Working in a collaborative environment is what keeps Cerbelli Creative motivated & challenged. Each of our team members bring a fresh perspective to planning, coming together to bring you elevated, one-of-a-kind events.
michael cerbelli
FOUNDER, CEO / PRESIDENT
Hometown: Canarsie, Brooklyn, NY
Favorite Part of Event Planning: The idea from “doodle on a napkin” to event reality.
Favorite Venue: Cipriani 42nd Street, NYC
Favorite Place to Travel: Anywhere in Italy.
Biggest Professional Achievement: Having past team members that have moved on to prestigious careers, looking back at their time & training with us as going to the “School of Cerbelli.”
Special Skill(s): Attention to detail.
If you were an NYC neighborhood, which one would you be? Chelsea: Creative. Artist. Evolving.
Favorite NYC Food: Pizza, Pasta, and a side of Bagel.
robert allan severini
MANAGING DIRECTOR & VP OF OPERATIONS
Hometown: All Over, New York (literally)
Favorite Part of Event Planning: Watching the faces of the guests as they experience the fruits of our labor.
Favorite Venue: Brooklyn Paramount and Central Park Zoo (too close to call)
Favorite Place to Travel: Anywhere that grows and produces great wine!
Biggest Professional Achievement: Getting here is very important to me, but knowing all that I was able to do for others along the way is just as important.
Special Skill(s): Cooking, LinkedIn, Educating Others, Venue Sourcing, Networking, Restaurant Recommendations
If you were an NYC neighborhood, which one would you be? Peter Cooper Village
Favorite NYC Food: Minetta Tavern Burger, Hawksmoor Steaks & Tartare, Hillstone Salad, Murray's Bagels, Pietro's Veal Chop Parmesan, Momoya Sushi, and the list goes on and on, and on....(I promise I cook a lot!)
denise tavarez-cerbelli
DIRECTOR OF HUMAN RESOURCES
Hometown: Queens, NY
Favorite Part of Event Planning: The smile on the client’s face.
Favorite Venue: The Liberty Warehouse, NYC
Favorite Place to Travel: Italy
Biggest Professional Achievement: Completing a project that required me to work with a new team and take on responsibilities of the previous team lead. This helped the company improve efficiency and save time while helping me get recognition, learned teamwork skills and also test my abilities.
Special Skill(s): Savvy and resourceful
If you were an NYC neighborhood, which one would you be? Manhattan
Favorite NYC Food: Pizza
jasmine brito
DIRECTOR OF EVENTS
Hometown: New York, NY
Favorite Part of Event Planning: Watching people engage with the event and feel the excitement or emotion you’ve worked hard to create is incredibly rewarding. That moment when everything aligns, and the event runs seamlessly, makes all the hard work worth it!
Favorite Venue: One World Observatory. unparalleled 360-degree views of New York City, including iconic landmarks like the Statue of Liberty, Empire State Building, and Brooklyn Bridge. The venue symbolizes resilience and hope, giving events an added layer of meaning that can resonate with attendees.
Favorite Place to Travel: Hawaii, Aruba, Jamaica, Cartagena.... but wait... There's more! London, Chicago - each destination calling me with its own rhythm. I want to immerse myself in the rich, vibrant cultures, where the sounds of local music flow through the streets and every meal is an unforgettable experience.
Biggest Professional Achievement: Working with the talented Jamaican singer-songwriter Skip Marley—grandson of the legendary reggae icon Bob Marley and son of Cedella Marley—has been one of my most cherished experiences. Skip’s exceptional talent is complemented by his commitment to using his platform for positive change. A standout moment for me was his performance of Bob Marley’s "Get Up, Stand Up" alongside a stellar lineup that included Jon Batiste, Chris Martin, Cyndi Lauper, Billy Porter, Alessia Cara, We Are KING, and Esther Chungu at the Global Citizen event.
Special Skill(s): Resourceful, Focused Juggler, Problem Solver, Stress Management, Collaboration & Teamwork
If you were an NYC neighborhood, which one would you be? Upper West Side
Favorite NYC Food: New York-Style Pizza, Shrimp Boa Buns, Pasta
alexis pasciolla
SENIOR PROJECT MANAGER, EVENTS
Hometown: Wolfeboro, NH
Favorite Part of Event Planning: Designing the guest experience from start to finish and creating a story that comes to life in real time. I love building a journey through intentional moments, from the arrival and first impression to the transitions, surprises, and small details that make an event feel elevated and immersive. There’s nothing better than seeing guests fully engaged in an experience that feels thoughtful, memorable, and lasting.
Favorite Venue: LUME Studios
Favorite Place to Travel: Lake Winnipesaukee, Delray Beach, and Long Beach Island, all for different reasons. Anywhere near the water is my happy place.
