, come 20 bucks.
• 26:09
  Mark Shunock: All the money goes to charity and it's all about Vegas.
• 26:11
  Mark Shunock: On December 11th at the Palms.
• 26:13
  Dayna Roselli: You've been a part of the entertainment community which has switched into sports.
• 26:16
  Dayna Roselli: I'm curious your takes we don't get to sit with.
• 26:18
  Dayna Roselli: A lot of people have been here kind of as long as we have what, and in seeing things evolve, what do you think of the changes in Just Las Vegas?
• 26:27
  Dayna Roselli: Entertainment on the strip and for our visitors that come in?
• 26:30
  Dayna Roselli: The entertainment's changed a little bit.
• 26:33
  Dayna Roselli: Now We've got more.
• 26:34
  Dayna Roselli: I don't know.
• 26:35
  Dayna Roselli: We don't have a lot of medium-sized shows, we only have, you know, big residency.
• 26:38
  Dayna Roselli: I mean, what is your feeling on some of this stuff?
• 26:40
  Mark Shunock: I would agree with you.
• 26:41
  Mark Shunock: I think you know our entertainment lineup right now is headliner based, which is fine.
• 26:46
  Mark Shunock: You know I'm not gonna complain, like you can go see a different mega star Every night of the week here.
• 26:53
  Mark Shunock: But I I'm starting to see a little bit of what you were just hinting at creep back in to major properties, putting a little more attention to smaller rooms, developing smaller rooms, even lounges, and and and areas of major resorts are starting to get programmed again, where we got away from that.
• 27:12
  Mark Shunock: So I think that's a great sign, because I don't think a everybody can afford to go see you too, with the sphere.
• 27:19
  Mark Shunock: I haven't even been there yet and I looked at tickets and I was like, oh my gosh, they're 2,500 bucks.
• 27:24
  Mark Shunock: All right, that's a very specific clientele, right, that's a very specific fan base going to that show.
• 27:29
  Mark Shunock: So I I'm starting to see the smaller show start to pop up, and it's not so much a show as it's an experience.
• 27:37
  Mark Shunock: There's a lot of immersive stuff happening, and so I think we're on that trajectory where we're gonna start to balance out again where we are gonna have all these mega stars but it's a great thing like even Kylie Minogue who is now taken over the Venetian that's actually our old show, yeah, and that just shows you how long it's taken the Venetian to figure out what to do with that room.
• 27:58
  Mark Shunock: That room kind of sat dormant for six years.
• 28:01
  Mark Shunock: They did a couple things here and there, but for six years after Rock of Ages closed, there wasn't really a residence in there.
• 28:07
  Mark Shunock: But now what they've done from a an investment standpoint to the room is they've taken what once was a 2000 seat Precinium traditional style theater to this really cool, immersive, intimate venue that doesn't seat 2000 anymore and it's gorgeous.
• 28:24
  Mark Shunock: So I think you're gonna see more of those things start to pop up.
• 28:28
  Mark Shunock: Listen, even circus.
• 28:29
  Mark Shunock: Circus is getting a redo.
• 28:31
  Dayna Roselli: So they're getting the SpongeBob ride.
• 28:35
  Mark Shunock: Go when they announce circus, circus is getting an all-night.
• 28:37
  Mark Shunock: What did they announce?
• 28:38
  Mark Shunock: A billion dollar renovation.
• 28:39
  Sean McAllister: Yeah.
• 28:40
  Mark Shunock: I'm like, well, let's go.
• 28:42
  Mark Shunock: Like that.
• 28:43
  Mark Shunock: If there was a property on the strip that needed a billion dollar renovation, it's that one, but I'm excited to see because, again, there's a different client base, right, but now they're going to experience a brand new vibe of circus, circus, that's cool and I think you buried the headline with the the Kylie Minogue stuff.
• 29:01
  Sean McAllister: Right, you know, transforming that space where you perform, you essentially paved the way for Kylie Minogue to be in Las Vegas.
• 29:08
  Mark Shunock: That's right, you've heard it here Vegas revealed rock of ages was responsible for Kylie Minogue coming to Vegas.
• 29:16
  Mark Shunock: No, I just I love what they've done with that room.
• 29:19
  Mark Shunock: The pictures that I have seen so far absolutely stunning.
• 29:21
  Dayna Roselli: I can't wait to go see that show.
• 29:23
  Dayna Roselli: Yeah, I know it's too, us too.
• 29:24
  Dayna Roselli: We've seen a lot and that's one we haven't seen yet.
• 29:26
  Dayna Roselli: Yeah, hey, listen, we do a segment where we give tips every week.
• 29:29
  Dayna Roselli: So we're gonna, we're gonna do that, but we're, you're gonna stay here and you're gonna help us with our tips.
• 29:33
  Dayna Roselli: Okay, so let's do some tips.
• 29:40
  Sean McAllister: Okay, so mark.
• 29:41
  Sean McAllister: The premise of this segment is that we offer insight to all of our listeners about Places that they should go, that are off the beaten path, ways to get around Las Vegas a little easier, ways to save a buck, if that's even possible.
