Michael Estwanik Email & Phone Number

Ojai, Ca, Us

I lead two companies that engage my two passions: travel/event planning and preserving the American Songbook. I founded Searchlights ten years ago while living in New York City and enjoyed planning events for such prestigious clients as McCann-Erickson, Google, Genzyme, Prudential, Essilor Lenses, ServiceMax, Guardian Life Insurance, and many more. Twenty years ago I founded a non-profit whose mission is to celebrate and to preserve the American Songbook for future generations through concerts and workshops. I operated this in NYC, Telluride, and now Cleveland (my hometown where the performing arts are booming).

I founded this in my hometown of Cleveland where the performing arts are thriving. More than most cities twice our size. Our mission is “Our mission is to celebrate the American Songbook, to preserve this musical treasury, and to foster it for future generations through concerts and educational workshops. We define the American Songbook as any song with both a recognizable melody and meaningful lyrics written by Americans, from the past as well as contemporary, and of any genre (e.g. standards, Broadway, rock ‘n roll, folk, gospel, film, jazz, country, rhythm & blues, patriotic, etc.)” Leonard Bernstein once said ‘This will be our reply to violence: to make music more intensely, more beautifully, more devotedly than ever before.’ So that is what we will be doing.”

Innovative, dedicated, award-winning professional in both corporate and social event planning who has traveled to 80 countries and 49 states, working in most of them. Also the founder, president, programmer, creative benefit producer, fundraiser, and award shows presenter (Liza Minnelli, Barbara Cook, Ann Hampton Callaway, Linda Lavin, Julie Wilson, Karen Mason, Bobby Short, John Pizzarelli, Barry Manilow, Barbara Carroll, Betty Buckley, Michael Mayer, Margaret Whiting, Jim Caruso, etc.)

Searchlights offers high end and middle-priced JAUNTs, Journeys for All Us Nice Travelers. We also do site selection for corporations and other organizations as well as full-service planning, logistics and on-site management. Corporate clients have included McCann-Erickson, Merrill Lynch, Guardian Life Insurance, Google, Prudential, Essilor Lenses (Varilux), ServiceMax, Genentech, and many more. Mr. Estwanik has traveled to 80 countries and 49 states. He personally leads the JAUNTs designs which have thus far operated with sizes of six to 20 in Vietnam/Cambodia, Paris/Normandy, African safaris (with Cape Town and Victoria Falls), Cape Town, Peru, Myanmar, New Orleans, Cuba, Slovenia/Croatia, etc.

Searchlights is a global site selection (we find hotels and resorts for corporate and social meetings and events) and negotiate contracts. I have traveled to 80 countries and 49 states so our destination knowledge is superb. We also plan and operate events globally. And we plan and operate JAUNTs (Journey for All Us Nice Travelers) a unique invitation-only private travel club around the world. Recent JAUNTs have included Vietnam/Cambodia, Myanmar, Cuba, Africa (Capetown/safari in Botswana/Victoria Falls, Peru, and New Orleans. Future JAUNTs include Slovenia/Croatia, the Kingdom of Bhutan, Bali, Paris/Normandy, Safari in Tanzania plus Capetown, Argentina, Chile, and Norway.

The American Songbook Project brought Broadway and Cabaret singers into the New York City schools where there most funding for music and other arts programs has been eliminated.

Working with faculty administered the admission process for this liberal arts college. Oversaw a staff of four.

Planned and operated corporate incentive travel programs and meetings.

B.A. Psychology, Musical Theatre

Certificate Of Completion, Non-Profit/Public/Organizational Management

Certificate, Non-Profit/Public/Organizational Management

Education record

Certificate: Three-Day Seminar, How To Excel In Non-Profit Management

Education record