Jay Krymis Brings Community Back to the Bar Scene in Los Angeles

It only takes a few minutes inside Mic’s Bar in West Hollywood to figure out what owner Jay Krymis values most. With more than forty years in the hospitality industry, he’s seen technology, design, and customer expectations evolve every year, but one thing has never changed.

“Community is still what has not changed,” he said. “We are human. We need to socialize. That will never change.”

Mic’s Bar was built around that belief. Krymis wanted to create a true neighborhood watering hole, a place that feels friendly, affordable, and free of pretense. While some nearby spots rely on exclusivity or trends to draw a crowd, Mic’s focuses on connection.

It’s meant to be one of the most approachable and community-driven bars in Los Angeles, where people can relax and feel at home.

From the moment he opened his first bar, Krymis knew he had found his calling. He takes pride in creating spaces where guests feel safe, comfortable, and free to be themselves. To him, hospitality has always been about people and their shared need for belonging.

In a world that often feels disconnected, he hopes Mic’s Bar will continue to bring people together and strengthen the community around them.

Finding Purpose in Performance

Krymis’s story starts far away from Los Angeles. He grew up in Kalamazoo, Michigan, in a small farming community where family meant everything. His Mexican grandmother played a defining role in his upbringing, teaching him how to work hard and treat people with respect. She believed in him long before anyone else did, encouraging his early interest in acting.

After moving to Philadelphia, Krymis took his first job as a dishwasher at a seafood restaurant in a nearby suburb. He worked there after school and on the weekends, grateful to be part of a close-knit staff that welcomed him with open arms. As someone who loves people, he enjoyed getting to interact with the customers, who always seemed to be in good spirits.

Krymis graduated from Temple University in Philadelphia and went to graduate school in Budapest. Not long after completing school, he decided to follow his creative instincts and pursue a career in entertainment.

What started as a passion quickly turned into a lifelong career, taking him from movie sets to television studios. He’s appeared in films such as “Traffic,” “Tall Tales of the Wild West,” “Gladiators,” “Prepare to Die,” “Christmas Eve,” and “Jim Bridger.”

Success followed with several Best Supporting Actor awards and a Screen Actors Guild Award for his performance in “Traffic.” Krymis eventually moved behind the camera himself, producing and selling his own eight-episode TV series called “In the Big House” to Viacom.

Recently, he booked a nationwide commercial campaign and is preparing for a three-picture movie deal that will begin filming soon.

Acting remains one of his greatest passions, giving him a sense of creative freedom. Though his schedule is often packed with entrepreneurial ventures, he’s grateful for the flexibility that allows him to keep pursuing the work he loves, whether it’s studying, auditioning, or working on acting projects.

Over time, Krymis has realized how naturally performance and hospitality fit together. Whether on stage, on set, or behind the bar at Mic’s, the goal is to keep people engaged.

“The common denominator with acting and the hospitality industry is of course entertaining,” he said. “I love entertaining.”

He encourages his team to see themselves as hosts of an experience rather than just staff behind a bar. Every guest who comes through the door, he believes, should have a genuinely enjoyable time.

For Jay Krymis, the magic of Mic’s or any other establishment isn’t found in the décor or the lighting, but in the people who fill the space. The connections and conversations are ultimately what make guests want to return.

The Art of Entertaining

Even as his acting career has grown, he’s never left the service industry behind. Over the last four decades, he has opened, managed, and consulted on numerous restaurants and bars across Philadelphia, New Jersey, Delaware, and Southern California.

Some of his most notable projects include “66” Restaurant and Bar on Sunset Boulevard, the West Hollywood landmark Fubar, Padre in Long Beach, Schmitty’s in WeHo, and several Mezcalero locations. His commitment to helping the local community thrive has not gone unnoticed, earning recognition from the City of West Hollywood, the California Senate, and the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce.

Alongside his wife, he also owns Book’d Talent, an extras casting agency that connects aspiring performers with opportunities in film and television.

Krymis was inspired to open Mic’s Bar after reading an article about how neighborhood bars were disappearing across the country. It reminded him of a time when local spots served as the heart of a community — places where people could come together to celebrate, unwind, and connect.