Biggest Professional Achievement: Working on large-scale events like the Miami Open and Miss Universe, where precision, speed, and flawless guest experience are essential. Those experiences strengthened my ability to deliver under pressure while maintaining elevated creative and operational standards.
Special Skill(s): Home remodeling and interior design. I love transforming spaces.
If you were an NYC neighborhood, which one would you be? Clinton Hill
Favorite NYC Food: Birria-Landia food truck
trévon williams
PROJECT MANAGER, EVENTS
Hometown: Houston, TX / Atlanta, GA
Favorite Part of Event Planning: My favorite part of event planning is seeing the client & team's reaction on the final event walkthrough.
Favorite Venue: Skylight at The Refinery.
Favorite Place to Travel: Bali, Indonesia
Biggest Professional Achievement: I once produced an event for Spotify, NBCUniversal, & Motown Records featuring an exclusive film screening, followed by a director talk and special performance by Lauryn Hill & friends!
Special Skill(s): Songwriting and Cooking
If you were an NYC neighborhood, which one would you be? Tribeca
Favorite NYC Food: Crab Linguine from Little Ways NYC <3 <3
jack mckenna
LOGISTICS MANAGER, EVENTS
Hometown: Summit, NJ
Favorite Part of Event Planning: I love being on site and getting into the thick of things. There's no better feeling watching the doodle of an idea come to life.
Favorite Venue: Park Avenue Armory, NYC
Favorite Place to Travel: Cape Cod for the oysters, Jersey Shore for the sandwiches.
Biggest Professional Achievement: Recreating a 1980's Staten Island disco and directing the background actors while coordinating dance cues and fight choreography for the film “Once Upon a Time in Staten Island."
Special Skill(s): Team collaboration, on-site problem solving, liaising with high-profile clientele, movie quotes, cooking-curious
If you were an NYC neighborhood, which one would you be? Park Slope
Favorite NYC Food: Turkish Delight on rye from Court Street Grocers.
andrea jaramillo
EVENT DECOR & DESIGN COORDINANTOR
Hometown: Medellin, Colombia
Favorite Part of Event Planning: Pulling off what seems impossible and seeing it all come together. I love creating a memorable experience that leaves everyone happy.
Favorite Venue: Depending on the occasion.
Favorite Place to Travel: Colombia
Biggest Professional Achievement: Becoming a Miss Universe
Special Skill(s): I'm a chameleon, I can adapt to any type of person and environment.
If you were an NYC neighborhood, which one would you be? SoHo
Favorite NYC Food: Pizza
kayla cethoute
PROJECT COORDINATOR, EVENTS
Hometown: Brooklyn, NY
Favorite Part of Event Planning: Watching an idea come to life and seeing people genuinely enjoy and connect with the details that were thoughtfully planned.
Favorite Venue: I don't have a favorite just yet, I'm still exploring!
Favorite Place to Travel: Greece + Turks & Caicos
Biggest Professional Achievement: Having an impromptu block party in Brooklyn celebrating DJ Khaled’s single “You Remind Me”, which features iconic Jamaican dancehall artists, fans were invited to join while free patties were handed out at Juici Patties - a beloved Jamaican patty shop originally known to patrons in Jamaica. Jamaican DJ Steeliebashment spun in the street, the restaurant was decorated with a balloon installation and Khaled-focused signage, a DJ Khaled mascot appeared, and a coconut vendor handed out fresh coconut water. Khaled’s surprise appearance packed the sidewalk, sparked organic social media buzz, and seeing it all brought to life in days as a cultural moment was incredibly rewarding.
Special Skill(s): Baking, Restaurant Recommendations (specifically for brunch), and Singing
If you were an NYC neighborhood, which one would you be? Long Island City
Favorite NYC Food: The French Toast at Sailor
sydney hruska
PROJECT COORDINATOR, EVENTS
Hometown: Asheville, NC
Favorite Part of Event Planning: Watching events evolve from rough bullet-point ideas into a beautifully executed celebration that everyone enjoys. It appears effortless, even though a tremendous amount of hard work goes on behind the scenes to make it happen!
Favorite Venue: Forest Hills Stadium, Hearst Tower, King's Theatre, and Ziegfeld Ballroom
Favorite Place to Travel: Probably the two cities where I studied abroad— Madrid, Spain and Sydney, Australia— but I always love exploring new places.
Biggest Professional Achievement: Successfully coordinating with schools and contacts across all fifty states to participate in a national art project!
Special Skill(s): Discovering new venues and areas around the city, making collages, curating playlists, and bringing my creative side into everything I do!
If you were an NYC neighborhood, which one would you be? Lower East Side
Favorite NYC Food: L'Industrie's burrata pizza, Thai Villa, and Tompkins Square Bagels
scarlett brissie
PRODUCTION COORDINATOR
Hometown: All over the South! Greenville, SC - New Orleans - Austin - Savannah
Favorite Part of Event Planning: When the guests start to leave and all they can talk about is how amazing the event was! That's the moment you know you helped create a memory that will last a lifetime.
