Derek Stonebarger has had his finger on the pulse of Vegas ever since he moved here 16 years ago. The owner of Main Street’s ReBar spent 15 years in television working for Chanel 8 News and Fox 5, is a former Atomic Liquors partner and even had a stint as a theater owner with the (now-shuttered) Theatre 7. After meeting director/cinematographer Scott Pesqueria, Stonebarger’s idea for DTLV.tv, a web series that highlights the “great inhabitants of the Arts District and Old Downtown,” fell into place.
“I just feel there’s not a lot of time,” says Stonebarger, who’s also a cancer survivor. “Now that I’ve literally almost checked out, I know I don’t have time to dick around with people who aren’t serious.”
The 30-minute series tells the stories of different owner-operated business in Downtown through a handful of vignettes, led by Stonebarger and co-host DJ Miss Joy. DTLV.tv’s first episode showcases artist Alexander P. Huerta at First Friday, Modern Mantiques on Main Street’s “antique alley,” Sin City Yoga, the Vegas Pub Crawler, different happy hour “tips and tricks” and a segment on Neon Reverb and local band The All-Togethers. New episodes are set to come out every month, and Stonebarger and Pesqueria say they hope people of all walks reach out to be featured in the future.
“The main driving force is, we love Downtown,” Pesqueria says. “We shouldn’t be in the shadows of the Strip; it should be a nice alternative.”
The second episode will include similar highlights, plus a segment with real estate expert Downtown Steve. “He’s an amazing resource,” Pesqueria says. “He helped me get a rental when I first ventured out Downtown. It was just a no-brainer to me.”
DTLV.tv Airs Thursday at 6 p.m., Fridays at 10 p.m. and Mondays at 10 a.m. on KCLV (Channel 2) and is also available online at DTLV.tv.