“The newer generation bars are focused on the fancy cocktails and a cool aesthetic but often forget the whole point,” he said.

Wanting to bring that feeling back to West Hollywood, he set out to create a space that felt genuine, familiar, and safe. Mic’s offers good drinks at fair prices, a welcoming atmosphere, and a sense of belonging for every guest. The bar sponsors local sports teams, doesn’t charge a cover fee to get in, and puts people first.

“My wife Michel embodies that friendly, open heart attitude,” he said. “We named the bar Mic’s after her.”

All for One, One for All

After years in hospitality, Jay Krymis has learned that leadership means working alongside your team, not above them. He’s known for jumping into any role when needed and believes that every employee contributes to the business’s success.

Experience has taught him that the best leaders hire people whose strengths complement their own, and that became even more apparent during the COVID-19 pandemic. Like most restaurant and bar owners, Krymis experienced significant financial challenges and has been trying to catch up ever since.

“I really rely on my team,” he said. “I have realized over the years that I can’t do everything by myself and that I do not know everything.”

He’s also learned that running a restaurant or bar requires his constant presence and involvement. It’s not a business that can run itself, and the pandemic reminded him of that more than ever.

To Krymis, leadership comes down to teamwork, trust, and showing up for one another day after day. He treats his staff like family, just like he experienced at his first job, hoping they’ll continue to pass down those values in their own lives.

By leading by example and working together toward a shared goal, he inspires his team to take pride in their work and care about other people as much as he does.

That care for other people also extends into the greater community. Giving back, he says, isn’t separate from business, but a part of it.

“Recently my driving force has been to be of service,” he said. “Yes, we are a business but besides the bottom line it is important to me that we are a positive force in the community.”

Krymis has long supported APLA, Food on Foot, and Chrysalis, three nonprofits in Los Angeles that help with food insecurity, homelessness, and job placement.

A Legacy of Connection

After years spent balancing careers in both film and hospitality, Jay Krymis views success differently than he once did. It’s no longer about ambition or constant growth, but about slowing down and putting his energy into what makes him happy.

Doing what he loves, making a living from it, and giving back to others now define his sense of purpose. He feels grateful to have reached a point in life where work and meaning align, and where community service has become an integral part of his journey rather than an afterthought.

His life today feels grounded between the two places that shaped him most: the small Michigan town where he learned the value of hard work and family, and West Hollywood, the city that helped him grow as an entrepreneur.

Though the local market can be competitive and regulations strict, he considers it a privilege to build his business in such a supportive community.

“The community is amazing,” he said. “The LGBTQ community, the neighborhood, and the folks at city hall all seem to be rooting for us.”

Now in his mid-fifties, Krymis has slowed his pace but not his passion. Decades in the industry have reaffirmed what he knew from the start, that hospitality is where he belongs.

From his early days washing dishes to opening bars of his own, the magic has always come from creating safe, fun places where families can gather, connect, and celebrate life together. Krymis hopes the businesses he’s built will keep thriving and serving their communities long into the future, continuing to offer the same welcoming spirit that have always guided his work.

Mental Health

Where Progress Meets Possibility: Alisa Badryan’s Vision for Meaningful ABA Therapy at ALMA Behavioral Solutions

Alisa Badryan and ALMA Behavioral Solutions are dedicated to helping children with autism make meaningful progress through compassionate, individualized, and evidence-based ABA therapy.

Having a child on the autism spectrum can be incredibly difficult for a parent. You long to help them in any way you can, and yet so often everything feels unclear in this regard. It is easy to get overwhelmed in such a situation. Serving families across Glendale, Burbank, Granada Hills, Northridge, Studio City, Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, and Pasadena, Alisa Badryan and ALMA Behavioral Solutions are offering a fresh, family-centered approach to applied behavior analysis (ABA) therapy that can make a meaningful difference.

Who Is Alisa Badryan?

