In 1998, Matt Rucins was sick of seeing an empty stage from the DJ booth he spun in every week at a Columbia, Missouri basement bar, so he asked the bar owner if he could hire bands. He wasn't aware at the time, but Rucins started a twenty-year career as a talent buyer and promoter, which included time at Columbia's The Blue Note and fifteen years at Schubas in Chicago, where in 2009, he helped open and book Lincoln Hall.
In 2015, shortly after the sale of Schubas and Lincoln Hall, Rucins was hired by React Presents to work on the company's Mamby On The Beach Festival and continue to diversify their electronic leaning programming. At the beginning of this year, React promoted Rucins to General Manager and Sr. Talent Buyer. He now leads on Mamby and recently helped negotiate a partnership with Chicago's longtime independent concert promoter, Jam Productions, gaining access to their Park West, The Vic and The Riviera venues.