Paul Pudlitzke worked for Prince for nearly five years in the early-1990s. The Belle Plaine native was hired in 1990 as a food and beverage manager at Glam Slam, Prince’s downtown Minneapolis nightclub. He later earned a promotion to general manager of the Glam Slam nightclubs in Minneapolis, Los Angeles and Miami. An autographed wine list is one of his prized mementos from those days.
Paul Pudlitzke worked for Prince for nearly five years in the early-1990s. The Belle Plaine native was hired in 1990 as a food and beverage manager at Glam Slam, Prince’s downtown Minneapolis nightclub. He later earned a promotion to general manager of the Glam Slam nightclubs in Minneapolis, Los Angeles and Miami. An autographed wine list is one of his prized mementos from those days.
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Paul Pudlitzke spent Saturday night visiting memory lane, recalling the days in the early-1990s when he worked for the international megastar. Pudlitzke just knew him as ‘boss.’
The Belle Plaine native spent the evening at First Avenue surrounded by Prince’s fans and many former co-workers mourning the late music icon found dead at Paisley Park, Prince’s home and recording studio in Chanhassen.
They celebrated his talent and shared stories, both about the music and their days of working for Prince at Glam Slam nightclubs in downtown Minneapolis, Los Angeles and Miami.
“I’m a music lover,” Pudlitzke said. “He was, to me, the best musician on earth.”
Today, the 48-year-old Pudlitzke is a successful Realtor for Edina Realty. He works weekend, hours driven by the needs of his clients. That’s nothing new.
From 1990 through late-1994, he worked for Prince. It was a fast-paced lifestyle filled with challenge, adrenalin rushes and finding ways to accomplish the seemingly improbable. Satisfying the boss’s flair for production and creativity and running the business side of the operation was more than a full-time job.
Pudlitzke started out as a food-and-beverage manager at Glam Slam, the downtown Minneapolis nightclub Prince opened at 110 Fifth Street N. in late-1989 to challenge First Avenue. He got the job through a classified job in the Star-Tribune. Pudlitzke was four years out of Belle Plaine High School. About 18 months into the job, Prince saw something he liked in the young man from Belle Plaine.
“He saw that I was able to get things done,” Pudlitzke said.
He was promoted to general manager, a job that had him overseeing all facets of the nightclub’s operation, from booking performers to making sure the club’s security and staffing were appropriate for the anticipated audience. He was ultimately responsible for a staff – full- and part-timers of 600 people.

High-End Talent
Pudlitzke booked performers for Glam Slam like Average White Band, B.B. King, Miles Davis, Morris Day & The Time, Creed, Soul Asylum, and The Whalers. Occasionally, when the boss wanted to perform, either for the love of being on stage or as a warm-up for a tour, Prince would also take the stage at Glam Slam.
At its peak, the club could hold about 3,000 people, about 800 people more than First Avenue could hold at the time, Pudlitzke said. “It was a very big operation,” he said.
Known for his musical genius, Prince was also a savvy businessman. He surrounded himself with people that helped capitalize on his growing pop music legend. In 1993, Prince opened Glam Slam in Los Angeles. The following year, he opened Glam Slam on South Beach in Miami.
The young man from Belle Plaine was now responsible for operations and a staff of 1,800 on two coasts and the upper Midwest. He had apartments in Minneapolis, LA and Miami. A business trip to the coast was only a phone call away.
“I was always on a plane,” he said.
The job frequently required 60 or more hours a week. But when you’re in your mid-20s and making around $90,000 and the boss is Prince Rogers Nelson, hours and stress are details left for another day.
“For me, it wasn’t really about the money. Sure, it was nice, but I enjoyed the challenge of the job, of making things happen,” Pudlitzke said. “It was a lifestyle.”
Working for Prince was a fast-paced challenge. He expected a lot from his top staff. Pudlitzke had to negotiate the line between what made for good production value and what made good business sense. Sometimes, the line was a little blurry.
“He was an incredible perfectionist,” Pudlitzke said. Prince didn’t always accept no as a suitable answer. “There was no room for error.”
When Glam Slam Miami opened in 1994, Prince wanted all three locations linked via satellite. At the time, Pudlitzke said, a three-hour satellite feed to and from all three venues cost about $1 million. Aiming to capture on the spectacle, Prince wasn’t as worried about details like the cost of producing the event. That was a detail for others to deal with.
In 1993, Prince wanted to perform at Glam Slam in Minneapolis before hitting the road for a tour. The production he envisioned called for an expanded stage that used up most of the dance floor. It called for a six-figure production.
“I was an optimist when it came to the music and what he wanted,” Pudlitzke said. “But you have to sell a lot of tickets to make that happen. Sometimes, the cost of them just didn’t justify the cost based on the ticket sales.”
Pudlitzke left Prince’s employ in late-1994. While it became difficult to meet his boss’s demands, he wouldn’t trade the four years for anything. He was sad Thursday hearing of Prince’s passing.
“It was an honor and a pleasure working for him.”