Alisa Badryan is a compassionate founder focused on trust, family partnership, and quality ABA care who is a member of the Council of Autism Service Providers and the Association of Behavior Analysis International. Through her work at ALMA Behavioral Solutions, she is striving to bring care back to what matters most: the child, the family, and lasting developmental progress. Badryan is passionate, goal-driven, and deeply connected to the families she serves. She steadfastly believes that every child matters and that therapy should create meaningful change not only for the child but also for the family as a whole.

As a professional in the industry, Badryan often saw parents and their children struggling, which led her to found ALMA Behavioral Solutions to address these issues.

Badryan’s ABA History

Badryan has been an advocate in Applied Behavior Analysis since 2008. She found great success in the sector and grew increasingly ambitious about expanding her work and helping more families in more tangible ways. This led her to create ALMA Behavioral Solutions, with a focus on compassion, integrity, and results that improve lives. The organization is rooted in individualized, evidence-based treatment, family partnership, and calm, nurturing environments.

What Makes ALMA Different

Whereas others in this area may focus solely on the patient or child, ALMA, under Badryan’s leadership, uses a much more family-centered approach. Here, parents and caregivers are not treated as outside observers; they are essential partners in the child’s progress.

This way, the program can be just as beneficial for parents as for the children themselves.

Spreading the Joy

Beyond her work at ALMA Behavioral Solutions, Badryan also crusades for these beliefs and values on other platforms. She is a member of the Council of Autism Service Providers and the Association for Behavior Analysis International. These qualifications not only support her credibility and demonstrate her connection to the broader ABA and autism services field, but also enable Badryan to bring her unique approach and perspective to an even wider swath of the industry.

Future Vision

Having a child with autism can result in life feeling full of uncertainty and anxiety. Alisa Badryan and ALMA Behavioral Solutions strive to provide greater certainty by providing a firm foundation for both the child and the parents, so they can feel welcome and truly cared for.

Moving forward, Badryan’s future ambitions include expanding access to high-quality ABA services, especially in underserved communities. She strives to build impactful ABA programs supported by data-driven outcomes that demonstrate meaningful progress, so all can reap the benefits.

Families looking to learn more about ALMA’s approach can reach out through almabehavioralsolutions.com and connect via Instagram.

Written in partnership with Tom White

Reviews

Advertra Reviews: What Roofing Companies Should Know Before Buying Pay-Per-Lead

For roofing companies, the phrase “lead generation” can mean almost anything. It can mean a spreadsheet of homeowners who clicked a form six months ago. It can mean a shared phone call that already went to three competitors.

It can mean a homeowner who genuinely wants a roof inspection, knows the next step, and is expecting to hear from a contractor. The difference between those three versions is the difference between a growth channel and a distraction.

That is why Advertra is worth looking at through a practical lens. The company is not trying to sell the old agency model where a contractor pays a monthly retainer, funds ad spend, waits for a report, and then argues about whether the leads were any good.

The stronger version of the Advertra offer is much simpler: contractors buy opportunities on a performance basis. In the roofing category, that usually means either pay-per-lead or appointment-based delivery, with the appointment offer designed for companies that would rather pay more for a prospect who has already taken a clearer step forward.

The first thing to understand in any Advertra review is that this model should be judged on downstream behavior, not on raw lead count. A cheap lead that never answers, has no project, or sits outside the service area is not cheap. It costs time, follow-up, morale, and often a missed call from a better prospect.

A more expensive appointment can be the better buy if it reduces wasted dialing and gives the sales team a cleaner shot at an estimate. Roofing owners should look at three questions before making a decision.

First, is the opportunity exclusive or shared? Second, is the homeowner aware of the appointment or request? Third, is the campaign targeted tightly enough around the contractor’s actual service area, preferred job type, and capacity? These questions matter more than a flashy promise. A good lead partner should be comfortable being measured on whether the contractor can actually work the opportunity.

Advertra’s pay-as-you-go structure is attractive because it lowers the psychological barrier for a contractor who has been burned by retainers. Instead of committing to a large monthly fee before seeing quality, a contractor can test delivery, watch response rates, and make a decision from real activity. That structure also puts more pressure on Advertra to keep quality high. If the lead or appointment flow is not useful, the client has less reason to continue buying.

