Candace Jarkow
President/CEO/Founder

With several years of experience in the areas of charitable events, fundraising and cause marketing, Candace Jarkow left her position after 5 years as Vice President of the Not for Profit division at Empire Entertainment to start a company of her own!

Maverick Events was established in response to Candace's ever growing client base and to fulfill her vision of creating a venue where a full range of event needs could be provided under one roof. Maverick's array of client services allows that the smallest tasks can be accomplished in quite the same way as the most important ones.

Candace graduated from California Polytechnic University with a major in pre veterinary medicine. With philanthropy on her mind, she decided in lieu of veterinary school to found a company of her own that reflected where she was in her life at the time. With her 2 young children at the center of her universe, Create a Day was born. It quickly became the premiere children's emporium for fun on NYC's Upper East Side. Create a Day featured uniquely themed, exceptional children's birthday parties, children's classes and one of a kind, as well as trendy, hip children's clothing. The concept was that while the children played, the moms could shop and mingle with other moms! The birthday parties became Create a Day's branding tool. It began to pave the way for memorable charitable events including: Homes for the Homeless, the Administration for Children's Services and the ASPCA, among others. All benefitted from the success of this Upper East Side jewel.

The focus soon became the charity sector and Create a Day gave way to a new venture called Launch, New York. This event marketing company acted as liaison to maximize the potential symbiotic gains between corporations, individuals and charitable organizations. After a successful career at Launch, Candace went back to event production in conjunction with the cause-marketing concept and joined forces with Empire Entertainment in 2004. From that time until now, the lessons learned and knowledge gained has been truly invaluable to Candace's success.

Candace has produced events for charities including: The Samuel Waxman Cancer Research Foundation, Pediatric Cancer Foundation, Starlight Children's Foundation, Film Aid, Ronald McDonald House, Homes for the Homeless, Malawi Children's Mission, Boys and Girls Club of America, Youth Lifeline America, The Tom Shea Foundation, St. Jude's Children's Hospital, The Eric Trump Foundation, T.L.O.A., Project A.L.S., A Little Hope, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, Darius Goes West, The Greg Wolf Fund, Matt's Promise and many more... Clients also include: Sony/BMG, Brickwall Management, The Switzer Group, Lehr Construction, Barney's New York, Henri Bendel, Pout, Dylan's Candy Bar, Judith Ripka, and more.

The global theory behind the process at Maverick is to provide a strong base to build long-term relationships with clients by creating events that are uniquely branded in some way. If it is a charitable organization, we take traditional fundraising elements and combine them with innovative ways to increase revenue. This is done through a variety of mediums that include securing headline talent, extraordinary live and interactive auctions, creative marketing, Honoree and Host selection as well as offering perks to sponsors. The key lies within the demographic and what we can offer to our guests. This in combination with her network and contact base is where Candace seems to bring the most value to the client. The event becomes the vector through which Candace brings additional and crucial funds to the charity while branding and creating awareness.

For the private party/celebration, Candace creates the right flow and feel for every occasion. The ideas are innovative and whether it's a formal event or a fun product launch, there is always a touch that creates a unique branding experience.

Support Staff

Leah Barroso
Talia Calandra
Ali Clarke
Steve DeFino
Kelsey Halpern
Kira Ibanez
Brittany Landau
Tyler Lobo
James Mccracken
Robert Oaks
Kelli Oakwood
Mat Pepino
Ellie Sands
Nicole Secular
Jaclyn Spector
Sara Spector
Michelle Stanton
Lily Styles
Alison Treleaven
Sophia Valiantos
Alicia Ward
Kia Warren