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Noel Hankin is a founder of The Best of Friends, Inc. (TBOF), a pioneering business enterprise that promoted discotheque events in New York City starting in 1971. TBOF owned Leviticus, Justine's (formerly Othello), and Bogard's, three of the first black-owned clubs in midtown Manhattan. TBOF also owned Brandi's in Brooklyn and Lucifer's (renamed Trixx) in Queens. These nightclubs paved the way for Studio 54, Saturday Night Fever, and the nationwide explosion of disco in the late '70s. Hankin is a retired senior executive who managed some of the world's most successful brands at Moët Hennessy USA and Miller Brewing Company. He also wrote speeches for CEOs and has been published in Vital Speeches. Hankin is a founder of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund and served as its Vice-Chair. Founded in 1987, the Fund has raised over $300 million and helped prepare 260,000 students for career success through leadership training and providing financial scholarships. President Clinton appointed Hankin to his Board of Advisors on Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), where he provided counsel to the President for seven years. Hankin has a BA from Queens College, a Marketing Certificate from the Wharton School of Business, and an Honorary Doctorate from Medgar Evers College/CUNY. Born in Kingston, Jamaica, Hankin lives in East Hampton, NY with his wife Gwendolyn. They have two married daughters and three grandchildren.
"""After Dark is such a fabulous read about the exciting times when disco dancing was the rage. It's also a deeply researched, first-hand account that immerses the reader in the diverse culture and history of 1970s New York City when the disco movement was born and rose to captivate the nightclub scene. It really will make you want to dance! Written by a co-founder of a social club of college friends, it is also a story about friendship and an amazing lesson in entrepreneurship."" Gabrielle Kirk McDonald ""I had been looking forward to reading this book but did not expect to literally be transported through time by this affable, able, and noble guide, Noel Hankin. Noel welcomes us to a slice of cultural icon/ness. And in it - time has stood still and you can revel in the motion and dance in its motionlessness. It is the somber and the laughable conjoined with moods and melodies in an escapade of inescapable realities. In other words, ""it was best of times, it was the worst of times"" as Charles Dickens once said. This is an epic tale of Leviticus and other discotheques, which he aptly explains means 'record library.' His bio-narrative style opens up many volumes to behold in effusive and often ineffable ways. Join this romp through the galaxy because it is a read not to be missed."" Saleem Abdal-Khaaliq - Author of Mind Sand ""Put on your dancing shoes and your spiffy clothes. Pack your comb, a clean hanky, and step into Noel Hankin's time machine for a delightful journey to the world of New York City disco dancing parties. Experience first-hand the backdrop of ""Fun City"" vs. ""Fear City"" by taking this exciting, indeed exhilarating, and joyful ride through the pages of ""After Dark"". Noel Hankin makes you an intimate part of ""The Best of Friends"", as they strategically move from the stresses and successes of their ground-breaking business ventures to the roar and the rhythm of the crowded dance floor. As a proud and distinguished Queens College alumnus, Noel has found his true calling as a captivating storyteller."" - Jay Hershenson, VP Communications and Marketing and Senior Advisor to the President of Queens College/CUNY ""After Dark: Birth of the Disco Dance Party by Noel Hankin talks about a significant yet rarely discussed or even written about part of American history: The origins of the disco dance party scene and its contribution to society. What makes this piece of work even more relevant is that author Noel Hankin is a living witness in its evolution and played a major part in it. It goes back to the beginning of the seventies when a group of friends that included Hankin formed a social club called The Best of Friends (TBOF) and built a network of discotheques. Hankin traces back the struggles and triumphs of doing what they love and, with passionate recall, shares stories of the high energy generated by the business that they were not expecting would redefine a nation's dance scene culture."" - Vincent Dublado for Readers' Favorite"
