At every “cool” party, they’re hard to miss: A group of glamorous kids wearing something out of a science fiction movie, a couture fashion collection, or your worst nightmare. They smoke cigarettes where they aren’t supposed to, take endless selfies, dance on top of the furniture and make out until their makeup smears beyond recognition. They’re the party’s hosts, meaning they’re having the most fun you can have at a party — and they’re being paid to do it.
Casual partygoers rarely see the huge amount of work that goes into making a party successful. Someone glancing at a flyer or popping into a club for a few hours might not pay attention to anything beyond who is supplying the music or who they’re trying to go home with. But hosts are an unexpectedly integral element of the party scene backbone, providing much more than just the appearance of non-stop fun.