• 30:00
  Sean McAllister: Yeah, like free stuff so if there are any tips that you have for people who are ready to come and do Vegas.
• 30:11
  Dayna Roselli: Do you have any like insider tips?
• 30:13
  Dayna Roselli: I was thinking something for you.
• 30:14
  Dayna Roselli: You probably go to the airport a lot.
• 30:16
  Dayna Roselli: Do you have any like?
• 30:18
  Mark Shunock: Definitely get TSA pre-check and clear.
• 30:20
  Mark Shunock: I'm on about eight flights a month so, yes, my, my air miles.
• 30:26
  Mark Shunock: Great, get pre-check and clear.
• 30:27
  Mark Shunock: My tip would be to anybody coming to Las Vegas that's not from here to venture off of the strip.
• 30:36
  Mark Shunock: We have so many incredible restaurants owned and operated by local chefs that have really made Vegas a culinary scene unlike any other and I don't think it gets the credit it deserves.
• 30:51
  Mark Shunock: And to just drop a few names James Trees, gina Marinelli, mark Marrone, brian Howard so Lestrega in Summerlin is one of my favorite Italian restaurants.
• 31:02
  Mark Shunock: Sparrow and Wolf on Spring Mountain.
• 31:05
  Mark Shunock: Brian Howard, one of my favorite restaurants.
• 31:07
  Mark Shunock: Super Caj, graffiti Bow.
• 31:10
  Mark Shunock: Mark Marrone, amazing restaurant.
• 31:12
  Mark Shunock: Esther's Kitchen Downtown.
• 31:14
  Mark Shunock: James Trees, one of my favorite restaurants.
• 31:17
  Mark Shunock: So my tip for people not from Vegas coming here that are staying on the strip get off the strip and see what makes this city so special outside of that pocket.
• 31:28
  Mark Shunock: One of the best little things that I always use, because when we did Rock of Ages, people like do you live at the Venetian.
• 31:34
  Dayna Roselli: You guys get that, I'm sure a lot.
• 31:35
  Dayna Roselli: Do you live at Caesar's Palace?
• 31:39
  Mark Shunock: Caesar lived here, right Caesar Caesar Palace.
• 31:42
  Mark Shunock: Go see the neighborhoods that make this city what they are.
• 31:46
  Mark Shunock: Henderson's incredible.
• 31:47
  Mark Shunock: The southwest pocket of Vegas is booming.
• 31:50
  Mark Shunock: Summerlin's gorgeous, so go off the strip.
• 31:53
  Mark Shunock: That's my tip.
• 31:53
  Dayna Roselli: Yeah, I love that, and I don't know why.
• 31:56
  Dayna Roselli: Just because you were a little funny there, it made me think, just a little funny, just a little funny.
• 32:00
  Sean McAllister: Work on that, would you?
• 32:01
  Sean McAllister: Sean and I are keyword little.
• 32:04
  Dayna Roselli: You were funny, but just a little funny.
• 32:06
  Mark Shunock: I'm getting some really complimentary here.
• 32:08
  Mark Shunock: Hold on let's wait.
• 32:11
  Dayna Roselli: Sean and I emcee a lot of events.
• 32:12
  Dayna Roselli: We have kind of like.
• 32:13
  Dayna Roselli: You know people know us as, like on TV, we have to be a little nicer.
• 32:16
  Dayna Roselli: But I must say I just want to mention that Sean and I have also been at many events at UMC and every time we leave we are cracking up at how funny you were.
• 32:25
  Dayna Roselli: So and I love a little raunch that you throw in because I think it makes the crowd that might be a little stiff Open up a little bit more and we can tell, because we're kind of in the same business of what you're trying to do and I love it.
• 32:40
  Dayna Roselli: So I just want to kudos to you Some of those charity events.
• 32:43
  Dayna Roselli: you know they're formulaic and you really shake it up, so you're a great emcee.
• 32:48
  Mark Shunock: That's why we get asked to host them right.
• 32:50
  Mark Shunock: Because the people putting on those events know full well that they are putting on a stale charity event and that's not what we do here.
• 32:59
  Mark Shunock: That's not Monday's Dark.
• 33:00
  Mark Shunock: Monday's Dark is off the cuff, it's adult, it's listen and, at the end of the day, what's my job?
• 33:05
  Mark Shunock: My job is to get you to open up your pocketbook and make a contribution to whatever wonderful cause we're all gathering for to support.
• 33:11
  Mark Shunock: So, yes, when they auction off a dog on the live auction and I make the joke congratulations.
• 33:17
  Mark Shunock: You're now going to have to replace all of the carpeting in your home.
• 33:20
  Mark Shunock: So your $15,000, $20,000 live auction bid on a golden doodle was great.
• 33:25
  Mark Shunock: Now you're spending another 50k on hardwood in your home.
• 33:28
  Mark Shunock: It sort of takes the edge off and people feel as though they don't have to be so stuffy right, Like you want.
• 33:36
  Mark Shunock: I'm just a firm believer.