Favorite Venue: I'm still fairly new to the city, but so far the House of Yes!
Favorite Place to Travel: I bicycled down the PCH and would love to do another tour
Biggest Professional Achievement: Pioneering late night "Secret Shows" at Savannah Music Festival that brought in new audience members and created a new revenue stream for the nonprofit. We got to partner with some amazing local and touring bands to create a unique, intimate experience for festival goers that gave them backstage access to artists they may have not sought out on their own.
Special Skill(s): Improv, sketch and stand-up comedy, screenwriting, directing DIY theater, songwriting, ukulele, sewing, collage art, prop fabrication, fixing bicycles, cooking, and the inability to digest gluten.
If you were an NYC neighborhood, which one would you be? I haven't been here long, but so far Bushwick is right up my alley of weird and fun.
Favorite NYC Food: Rice rolls (if you know, you know)
matthew phillips
ENTERTAINMENT MANAGER
Hometown: Las Vegas, NV
Favorite Part of Event Planning: Staying one step ahead on the day of, solving problems before they happen, and thinking on my feet.
Favorite Venue: The Cloisters Museum
Favorite Place to Travel: Greece
Biggest Professional Achievement: Cultivating a network of groundbreaking performers all over the world.
Special Skill(s): Fire Breathing, and some light aerial skills.
If you were an NYC neighborhood, which one would you be? Bushwick. Artsy, Bizarre, and full of secrets.
Favorite NYC Food: Steamed buns in china town.
liv casabianca
SENIOR CREATIVE STRATEGY & BRAND MANAGER
Hometown: Hudson Valley, NY
Favorite Part of Event Planning: Shaping creative narratives and seeing ideas come to life across wildly different types of experiences.
Favorite Venue: Hall Des Lumières
Favorite Place to Travel: Either Italy or Japan
Biggest Professional Achievement: Leading creative strategy and execution across multiple in-house brands and clients, across brand identity, digital and physical marketing, content, and campaign development.
Special Skill(s): Photography, brand creation & storytelling, eye for aesthetics
If you were an NYC neighborhood, which one would you be? Tribeca
Favorite NYC Food: Way too many to choose!
olivia antonelli
SOCIAL MEDIA COORDINATOR
Hometown: East Greenwich, RI
Favorite Part of Event Planning: It's all in the subtleties. I love how intentional sensory cues like textures, visuals and sound can completely shape how people experience an event.
Favorite Venue: The International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, RI.
Favorite Place to Travel: Spain, or to an island somewhere warm.
Biggest Professional Achievement: Owning the full lifecycle of social concepts, from idea to execution.
Special Skill(s): Curating the perfect playlist.
If you were an NYC neighborhood, which one would you be? ...Soho. Or Gramercy
Favorite NYC Food: Burgers!!
christian caurla
GRAPHIC & MULTI-MEDIA DESIGNER
Hometown: Spiazzi, Verona (Italy)
Favorite Part of Event Planning: Watching our videos as they finally play on huge screens during the event.
Favorite Venue: Keglerheim in Berlin. It's a huge old sports bar that hosts edgy events and attracts a very diverse crowd, from octogenarian German smokers to drag queens and families.
Favorite Place to Travel: Sicily
Biggest Professional Achievement: Having been part of the Cerbelli Team from the start and and supporting countless mesmerizing events.
Special Skill(s): Turning a theme into a visually appealing package.
If you were an NYC neighborhood, which one would you be? I live in Berlin XD
Favorite NYC Food: I am Italian, so I would say Pizza. But Italy's is better ;)
jo milan
VENUE & SALES MANAGER
Hometown: San Francisco, CA
Favorite Part of Event Planning: What I enjoy most about event planning is collaborating with clients to identify solutions that meet their objectives and working with teams to turn those visions into reality.
Favorite Venue: Wave Hill in the Bronx
Favorite Place to Travel: Phillippines
Biggest Professional Achievement: Creating a customized activation focused on DE&I in the workplace that developed into an annual event during my time at Marvel Entertainment.
Special Skill(s): Building partnerships
If you were an NYC neighborhood, which one would you be? Upper West Side
Favorite NYC Food: All Asian Food
baci
VP (VICE POOCH)
Hometown: Barklyn
Favorite Part of Event Planning: The pawsitively fetching decor!
Favorite Venue: Museum of the Dog. Yes, that’s a real New Bark City place!
Favorite Place to Travel: Howl-olulu
Biggest Professional Achievement: Best in Show Planner Award
Special Skill(s): Napping, eating, and looking cute.
If you were an NYC neighborhood, which one would you be? Furry Hill
Favorite NYC Food: Pup-eria tacos. Bone Appétit!