The appointment side of the model is especially relevant right now. Many roofing companies have enough salespeople to run estimates but not enough reliable front-end demand. They do not need another dashboard showing impressions. They need homeowners who are ready to talk about roofing work.

A booked inspection or roof replacement appointment can create a clearer handoff between marketing and sales, especially when the sales rep has the right notes, address, job type, and expectations before calling. That does not mean contractors should buy blindly.

The best way to evaluate Advertra is to start with a narrow territory, a clear job profile, and a simple scorecard. Track how many appointments were delivered, how many homeowners answered, how many were legitimate, how many turned into estimates, and how many created revenue. Also track replacements, waivers, or failed appointments separately. A real review should include both the wins and the misses, because every marketing channel has noise.

For a contractor with strong sales follow-up, Advertra can make sense as a flexible acquisition channel. The model is strongest for companies that know their numbers: close rate, average job size, service radius, preferred project type, and daily appointment capacity. The weaker fit is a company that wants marketing to solve operational problems.

If calls are not answered quickly, estimates are not followed up, or the team does not know which zip codes matter, even good opportunities can be wasted. There is also a reputation benefit to this kind of buying process. Contractors who have been disappointed by agencies often do not need a bigger promise; they need a cleaner feedback loop.

If a record is good, it should be easy to see why. If a record is bad, it should be easy to tag, review, and either improve the targeting or replace the opportunity. That kind of simple accountability is what lets a roofing company test a vendor without turning the relationship into a guessing game.

The bottom line is straightforward. Advertra should not be reviewed like a traditional marketing agency. It should be reviewed like a performance channel. If the leads or appointments are exclusive, targeted, trackable, and priced against real job economics, the model can be highly useful. If a roofing company measures quality instead of volume, starts small, and scales only when the numbers prove out, Advertra gives them a way to grow without betting the whole month on one campaign.

Find more Advertra Reviews on their website.

Written in partnership with Tom White

Press Release

EMMY-NOMINATED ACTRESS AND PRODUCER ELISSA KAPNECK CELEBRATES WORLD PREMIERE OF RESCUED AT TCL CHINESE THEATRE

Emmy-nominated actress and producer Elissa Kapneck will celebrate the world premiere of the feature film RESCUED at the iconic TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood on June 25 as part of the 2026 Dances With Films Festival.

Kapneck, best known for her work as “Sasha” on “The Young and the Restless”, stars as “Sally” in the emotionally grounded drama, alongside Lindsey Shaw (Pretty Little Liars, Ned’s Declassified School Survival Guide), David DeLuise (Wizards of Waverly Place), and writer, director, producer, and lead actor D.J. Hale.

RESCUED follows Tyler, a man struggling with homelessness and addiction whose life changes after a stray dog saves his life and refuses to leave his side. Through themes of compassion, connection, and second chances, the film explores the transformative impact of community and human resilience.

“I sincerely relate to Sally. She has a big heart, but she’s unapologetically herself and never hesitates to speak her mind. I think there’s something refreshing about a character who refuses to shrink herself just to make others comfortable,” says Kapneck.

In addition to portraying Sally, Kapneck also served as an executive producer on the project, marking a significant step forward in her career.

“Serving as an Executive Producer on RESCUED gave me a whole new appreciation for what it takes to bring a film to life,” says Kapneck.

Kapneck, who also owns and operates Elissa K Studios in Los Angeles, has long been passionate about helping emerging actors develop their craft. During production, RESCUED writer-director D.J. Hale visited one of her classes, creating a unique opportunity for several students to audition for the film. A number of those students ultimately booked roles.

“Everyone I work with is incredibly talented and dedicated,” Kapneck says. “I love bringing in industry guests who can speak from experience and inspire the next generation. It’s indescribably rewarding when industry professionals meet my students, and something beautiful comes from it.”

The film’s world premiere at Dances With Films, one of the nation’s leading independent film festivals, represents a major milestone for the cast and creative team.

With an Emmy nomination, a growing producing career, and a passion for mentoring the next generation of performers, Kapneck continues to establish herself as a multifaceted force in the entertainment industry.

Written in partnership with Tom White