San Francisco Examiner - October 7, 2002
Bill Picture Of The Examiner Staff

"I'm ready for something new," says the Brazil native. "Besides, it's time to start thinking about retirement. You Americans start thinking about that when you are 30. We Brazilians start thinking about it when we are 50."

San Francisco's circuit party regulars have Jito to thank for essentially putting The City on the gay global circuit. Prior to Magnitude, which he started in 1996, San Francisco was a gay travel destination but not really a gay party destination the way New York, Miami or Sydney were, he says.

When Jito arrived in the Bay Area in 1983 (he lived in Miami for three years prior to that, where he studied English), San Francisco was a "very sad place."

"We were still in the midst of the AIDS epidemic," he explains. "It was very depressing. I lost an enormous amount of friends to AIDS during my first 10 years here."

In 1996, Jito decided that The City's gay community needed, more than ever, something to lift its spirits. By that time, he had already produced a number of smaller parties and was doing a fair amount of traveling with friends to attend massive gay dance events in other parts of the country and around the world. He was certain San Francisco would benefit, not only dollar-wise but morale-wise, from its own large-scale circuit event.

"Gay men needed an escape," he says. "I wanted to bring the gay scene back to life. I wanted to attract people from all over the world and bring the circuit to San Francisco."

Putting on these grand-scale parties, he explains, is really just an extension of something he's always loved to do: "I love dealing with people. I love to entertain. I guess you could say I have a passion for it."

Party on

This passion is what's helped him survive the often choppy waters of clubland. As if producing an event of this magnitude (pardon the pun) isn't difficult enough, having to wade through knee-high city hall bureaucracy and deal with the increased media scrutiny that circuit parties like his have come under has made his job even harder.

"It's just a f---in' party," he says, dismissing allegations made by some law enforcement officials and gay activists that circuit parties and the promoters who put them on are encouraging drug use and unsafe sex practices. "A promoter can only control so much. We search everyone. If we catch you with drugs, you don't get in. If someone's caught inside doing drugs, they're asked to leave. We do not condone drug use in any way."

Jito says his ultimate goal is to provide a safe environment where his patrons can check their worries at the door, mingle and have a good time.

Are their drugs? Yes, Jito admits some of his patrons do use drugs, but that's beyond his control, he argues. However, to ensure clubgoers' safety, he has medical staff on hand at every party to deal with anything that may arise.

"Thankfully," he says, "we haven't needed them." He proudly adds that there hasn't been a single incident of violence at one of his events, either -- not even one fight.

Attention to details like security, crowd safety, lighting, decor and music is what has made Jito such a huge success. Well, that and a good head for business. He asserts there isn't any secret to making a name for yourself in nightlife promotion; the qualifications are the same as in any other industry.

"You have to be honest, you have to be reliable and you have to be responsible," he says.

Keeping it real

Now that he's retiring from the club business, Jito plans to apply that dedication to his other passion: real estate, which he's been involved in since 1987.

"Just like the parties, I get to deal with people, which I love," he explains. "But in real estate, I get to build more of a relationship with them.

I like holding my client's hand and guiding them through the process."

But while Jito may be packed and ready to depart clubland, clubland isn't quite ready to let go of him. The organizers of the Folsom Street Fair have asked him to help them keep Magnitude alive. He says he'll pass the torch on to another promoter who he feels confident can produce an event of the same, if not better, quality.

He also was approached recently by the organizers of the Sydney Mardi Gras, arguably the world's biggest and best-known circuit party, to produce an event next year in Melbourne. As hard as it was to turn them down, he says he had to pass.

"I really want to focus my attention on real estate," he explains. "Throwing parties is fun, but it's always been more of a hobby -- an expensive hobby at that. This is my future.

"But Jito's not dead," he adds. "I may be 50, but I still feel 29. Just give me some time to breathe and I'll be back."

For more information on Magnitude, visit www.jito.com.

E-mail: bpicture@sfexaminer.com

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