Energetic entrepreneur: 'My goal isn't to be ordinary'

There are multitaskers, and then there's Mayank Amin: pharmacist, entertainer, Hollywood body double, youth advocate, and owner of an event-planning firm whose clients include the Phillies.

Amin launched Platinum Dream Events L.L.C. in January 2014, four months after starting his pursuit of an MBA from Villanova University - the "fast track" option, of course.

I'm still catching my breath after spending a couple of hours with him last week, during which Amin dialed up Chris Brown's Turn Up the Music on his iPhone and busted a few moves for a photographer.

He did not bring his dhol, the double-headed Indian drum he plays at wedding receptions - Amin said he donates the proceeds to charities benefiting Indian youth.

"My goal isn't to be ordinary," said the 30-year-old Lansdale resident, who has a 90-minute (one-way) commute to one of his jobs - as a drug-safety analyst at Pfizer in Peapack, N.J. "I believe in the saying, 'An idle mind is the devil's playground.' "

A devout Hindu, Amin's not letting the devil in. Frankly, he doesn't appear to have time for such distractions.

"Every time I see him, I always wonder, 'When do you sleep?' " said Kenny Johnson, coordinator of community outreach and cultural initiatives for the Phillies. "He's really one of the most motivated people that I know."

Platinum Dream Events arranges the cultural acts for the Phillies' annual Asian Pacific Celebration. Amin used to perform for the event. Now, he's assuming more of a behind-the-scenes role, though don't mistake that for slowing down.

After he graduates from Villanova's MBA program in May, he plans to take summer classes, likely in public relations and communications. After attending the Forbes Under 30 Summit in Philadelphia in October, Amin wrote multiple post-summit articles and hopes for a speaking role at this year's Under 30, returning to Philadelphia.

"I just want to be a Toys R Us kid and keep playing," he said.

He uses playing differently than most. After all, included in that reference is his work at Walgreens, which began shortly after Amin graduated from the University of the Sciences in 2009 with a doctor of pharmacy degree. He worked through 2011 as a rotating pharmacist, assigned where needed at Walgreens stores from Philadelphia to Lancaster.

Filling prescriptions wasn't enough for him, however. He volunteered to do community outreach, including delivering immunizations at nursing homes. Jim Reed, Walgreens' pharmacy supervisor, said Amin was "instrumental in helping to increase immunization rates among underserved patients."

But pharmacist work involves weekend hours, which interfered with something else Amin is passionate about - teaching kids at his temple in Lansdale. So while continuing with Walgreens on a per-diem basis, Amin went to work for Pfizer at a Monday-to-Friday job in January 2011.

He commutes to Philadelphia after work two to three times a week for his night classes at Villanova's Center City campus.

"I wanted to do something businesswise," he said of his motivation. "I've had that goal as a child, following in my father's business footsteps" as the operator of two dollar stores and two convenience stores.

That Amin's business would be devoted to entertainment - from concerts and weddings to birthday parties and conferences - seems a logical progression.

While in pharmacy school, he cofounded a dance team - USP Dhamaal - that was so good British singer-songwriter Jay Sean had them as his background dancers during his summer 2005 tour.

Hollywood came calling during Amin's final month of pharmacy school, casting him as the body double for Dev Patel in M. Night Shyamalan's 2010 film, The Last Airbender, filmed at the Navy Yard.

"In some ways, it could come off that he's unfocused," said Amin's mentor at Villanova, II Luscri, director of the Center for Innovation, Creativity and Entrepreneurship. "I think it's the opposite. When he thinks of things and ideas, he wants to move forward with them."

That's precisely the center's aim, Luscri said. "We're trying to get people to take action on their ideas rather than sit dormant on them."

Platinum Dream Events has 10 paid staff, who are not all full-time, including two Villanova interns and three Amin family members. It handled 20 jobs for a total of $20,000 in revenue last year, said Amin, who is fully financing the start-up himself. He expects this year's events to double, and for the business to reach profitability within two years.

After that? Perhaps an app related to events planning. Or one to help improve prescription access and affordability.

"There's a lot of space," he said, "for innovation."

215-854-2466 @dmastrull