• 33:37
  Mark Shunock: If people are comfortable in their environment, they're going to be more willing to give and support the cause than if they feel like they have to put on a face.
• 33:46
  Mark Shunock: You know they're in their tux or their suit and it's like no that's not who I am and I think that's why I get asked to do these events, because they know full well that I am going to crack a joke to somebody in the crowd that I may know and hopefully they write a bigger check because of it.
• 34:00
  Dayna Roselli: Yeah.
• 34:00
  Sean McAllister: Do you ever surprise yourself with anything that oh yeah.
• 34:04
  Sean McAllister: Do you end up saying yeah, and I regret?
• 34:06
  Mark Shunock: it.
• 34:06
  Mark Shunock: Yeah, and that's.
• 34:08
  Mark Shunock: Things just come out and we live stream all of our Monday's Dark events, right, and so I had to tell Miranda Lopez, who handles all of our social and our streaming.
• 34:14
  Mark Shunock: I was like, the minute the show is over, delete the stream, because in today's day and age, I don't want people pulling something I set out of context.
• 34:24
  Mark Shunock: That will come back to bite me later on.
• 34:27
  Mark Shunock: You know, everything we do is in jest, it's quick, it's goofy, but it all comes from a genuine place that we're just here to support this organization and help.
• 34:35
  Mark Shunock: The last thing I want to do is say something that would offend somebody in a way that would turn them off to a point where they get offended.
• 34:41
  Mark Shunock: That's definitely not what we do.
• 34:43
  Mark Shunock: We definitely push the envelope, but that's why we delete afterwards.
• 34:49
  Dayna Roselli: My favorite was there was an auction going and Mark was like to all the guy.
• 34:52
  Dayna Roselli: You know, everyone whip out your phones and you know, let's start bidding.
• 34:55
  Dayna Roselli: Open up your browser.
• 34:56
  Dayna Roselli: Close your private browser.
• 34:58
  Mark Shunock: And then he's like you guys all know you have one and I was like I don't know why it made me laugh so hard.
• 35:03
  Mark Shunock: Because you have one too, totally, that's why yeah?
• 35:05
  Mark Shunock: I was laughing so hard.
• 35:09
  Dayna Roselli: I was just like because there was a silence.
• 35:11
  Mark Shunock: Then they were like it was kind of like a gitchy guy joke where you throw the grenade and you wait for the punchline to end, but everybody kind of oh, now I know why.
• 35:20
  Mark Shunock: Yeah, for sure, one of the best compliments I ever got in that same regard was the governor's black tie.
• 35:26
  Mark Shunock: You know those guys do such incredible work with their organization right, the olympic companies.
• 35:32
  Mark Shunock: And when you hear governor's black tie that sort of screams a certain vibe.
• 35:39
  Mark Shunock: And it's not at all this high end.
• 35:42
  Mark Shunock: You know, stuck up event, there's usually a country star that comes out and performs and everybody's in hats and chaps and boots.
• 35:49
  Mark Shunock: So I you know the reason why they keep asking me back now is because I've sort of helped elevate the casual side of this event that raises so much money and the minute they feel at ease.
• 36:00
  Mark Shunock: Man, I wore a huge cowboy hat to the last one and I made a joke Somebody give me a thousand bucks and you can have my hat In real time on the spot.
• 36:08
  Mark Shunock: Somebody called out I'll give you a thousand bucks and I tossed my hat.
• 36:12
  Mark Shunock: So there's no rhyme or reason.
• 36:14
  Mark Shunock: The whole point is just to help and give back, and if we can laugh about it and have a good time, even better.
• 36:20
  Mark Shunock: Awesome.
• 36:21
  Dayna Roselli: Well, listen, thank you.
• 36:22
  Sean McAllister: Yeah, we appreciate everything that you do for the Las Vegas community.
• 36:26
  Mark Shunock: We appreciate you welcoming us into your space this place is yours whenever you want it, Okay good to know, come on back and please I think I'm putting it out there publicly when you celebrate your 200th episode, you should do it live in our big room with a, with an audience in attendance, and then we could throw a big party for you.
• 36:45
  Sean McAllister: We've got five weeks to prepare, I know.
• 36:47
  Dayna Roselli: Well, maybe we just take a break for a week and then we move it into the new year.
• 36:51
  Dayna Roselli: Maybe 200 could be in the new year.
• 36:53
  Dayna Roselli: Whatever you guys want we're here for you.
• 36:54
  Mark Shunock: I'm just like I said, honored that you took the time to come to our home and you brought your show here.
• 37:00
  Mark Shunock: It's really a cool moment for us, so thank you.
• 37:02
  Dayna Roselli: Thank you.
• 37:03
  Dayna Roselli: Listen, it's been such a joy chatting with you.
• 37:05
  Dayna Roselli: We don't get to do it as often because we're all busy right, so just next time we want to catch up, we'll just say come on the podcast, All right, well, listen.
• 37:13
  Dayna Roselli: Thanks everyone for watching and listening to Vegas Revealed and we hope everyone has a good Thanksgiving.
• 37:19
  Sean McAllister: Absolutely, and we'll see you back for 196.