Colin Miller
By Katherine Turman
T
he name’s Cowie. Colin Cowie. And if you want it “shaken and not stirred,” your wish is his command. “‘No’ is not a word I use very often.” The Zambia-born and South Africa-educated entrepreneur started his event-planning business 26 years ago “with $400 and big dreams.” Today, Colin Cowie Enterprises is a multimillion-dollar, multi-faceted enterprise encompassing Weddings, Life & Style and Hospitality. Known for planning lavish, no-detail-left-untouched celebrations for everyone from Oprah to Hef, Cowie’s as down-toearth as his events are over the top. With his plummy accent and svelte physique, it’s no wonder that James Bond is Cowie’s idol, though Cowie counts himself more of a tequila fellow than a martini man. For his 50th birthday last January, he planned his own fete — in Mexico. “It was the best party I’ve ever designed or ever planned or ever been to,” he gushes. “One hundred and seventy of my friends came from 11 countries and 22 cities and celebrated with me for four days! I’ve never had more fun in my entire life. I love tequila,” he confesses. “It makes me a better person. It makes me feel like 9 o’clock at 6 o’clock. It makes me feel like it’s Friday on a Wednesday.” 48
His parties do the same for clients and their invitees. The man who would be king of the event planners was born in the small town of Kitwe. Growing up with his brother and two sisters, he recalls, “There was one country club that we loved, one restaurant and a hotel you wouldn’t put your foot in.” But the Cowie family enjoyed entertaining: “I cannot think of a time when we didn’t have visiting houseguests, or someone coming over for cocktails or dinner. We really were our own entertainment. That became the genesis of my whole business. Once I came to live in America, I had clients in Beverly Hills, who had walk-in refrigerators and were eating in restaurants five nights a week. I thought, ‘there’s something wrong with this picture.’” In the 26 years since, he’s painted a new picture, one that emphasizes, ultimately, making dreams come true. “I’m so blessed to do what I do. I love what I do. I get paid well. I get to spend other people’s money making other people happy. And inspiring them to live the best lives possible … or imaginable.” All of which sounds a bit dear. Of course, it can be. “I suffer from what’s called the ‘Oprah effect.’ (He planned her 500-person farewell dinner at Chicago’s Four Seasons hotel in 2011.) In many instances people think I’m unaffordable and too expensive. It’s because they’ve read about three parties that I did in a year – but what about
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